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Old 12-23-2013, 04:25 PM   #1
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TV in the Scamp

I know nothin' from nothin' about TV's. But our Scamp has a system installed by a previous owner that consists of a Sharp LC-13S1U LCD TV, connected to a Winegard antenna and a JVC DVD/CD player. Although I have managed to get a DVD to play, and I've managed to get cable TV from a campground to play, I have a couple questions:

1. Using the TV seems to require being hooked to shore power. There is an AC adapter that connects to the AC system, and that supposedly provides 12VDC to the TV. Should I be able to just run the TV off my 12VDC system when not connected to shore power? That would at least take the appropriate kind of connector for the power supply, and I'm guessing some sort of electronics to condition the power from my battery. What should I be looking for, or am I dreaming?

2. The TV has an "EZ" setup feature that supposedly scans the airwaves for available broadcast channels and sets the TV up appropriately. That feature doesn't seem to work, and I'm wondering if there is an analog to digital conversion box that's necessary between the antenna and the TV. Is that something one can just buy and install? (We have something like that on an old TV in the house that was provided by the cable company)

Any help or guidance for this technological troglodyte would be appreciated. I don't even know what to search for.

Thanks

-cg
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Old 12-23-2013, 05:43 PM   #2
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If your tv is flat screen, it should be digital already. Is the antenna inside or outside. Inside antennas in Scamps don't usually work well due to the aluminum on the insulation. As far as power goes, if the power is 12v(should say on the adapter), then you can wire it to run off the battery. I would do it thru a cigarette lighter type plug.
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Old 12-23-2013, 06:23 PM   #3
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Hi Dennis, thanks for the response. The Winegard antenna is mounted outside. The TV is indeed flat screen; if it is already digital, then there is some other reason the setup doesn't receive any channels. I'll run through the "EZ" setup procedure again.

For power, there is a 120 to 12 volt adapter under the bench, with 12v output up to the TV with some sort of plug on it. So I would need to cut the plug off the adapter and just wire it to a 12v circuit? I can't be that easy.

thanks,

cg
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Old 12-23-2013, 06:44 PM   #4
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Should be able to buy a 12V plug for it. Look it up on Amazon ( your TV make and model ). Maybe $9?
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Old 12-23-2013, 10:06 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by beardrum View Post
I know nothin' from nothin' about TV's. But our Scamp has a system installed by a previous owner that consists of a Sharp LC-13S1U LCD TV, connected to a Winegard antenna and a JVC DVD/CD player. Although I have managed to get a DVD to play, and I've managed to get cable TV from a campground to play, I have a couple questions:

1. Using the TV seems to require being hooked to shore power. There is an AC adapter that connects to the AC system, and that supposedly provides 12VDC to the TV. Should I be able to just run the TV off my 12VDC system when not connected to shore power? That would at least take the appropriate kind of connector for the power supply, and I'm guessing some sort of electronics to condition the power from my battery. What should I be looking for, or am I dreaming?

2. The TV has an "EZ" setup feature that supposedly scans the airwaves for available broadcast channels and sets the TV up appropriately. That feature doesn't seem to work, and I'm wondering if there is an analog to digital conversion box that's necessary between the antenna and the TV. Is that something one can just buy and install? (We have something like that on an old TV in the house that was provided by the cable company)

Any help or guidance for this technological troglodyte would be appreciated. I don't even know what to search for.

Thanks

-cg
...If I were you, I would install a double pole toggle switch(12VDC). That way you could use either power as you wish. As flat tv, its reception is digital signal, you wouldn't need a converter box( to convert from digital into analog for older tv). To have better station receptions, the critical thing is to choose your out-door antenna. Just a thought...
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Old 12-23-2013, 10:49 PM   #6
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OK, I hear you all saying the TV must be digital already, so no need for a converter box. But I'm convinced there's no signal from the antenna that the TV is hearing, so the question is how to test signal from the antenna? Supposedly, the Winegard antenna is both omnidirectional and has an amplifier in it to boost weak signals to the TV. Tomorrow, I think I'll jumper over from my house CATV to the cable inlet on the antenna power supply/wall plate. That worked a month or so ago, but I want to see it work again.

Thanks,

-cg
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Old 12-24-2013, 02:32 AM   #7
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Have you selected the correct input? Antenna, CATV or whatever else turns up. Either on your remote or somewhere in the menu for the TV you will find a choice of inputs. For cable you would use CATV ( I think - may be called something else ). For antennae you select antenna. You'll probably see Video 1, Video 2, maybe HDMI.
Look for Input or Settings and then try them.
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Old 12-24-2013, 06:19 AM   #8
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Do you know if any Over The Air signals are available? you can check using this link. TV Fool Look for the strongest signal (NM) in the green band and try pointing in the indicated direction. At home I can only get some of the green ones as I live in the hills surrounded by trees. Once pointed correctly I need to do an auto search for channels on the TV after picking the right input.
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Old 12-24-2013, 06:24 AM   #9
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After you select the proper input for antenna as Glenn suggested you will need to scan the channels for local stations. Every time you change location of your trailer you will need to rescan for local channels when using the antenna. Also when you change inputs (to CATV) you will need to rescan the channels.
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Old 12-24-2013, 10:21 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dennis Clinton View Post
If your tv is flat screen, it should be digital already .
While this is generally true, Flat screens made prior to 2006 were not required to to be digital ready.
I have a Sharp flat screen (2004) in my Scamp which is analog and must have digital tuner box to work for antenna reception.
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Old 12-24-2013, 12:29 PM   #11
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Do you have the manual for the TV? If not, here you go: SHARP LC-13S1U, LC-15S1U, LC-20S1U OPERATION MANUAL Pdf Download.
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Old 12-24-2013, 03:36 PM   #12
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This TV is NOT a Digital Ready TV!

