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Old 09-28-2018, 01:13 PM   #1
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: ACE 30.2
State: Texas
Posts: 17
THOR #11528
Cable TV Thor Ace 30.3

We've gone to several campgrounds and have never been able to connect to the Cable in the campground...which makes me think that there is something on our RV that I'm doing wrong. Looking at other posts I see a reference to an entertainment box and switching it to cable. The owners manual talks, which doesn't have pictures for the ACE, shows an entertainment box.

I have know idea if there is a box and where it might be. Also, is there something I need to switch to move from antenna to cable?

Any help would be appreciated.

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Old 09-28-2018, 02:23 PM   #2
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yes, every RV has a 'switch', though it may not be the type of switch you are thinking of....it's usually a simple outlet mounted on the wall, or at the rear of a cabinet, which has a small 'push button'. The plate cover looks like a typical wall outlet, except it may have both a 12v round outlet, and a small push button.
The push button tells the RV that you want to use the roof Antenna, for local channels.
When wanting Cable tv from the rv park or campground, make sure the push button is OFF, as this 'booster' button is not needed for it.
For Cable, you should be attaching your Coax cable from the park's outlet, to your RV's input, usually in the wet bay.

Do you have a 'entertainment' box, or 'box of many buttons'? Probably. It allows you to tell how each TV is receiving it's signal. These are usually in an upper cabinet, above the living room TV, or seating area, etc. This box may replace the aforementioned push button type setup, but it serves the same purpose. If you have the box 'ON', then it's boosting the antenna signal, otherwise, it does NOT need to be on, but only the buttons to direct each signal to the TVs.
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Old 09-28-2018, 02:34 PM   #3
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Somewhere near the roof terrestrial antenna there is a RG-6 coax connector on a brown plastic cover plate. Beside the coax connector on the plate is a small push button and a green LED. (Mine is behind the main TV.) The plate contains the power switch for the terrestrial antenna. The green light indicates the antenna is powered and you cannot use the exterior cable connection. Push the button and turn the green light off and you disable the terrestrial antenna power supply and this allows the external coax to supply cable signals to the TVs. Remember you must also program each TV each time you connect to a different cable system.



Many Thor class As also have a BOMB (a box of many buttons). This is a video switch box. It is a a place to connect a DVD player and distribute the signal to the individual TVs. The BOMB uses the HDMI cable system in the coach and not the coax. Again each TV must be configured to display HDMI signals. If your coach has an inverter, there will be a inverter powered 120 volt receptacle in the BOMB cabinet. Mine is above the frig.
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Old 09-28-2018, 04:28 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Beau388 View Post
Somewhere near the roof terrestrial antenna there is a RG-6 coax connector on a brown plastic cover plate. Beside the coax connector on the plate is a small push button and a green LED. (Mine is behind the main TV.) The plate contains the power switch for the terrestrial antenna. The green light indicates the antenna is powered and you cannot use the exterior cable connection. Push the button and turn the green light off and you disable the terrestrial antenna power supply and this allows the external coax to supply cable signals to the TVs. Remember you must also program each TV each time you connect to a different cable system.



Many Thor class As also have a BOMB (a box of many buttons). This is a video switch box. It is a a place to connect a DVD player and distribute the signal to the individual TVs. The BOMB uses the HDMI cable system in the coach and not the coax. Again each TV must be configured to display HDMI signals. If your coach has an inverter, there will be a inverter powered 120 volt receptacle in the BOMB cabinet. Mine is above the frig.

