Satellite hookup

[ronaldfields]

We purchased a DISH Tailgate satellite system for our 2014 Reflection 303 RLS. When we called DISH for assistance in connecting it, we found that we had to bypass the cable connection in the center outside because it wouldn't get a signal. They told us we'd have to come through a window with the satellite cable, which we did, and connect to the receiver that way. We did, but now ,the cable is hanging in sight from the cupboard going out through the window, and we, especially my wife, are not very pleased with it. In the Reflection manual, there is a picture of the utility center outside with a place for satellite hookup. The picture is not like ours, which has the cable, living room and bedroom. Any suggestions on how to remedy this or has anyone else run into this?

Also, when trying to feed the HDMI cable through the hole in the upper left cabinet from the receiver to the TV, there are so many cords going down through there, that it just coils up and won't go down. Any suggestions there?

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ADT_48]

Hi - I also have a 303, I don't have a portable satellite system like your Tailgate, however I have a normal HD satellite on tripod and have plugged my coax cable into the "living-room" port outside in the storage compartment near the water system. Then inside the camper inside one of the cabinets above the TV there is a coax port that I ran into SWiM (power source to the satellite for me) and then from the SWiM to my HD receiver. Not sure if you have a SWiM with your Tailgate system or not but if not then from the port in the cabinet directly into your receiver. I use HDMI cable from my receiver to the TV. Currently in Bristol for the races and in the camper watching ESPN. I hope this helps and good luck.

 

[Stang98]

Hi I also have a 303 and a portable DISH satellite system that I hooked up last night. There are cable and satellite hook ups on both side of the utility center but on the side that the water system handles are on it is labelled with bedroom and living room and then two cable inputs. The other side of the utility center isn't lablelled but has two ports that are for using a TV outside I am assuming. Make sure you are hooked to the living room connection. I had to get a new receiver that has a HDMI cord to connect to the TV as my old one connected with the red,white and yellow connectors. We fished the HDMI cord through the hole but my husband used a metal "line fisher" as we had the same problem with the line pooling at the bottom. It was a bit of work! I didn't want to take to TV off the mount because of the issues trying to get it back on. Hope that makes sense.

 

[BBJonbo]

I just got my King Flex portable satellite dish working this weekend. As others have stated, the simple steps are:

1) Connect the coax from the satellite dish to the "living room" coax connector in the utility space

2) Then inside, open the cabinet on the left of the stereo receiver and don't touch the existing coax cable that is connected to the external antennae. The 2nd coax connector on the bottom is the line in for the satellite. Run a cable from there and for me I also have a power source so this would run to the antennae portion of the power source for the satellite dish.

3) Then another short cable for the TV out from the power source to the antennae in on my Bell/Dish satellite receiver.

4) Then an HDMI cable from the satellite receiver to the TV and all was good and this completed my initial installation.

I didn't have a fish tape and couldn't route it through the hole so for now it runs outside the cabinet directly to the TV. Eventually I will fish it through the hole to hide the cable.

 

[TucsonJim]

I wasn't able to use a fish tape to pull the HDMI cable through the cabinet. It was a very simple task to remove the stereo from the center cabinet, run the HDMI and then reinstall the stereo. BTW, I actually ran two HDMI cables. One for satellite, and one for our blu-ray player. I set up the satellite on HDMI1 input on the TV, and the blu-ray on HDMI2.

 

[BBJonbo]

Glad to hear the stereo is so easy to remove and that it makes the routing of the cables so much easier. I will go that route . Great advice on running 2 as I will install a blu-ray player as well so will run two at the same time. Great advice.

 

[notsosan]

If you want to run an HDMI or other cables in the entertainment center, remove the sound system, remove its AV cable and tape it to the cable you want to fish and a string. Pull the new cable and string through with the AV cable, un tape the new cable and pull the AV cable back with the string. No fishing required.

 

[dmagnus]

If you want to run an HDMI or other cables in the entertainment center, remove the sound system, remove its AV cable and tape it to the cable you want to fish and a string. Pull the new cable and string through with the AV cable, un tape the new cable and pull the AV cable back with the string. No fishing required.

Sounds good, but how do you remove the entertainment center? Also, how do you get at the back of the tv to install hdmi cables. Both seem to be very well attached to the cabinet. I'm wondering if there is a hidden latch or something on the tv, but can't for the life of me find anything to remove the entertainment center.

 

[Second Chance]

Sounds good, but how do you remove the entertainment center? Also, how do you get at the back of the tv to install hdmi cables. Both seem to be very well attached to the cabinet. I'm wondering if there is a hidden latch or something on the tv, but can't for the life of me find anything to remove the entertainment center.

I assume you meant the stereo/AV unit rather than the entertainment center. If you pull on the lower part of the face it will pop off. Under that are four screws holding the unit in the panel. The HDMI inputs should be accessible from the side of the TV, but the TV removes by lifting straight up on it. Some of the mounts have a small keeper latch that has to be rotated horizontally first (ours does) - just reach back there and feel around if you don't have a mechanic's mirror. The weight of the TV wedges the mount into place, so you have to lift up to overcome more than just the weight of the TV.

Rob

 

[dmagnus]

Thanks Rob. Exactly what I needed. Checked it out and it's exactly as you described it. Now I just have to go get the cables and run them. I think I will put two in just in case I decide to add a blu-ray

 

[Second Chance]

Thanks Rob. Exactly what I needed. Checked it out and it's exactly as you described it. Now I just have to go get the cables and run them. I think I will put two in just in case I decide to add a blu-ray

Highly advisable (multiple cables). I think so little of the Furrion unit that I bypassed it altogether. I installed a Polk Audio sound bar with wireless subwoofer (behind the fireplace) and put a compact DVD/Blue-Ray player under the satellite receiver in the cabinet to the left of the Furrion space. With all the audio running to the TV first and then the sound bar, TV audio - not just DVD - is high quality, too. The sound bar is BlueTooth capable and we have all our music in FLAC files (a non-lossy file format that's higher quality than MP3s) on a tablet that connects via BlueTooth to the sound bar. It's not quite the transmission line speakers and class D amps we had in the stix 'n brix, but it's a darn sight better than the Furrion and ceiling speakers!

Rob

 

[tugger50]

Just bought a 2016 Reflection 337RLS and read all the posts related to hooking up the satellite and the lack of an installed HDMI cable.
Got to looking at the upper left cabinet where my Dish receiver will go and the process for fishing the cable through. The cabinet bottom is on a shelf type structure that sticks out to create the recessed area for the TV. I simply took my step drill and bored a hole from the front right corner of the cabinet through to come out behind and just above the TV. The cable is not very visible and works like a charm. I can also run another cable if needed for a Blue Ray or other component, very easy.

2002 F350 SD 7.3 TD (the beast)
2016 GD Reflection 337RLS