TV channels available reduced by van - why?

OK - here's the issue.
Avtex tv connected to the aerial socket in the van. Normally all we do us retune and we're all good.

However, we're on a CMC site with virtually no reception from our roof aerial even with a signal amplifier.
So, we plug an aerial cable from the bollard to the socket on the side of our van. Retune the TV and get 6 channels. Hmmmm

Now plug the same cable from the bollard directly into the TV - retune and we get 97 channels!

My understanding is that the output from the signal amplifier and input from the bollard are connected together with the two aerial points(only one used) in our van.

So, what is going on to cause the loss of signal/channels? Anyone had this problen? Any advice / remedy to resolve this issue?

I can’t answer your problem specifically but I had continual issues with poor/intermittent reception.
I’ve finally got a reliable Signal but only after getting rid of all A/S cabling and also the flying saucer on the roof. A/S coax cabling is well known on the forum!
As you have been ok previously, check the coax socket inside the van that the TV is plugged into. Mine frequently gave a poor connection and often needed the contacts squeezing with long nosed pliers.

Dbvwt wrote:I can’t answer your problem specifically but I had continual issues with poor/intermittent reception.
I’ve finally got a reliable Signal but only after getting rid of all A/S cabling and also the flying saucer on the roof. A/S coax cabling is well known on the forum!
As you have been ok previously, check the coax socket inside the van that the TV is plugged into. Mine frequently gave a poor connection and often needed the contacts squeezing with long nosed pliers.

 Pliers wiring No. 81's? 

I agree with your A/S cabling, mine just fell out when I looked into the connections.
--------
Richard

Dbvwt wrote:I can’t answer your problem specifically but I had continual issues with poor/intermittent reception.
I’ve finally got a reliable Signal but only after getting rid of all A/S cabling and also the flying saucer on the roof. A/S coax cabling is well known on the forum!
As you have been ok previously, check the coax socket inside the van that the TV is plugged into. Mine frequently gave a poor connection and often needed the contacts squeezing with long nosed pliers.

Thanks.
Hadn't picked up on the coax posts - interesting reading.

I know where the coax cable ends are - just got to find where they might be joined together so I can do some testing. Not my idea of fun though!

rgermain wrote:

Dbvwt wrote:I can’t answer your problem specifically but I had continual issues with poor/intermittent reception.
I’ve finally got a reliable Signal but only after getting rid of all A/S cabling and also the flying saucer on the roof. A/S coax cabling is well known on the forum!
As you have been ok previously, check the coax socket inside the van that the TV is plugged into. Mine frequently gave a poor connection and often needed the contacts squeezing with long nosed pliers.

 Pliers wiring No. 81's? 

I agree with your A/S cabling, mine just fell out when I looked into the connections.
--------
Richard

Does the photo bring back fond memories Richard?   Edit… BT must have updated the colour in the 1980’s Peter!

Back on topic, I found loose or poorly terminated connectors at every turn. It was quite shocking how bad it was.

When using site bollard connection,  try plugging your flylead into the satellite socket (you need an F plug to convert from satellite  to coax). My van only has one plug in the outside box, so I need an F plug there as well but that works for me.

6 channels and you're complaining, we stayed at Hawes recently and because of the transmissions from the Bilsdale mast were out, there was neither direct reception from a roof mounted aerial or from the CAMC pedestal. We watched Bill Bailey streamed onto my smart phone, any use of our mini satellite was out of the question because where we parked up was shielded by trees. I suppose a MiFi link would have worked too, not necessarily with our model of Avtex TV. The radio worked as did our Mp3 players and too the papers, magazines, and books we had brought. We even talked to each other.

We don't have any form of rooftop aerial on our van but we do have an external aerial input socket which feeds an internal socket via a 12V powered amplifier, original A-S equipment.

When we used to bother carrying a TV then latterly a plug-in DVB-T stick for the laptop, I simply used a small domestic rooftop type aerial on the end of an extendable pole, slotted into a fitment I attached to the external ladder, rotatable for best signal and vert/horiz alignment.

If I attached that to the external AS socket, whichever settings I made to the amplifier, the signal was poor and the number of channels was minimal. If I took the aerial coax cable through the window and connected directly into the socket on the TV or stick, the signal was invariably much stronger and more channels always available, so we just stopped using the A-S socket/amplifier.

We gradually gave up with any form of live TV receiver. just carried boxed DVD sets instead.  Now we either stream or just don't bother with TV programmes at all, it makes a welcome change to get away from them!

My 81's were non insulated, then we were tough in those days.
----------
Richard

I had a similar problem when connecting from the bollard to the side of the van.
I was told to turn off the signal amplifier in the van and this solved the problem.

Geoff

Best solution I've found/used.
Black discs are rubber coated magnets
Aerial is a MOONRAKER
Pole is remains of extending wash brush, worth buying for the extending pole alone!
Aerial needs 12v for its integral amp

Brief update.
Thanks for the various comments and suggestions.

Everything works as expected except that having done some more extensive testing I've arrived at the conclusion that the aerial socket in the side of the van isn't connected to anything.

There is a cable connected to the back of the socket inside the van, but the cable disappears under the boiler. I can't locate where it goes and where it joins up with the signal from the roof aerial via the booster (which has one cable in and one out) and where it splits for the two internal sockets at the front and rear of our van. Anyone have any idea where AS might have hidden their splitters / connectors in our Bourton?

Am also in the process of making contact with the ASOC technical group before talking to AS.

My 2021 Corinium Duo has the splitters behind the microwave, looking at where the microwave and TV inputs are in your Bourton they might be there, its a bit of a mess with splitters everywhere, if you have multiple TV sockets and the Oyster dish it will have just the one LNB which is a right pain.

I bought a couple of Freesat boxes and rewired mine to suit although as it has just the one LNB only one of the boxes will work at a time - bloody stupid on a van that costs this much.

Pictures are the wrong way round the bottom one is what you get from AS the other two are how a wired in the Freesat boxes.

On my Broadway the connections are not all that obvious.  The TV input goes the F connector under  the cupboard and the F input goes to the F in the cupboard.  I have never totally understood all the connections.  The amplifier takes it input from the aerial and outputs to the TV socket under the cupboard.

I get the impression that bollard connections do not provide the same strength on all channels and perhaps that the van wiring produces more attenuation on some channels than others.

Autosleepers re-made all the coax connections as some were intermittent.