Roof Cutout for Power Cable to King TV Antenna

[t_bob]

I searched this site and spent a lot of time with Professor Google hoping to find a photo of a MW Class C roof with its TV antenna removed on the Internet, but did not find anything definitive to help so am hoping someone will help.

We have a 2018 25b and the fiberglass roof top was replaced last fall due to hail damage. There was no indication of power to the unit's antenna after I got my RV back home--no power or the strength LEDs would illuminate when I turned on the power. I finally pulled the antenna and found there is no coaxial power cable running to the King Jack antenna.

There is only one cutout through the roof for the directional control and the small coaxial cable to the power/attenuation indicator module so I suspect the technician did not cut a hole in the new fiberglass top for the power cable. Repeated calls, voicemails, texts, and emails to the shop have gone unanswered.

Does anybody have a photo of the roof of a MW (hopefully a 25b) with the TV antenna removed that shows where the second (power) cable comes through the roof that they are willing to share? I am attaching a photo of my RV's roof and from what I have been able to gather, there should be another hole close by this one that has the power cable--the $1,000,000 question is where? I would appreciate a photo to help me start my cutting to find it in hopes of getting close on my first attempt.

Thank you for considering my request for your help.

t-bob

 

[Morich]

I took a look around and came up pretty short on info from online drawings. No mention of King jack that I found.
One thought that might sound insulting?
I spot what appears to be a switch for TV power and not sure of the full use of that? Any chance it is a simple as this switch being off and not one you normally use?
Best shot I've got from here and not likely to be much help!
But we might need some luck at times!

I find no mention of King jack in parts nor electrical drawings. Nothing that shows above the roofline other than this antenna info??

 

[t_bob]

Thanks, Morich! That wiring diagram looks similar to what I am finding in my 25B regarding power and signal distribution. The item labeled PLATE-WALL,ANT/CABLE/1... in the diagram above is labeled ANTENNA POWER BOOST and there are three coaxial connections on its backside. One of these cables runs up into the corner of the cabinet and into the ceiling/roof insulation. I suspect it used to run through the insulation and exit at the roofline (hopefully, close to the other hole that is up there for the antenna-direction mechanism) where it connected to the antenna.
I ran another coaxial cable from the back of my ANTENNA POWER BOOST connection, through the hole in my photo, and connected it to the antenna (there is a coaxial connector at the base of the antenna that does not have a cable connected to it)...and I had power and attenuation indicators on the antenna's control box. So, I think getting that cable from inside the coach connected to the antenna will get me to end-of-job...I just would really like to be able to know generally where to start my "fishing expedition" for the hole before cutting too many unproductive holes in the roof.
Thanks again for your help, Morich--I agree that sometimes it is the luck that helps us through the challenges!

 

[Morich]

Sounds like you are getting as close to what to do as I can sort out.
One small point that you "might" have missed is the color codes on the drawings to point to which direction the coax might go?

https://www.winnebago.com/Files/Files/Winnebago/Resources/Diagram/2017/000177027.pdf

Did you find blu for cables from that plate to antenna?
I've not looked at that part at all but it was my impression/guess that when we turned on the switch power was put on the amp in the antenna head by the coax???
Just a thought and not to be trusted very far!

 

[be happy]

In a past MH I had the King Jack antenna that I had to take apart a few times. Lets start with the wall plate. You should have coax from antenna to plate, coax from maybe cable to wall plate.

When I took my king apart there was a very thin cable going from the standard size coax to the antenna its self. The normal size coax came through the hole in roof then to the small king wire. There is no power only cable running from coach to antenna. The antenna gets its power from the standard coax.

Good Luck

 

[t_bob]

Hi everyone and thank you to Morich and be happy for your help!

I found it!

I searched and searched for a photo or documentation and found this diagram that shows a second hole through the roof on Winnebago's support site. The interesting/unsettling thing is that this diagram is for the previous version of the 25B according to my unit's serial number. Anyway, you can see the two holes inside the red square in the image below. Also, this diagram appears to show the second hole is directly behind the main access hole, and this was not the case for my 25B...the second hole in my unit is off-center toward the center of the roof.

I have a small "scope camera" that I have had for years and decided to see if it could help me locate the hole. I gingerly pried the layers apart with a screwdriver and could barely see the hole with the camera because the gap was too narrow to slide the camera in between the layers and whenever I slid something in between the layers to try to measure how far back the hole was, it would block the camera!!! Anyway, it got me really close and I only drilled two small pilot holes through the new fiberglass layer that missed, before locating the hole. I have a grommet for the hole and I will be filling the pilot holes with epoxy before mounting the antenna. I am attaching "before" and "after" photos in case this may be helpful for someone else in the future.

Thanks again to everyone who read about my situation and especially to those who provided input to help me solve my issue!

 

[Bnystrom]

It's not all unusual for Winnebago to change things like this, often based on the availability of specific components or inline production changes. That could be the case on your rig.

 

[RayIN]

Todays Winnebago MH's have a roof-mounted, weather-proof, common wiring access "'box". The increased installation of solar panels demanded easier wiring I guess.