At present, the tv aerial socket in our caravan is sited alongside heat and water switches above the fridge. I would like to put a second aerial socket at the front of the van - perhaps on the window sill - to take the lead from the aerial that we clamp to the jockey wheel handle. What would this involve?
If your caravan has an ADA (Aerial Distribution Amplifier), this could be relatively simple. The ADA will be in a cupboard usually somewhere near the roof aerial. Usually this will have a feed for the radio, a feed for the TV socket and usually there will be a spare port which will sometimes have a blanking connector on it.
If it has a spare port simply run a co-ax from there to the desired location for your new aerial socket and bob is your uncle. If it doesn't have a spare port things will be a tad more difficult but not impossible.
As the aerial is clamped to the jockey wheel it is very unlikely that there is an Aerial Distribution Amplifier as these are usually fitted for the roof mounted aerials.
Therefore you only need to connect the new lead to the old. I assume you will only use one TV at a time.
Quote: Originally posted by navver on 23/2/2021
As the aerial is clamped to the jockey wheel it is very unlikely that there is an Aerial Distribution Amplifier as these are usually fitted for the roof mounted aerials.
Therefore you only need to connect the new lead to the old. I assume you will only use one TV at a time.
There are strange people who despite having an aerial fitted to the caravan prefer to use something else strapped to the jockey wheel. During the digital switchover while both ananlogue and digital signals were broadcast from the same transmitters those flying saucer type things on the roofs of older caravans were about as much use as a chocolate fireguard. Now the changeover is complete you can pick up tv using a bit of damp string.
If OP is using an aerial clamped to the jockey wheel because he believed it to be better than the standard installed aerial then there is a good chance that the ‘van does have an ADA.
If not then as you say just running the cable directly to the new location would suffice.
A better alternative would be to add an ADA to the install. Then he could run a feed from the existing socket to the ADA and a new lead from the ADA to the new desired location. He would then be able to use or not the existing van mounted aerial if one is fitted or just connect his external strapped to the jockey wheel aerial to the new distributed system in the van and bob will be his uncle and the new set up will offer flexibility.
easiest way would be to buy a flat coax cable, put it through the front window connect the tv to one end and your external aerial to the other.
you could fit a surface mount coax socket to the shelving and run a cable through to the electrical box, I did that on one of my earlier caravans, but it means drilling holes which not everyone is confident with.