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Old 08-14-2019, 01:25 PM   #1
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Seiki TV and cable campground reception

Pardon me if this has been covered before in the forum. We are newbies and have taken our first long trip. Apparently, the TV in my 2016 Thor ACE isn't compatible with cable digital signals, as we found out when we tried to watch cable at the campgrounds.

The most logical solutions is to replace the TV with a Smart TV (at least the one on the main living area). Have others found this to be the case and if so what have you replaced them with (Samsung?).

Along the same lines, has anyone had satellite installed and how much is that option? Thanks as always for your help!

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Old 08-14-2019, 01:45 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by HarleypsychRN View Post
Pardon me if this has been covered before in the forum. We are newbies and have taken our first long trip. Apparently, the TV in my 2016 Thor ACE isn't compatible with cable digital signals, as we found out when we tried to watch cable at the campgrounds.

The most logical solutions is to replace the TV with a Smart TV (at least the one on the main living area). Have others found this to be the case and if so what have you replaced them with (Samsung?).

Along the same lines, has anyone had satellite installed and how much is that option? Thanks as always for your help!
Regarding cheaply made Seiki TV’s...
- they do not have a QAM tuner
(Google QAM tuner to understand basic cable and why a QAM tuner is needed to receive digital cable signals)

Bottomline, Seiki’s work fine for DVDs and over-the-Air, but if you stay in RV parks with the newest digital cable signal you will likely be frustrated.
Many on this Forum have junked the Seiki in favor of most name brands (Samsung, LG, Vizio, etc).
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Old 08-14-2019, 01:58 PM   #3
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I agree: we've got LGs, and they do a great job of entertaining us!
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Old 08-14-2019, 03:18 PM   #4
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Had the same issue, did get satellite tv, but found in the long run it was cheaper and easier to replace the 2 tv's . works now with campground cable, which is free, also with over the air if boondocking.
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Old 08-14-2019, 03:59 PM   #5
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We also went with Samsung replacements. With regards to satellite TV, we went with a tripod kit from satelliteoasis. Once you get the hang of it the dish can be set and pointed in under 15 minutes. We prefer the tripod as we frequently camp in areas with trees, and the tripod gives us the flexibility to get a good signal when fixed dishes can't.
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Old 08-14-2019, 04:42 PM   #6
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TCL 32” (32S321) has a QAM tuner
$118 at Walmart
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Old 08-14-2019, 04:44 PM   #7
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I have a Seiki as one of our 5 tvs in our coach, and it's never been a problem picking up normal cable tv thru the campground, whether digital or not. But, I also realize that some of the different 'lines' of Seiki tvs, as well as others, may not all be built the same.

You may actually NOT have a problem with the TV, but one of the connection between the cable outlet at the campground, and your TV - otherwise, all the cables, connections in between, and how you have 'programmed' your TV to 'find' these channels, or the signal.
It can get a little confusing when you have to remember to turn 'off' the antenna booster, change your TV's 'input' to 'cable', and also RESCAN your channels... and that's IF the cable outlet for the park is actually providing the signal, and you have connected the external coax cable to the 'correct' input for your RV. Crazy!


as for Satellite, you can easily start with a simple KingTailgater or DishPlaymaker or similar 'portable' antenna, along with one of the receiver types of your choice - they many times sell them in a 'package' deal, as you might even find on the DISH website when you sign up for SERVICE - choosing the 'package' of CHannels that suits you.
The antenna - $300-$400
The receiver - $100, or higher, or a monthly rental of $10 or so
The Programming - $50 to $150 monthly, or with Dish, a 'pay as you go' monthly where you can cut off billing when you are not 'camping'.

(with these types of 'portable' antennas, the power to the antenna comes from the coax cable connecting it with the receiver - so no need for any type of 'power' for wherever you choose to place the antenna for where you are camping... and running a coax directly from the antenna to the receiver is the best way to start, at least until you've familiarized yourself with how it all works - don't try to use any 'satellite' connection on your receive since they can be problematic, and even if they work may only provide a thru-put signal to the living room tv, not the bedroom or any others.)
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Old 08-14-2019, 04:48 PM   #8
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Old 08-19-2019, 03:36 AM   #9
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Whoa friends, can we go back to square one? New owners sometimes aren't told about the antenna booster switch. Leaving it on will have a bad impact on your cable reception. Before you go buying new TVs, check that switch.

Since I replaced one of our Sucki TVs with an Insigna, we have been in countless RV parks with cable, and they all worked on the remaining Sucki just fine. This summer, we were getting a fuzzy picture on both, and a new cable solved that problem.

