Electrical TV / Foxtel

[RickB]

Hi Guys,
Picked up our van yesterday and tried to get Foxtel working but no luck!
The TV works on all points but when I plug the satellite cable into the input aerial socket on the outside of the van I don't get any satellite signal at any of the internal aerial sockets or in the entertainment point. Am I missing something, is there a switch to swap from TV to Sat input?

Thanks,

RickB

 

[Crusty181]

Hi Guys,
Picked up our van yesterday and tried to get Foxtel working but no luck!
The TV works on all points but when I plug the satellite cable into the input aerial socket on the outside of the van I don't get any satellite signal at any of the internal aerial sockets or in the entertainment point. Am I missing something, is there a switch to swap from TV to Sat input?

Thanks,

RickB

Foxtel requires 2 coax inputs from a twin output LNB, or have a single coax split into 2. If you go the split route you wont get the free to air channels. You need to also have the Winegard 12v supply turned off

 

[RickB]

Thanks Crusty for your reply.
I believe that I can use a single cable and terminate it in either Foxtel input depending on which channels I want to watch. I tried to turn off the Winguard by pressing the power button near the door's aerial input but the satellite signal still did not come through. I thought it may have been because the Winguard signal may have been interfering so I disconnected the input on the roof, but sadly it still did not work. Then I tried putting the sat input into the Winguard input cable going into the van and presto the signal came through to the internal outlets!!
In light of this I am considering silkaflexing the sat cable along the edge of the van roof towards the front and using it as the connection to the dish, unless someone has a better idea.

Regards,

RickB.

 

[Crusty181]

Thanks Crusty for your reply.
I believe that I can use a single cable and terminate it in either Foxtel input depending on which channels I want to watch. I tried to turn off the Winguard by pressing the power button near the door's aerial input but the satellite signal still did not come through. I thought it may have been because the Winguard signal may have been interfering so I disconnected the input on the roof, but sadly it still did not work. Then I tried putting the sat input into the Winguard input cable going into the van and presto the signal came through to the internal outlets!!
In light of this I am considering silkaflexing the sat cable along the edge of the van roof towards the front and using it as the connection to the dish, unless someone has a better idea.

Regards,

RickB.

Terrestrial and satellite signals are on different frequencies so shouldnt interfere, but the satellite box will not appreciate getting a dose of12v through the coax. Maybe your outside connection isnt connected in the van. Is the van new or second hand. If a Winegard has been retro fitted, they may have isolated the outside point. With a factory Winegard there should be 2 cables coming into the rear of the internal wall plate, one form the Winegard and one from the outside point.

 

[RickB]

The van is two days old.
Where is the Wineguard wall plate located?
Do you watch Foxtel in your van? If so how did you run your cabling?

Thanks.

 

[Bellbirdweb]

Hi Guys,
Picked up our van yesterday and tried to get Foxtel working but no luck!
The TV works on all points but when I plug the satellite cable into the input aerial socket on the outside of the van I don't get any satellite signal at any of the internal aerial sockets or in the entertainment point. Am I missing something, is there a switch to swap from TV to Sat input?

Thanks,

RickB

Wineguard do make a switch that can switch between satellite and antenna but the standard one is only designed for external antenna input.

I ran a separate coax for the satellite and connect the set top box to that.

 

[Bellbirdweb]

The van is two days old.
Where is the Wineguard wall plate located?
Do you watch Foxtel in your van? If so how did you run your cabling?

Thanks.

I installed a wall plate like this https://www.satplus.com.au/collecti...eatherproof-caravan-fitting?variant=881298567 (although mine is a single) right under the TV.

 

[Crusty181]

The van is two days old.
Where is the Wineguard wall plate located?
Do you watch Foxtel in your van? If so how did you run your cabling?

Thanks.

I used Foxtel in the van for many years until the start of 2016, but when VAST become a viable option. I cancelled Foxtel in favour of VAST, and now only have VAST but they are virtual the same accept for the dual cabling in Foxtel

The Winegard plate is the wall plate you connect your TV to for power and normal terrestrial TV. There should be 2 cables on the back of that plate (you will have to unscrew the plate to see them). One will be the Winegard feed, the second one should be from the outside independent antenna input, there's also provision on the back of the plate to run a third cable off for another output somewhere else. I use that to feed through another switch for the outside TV entertainment unit to switch the outside TV from terrestrial to VAST.

