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Old 12-21-2017, 11:44 AM   #1
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Help with MH Televisions

I need some help with the two TV's in our Winnebago MH. I have never used them before, and now that I am trying them, I am completely stumped. No matter what I try, neither will work. The main one is a 24" Sony Wega and the other is a 19" RCA. In addition to the two TV's there is a TV/VCR/TV2 switch. It has push buttons for SAT, Aux, TV Ant, VCR, & CATV for each item. There is also a small box that says Digital Stream DTV. This has coax connectors "in from Ant" and "out to TV"

If I just turn on the TV, all the channels have snow. If I turn on the DTV box, all the channels have snow except for channel 4. This channel is set on the DTV box. I have a Winegard bat wing antennae and no matter which direction it is aimed I get "Weak Signal" on channel 4.

Just to rule out bad reception, I put a flat screen from the house with electronic rabbit ears in the MH and tried a few channesl. No problem - several channels with a strong signal.

I thought about just replacing the TV's, but they must be bolted down and I am not even sure I can remove the old ones.

What am I doing wrong? How do I troubleshoot this?

Also, will a Winegard Wingman help?

Winnebago Adventurer 35A Gas
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Old 12-21-2017, 12:39 PM   #2
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Donny,
The Box Of Many Buttons (BOMB) is what you probably have.
The button all the way to the left is the Power button. Typically the power button is turned on only when using the outside batwing antenna. It is off for all other applications.

On the back will be the inputs and outputs and I'm going to assume that they are all hooked up correctly, so, using the batwing turn on the power, then press each of the buttons that say TV. Go to the settings on your tv, choose the setting that will get you to your antenna, choose "Over the Air" or "Air" and then auto scan the channels. See what happens with that procedure.

If you are at a campground and they have cable you would hook up to your outside cable connection, then you would press the "Cable" button on the BOMB. You would have to again go to the settings for antenna and choose "Cable" instead of "Over the Air" or "Air" and again scan the channels.

If you have satellite you would choose the satellite button and then proceed with your satellite as you would in the house. Assuming the satellite is hooked up to a built in antenna on the MH.

For each of the procedures, TV or Cable, you would have to perform the channel scan each time you stopped at an different RV park.

If your BOMB does not have a power button then somewhere near that area there is an RF connector and beside that connector is a little button. When that button is pressed the light will go on indicating that the power is supplied to the amplifier in the batwing. When watching cable that lite needs to be off by pressing that button again.

Lots of buttons, eh?

Here are some examples of the BOMB's available - just a couple:
one type BOMB http://www.winegard.com/kbase/upload...nstruction.pdf

Another type BOMB http://www.winegard.com/kbase/uploads/VS53DVD.pdf
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Old 12-21-2017, 01:25 PM   #3
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My BOMB is the second type (VS53DVD). I do not have a power button to turn on power to the bat wing. The BOMB has 12 volts going it, so assume it is set up so I don't need a power switch to the bat wing. The BOMB, of course, does have a power switch. I'm not worried about cable or sat yet, just the two TV's.
What I have tried is to turn on the TV, the BOMB, and the DTV, then a channel scan as you suggest. That does not yield any channels, but I know my flat screen from my house works for several channels.
There are two things I read that I might try. I should be getting 12v at the antennae. I could check that. If that works, I could temporarily patch the coax from the bat wing to my household flat screen to see if that works. After that, I'm not sure what I can do.
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Old 12-21-2017, 01:37 PM   #4
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You are on the right track with a TV from the house. I'm also assuming that you have checked all the connections on the back of the BOMB. Also I don't know the year of your Winni but if it is before digital switch over then you are stuck with analog signals and they are getting fewer and fewer. You would need a digital to analog converter box. If it all works with the house digital tv then it is the TV's and you would need to box or upgrade to a newer digital TV. Swap out is not that difficult if you have some mechanical/woodworking skills.

In my 2008 I had a 30" TV that was digital but it was the old hump-back TV and weighed 117 pounds. I swapped it out for a 36" that would fit in the hole and installed braces and a full articulating TV mount.

p.s., even with no power to the batwing and if you are in a populated area you should get at least a couple channels. You may not speak the language though.
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Old 12-21-2017, 02:32 PM   #5
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DonnyB-

Here's a link to a TV/VCR installation diagram set for a 2005 Adventurer 35A. Does anything there look like the installation in your coach?
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Old 12-21-2017, 04:25 PM   #6
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The 2006 Adventurer will have analog (not digital) TVs and won't be able to receive over-the-air broadcasts these days without using that 'Digital Stream DTV' box.

