Hi Gang,
Although I've mentioned this idea before, I now have the exact brand name
and part number. Last week, I installed it in our '89 32' Airstream. I've
done this same job on four previous Airstreams (but none were as well done).
What am I talking about? We want television reception from both our
satellite antenna and our standard TV antenna. To make that
happen, I have two TV cables in the general area of the TV set. One is a
separate cable from the satellite antenna and the other is from the factory
installed antenna.
The rub used to be finding a suitable backing plate to make for a neat
installation on the side of our Airstream. My installation method is
continually evolving and now includes a connector sold by Winegard
(2430132), called a 75 Ohm Through Roof Connector Model RJ-1010. It's made
of shiny aluminum that blends perfectly with the Airstream's skin. The
backing plate is about 3" square.
I positioned it two inches above the outside refrigerator vent door. By
choosing that location, it was simple:
- to be sure the drilled cable hole would miss all electrical wiring,
- to easily route the cable through the side wall,
- to easily position the backing plate where I could reach it,
- to easily drill the six holes and then pop rivet the backing plate in
place,
- to neatly caulk around the backing plate and
- to easily route the TV cable and connector inside the trailer where I
could drill a hole in the far corner of the cabinet top and pull the TV
cable up through it for connecting to the satellite receiver.
As of today, this is as far as I've gone. My next purchase (later this week)
will be a TV connector with two inlets on one side and one outlet on the
other side with a switch on top of the connector so I can select which
antenna source to use for TV reception. I haven't found that connector yet.
For the time being, I've been changing the antenna source manually.
Bottom line, we can now receive both national and international programming
and news via the satellite antenna as well as local programming via the
factory installed antenna. This enables us to view local weather forecasts
in the area where we're parked (an important consideration during hurricane
and tornado seasons).
This evening we learned the local station was broadcasting one of our
favorite programs at a different time than it was being broadcast on the
satellite. We watched the same program twice in the same evening. Maybe that
will be the case with movies.
Anyhow, this minor modification is a major convenience for us. It may be of
interest to others.
For a few days now, we've been at the Ocean Breeze Mobile Home Park in
Jensen Beach, FL. We didn't expect to stay here, but on a lark, we drove
through the park and found one RV campsite (a "drive-up" no less). It
happened to be 20 yards from the Indian River and a prime waterfront site.
That got our full attention. I signed up immediately. Our Airstream is
conspicuous among mobile homes. Sometimes random exploring brings surprising
opportunities. The biggest plus - this park is 2 miles from Mom's home and
within walking distance of a shopping mall.
Our next campground will be at the COE St. Lucie Locks near Stuart, FL. A
cancellation occurred and we latched onto it the same day. Sometimes our
luck runs in streaks.
Sandie and I are both well and our two cats continue to be a delight. This
is our 15th year fulltiming snowbirding and 40th year trailering the
continent. It's still an exciting lifestyle for us. Where but in America
does every citizen have this kind of freedom?
Happy Holidays,
Terry