hmmmm....my 'BOMB' is 12v, just like the bedroom 12v Jensen TV, and the 12v OTA local antenna.... this is to allow you to watch TV when only on 12v power from the batteries.
Yes, I have 4 other TVs that are 120v, but the typical 'BOMB' itself doesn't need 120v power to work - it is really just a overly complicated signal 'booster' for the OTA antenna, with other 'directional' selections for the coax signal, when you want to watch other devices that don't need boosting - satellite, dvd, etc,.
Yes, I do also have a 120v outlet in the same cabinet as the 'BOMB', but that is only for DVD players, or other type of devices that are only 120v.
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Old 09-29-2018, 02:55 AM   #5
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Model: ACE 27.1
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My Ace 27.1 has the plate with green light and button inside a cabinet where a DVD player resides. Turn off the green light when trying to utilize the park cable. Then you also need to use the TV setup menus to set the TV tuner to utilize "Cable" tuning. Then tell the TV to do a "search" to find the channels. Most Tv's display a count of channels found, as it proceeds to search. You have to do searches whenever your in a new local whether you are using "Cable" or "Air" tuning. You have to make all those changes to the green button and TV settings whenever you switch methods of tuning.
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Old 10-01-2018, 12:21 AM   #6
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Model: ACE 30.2
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THOR #11528
Cable TV Thor Ace 30.3

Thank You for your responses. I appreciate your input.

I was able to locate the switch ... it is a button in the same cabinet that the DVD player is located. It is behind the coax cable connector with no light. I have been able to determine how to set it for Antenna Booster On vs Off and when it is depressed, I am able to receive a couple of over the air channels from the antenna. When it is off, I should be able to receive cable channels but when I did a channel search on the TV I get no channels found. Now I need to track down where the issue is.

I can fairly easily test the cable by trying it on a local TV. Next time I'm in a park, I'm planning to verify that the cable works by bringing a home TV that I can hook up directly to the cable to see if it works. If it isn't the cable that I am using or the parks connection, then there has to be a problem within the RV.

Any suggestions would be apprciated.
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Old 10-01-2018, 12:34 AM   #7
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OK, you've figured out the switch. If your reception is poor, trace the cable back to the splitter, and tighten all the connections. Find the back of that switch and tighten those, too. Mine were behind the microwave. Some were quite loose. Check the connections on each TV, too.
Good luck!
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Old 10-01-2018, 02:13 AM   #8
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You didn't say that you have been able to change the Tv's settings back and forth from "Air" tuning to "Cable" tuning. That a necessity to succeed.
It's a two step process.
Set the booster on or off as needed + set the TV as to which type of channels to search for.
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Old 11-21-2018, 12:55 AM   #9
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Cool

The antenna booster switch on our ACE 30.3 is in the cabinet above the vent hood where the DVD player is. Push button to turn off, no green light. The tvs' themselves must be changed to cable instead of antenna.
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Old 11-25-2018, 02:08 PM   #10
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I am still having the same problem. Thought it was fixed, but it's not. My Quantam can't get cable, just OTA....Can't find the solution unless just re-running coax. Just will watch regular tv.
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Old 11-25-2018, 03:39 PM   #11
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Model: ACE 30.1
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On our ACE 30.1, antenna booster, which looked like just a coax wall plate, was located in the cabinets above the counter nearest the door - in our ACE, that is where the TV is. Our booster unit had a bad connector that we had to wiggle around to get a connection. I had the booster pulled off the wall so I could get to the input connectors.

So I found a old style “BOMB” on E-Bay. It’s a Winegard switch box that runs on 12 VDC and has its own antenna booster as well as coax inputs and outputs for such modern things as “VCR” (I said old, but it came in its original blister packaging). I removed the original booster unit and the splitters to the other TV’s behind the wall and can now route antenna, cable, DVD player, Apple TV, etc. to any of the TV’s. Actually I have the Apple TV hooked directly to the main TV HDMI connectors, and use the BOMB for TV, DVD and Cable. The pass thru wall plate on the left of the picture is where the OEM booster used to be. Now everything works fine.
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Old 12-02-2018, 02:00 PM   #12
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THOR #13457
I am still fighting the same issue with my 2017 Thor Quantam. Dealer, which is Dixie RV keeps telling me that nothing is wrong with the cable. But have tried everything that can be thought of and no cable. Over the Air works fine and picks up a lot of channels. Wife wants to watch cable sometimes and can't do it.
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Old 12-02-2018, 03:11 PM   #13
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No cable reception....Do your tv's have a QAM tuner? Chances are the RV factory tv's do not and will only be "good" monitors but will still receive OTA channels.
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Old 12-04-2018, 02:48 AM   #14
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Model: ACE EVO 30.3
State: Florida
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THOR #6059
Cable TV in the Thor ACE

