Remote Control Help

[tlundell]

I'm sure the technician told us about these when we had our three-hour orientation at picking up our 2015 Grand Tour last weekend, but both of us have forgotten, and can't find them in any of the manuals...plus there is no brand name or other clue as to what they connect with. Can someone help? Thanks....we love this Forum!
Tim and Penny

[Protagonist]

The "HDMI" on the left one is a clue that it's for your Blu-Ray player. The one on the right looks an awful lot like a Kenwood dashboard stereo remote.

[UKDUDE]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

The "HDMI" on the left one is a clue that it's for your Blu-Ray player. The one on the right looks an awful lot like a Kenwood dashboard stereo remote.

Actually Protag, the one on the right is for the Pyle rear view monitor. I've never used it and can't see how it can be used in the context of an Interstate, but Airstream threw it in anyway. Check your Pyle manual.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by UKDUDE

Actually Protag, the one on the right is for the Pyle rear view monitor. I've never used it and can't see how it can be used in the contact of an Interstate, but Airstream threw it in anyway. Check your Pyle manual.

Huh… Learn something new every day!

[scarletbison]

The one on the left with the HDMI looks like an input switch remote of some type. perhaps to control where the BD player sends its output.

[Nealrap]

First remote controls the tv Inputs. Top 4 buttons are for the front tv & bottom for the rear.
1 on each for me is the blu-ray & I set 2 as my appletv, so each TV can play something different.


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[coder]

The remote belongs to a Monoprice 4x2 powered HDMI switch, Monoprice part #6416. I assume they picked this switch to allow a long HDMI cable run to the rear TV.

The switch is yet another baffling and annoying Airstream design choice, though.

Firstly, it is a 4-input switch. Since Interstates ship with only a Blu-Ray as input, I cannot fathom why Airstream chose a 4-input switch. So fine, I can add an xBox or satellite receiver someday.

Secondly, the switch takes 5V power, typically supplied with an AC adapter (included by Monoprice). Instead of plugging the switch's adapter into the 110v outlet in the cabinet, though, Airstream installed a 5V power rail in the cabinet and runs the switch off that. Weird. A small advantage is that you avoid losing a bit of power transforming from 110v to 5v when you're running on the inverter. The problem, though, is that the switch is always powered, even when you're running off batteries. The switch is sitting there powered when the Blu-Ray and TVs are not. You don't need to be running an HDMI switch when the TVs are off.

There are a couple of other problems with this switch. 1) The front LED lights are really bright. I wouldn't want them in my living room, much less in a dark RV. I unplug the switch at night because it's so bright. 2) The switch doesn't behave well when its input devices power up. When I turn on the Blu-Ray, I almost always have to power-cycle the switch by unplugging it and plugging it back in. I also unplug the switch from power when I am on battery and not watching TV, to save power. So, several times a day, every day, I'm reaching into the cabinet to unplug or plug in this stupid switch. It can be done one-handed, but a lot of the time I've got to lean into the dark cabinet with both hands, feeling around for the loose wire, and attaching the power plug to the device. Six months with the van, and I've plugged and unplugged this switch hundreds of times.

Bruce



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[Lineolated]

Amen, Bruce. We do the same plugging and unplugging. But, the switch was convenient when we added a satellite receiver that didn't have RG6 out.
DJ

[BillyBoy]

Coder found the same problems that I did with my 2015 Grand Tour. On the other hand, I complained to the dealer (along with a bunch of other issues), and he fixed the problem by replacing the switch (at least that's what I was told). Now, whatever they did, the switch does NOT need to be reset every time.
In any case, as far as reaching into the dark cabinet, right again, and that's another really poor design by Airstream. They put the BluRay and the switch inside a closed box, and jammed it up against the power outlets and the signal booster. Easy fix: I took out the closed box, ripped away the top and sides, and then added two wooden blocks to the back of the (now) platform to level it. I tried to put the BluRay right on to the floor without using the remains of the box, but that won't work because you need an inch or two of height above the floor so the disk drawer doesn't hit the front lip of the overhead cabinet when the drawer opens to insert or change disks. So, now I have a big open space, BluRay and switch still held in place with Velcro, and plenty of room to move cables around if necessary and reach the booster switch.