Boomerang TV Antenna on Scamp

[Debra F.]

We used to have our TV hooked up to rabbit ears that we rigged up outside our Scamp window. It provided us with decent TV reception. Last year, we had Scamp install a TV antenna while they were doing some other work for us. It is a white boomerang variety with an amplifier wired into the 12V system inside a cabinet via one of the 12V lights. We now get lousy reception. I've disconnected the amplifier and it really doesn't change the picture for the better or worse. Any ideas as to what we might do to remedy this?

[Larryb]

The amplified antennas should work a lot better.

Does the light come on when the button is pushed?

do you have power to amp?

Look at the back of the amp and make sure the antenna wire and wire to TV are on the correct post.

Take the wire from the antenna and the wire from the TV and put a "splice" between them so the antenna is hooked directly to the TV with out going thru the amp.

splice for "F" connectors can be gotten at any store wal*mart radio shack ect.

check the wires inside the F connectors some times they get bent and don't insert into the female F connectors.

If you have done all that and it still doesn't work take the amp out and take it to an RV dealer they can check it.

[Debra F.]

Thanks for your response.

There is no light on the amplifier. It is just a small box with an in and an out post.

Yes, I have power to the amp. I have checked that.

The in and out are connected to the correct posts, although when we picked it up from Scamp after they installed it, they were backwards. I initially thought the amplifier was defective, but Scamp replaced it for me and this is the new one.

Scamp wired the antenna through the roof into the cabinet above our side dinette. The amplifer is located inside that cabinet. The cable comes from the roof into the amplifier and out of the amplifier into the back side of the cable outlet, which is mounted on the side of the cabinet. I then have a cable running from the front side of the cable outlet directly to my TV.

I have bypassed the amplifier and have run the cable directly to the outlet, and the TV actually seems to come in a little bit better without the amplifier, but still not nearly what it should be. I can also get a slightly better picture if I hold onto the cable and act as an antenna myself.

I have also checked the wires inside the cables as you suggested, and they seem to be fine.

Yesterday, I purchased a 18dB signal amplifer at Wal-Mart to see if that helps. It is made to plug into 120V though, so wouldn't help if we didn't have an electric site. I won't be able to give it a try until I pick the Scamp up mid-week though. I'm wondering if I have a loose connection to the actual antenna, but can't tell because the connection isn't visible. Scamp has it bolted to my roof and put so much caulk around it that I would hate to have to remove it.

It just doesn't make sense to me that I could get a better picture with my cheap rabbit ears than with a $150 antenna.

[Debra F.]

The 18dB amplifier didn't help. The one that came with the antenna is a 25dB. I crawled on top of the Scamp to try and see if the cable to the antenna could be loose, but they put so much caulk on it that I can't even see the connection. Perhaps a larger amplifier???