T.V. displays 'No signal'.......?
My son (also a CAMC member but he's at work now) has a new-to-him caravan with a Status 315 T.V. aerial on the roof. Trying out his fairly new Sony Bravo T.V last night all we got was a 'No signal' message on the screen.
There is power that illuminates the red LED on the cream box (amplifier thingy?) in a cupboard and all cables are connected. We've tried setting its slide switch between 'H' and 'L' but still 'No signal' is displayed on the T.V. screen.
The T.V. works fine on the house aerial.
The co-axial lead from the caravan aerial wall outlet socket to the T.V. is o.k. when used indoors to connect the T.V. to my house aerial socket.
Are we missing something?
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Thanks RedKite and EJB.
We went to the menu and scanned but still 'No signal' displayed.
We also plugged the T.V. aerial lead directly into the T.V socket outlet at the amplifier (in the cupboard) to check for a break in signal between the amplifier and wall outlet socket. (The wall outlet socket is the on other side of the 'van from the amplifier).
The 'van is parked about 30' behind my 2 storey house in my (open on 3 sides) garden. A good excuse to test the aerial away from home this weekend!
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You need to plug the TV into a known working aerial (the house?) and tune it in. Then try it in the van, without retuning), with the amplifier on and set mid way between High and Low gain. If it doesn't work I'd suspect the aerial is not picking up a signal. The Status 315 are noitorioius for this. Try using a standard indoor aerial instead (plugged into the amplifier) which will prove all the other cables are OK
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You need to plug the TV into a known working aerial (the house?) and tune it in. Then try it in the van, without retuning),
Yes, I did mention that we'd tested it in the house using the house aerial and the aerial lead which we use in the 'van and it works fine indoors.
My house aerial is installed in the loft so I'm loathe to take it down in order to connect it to the 'van amplifier.
I have a Status 315 aerial (that I've never used) on my m/home roof. Is it straightforward to remove it (unscrew it?) and substitute it for the one fitted on my son's 'van?
P'raps I'll get a cheap domestic aerial to save me taking the loft aerial down to make your suggested test........
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Can you not tell if the transmission is being screened from the direction the loft aerial is pointing? It sound very much like the 315 isn't up to the job at your location or is being screened. You could use >this< site to give you a better idea of what the reception should be like.
peedee
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Omnidirectional aerials tend to be all but useless - even if you park right next to the main transmitter!!. I would suggest the best option would be to purchase a VisionPlus, or similar, standard directional TV aerial with mast and jockey wheel clamp. You can buy it all as a set I believe.
If the caravan has an external aerial input socket the TV aerial will plug into it. If not your son could either fit one or pass the cable through a window but avoid crushing it.
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In the house is the TV run via another box or directly from the aerial point? If it's via a box you may need to change the source. Just a thought.
David
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Our TV does this more often than not when we change sites. Need to find menu page and scan for channels. If it doesn't find any move aerial and try again until you succeed. We use aerial finder UK with responsibility success for aiming aerial. Sometimes you'll get some but not all channels. Keep on fiddling patience is the answer.
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Thanks peedee. What a useful site. I see that because the Status 315 is only about 3m above ground level and I'm at more or less sea level there are few accessible transmitters very close, so maybe the signal from the indicated distant ones (c.27 miles away) are too weak, even though they are to the North of my North facing house wall and without any other buildings within 200yds of the caravan.
BazandLes, he's taking it away this weekend so it may work in a different location. None of us are regular T.V. watchers (I've only just got a T.V. at home after 14 years without) so it was just a casual try out, but his wife would probably like to watch the millionth repeat of Pride and Prejudice again on a wet afternoon in Dorset
).A caravanning pal suggested that as the 'van is a 2006 (albeit a one owner and unmarked) the Statuts aerial may be an analogue one.
(I could easily lose the will to live with modern technology).
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Even though I watch very little TV and we don't use it in the caravan I did test our 2005 omni directional status after the changeover to digital TV. Prior to digital they were reputed to be hit and miss. I found that it worked well on most sites that I tried it on.
Our TV gets used for less than 6 hours a year in the 'van
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We went to the Menu and scanned but it found nothing and 'No signal' was all that showed.
The 'van is in the garden at the top of my drive so moving the aerial means moving the 'van, which is something for later as first we have to move his 20' racing dinghy on its trailer, then my motorcycle trailer, then my 'spare' car and then my motorhome............
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Re analogue aerial our van is 2002 and we've never changed the aerial.
Yes I agree about modern technology everything's so throw away and you must upgrade! What about the expense and the environment? I think I heard Apple not supporting IPhone 5 any more. They say want good quality products that hold their value then pull the rug. Must listen to the news properly later. I don't have iPhone so no5 affected personally.
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Your Status aerial will work with digital tv signals: we have a 2002 vintage and have no problems with Freeview channels. The old analogue coax cable is slightly lossier than digital coax but it doesn't matter over short lengths.
Presuming that you've reset the TV to clear existing tuning and have run the automatic tuning to no effect, then the amplifier may be duff, or you have a duff cable. Try connecting the Status cable directly to your tv, by-passing the amplifier.
Finally, make sure that the coax cables are in their proper sockets on the amplifier! Aerial to 'in/aerial' and tv cable to 'out/tv)'!
