All of last summer, winter, and spring, I brought my internet antenna cable in through the office window, sealing the gap as best as I could with tape and, in the coldest month, towels. Bugs and cold still managed to get in. This summer, I was determined to find a better, yet non-intrusive, way to bring cables into my RV.
My impetus was moving to a new type of cellular booster. I’m not ready to blog about that as my system is not working as well as expected and I’m still exploring other options. So while I wanted to bring the cable in in such a way that bugs and cold couldn’t get in, I didn’t want to make any holes since I’m not sure my booster system is what I’m going to end up using permanently here.
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- This is my directional antenna. Like last year, it is sitting on a pole affixed to my neighbour’s truck. I am getting a slightly better signal this year using this antenna and the new booster.
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- The cable is long and travels along the ground before being pulled up to the roof of the RV. When I get the new roof put on the grainery, I am going to attempt to raise the antenna on a pole as far up the roof line as I can in the hope of capturing a stronger signal. If that works, then the cable will travel overhead between the two roofs.
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- My Max Air vent covers have never sat perfectly flush to the roof. The gap was just big enough for the coax cable to fit. I still had to remove the vent to get the wire inside because the connector is much wider than the cable.
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- There is a little hole in the screen for the cover, which I’m assuming is meant for a finger to catch on it and pull… It was plenty wide enough for the cable, but not its connector. Of all my tools, my Swiss Army knife was the most suited to enlarging the opening. The blade just fit in the hole and it was so sharp that a few twists of the wrist shaved off enough plastic for the connector to squeak through.
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- For now, the cable just runs along the ceiling and is caught in a cabinet door.
If I ever get this booster working as well as I believed it would, I will likely put a hole in the roof over a cabinet, install the booster in there, and run the cable to it. But for now, the cable is out of my way and this is working out well.
My coax cable is in two sections, with its connector being at ground level. So when I had to move Miranda in a hurry a few weeks ago, I was able to show Caroline where the junction was and leave her to disconnect the two bits and coiling the part attached to the RV around the ladder while I did other things instead of my having to disconnect the booster from inside and scramble onto the roof to yank the wire out of the way. Unintentional, but perfect, design!
Do you know what type connector is on the cable? They make flat window cable connectors designed to be wound up into the front door windows. Here is a link to the type F variety. They might make them for the kind you need as well.
http://www.amazon.com/Parts-Express-Cable-Coaxial-Coupler/dp/B0002KR74A
Those vent covers are designed to leave a gap between the cover and the roof. This is to prevent water buildup inside the cover which would lead to damage to the roof.