I found the splitter for the 3 TV cables behind the microwave. All of those connections were loose.
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Old 08-22-2019, 02:09 PM   #10
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So...upon further inspection, I noticed that the TV under settings has an "air/cable" selection. I had it set to the default "air". Perhaps that is the issue? Has any one experienced this? I have not stayed at a park yet to check this out but maybe run one from the house (if I have enough cable).
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Old 08-22-2019, 02:11 PM   #11
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That is often the cause for lack of reception through the cable systems...
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Old 08-22-2019, 11:03 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by Bob Denman View Post
That is often the cause for lack of reception through the cable systems...
That is the antenna booster Mr Sunshine mentioned in the previous post. That is usually the cause of your issue. Many people don't realize it's there.
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Old 08-22-2019, 11:05 PM   #13
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Sorry Bob. That reply was supposed to be on their quote. Think I need to hit the VA up for new glasses.
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Old 08-22-2019, 11:35 PM   #14
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"Air" is where you set it when you are scanning for channels using the antenna. When you are hooked to cable you need to change it to "cable" and then scan.

The only real problem I've had with the Seikis in my 2015 Vegas is at Disney Fort Wilderness. Their cable system is encoded and without a QAM tuner in the Seiki, they will not find channels. In our bedroom there is a Sakyo instead of a Seiki and that TV has a QAM. So when we are at Disney we just watch TV on that one in the bedroom because it will scan QAM coded channels.

We don't really watch a lot of TV -- generally just when we hit the beds in the back and the Sakyo works just fine. We are too frugal to replace the Seikis while they work fine on un-encoded cable systems and antenna.

And don't forget -- turn off that antenna booster when you are on cable because it will inhibit the cable reception.
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Old 08-22-2019, 11:44 PM   #15
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That is the antenna booster Mr Sunshine mentioned in the previous post. That is usually the cause of your issue. Many people don't realize it's there.
No, the Air/Cable is in the TV settings. The antenna booster switch is on a wall panel.
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Old 08-23-2019, 12:38 AM   #16
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Yep, my bad. I read that wrong. I really gotta make that VA appointment. Thanks for the correction. I hate to confuse someone more than I am.
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Old 08-23-2019, 12:38 AM   #17
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There can actually be THREE settings to change....
To watch cable:
- Antenna booster must be off
- If you have a video selector switch - it must be set to cable for the desired tv
- The tv must be set to cable as its source in its menu and channels scanned

To watch over air tv, similar items...
- antenna booster on
- video selector to antenna
- tv menu set to air, and scan channels

Very easy to forget one of those even when you know it’s there....

If done properly, and tv still won’t receive cable channels, then the QAM tuner MAY be missing. Even with Seiki, some TVs have the QAM tuner, and some don’t. Have to check the particular model.

I would also run a cable as a test direct from park connection to tv to be sure it isn’t the RV wiring... either loose connections or bad cable.
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Old 08-23-2019, 12:39 AM   #18
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What Mr Sunshine was saying is that lots of folks have written in about not being able to scan cable channels only to find out that they left their antenna booster on. If the booster is on, the TVs will not scan cable channels.

And also numerous owners have commented that the Dealer never mentioned anything about the antenna booster , where it is, how to turn it on or off, or how it impacts scanning for cable channels.

When I researched this forum in depth to gather data when I compiled the owners' sourced Vegas/Axis Owners' Manual (that can be downloaded from the Motorhome Tech Topic section of the forum) I was rather amazed at how little RV dealers explained during PDIs.
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Old 08-23-2019, 01:17 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bevedfelker View Post
What Mr Sunshine was saying is that lots of folks have written in about not being able to scan cable channels only to find out that they left their antenna booster on. If the booster is on, the TVs will not scan cable channels.

And also numerous owners have commented that the Dealer never mentioned anything about the antenna booster , where it is, how to turn it on or off, or how it impacts scanning for cable channels.

When I researched this forum in depth to gather data when I compiled the owners' sourced Vegas/Axis Owners' Manual (that can be downloaded from the Motorhome Tech Topic section of the forum) I was rather amazed at how little RV dealers explained during PDIs.
Exactly Ed. That's because most sales people at the dealerships don't know a whole lot about RVs except how to sell them. Most of them are not campers or RV users at all. There are exceptions to both the sales people and dealerships who train them well but they are few and far between. That's why forums like this are so important and folks like you that take time to build and share a manual are a God Send (in military Tech Order fashion, at that). I also have found that with newer model Thor motorhomes, the on-line "Owners Resources" for each specific coach by VIN is invaluable as well. There are several "how to" videos in those resources that everyone should watch. It's right there for us to use.
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Old 08-24-2019, 05:38 PM   #20
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I experienced the same problem. Most said our Seiko tv was not compatible.
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