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  1. #11
    Seasoned Camper KirbyRVA's Avatar
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    I pulled that panel in the basement today and got a look at the utilities. What a wiring mess it is. I suspect there is a way to do what you suggest but not sure the juice is worth the squeeze. I called GD and asked for tech support. The fellow I spoke with said in no uncertain terms that they did not wire the coach with anyone using the auto sat dishes like a Traveler in mind. I asked if there was coax already pulled to the roof access area. He first said no. Then he put me on hold and came back and said they did indeed pull a coax up to just behind that little roof panel. I asked him where that wire was connected or terminated in the basement area. He said he had no idea. Looking at the backside of the coax outlet in the Nautilus labeled 'satellite', that coax runs to a splitter. Two wires from the splitter go to either up toward the bedroom TV and the other connects to a cable outlet in the basement area. I can see many wires coming down from the roof near where the access plate is but I see no coax in those wires.

    So I have no idea what they did and they don't seem to either. At this point I plan to use a slimline dish on a tripod until I can sort this out. Since we will always be setting up here for a stays of at least a month or so, I don't mind spending 30 minutes aiming a dish.
    2019 Solitude 384GKR
    Stored, used at Myrtle Beach, SC
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  2. #12
    Rolling Along vonzoog's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by KirbyRVA View Post
    I pulled that panel in the basement today and got a look at the utilities. What a wiring mess it is.
    Didn’t the Grand Design representative tell you that when you remove the panel you are not suppose to look inside?
    2018 Momentum 376TH
    2016 RAM 3500 Dually

  3. #13
    Seasoned Camper KirbyRVA's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by vonzoog View Post
    Didn’t the Grand Design representative tell you that when you remove the panel you are not suppose to look inside?
    I am sure they don't want a potential customer to look in there before making a decision to purchase. There were loose screws, sawdust, construction debris all over the area. No apparent attempt to organize, zip tie wires, clean up the mess. I guess I am surprised anything in the rig works. I'm trying to keep a positive feeling about this but for an MSRP of around $94,000, this is a poor example of any sort of quality workmanship.
    2019 Solitude 384GKR
    Stored, used at Myrtle Beach, SC
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  4. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by vonzoog View Post
    Here is a picture of the dish mounted on the roof with the cables running to the factory plate/hole.

    Attachment 16196

    I mounted the controller in the hutch cabinet above the One Control panel. Your location in a Solitude will depend upon where the cables from the roof to the basement actually run. You may want the controller next to your main TV and main receiver (Genie). Remember, that the controller cable and the RG6 cable from the satellite dish on the roof must run to the controller and then to the power booster. The controller acts as a pass thru for the signal to the receiver.

    Attachment 16197

    Grand Design has made a perfect location for making all of your connections and I got this idea from this forum. (I forgot who did it first and I thank you). Your Solitude should be very similar. If you check behind the panels you will find that the satellite cables are separated and not the same as the "cable" connection. On my Momentum each of the 4 TV locations has it own satellite and cable connection plate. The satellite cables are ran separately to each location without splinters. This is why the control station works as perfect location for making all of you connections. Not sure about the regular cable connections.

    Attachment 16198Attachment 16199

    This setup makes it easy to make all of your connections. With the way it is connected in the picture allows me to have the main receiver (Genie) in the living room next to the TV. The other 3 TV locations (bedroom, outside, and the hutch location in the kitchen) will now work with the Mini Genies. I have checked and tested all locations and each location are able to watch a different station at the same time. The Genie has 5 tuners and each Mini Genie if fully functional with their own separate remote control. Exactly as it works in you home.

    The next picture shows the pass thru cable coming from the RF Mogul controller to the DirecTV SWM power booster. I drilled a hole through the wall and used a gourmet to protect the cable. Two reasons I mount the power booster here was, first it was simple and easy to do and second, it allow me to disconnect the RG6 cable coming from the controller. Then when I need to use my tripod satellite (when trees are in the way) I can run the my extra RG6 cable coming up through the water hose opening in the bottom of the panel into the SWM power booster. Now everything works exactly the same whether I am connected to the RF Mogul roof top satellite dish or to my tripod satellite dish when needed.

    Attachment 16200

    If you decide that you would not need to have the option of using an external tripod mounted satellite dish, you could mount the RF Mogul controller, DirecTV SWM booster, and the Genie receiver together next to or near the main TV hidden in a cabinet or however it suits you. Then you would only have to run the output cable from the SWM booster back to the splitter located in the control panel. This centralize location really makes the installation much easier.

    I hope that the pictures and what I did makes sense to you. Not sure how much the dealer will want to do it your way or just do the quickest and easiest way they can.
    How do you get cables from next to the tv to the nautilus?

    Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

  5. #15
    Rolling Along vonzoog's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by alanhenson View Post
    How do you get cables from next to the tv to the nautilus?

    Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
    The cable is already there. Notice in the picture #4 , the cable connection labeled Living Room. That connection has an RF6 cable running directly to the outlet by the living room TV. Same with the other connections that run to the bedroom, outside TV (Garage), and on the Momentum the kitchen hutch area (Aux/Bedroom). Each of these run directly to those locations without any splitters.

    Notice there is one connection not used labeled Cable/Cable. This is to be use only for connecting to the campground cable connection (if they offer cable).

    Please note that this is the way it is in my Momentum 376TH. I am assuming the Solitudes are the same. Maybe the other models as well. I removed the basement wall and traced the cables coming out of the Nautilus panel the best I could to see where they were routed to. The Cable/Cable connection is a different color cable (assuming it’s R59) that has splitter connections routing it to the 4 TV locations. Naturally this will only transmit the same cable source to all 4 locations. With the DirecTV setup using the Genie and the Mini-Genie receivers, each RG6 Cable is or can be transmitting a different signal with the Genie having 5 tuners. After installing everything, I tested each location. Every location works perfectly.
    2018 Momentum 376TH
    2016 RAM 3500 Dually

  6. #16
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    I just purchased a 2020 373fb. I am trying to install my satellite dish on my new camper. I removed the roof access plate but do not see a hole except for one that has a ton of wires going through it already. When I open the hole under the satellite roof access sticker in storage, it has a similar hole with no wires coming through but no conduit I can see. When I fish tape through it, it seems to just curl up in the wall inside the camper. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you.

  7. #17
    Seasoned Camper KirbyRVA's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 373fb-Colorado View Post
    I just purchased a 2020 373fb. I am trying to install my satellite dish on my new camper. I removed the roof access plate but do not see a hole except for one that has a ton of wires going through it already. When I open the hole under the satellite roof access sticker in storage, it has a similar hole with no wires coming through but no conduit I can see. When I fish tape through it, it seems to just curl up in the wall inside the camper. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you.
    Welcome to one of the best examples of Grand Design's poor design. When I removed the roof panel on my 2019 Solitude, there is no hole anywhere near the roof opening. There is a hole that is about 6" to the left of the opening with a bunch of wires coming out of it. Even if I could reach it from the opening in the roof, the hole seems too small for any additional wires. I also tried fishing a stiff wire from the hole in the ceiling of the basement bay but, as you experienced, it only curls up in the wall.

    When I called Grand Design about all of this it was apparent to me that they gave no thought to doing this right. First they said someone must have forgotten to drill the hole at the top or located the roof opening incorrectly. Sorry about that. I said I could drill a hole below the roof opening but, according to my careful measurements, the drill bit would exit in the ceiling of my hallway. No response other than take it to the dealer.

    I then asked what size conduit was in the area. Was informed they stopped using conduit since 'what they used previously was too small.' My obvious response (in my younger days I was an electrician's helper during college) was 'so why did you not just install a larger diameter conduit?' No response. So I guess they either didn't think about that or were too lazy, cheap or stupid to do the right thing. He said the wires should follow the space within the wall from top to bottom. I asked him if he had any idea how difficult it is to get a wire from a 1" diameter hole to exit another 1" diameter hole that is 7' away? No response other than 'he knew it was difficult." As noted in a previous post, your best bet might be to pull off the wall panel, run the wires, then put the panel back.

    I gave up on trying to run any wires thru that area. We now have the rig parked on a permanent space and my sat dish will be mounted on a pole next to the rig. It is shameful, IMO, how they could bungle something as simple as drilling two holes and installing a 1 1/2" piece of PVC conduit in the space.
    Last edited by KirbyRVA; 07-01-2019 at 05:47 AM.
    2019 Solitude 384GKR
    Stored, used at Myrtle Beach, SC
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

  8. #18
    Long Hauler offtohavasu's Avatar
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    It's just a chase. Don't use a fish tape. Use a glow rod. Stiffer and straight and you can pole to make it as long as you need.
    Curtis, Christine, Cole, and Charlotte

    2007 Chevrolet Silverado Duramax LBZ, CCLB
    2020 Momentum 351M

  9. #19
    Seasoned Camper KirbyRVA's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by offtohavasu View Post
    It's just a chase. Don't use a fish tape. Use a glow rod. Stiffer and straight and you can pole to make it as long as you need.
    Agree a glow rod set is a better tool in this case. However, why should an owner have to buy one of these to do what would have been a simple task if GD had just installed a cheap piece of PVC conduit in the space, aligned with the holes? In my case even my glow rods won't work since they failed to locate the roof access hole anywhere near the hole in the top of the wall.

    I suspect a licensed electrician has never been near one of these trailers during construction or even played a role in the design of them.
    2019 Solitude 384GKR
    Stored, used at Myrtle Beach, SC
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

  10. #20
    Long Hauler offtohavasu's Avatar
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    There are many tools you wouldn't have on average that you would need to work an an rv. If you don't want a glow rod a wood dowel would work fine to. Right tool for the job.
    Curtis, Christine, Cole, and Charlotte

    2007 Chevrolet Silverado Duramax LBZ, CCLB
    2020 Momentum 351M

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