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is your caravan close enough to connect your house aerial to the 'Ant in' socket on the Status unit? If you can get the tv working that way you will know the TV is ok ( Already proved ) Status Unit ok ( just proved ) so aerial or cabling from aerial to unit is Duff.
if it still does not work try connecting the lead from the van's aerial DIRECT to the TV -- you should get a signal of some sort on the main BBC or ITV channels so the unit in the cupboard is probably faulty aka Duff !!.
Don't worry about Analogue / Digital aerial nonsense -- house aerials were / are banded but touring ones should always be "Wideband" to accept signals anywhere in Britain that has a decent signal !
If you are not sure which connector is which just try Googling Status 315 tv then looking at different options to see which one has a legible picture complete with sign writing
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Since when has a "popular fitment", meant that it works. As I said I have used an Omni for many years, tune the TV in and it usually picks up several transmitters and its done, meanwhile the rest of the site are twiddling their directional aerials or wandering about with a mobile phone app trying to find out which direction to point it.
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I too have a Status 315 and live in West Sussex. My ae is pointing towards the Isle of Wight. When the caravan is parked by my garage (ie not in direct line to the IoW) the tv does not work but when at the end of the drive it is fine. Noddy question; have you raised the ae?
Put the low/high power on the white box to high power. Good luck.0 -
I would undo the aerial to amplifier coax plug and check that some hamfisted operative has not left a stray wire from the copper braiding shorting things out, it has happened.
Plus, check the colour of the logo on the amplifier is the same as the aerial's. Earlier units were "purple" but after a significant change later units were "red". They can't be used other than in matched colours.
If "red" try using the aerial straight to the TV, in strong signal areas this can work and would point at an amplifier issue
[The purple had amplifier in aerial and box fed power to it etc. The red set up is an amplifier in the box with a dumb areial]
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Goodness, what a fine crowd you are. I'll try to respond to all the latest suggestions....
- I have yet try connecting the Status direct to the T.V., by-passing the amplifier.
- We did clear Tuning and rescanned.
- I'll make up a loonnng lead to connect the house aerial into the amplifier 'Ant In' socket.
- I have a copy (and have read!) the installation and operating manual for the Status.
- We are North of the South Downs so the IOW tx is not available. We receive Midhurst or Reigate, both 20 to 30 miles distant.
- To 'raise the aerial' I'd have to crane the caravan up into the air....?
- Have tried the amplifier in the Hi and the Low settings
- ocsid... our posts crossed. I'll check out your suggestions when I have another go tomorrow, after I've had a night's restless sleep, a brew, kicked the cat, and taken a couple of Valium.
With all the cables, connectors and tools strewn around the 'van and my back garden it resemble the site of a BBC Outside Broadcast unit. All I need now is for Richard Dimbleby or Kenneth Wolstenholme to turn up.
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I have to say that I have a 1996 Abbey which I bought new. This was supplied without an arial, so I had one fittedby a caravan engineer and it has always worked. I understand that those fitted at manufacture can be a bit dodgy, I understand that the connections can be a bit suspect!
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Some say it's like Steptoe's yard already, with sheds of motorbikes, bits of motorbikes, outboard engines........and heaps of assorted essential handy stuff (if ever I find a use for it).
The Status paperwork is pretty poor and wasn't any help at all. It only covered what to do if the picture was poor........I wish! Any picture would do to start with.
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As usual with any technical post there are all sorts of ideas; some correct, some partially correct and others absolute rubbish.
Sticking to the facts, there is no such thing as a "digital aerial". The digital information is encoded on to an analogue signal which is picked up through a conventional aerial.
You have tested your TV in your house and it works (I am assuming it's a digital TV and you are getting digital transmissions without a separate decoder or other box. Your aerial is connected straight to your TV). No point in running an aerial lead from your house to the MH to prove what you already know.
Your status aerial will not be as good as your home aerial so depending where it is parked and how strong the transmitter is you may not get a signal.
So, either you are not picking up the signal or there is a fault or incorrect connection between your status aerial and the point where you plug into the TV. Could be several things - faulty amplifier, faulty cable, loose connection, wrong connection (or amplifier switching) etc.
Good luck!
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27 miles could be marginal for the status 315, just depends on the path profile between the van and the best transmitter you are advised gives the best signal. Rather than pratt about testing everything I would wait and see what results are obtained this weekend and if possible while on site see how anyone else is doing with an omni directional aerial.
As Hitch says there is no such thing as a digital aerial what worked in the analogue era will work in the digital one but in the case of an omni it should work better in the digital environment with one rider. You can have too much signal if you are very close to the transmitter and there are occasions when you have to turn the amplifier gain down to avoid overloading the receiver.
peedee
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Whether an omni "works" or doesn't, has more to do with where it is used rather than its efficiency. We have had status directionals for years and they worked for 99% of the time for us. We now have an omni on this van and it only works for about 60% of the time, the other 40% it returns no channels at all. So much so that we now have a small portable satellite system for such occasions. Scotland, the Peak district, The Yorkshire Dales are typical areas for us, and TV signals can be very very weak indeed. In such areas, in my experience, a directional will always beat an omni, especially, as in our home area, when the aerial needs to be in the vertical plane rather than horizontal.
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