How to Install an RV Satellite
Cable TV is not an option for an RV on the go for obvious reasons, so a satellite dish and receiver is your only other option besides a standard antenna. Installation can vary depending on the type of satellite dish you have, and carefully following the manufacturer's instructions will help greatly. Unless you are using this with a free-to-air satellite receiver, you will also need to subscribe to the receiver's service.
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Things You'll Need
- Drill and bit
- Wrench
- Satellite dish and mount
- Satellite receiver
- Coaxial cables
- Audio-video cables
Instructions
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1
Fasten the satellite mount to the roof or side of the RV--whichever is recommended for your mount. This can involve bolting it in place with a drill for the holes and a wrench for the bolts, or clamping it to a ladder on the vehicle.
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2
Attach the dish to the mount if needed. If the dish is not permanently connected to the mount, you usually need to bolt the dish itself to the mount's mast using its included bolts and your wrench.
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3
Attach your shorter RG coaxial cable to the connector on the dish's low noise block, located at the end of the dish's arm. Route this cable down to the side of the RV and connect it to the coaxial connector on the vehicle's siding, if there is one.
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4
Install a double-female coaxial adapter to the other end of the cable if your RV has no built-in coaxial port. This is a small device that has the threaded coaxial ports on both ends.
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5
Connect a second, longer cable to the other end of the adapter and route it through a window into the vehicle, or connect it to the other end of the vehicle's built-in port, which is in the RV's interior.
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6
Attach the inside cable to the input port of your satellite receiver box. You will need a secure location for the receiver; a cabinet near the TV set's mounting cabinet is one of the more popular locations.
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Link the receiver to the TV set using the best available audio-video cables. These include, from best to least: HDMI, RCA component, RCA composite and RG coaxial.
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Tips & Warnings
Some roof mounts allow you to remove the dish from the mast and fold down the mast for traveling, eliminating the risk of the dish being knocked off.
When determining the type of coaxial cable, RG6 usually give better quality than RG59.
References
- Photo Credit satellite dish image by Cornelia Pithart from Fotolia.com