Here's the TV/DVD, Front Wiring Installation diagram for your coach which shows how Winnebago wired things as built. The DTV box presumably has been added somewhere between the antenna and the TV. It will output on either channel 3 or 4 (sounds like it's set to 4 in your case) to the TV set. The TV should be set on the matching channel. You will then need to use the remote control for the DTV box to scan for channels and select the channel you want to see on the TV.
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Old 12-22-2017, 06:46 AM   #7
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Thanks to all who responded. My 2006 Winnie looks like the link by Cbeierl. One thing I will try is to put new batteries in the DTV remote. I tried to use it, but it was non-functional, so assume it needs new batteries. This might be the key to making it all work.
If this doesn't work, I am thinking about putting in a new flat screen. If anybody has experience with this I would appreciate some help. I looked at how the old one might come out. Looks like quite a job. There are some plastic dots that look like they might be covers for screws. They are about 3/4" in diameter and are around the bottom of the cabinet next to the windshield. They look almost like large plastic pop rivets. Can I assume they are to be pried off to access screws? Again, any help from someone who has done this would be much appreciated.
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Old 12-22-2017, 07:38 AM   #8
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Just fyi, here's a link to my upgrade: Front LCD TV install in 2005 Vectra (Long)
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Old 12-22-2017, 07:46 AM   #9
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The plastic caps over the screws in the plastic tub under the TV should just pop out with a gentle pry in the tiny opening you'll see on one side. Before doing that, put a towel over the defroster vents so you don't lose anything down them! Once that caps are removed you can remove all of the screws as well as any center sun visor--the tub will still be attached to the wooden face frame from the inside. You should also remove the center speaker above the TV (if present) by snapping off the cover and unscrewing/unplugging it. The wooden face frame is attached via a couple(?) of screws on each side through the metal wall of the adjoining cabinets. Once those screws are removed the face frame and attached tub should tip out at the top and come off completely. The TV itself is secured with a heavy metal bracket over the top (and probably some double stick adhesive tape at the bottom. It's quite heavy, so you should strongly consider having somebody else to assist in removing it.
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Old 12-22-2017, 08:16 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cbeierl View Post
Just fyi, here's a link to my upgrade: Front LCD TV install in 2005 Vectra (Long)
I did something similar in my 2006 Winnebago Sightseer 29R, w/o cutting any metal.

I pulled the old TV mounted a 32" LED TV on a swing arm. The new TV sits outside the wood decorative framework.

After pulling the old TV I attached a piece of 3/4 inch plywood, painted black, to the metal mounting the old TV was attached to. I then bolted the TV mounting arm to the plywood (the mounting arm is something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Mounting-Drea...nting+brackets

When we travel I have a 2" wide buckle strap that pulls the TV and mounting arm back to a pair of heavy duty foam pads.

Sorry I don't have any pictures of the process.

You do have to be pretty handy with tools and figuring things out to do this modification.
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Old 12-22-2017, 08:47 AM   #11
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We have replaced both our TVs with flat screens and it's not that bad.

I went to Walmart and found a swing away wall mount for the front so I can swing the tv out and angle it how I want. Also I can get at all the wiring behind it easily. Same in the bedroom.

Winnebago uses steel structural members to mount all appliances and all I had to do was bolt the swing arms right to that. Not bad at all.

The front TV is larger than the opening and rests just outside of it with a strap holding it in place when on the road.

Works great.
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Old 12-23-2017, 06:00 AM   #12
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Ok, I did something similar. Removed the old TV then cut off the metal framework that hung down. Cut a piece of plywood to fill in hole left under the cabinets and covered it with a matching vinyl. Found a mount that moves in/out, side to side and up and down. I like that you can pull it down to a better viewing angle. Like everyone else I use luggage straps to hold it in place while traveling. A 32" TV just fits between the cabinet doors
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Old 02-21-2018, 12:09 PM   #13
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Latching, swing arm mounts are available at reasonable prices, which I would recommend. Here is an example:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077Z7NVBK...W2Y1KNXJ&psc=1
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Old 02-23-2018, 06:28 PM   #14
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The mount I ordered from Amazon (see my 2/21/18 post) arrived today and I'll be installing it tomorrow. I'm impressed with how well made it is and the price is very reasonable.
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Old 03-01-2018, 09:51 AM   #15
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I mounted the new bracket to a piece of 3/4" plywood that was screwed to the existing steel framework with brackets I made from aluminum angle stock. The most difficult part was figuring out how deep to mount the plywood so the new TV didn't stick out too far in the stowed position. It's important that the mount is installed so it's absolutely plumb, both fore and aft and side to side. otherwise the TV will tilt inappropriately when swiveled.

Now, what to do with the cavernous space inside the old TV enclosure?

Long term, I'd like to re-locate the TV to somewhere along the wall between the passenger seat and entry door so it's easier to view when sitting on the couch in the left-hand slide out. When I have the time, I'd like to do this so it rises up from and stows in a shallow base cabinet.
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Old 03-10-2018, 04:24 PM   #16
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I just drove my motorhome for the first time after installing the latching bracket. The latch works great for securing the TV in the stowed position. However, since it's a single point of contact, the TV does shake and rattle and is quite distracting. It looks like I'll have to resort to some sort of strap after all.
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