TV signal acting up? Here are a few troubleshooting ideas

After a long day behind the wheel, many RVers like to kick back and watch a little of what Grampa called, "The idiot box." But here's a real frustration: Staying in a campground, you can't get a good TV signal off cable – maybe you can't get anything at all. What's to be done?

Often a little simple detective work will help in this kind of a situation. First off, does the problem happen anywhere you hook up to cable? If it happens only in one campground or RV park, then it's likely there was a problem with the park's cable service. But if the problem follows you around like a black cloud, then it's time to start looking in your own rig.

Does your TV work for "off the air" signals? Take a quick look at your antenna amplifier system. You'll likely find it where your TV antenna cable hooks up at a wall plate. On one of the cable wall plates in your RV there'll be one with a little switch and usually an LED or other indicator light. With the switch set for ANTENNA, the light will be on. Move the switch to the other setting, this one for CABLE. This will shut off the amplifier and direct the signal from the cable to your television.

There might also be a "black box" in the rig that also affects TV signal input. Look in cabinets near the TV for a box with buttons with legends like, "OTA," "Cable," "DVD," or "Satellite." You'll need to select and set for the appropriate input.

Still not work? Look at the back of the television. Some have a switch that needs to be changed from "Over the Air" to "Cable." Set the switch appropriately.

With those switches mentioned set appropriately, you'll now need to let the television search for live channels. Each TV has its own methodology, so check your TV owner manual for information on how to do this.

If none of this has cleared up your problem, then another suggestion will rule out a problem with your RV's internal antenna wiring. Run a piece of coaxial (TV cable) directly from the park's cable hookup directly to your television jack. Again, make sure the TV "Over the Air/Cable" switch is set correctly. If you get your stations now, the problem is somewhere in the rig's internal antenna wiring, and you'll need more help.

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