Floyd is correct,as he often is and you will need a tuning adapter if you want to tune OTA digital broadcasts.

The factory antenna will work as well as they do for the digital broadcast too although many find better reception with better antennas it is worth trying with what you already have first.

To assume that all flat LCD models can tune Digital is just wrong and thus bad advice to repeat.

The TV also does simply run on 12vdc which is why there is an adapter that converts the shore power into 12vdc to run this TV.
You would certainly be better off if you run it off 12vdc as then you can use it whether connected to shore power or not.

All you need is a cable that has the same connector as the TV end of the adapters cable,Radio Shack will have the cable and connector.

Once you get it powered and connected to a converter box for digital broadcast it is the converter box that needs to do the channel scan as it is the tuner now for the channels.

Make sense?

Quote:
Originally Posted by beardrum View Post
I know nothin' from nothin' about TV's. But our Scamp has a system installed by a previous owner that consists of a Sharp LC-13S1U LCD TV, connected to a Winegard antenna and a JVC DVD/CD player. Although I have managed to get a DVD to play, and I've managed to get cable TV from a campground to play, I have a couple questions:

1. Using the TV seems to require being hooked to shore power. There is an AC adapter that connects to the AC system, and that supposedly provides 12VDC to the TV. Should I be able to just run the TV off my 12VDC system when not connected to shore power? That would at least take the appropriate kind of connector for the power supply, and I'm guessing some sort of electronics to condition the power from my battery. What should I be looking for, or am I dreaming?

2. The TV has an "EZ" setup feature that supposedly scans the airwaves for available broadcast channels and sets the TV up appropriately. That feature doesn't seem to work, and I'm wondering if there is an analog to digital conversion box that's necessary between the antenna and the TV. Is that something one can just buy and install? (We have something like that on an old TV in the house that was provided by the cable company)

Any help or guidance for this technological troglodyte would be appreciated. I don't even know what to search for.

Thanks

-cg
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Old 12-24-2013, 03:56 PM   #13
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I think the OP would be far better off just to go out and buy a new flat screen TV. A new one, the same size or slightly larger would be very inexpensive, didital and most likely a direct replacement (fitting and connection-wise) to his current non-digital model. Easy peasy.
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Old 12-24-2013, 03:57 PM   #14
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After research on HD antennas I mainly learned that the only difference between them and old analogue antennas is that the marketing department has printed HDTV in large letters on the box.
Some are better than others, but that has nothing to do with the HD signal.
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Old 12-24-2013, 04:01 PM   #15
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Originally Posted by Dave Thompson View Post
I think the OP would be far better off just to go out and buy a new flat screen TV. A new one, the same size or slightly larger would be very inexpensive, didital and most likely a direct replacement (fitting and connection-wise) to his current non-digital model. Easy peasy.
Honestly those original Sharps are very nice sets!

Some people don't care enough to spend money on an upgrade and there is nothing wrong with that set that a $25.00 converter won't fix.

As an aside I think it is the same exact model that Floyd has.
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Old 12-24-2013, 04:02 PM   #16
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Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo View Post
After research on HD antennas I mainly learned that the only difference between them and old analogue antennas is that the marketing department has printed HDTV in large letters on the box.
Some are better than others, but that has nothing to do with the HD signal.
True That!

There is really no such thing as an HD antenna even if Winegard says so.
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Old 12-24-2013, 05:00 PM   #17
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Originally Posted by Ed Harris View Post
Honestly those original Sharps are very nice sets!

Some people don't care enough to spend money on an upgrade and there is nothing wrong with that set that a $25.00 converter won't fix.

As an aside I think it is the same exact model that Floyd has.
True, but you need to power the converter box. Not a problem when you have shore power. And then there's the small problem of finding the space for the converter.
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Old 12-24-2013, 06:45 PM   #18
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Yeah, the TV worked when I patched in the converter supplied by my home cable company, and did NOT work without it. So I'm guessing one is required between the antenna and the TV. The notion of buying a new TV that already is digital intrigued me for a second - problem is, I'm 66 years old, and I've never spent a nickel on a TV in my life (at least until it came attached to my Scamp), and I'm not sure I want to break that record. But I could go for a converter box if it makes what I already have work.

What's the smallest, simplest, least expensive 12 volt box you'd suggest?

Thanks for helping me through this,

-cg
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Old 12-24-2013, 11:29 PM   #19
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...One thing I know of about TV/radio wave perception: In the last few decades, there are immense improvements about radio/tv components...such as from vacuum tubes to transistors then IC circuitries with micro electronic modules with less power consumption and digital transmission, also saving spaces...there is little change in term of antennas, and the way one receiver receiving signals from transmitters. So, here you go, do your own research in term of antennas' type installations and the optimum cases for your own favorites....I believe most of them would have instructions, just follow it.......
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Old 12-25-2013, 09:29 PM   #20
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The notion of buying a new TV that already is digital intrigued me for a second - problem is, I'm 66 years old, and I've never spent a nickel on a TV in my life (at least until it came attached to my Scamp), and I'm not sure I want to break that record.
I paid $79.99 for a 15" LCD TV that came with 12V and 120V cords ( not much more than the cost of a digital/analogue converter and a 12V cord ).

But, if you don't want to do that; why not enlarge one of your favorite photographs and paste it to the screen?
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