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Topic: Pulling cable - best practices (Read 408 times) previous topic - next topic

Pulling cable - best practices

I'm mounting starlink to the roof, it's taking place of an old TracStar satellite system.  The TracStar was mounted at the rear on the centerline and the coax enters the roof about midway between the center line and the driver's edge.  It runs to the front of the coach and I've found the other end of it in the cabinets above the driver.

I found Barry's pic about a wire chase on the radius (Coax to rear TV Questions) and this looks to be accurate for what I have, but I was really hoping to be able to get access to the coax at different points along the run. 

Giving a gentle tug on either end isn't allowing the coax to pull.  Using some creative measuring it looks like the entry point into the roof may be right above an AC vent in the roof.  I'm not sure if I can pop that off and move the duct out of the way.

I pulled trim in my bathroom cupboard, but all I really see is the side of the square tubing.  See pic.

I know people have done this - what's the secret?
Steve and Cassi
2007 Foretravel Nimbus 42'

Re: Pulling cable - best practices

Reply #1 –
I pulled the AC vent (pop the ring off, remove screws). That seems like a no go as the duct is sealed.

Next I'll try removing the piece of trim above the slide. But that's waiting until tomorrow.
Steve and Cassi
2007 Foretravel Nimbus 42'

Re: Pulling cable - best practices

Reply #2 –
Trim removed, but I don't feel like I'm any closer other than knowing I haven't figured it out yet.

I expect the wire to be behind the 2" of aluminum on top - I'm just not sure what run it makes toward the center of the roof and why I can't just pull it to run the new wire.
Steve and Cassi
2007 Foretravel Nimbus 42'
 

Re: Pulling cable - best practices

Reply #3 –
I convinced myself that the satellite coax was a factory install, probably pulled prior to most of the roof being there.  In the end, I ran the wrap through wire loom (well, mostly, need another 25 ft piece) to the front of the coach, drilled a hole in the roof above the cabinet over the driver seat.  That's where my router goes as there is already an outlet.

I have a little cleanup to do - need to remove old coax roof entry and mount points from the TracStar satellite.  Then seal those up good and tight - these are circled in red.  Then I have about another 15 ft of wire loom to wrap the network cable and we're done!

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Details for anyone that might find this useful now or in the future:

I looked for other alternatives for running the cable:
    • was entry possible from the rear cap?  I looked up inside the engine bay.  No wires entered in the top corners, everything was ran down, to the driver side of the engine, above the battery tray, and through the center wire run.  That was an option but it would mean a hole through the top of the rear cap or running the cable down to the rear camera and using that hole.  Then a lot of extra work pulling that wire to the front, up somewhere around the generator and then figure out how to fish it to my overhead cabinets
    • I also looked at using my CB, FM, or Sirius antenna holes near the front.  Unfortunately, none of those holes were above my cabinets, so I might be left with a challenge to fish it over to the side.

In the end, I found that there was an existing hole in the cabinet above the driver seat with a 110 outlet as well.  The hole would come through the roof under my Girard awning cap - so I get the benefit of it being out of the weather, and I could run the cable along the feaux awning housing (I don't have actual awnings on the driver side) to the Starlink on mounted at the rear.

I considered moving Starlink to the front, but that would mean more holes in the roof and it wouldn't be as protected from the wind and debris as it is right now.

Hope this helps someone, it was a bit of an adventure for me - especially when it came to putting a hole in the roof!
Steve and Cassi
2007 Foretravel Nimbus 42'