RV Cable TV Wiring Diagram (Forest River, Jayco, Keystone)
When it comes to RV life one of the hassles that come up is how do you watch your favorite shows on the rear TV? When you get a new cable antenna or satellite dish this becomes a huge problem unless you are great at connecting electrical cables.
Finding a good cable diagram that you can follow can be difficult. There are diagrams available but understanding what they say is another issue altogether. Sometimes these diagrams and their explanations are clear as mud.
To learn more about these cable TV diagrams just continue to read our article. We will place as many diagrams here as possible so you have a way of understanding what you need to do when you want to add more TVs to your RV or trailer.
TV Wiring Diagram 101
How Does Cable TV Work In An RV?
This luxury works like it does in a traditional home. You have a receiver, some cables, and a TV For some systems, everything is transmitted through wires from the cable television company.
All you do is have the company bring the wire to your home, and connect it to a modem, and then to your television set. The same principle applies to an RV. Except that you may not have an exterior wire bringing the signal to your trailer, etc.
You may have it coming from your satellite or cable dish located on your roof. To hook up the dish to your TV may mean only adding the connections as the cable has been pre-wired for this luxury.
To wire in a second TV, you may have to use a splitter and another cable that leads from the splitter or receiver back to your rear TV Then you just attach the cable to that set.
When it is all said and done, you just use your remote to power the television set and select the channels you want to watch. Basically, everything is the same as your traditional home except connections and wire routes will be more complicated.
How do You Connect Cable TV to RV?
If you are in a park and your RV or trailer has an external connection box, this process is quite simple. You bring the cable wire from the shore power pole to that exterior connection box. Hook it up like normal.
The next step would be to make sure your television set is connected to the internal connection box. When you see that it is, you simply turn your TV on and configure it to receive the RV park’s cable signal.
When you have a rooftop device, like a cable dome or satellite dish, you may also have a booster device attached to get a stronger signal. This process depends on if you are pre-wired for cable.
Just connect the pre-wired connectors to the booster or directly to the dish. Then go inside and connect your television set to the interior cable box. YOu may have to attach a small cable to the booster switch as well.
It all depends on how your RV or trailer is pre-wired. Once all the connections have been made, turn your TV and booster on, configure the settings and enjoy an evening of television.
All satellite ready or cable ready means is that the correct cables have been pre-wired inside your RV. The connections are somewhere on your roof waiting to be connected to a satellite dish or a cable antenna.
Forest River RV Cable TV Wiring Diagram
One of the things you have to be careful about is that each RV maker constructs different models of RVs and trailers, use different floor plans, and so on. That means that what we say here may be good for one or two RVs or trailers but not all models or floor plans.
To get specific help for your RV, etc., you may have to call a technician, the dealer, or the company itself. The following is just one option that may work for a few or many RVs, etc.:
This diagram came from the Forest River discussion forum. It seems to be better than the one we found on the internet. You can see a smaller image at this link.
If you decide to search the internet after reading this, be careful. There are a lot of diagrams on different websites that say they are for cable television but end up being wiring diagrams only.
Keystone RV Cable TV Wiring Diagram
Keystone seems to put out cable TV wiring diagrams for their individual RVs and trailers. You can easily find a general diagram but that may not work for your RV or trailer. The following option is for the Montana
This is a very simple and straight forward system that should not be that hard to follow. You may notice the date on this image. It is 10 years old but there are still older Montana’s on the road and this will be a help to those owners.
To get more current diagrams, you should put your specific RV or trailer’s serial number, model number, and model series name in the search box and see what comes up.
If you get no results, talk to your Keystone dealer or the company directly. They will have better leads and may be able to send you a diagram for your specific RV or trailer via e-mail.
Jayco RV Cable TV Wiring Diagram
This company seems to have more websites dedicated to its features and wiring systems. There is a lot of results just for a simple cable TV wiring diagram. The one that is placed here is just one of many you can turn to for help
As you can see, this is a very simple diagram to follow. You may need a more detailed one for your specific Jayco model but again, you need to talk to the dealers or the company to see what they have to offer.
Fifth Wheel RV Cable TV Wiring Diagram
The problem with this category is that 5th wheel trailers are made by different RV manufacturers. You may or may not get the same wiring scheme in all of them. Although, from the many floor plans we have seen many of the TV are installed near the hitch.
This was true for the 5th wheel trailers with a front living room and it may be so for other models as well. Here is just one option you will find:
This image came from this website and there is more information found there. When you search for a wiring diagram, make sure it is for your specific RV or trailer and that it is up to date. Or matches the year your RV, etc., was made.
Where is The Booster Antenna Switch
This can be located in several different places. Since each RV maker decides where they want different features or wiring to go, your booster switch may not be in the location we are about to tell you about.
To find the booster jack in your RV or trailer, look behind or near your main TV That is the general location where you will find this switch. It may be a foot away or it may be inside a cabinet.
If you have cabinets close to your television set, then open the doors to look. If it isn’t near your main television set, check around the other TVs in your RV, etc.
Check The Campground’s Cable Signal
Not every RV park or campground is going to spend a lot of money so their guests can have great cable service. Some may but most probably do not. Or their system is just behind the times or in need of repair.
No matter the situation, you need to check the cable service of the campgrounds you stay at. It is a simple process and only takes a few minutes to do.
All you have to do, and if the cable is long enough, is to bring the campground cable inside your RV. This can be done through a window or if it is on the entryway side, through the door.
Once inside, hook it directly to your television set’s input jack. After you have connected the cable, run your television channel scan. If the channel scan works, then the campground’s signal is good.
Some Final Words
Using a diagram to hook up your television set is a good idea. At least you know where the wires are supposed to be. When you are hooking up an extra TV, you may need additional equipment like longer cables, splitters, and so on.
These diagrams just give you an idea of how things work in an RV or trailer. Your RV, etc., probably is a bit different from these diagrams. That means you may have to do your own searching or look in your owner’s manual to find a diagram for your specific model.
