Coax and AB switch?

[RVgary]

I currently have a coax cable used to connect to "cable tv" in my 5th wheel. I would like to use this coax to also connect to a satellite antenna. Would it work to install an AB switch in the coax so that the single cable could be used for either cable or satellite?

[Bill Adams]

This will depend upon the coach you have an how the cable wiring is run. Do you have a video control center inside the coach where you simply push a button to select TV, VCR, Aux (possibly more like Sat, DVD, etc)? If so then you will likely be able to make an A/B switch (at both ends of the cable) work. Let me know I will give you details. You can also use a special splitter called a diplexer and you would again connect one at each end of the cable so you don't have to make a selection, it will identify the signal and send it to the correct source.
The bad news might be that if you don't have a control center the coach builder may have installed splitters to send the cable signal to the various TV's. If this is the way the coach is setup (very common with 5th wheel and trailer builders) then you will not be able to use this connection and will have to a new dedicated cable.

[RVgary]

There is a coax run coming from the aerial and one from the cable jack at the back of the trailer. They both feed into a switchable signal booster (which only gets turned on when using the aerial) and then splits off to a couple of tv jacks. My intention would be to put the AB switch on the cable run prior to it going into the booster. Therefore there should be nothing between the coax jack at the back of the trailer and the jack that the satellite receiver attaches to but the AB switch. The AB switch is just a passive $10 unit with one coax line coming in and two (A and B) coming out.

[Bill Adams]

It sounds like you are describing a splitter and that will not work (you will lose half of your channels) but if you get a good quality A/B switch where you must physically push a button to select a source you can do just as you have described.

[RVgary]

An A/B switch which has 'buttons' to select which output to route all the signal to is exactly what I'm talking about. I was pretty sure that that would work but I wanted to get some expert second opinions. Thanks!

[Bill Adams]

One for $10 might not be the best choice as you are sending a high quality signal through a low quality connection. Take a look at one like this:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index ... Id=2049619