What is it?

BobT · 08-27-2020, 07:20 AM

I have this short round object in top of the front cap, it is next to the radio antenna. I have no idea what it is, a friend suggested it might be where a dish antenna might have been at one time. The CB antenna is further to the left, the TV antenna is further back and the XM antenna is just to the left of the mystery object. This is on a 2004 Adventurer.

Thanks;

Bob in Brooksville

Morich · 08-27-2020, 08:40 AM

you've kind of left us guessing on what Adventurer you have, so some guessing.
IF you have a 2004 Adventurer 37B model with any of these options, 48R, 78K or 480, it would possibly be the mount for a sat. dish.
There should be a listing of all the options on your specific Rv in the big folder of info if it did get transferred to you.
The big thing on RV is that there are actually thousands of different combos of things on each.

BobT · 08-27-2020, 08:51 AM

Thanks for the lead. I'll see if I have the folder.
We have a 38G Adventurer.

rk911 · 08-27-2020, 10:59 AM

i dont think that's for a sat dish as it's too physically close to the others. does your coach have in-dash navigation? could be a gps antenna? if you bought a used coach it could also be installed by the previous owner.

Morich · 08-27-2020, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rk911

i dont think that's for a sat dish as it's too physically close to the others. does your coach have in-dash navigation? could be a gps antenna? if you bought a used coach it could also be installed by the previous owner.

Correct thinking on the too close part but I was thinking from the other angle that the whip might have been added and not care about too close as they never intended to have the dish! If they were all intended as antenna, theory says they are all too close to not interfere with others.
Lots of potential when mods may have been made. Nothing to say mods are all good mods!

BobT · 08-27-2020, 11:39 AM

It is not a GPS antenna since there is no in dash navigation, I use a separate Garmin that I installed. The dash does have temperature and compass readout.

Morich · 08-27-2020, 01:16 PM

I do see on the parts listing that there was a Magnellon GPS unit, perhaps as an option and it does show a lead going to somewhere close to that area. Not a very good picture on the parts listing though.

rk911 · 08-27-2020, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobT

It is not a GPS antenna since there is no in dash navigation, I use a separate Garmin that I installed. The dash does have temperature and compass readout.

no reason it couldn't be a prep install for an optional GPS.

BobT · 08-27-2020, 01:57 PM

Thanks. Looking at the parts drawing it probably was for a GPS. The diagram shows the GPS Display where my back up monitor is. My monitor is a Sony and just a back up monitor. So the original unit, which may have been multi-functional, might have been replaced sometime before I bought the MH.

Thanks again.

neub · 08-27-2020, 02:10 PM

Do you have an electric awning? If so it is a wind speed indicator that self retracts the awning at a certain wind pressure. Our 2005 journey has it and A&E changed the design since they didnt work well. Failure rate was reported at close to 100%.

Wyatt · 08-27-2020, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neub

Do you have an electric awning? If so it is a wind speed indicator that self retracts the awning at a certain wind pressure. Our 2005 journey has it and A&E changed the design since they didnt work well. Failure rate was reported at close to 100%.

Wondering how a wind retraction detector would do any good on the roof? Everyone I’ve seen is mounted out at the arm of the awning to detect movement...

neub · 08-27-2020, 04:59 PM

Since the roof wind indicator did not work well they then went to a motion detector on the awning arms. Dont really know how it was designed as i have never removed it and disassembled, I just have wind monitor turned off in the basement compartment where the control box is located.

Wyatt · 08-27-2020, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neub

Since the roof wind indicator did not work well they then went to a motion detector on the awning arms. Dont really know how it was designed as i have never removed it and disassembled, I just have wind monitor turned off in the basement compartment where the control box is located.

Ah, so it was a wind speed detector. At least your awning wouldn’t go out driving down the road...

BobT · 08-29-2020, 10:04 AM

Well, the wind indicator was a good suggestion. I do have an electric awning. After reading the first post about the wind indicator I went to the Dometic Weather Pro website and downloaded a pdf manual. There was a diagram that showed the sensor and it looked like what I was asking about. The manual said it should be within 3 feet of the power arm but mine is further away. Then I saw in the manual about the engage/disengage switch. Really? Where? I found it on the control box in the basement but it is on the side facing into the compartment, well out of sight.
So, I had the awning extended, light breeze, about 4mph. I engaged the switch and the awning retracted. At 4mph? The awning would not extend when I pushed the extend button, I had to disengage the wind sensor.
After washing the RV I again engaged the wind sensor, same results. The manual says that it may not work if the sensor is wet. Well, it rained heavily so I let it sit out and dry all night and this morning. Then I tried the sensor again. With the sensor engaged I cannot extend the awning. Disengaged the sensor and extended the awning. Then engaged with 0mph wind and the sensor again retracted the awning, in calm winds!

I hate Mondays! But I love all of the help from this fantastic group!!

Stay well and safe.

Bob T.

Morich · 08-29-2020, 12:20 PM

I've been trying to think of what might be used to sense wind speed and one simple might be to have a form of "sail switch" like the an RV furnace might have. Maybe just a flap of some sort which will blow up or down if a gust of wind hits the top of the item you showed?
Here is an old, old post that might be of interest for chasing any lingering questions:
weather pro automatic awning with wind sensor

Phil G. · 08-29-2020, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobT

I have this short round object in top of the front cap, it is next to the radio antenna. I have no idea what it is, a friend suggested it might be where a dish antenna might have been at one time. The CB antenna is further to the left, the TV antenna is further back and the XM antenna is just to the left of the mystery object. This is on a 2004 Adventurer.

Thanks;

Bob in Brooksville

I have the EXACT SAME antenna on the roof of my 2005 Itasca (Winnebago) Class C motorhome ... it's the antenna for the outside entertainment center's radio!

I've adjusted mine to tilt back a bit so as to maybe reduce the chance of it getting damaged from hitting tree branches.

thunderjet · 09-02-2020, 04:35 PM

I have been told it is a temperature sensor. A chip calls for closing the awning if temperature changes too quickly over a short period of time. Or if Temperature drops too low.
Mine never worked From day one.

TJ

BBBEEBOP · 09-02-2020, 04:44 PM

It is a wind speed detector for your auto awning! Had o e on a 2005 Vectra

Diesel-Lover · 09-02-2020, 04:46 PM

Perhaps the opening if routed and built in with forethought can be repurposed for something neat like a cellular signal enhancement antenna, solar....

Cheryl Bisson · 09-02-2020, 05:11 PM

I agree that it is a wind detector for the electric awning because there is one on top of our 2005 Adventurer 33V that looks just like that. It worked for awhile but we could never get it calibrated to be sensitive enough to retract the awning when the awning was really flapping in the wind so the function was turned off. A few years later we decided to turn the function back on but the control box made a continual humming type noise so we turned it off and it has stayed that way for many, many years.