I have a 2017 ACE 30.3 and I can not get any campground cable to work on my TVs either. I have discovered that it is not the antenna power switch, or programming the TV to search for the cable stations from the menu etc. It is the junk Axerra TVs in my RV don’t have the proper cable turner in them! After going through all of the steps to switch the antenna power switch off. Select cable on the menu and performing a channel scan etc, I could not get any of the cable channels on my TVs. I’ve tried the procedures at several campgrounds just in case they had some cable system that My TV couldn’t recognize. I then searched the forums and found that many of the Axerra TVs don’t have the proper cable tuner in them(QUAMI tuner). So, no matter what you do you won’t get cable TV unless you purchase a separate cable tuner box or replace the TV’s

Steven B.
2017 ACE 30.3
S/W Florida
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Old 12-04-2018, 03:39 AM   #15
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Model: 2023 Jayco Precept 31UL
State: Florida
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THOR #1589
We had no cable at some campgrounds, but fine cable at most of them. Replaced just one of our Seiki TVs that came with the coach (no QAM tuner in them). Haven't been back to the campgrounds that we had problems. Oddly, all of the several campgrounds with cable that we have been at since the remaining Seiki TV worked fine.

Can you borrow a TV to test in your coach? Or buy one at Wll Mrt to test. They are pretty good about taking returns if a new set doesn't fix the problem.
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Old 12-04-2018, 07:30 PM   #16
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Seiki TV?

Like Mr. Sunshine, and many more on this forum, our ACE came with Seiki TVs. Our antenna works fine in areas where there is good antenna signal to receive, but in most parks, the cable simply does not work with our TV's. I have figured out by talking to camp hosts and other campers that the issue is the lack of QAM tuners in the Seiki TVs. I think that the Axerra TV's also have the same issue. I have planned on getting an external QAM tuner from Wal Mart or somewhere, and trying that to see if we can get cable TV in parks or not. Have not tried it yet, but theoretically should work. Have stayed in a couple of places where I had to "rent" a box and remote to get the cable channels. So far any place that I needed that, had a full refund of the fee when I returned the equipment at the end of the stay. Have thought of replacing the TV's, one at a time, and may do that eventually, but don't seem to miss the TV that much when we can't get cable, so not sure when it will become a priority.
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Old 12-05-2018, 12:29 AM   #17
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I considered buying an external QAM tuner, then dug a little deeper and just replaced the TV. TVs are so cheap, and some have replaced with a smart TV.

If you are not in a hurry, TVs are historically priced to move before the super bowl, Feb 3 this year.
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Old 12-05-2018, 05:05 PM   #18
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
State: Indiana
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THOR #12564
No Cable Reception

I too, experienced the problem of no cable reception in my new 2018 Thor Windsport 29m. Went through all of the potential causes, switch box, antenna switch cable feeds to televisions no solution. My cable connection to the RV is located on the outside wall next to the wet (basement) where the drain valves are located. What I discovered was that from the factory they left the cable feed line laying disconnected in the wet bay with no connector end on the cable and not connected to the outside feeder connection. Put an end on the cable line connected it to the outside connection and voila cable into the RV. How that can missed from the factory I do not know but it was just one of the several issues that were not discovered by factory or dealer. Much easier to repair it my self than to return for warranty.
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Old 02-12-2020, 06:34 PM   #19
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Model: ACE 30.3
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TVamp

The TV signal amp in my 2018 30.3 is in the cabinet over the stove where the DVD player is. At the top back look for a little plate with a green light. Button next to it. Off for cable. Also I found the hdmi input cable for the outside tv in here so I added a a/b switch do DVD can be watched outside.
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