My system is set up so there's no complicated steps to actually use it; it just works without have to touch and cables or switches etc (unless I want to swap the outside TV from terrestrial to VAST).

I do what you want to do. I plugged the sat dish into the outside input, turn on the VAST box and TV and start watching.

I eventually installed a second non powered Winegard plate next to the powered one, and swapped the external input cable to that so I could have both the Winegard and VAST turned on and operating at the same time without the 12v upsetting the VAST box. That just helped to make the set up simpler, more permanent and user friendly)

With Foxtel I ran my single satellite coax through a Steren switch, inside the van, so I could duplicate the dual Foxtel input without dual cables. The switch just had to be flicked once a day to get the full Foxtel signal

.... the standard one is only designed for external antenna input.

I ran my Foxtel via the factory external input without any issues; I still run the VAST set up the same way. Terrestrial and satellite are on different frequencies and can run through the same cabling; the satellite boxes just don't like the Winegard 12v amp feed so you have to mindful to make sure its off before using Foxtel or VAST.

The vans at my factory in Dandenong, your more than welcome to have a look if that helps

 

[Drover]

On Big Mal I have fitted just a standard thru wall connector which on the inside is hooked up to the STB permanently, so all I have to do is plug the dish into the outside coupling, no stuffing around with cables inside so the TV stayes hooked up to the Winegard system, the STB is HDMI to TV.

As for your TV connectors I would pull the panels off and make sure they actually connected, not uncommon for the leads to be not plugged in or tightened up or cable crimped with pliers so that it's actually chopped thru.

 

[RickB]

Thanks Guys, I have the sat input sorted now.
How do you power the Foxtel box, 12v direct or through the 240v transformer / inverter?
If via the inverter do you run a small inverter via the cig lighter socket or direct to the battery?
Do you know how much current the cig lighter socket can handle?

Cheers,

RickB

 

[Bellbirdweb]

Thanks Guys, I have the sat input sorted now.
How do you power the Foxtel box, 12v direct or through the 240v transformer / inverter?
If via the inverter do you run a small inverter via the cig lighter socket or direct to the battery?
Do you know how much current the cig lighter socket can handle?

Cheers,

RickB

I'm using a VAST box which has a 12v input. To run a foxtel box or IQ I would use an inverter.

 

[Crusty181]

Thanks Guys, I have the sat input sorted now.
How do you power the Foxtel box, 12v direct or through the 240v transformer / inverter?
If via the inverter do you run a small inverter via the cig lighter socket or direct to the battery?
Do you know how much current the cig lighter socket can handle?

Cheers,

RickB

The Foxtel box we had was 12v, and was supplied that 12v via a 240v adapter. The plug was some weird shape that seemed to be unique to the Foxtel box. We were lucky enough to have an adapter blow up and were supplied with a replacement by Foxtel. That allowed me to make a 12v direct input by cutting the plug and cable from the adapter ... other wise its an inverter.

 

[RickB]

I have an IQ3 and a 3.1mm plug from Jaycar fits but I just don't know if the box can handle the van's 12v?

 

[Crusty181]

I have an IQ3 and a 3.1mm plug from Jaycar fits but I just don't know if the box can handle the van's 12v?

I cancelled the Foxtel before I got to test mne, but I would think the vans 12v would be very stable out of the Setec

 

[Bellbirdweb]

I cancelled the Foxtel before I got to test mne, but I would think the vans 12v would be very stable out of the Setec

It's coming straight from the batteries, so about as pure as it gets

 

[Drover]

Have a look at the tag on the Foxtel box and see what sort of power it wants, if it says 12v ??a then your good to go.

 

[mfexpanda]

I use a inverter works fine .we use a iq which needs two inputs and as said splitting the one gets all channels except free to air ones .
We have a stardard Foxtel box as well and it only uses one inlet but due to it needing a scart cable and me being lazy I use the IQ and the vast if I want free to air .

 

[RickB]

I obtained a VAST certificate and called Foxtel technical dept, explained that I had the certificate and asked that they configure my Foxtel for the free to air channels which they did. So now I can watch the free to air without needing the VAST box.