Updating to Larger TV in 2013 Interstate

[jerhofer]

About a month ago my son and I traveled to Greenville, SC to a car show. A local Airstream dealer had a new Interstate on display. The first thing I noticed was the larger front TV. My wife and I occasionally watch movies and the standard 18" is pretty small to view from the rear seat. So I decided to upgrade to the new 28" Samsung TV. I found the same model that Airstream is using on eBay. Below you can see the difference in size.



Not wanting to reinvent the wheel, I decided to purchase the mounting kit from Airstream. We were planning on traveling to northern Indiana from our NC home for Thanksgiving so I called them to order the kit and pick it up at the factory on our way to Indiana. I pre-paid for the kit and expected to be there no longer than 10 minutes to pick it up. We ended up being there an hour because they had the wrong part number in their system for the plate that mounts to the TV. They were very nice about it but it was disappointing to have to waste that much time.

The kit consists of the wood part with hinges and catches that attaches to the front storage area, the steel plate that attaches to the TV and the studs and wing nuts for attaching the plate to the TV.







I removed the original TV and cleaned up the wiring in anticipation of installing the new TV. Since this TV does not have a built-in DVD player, I bought a Blue Ray player at Wal-Mart and, using Velcro, I installed it on top of my Dish receiver.





Airstream's TV vendor modifies the TV's to allow the use of headphones by adding some additional wiring. You can see that wiring below on the old TV. Since we are using Bluetooth headphones and never use the standard headphone jacks, I discarded this wiring.



I laid everything out on my bed to mount the plate to the TV. Once it was mounted I mounted the catches to the plate. Initially I mounted them both in the same direction but soon discovered that they were mounted in opposite directions to allow the TV to latch to the base mount.







The hinges have slots in them. After starting the nut on each of the studs, I placed the hinges on the plate and tightened the nuts just enough so I could slide the TV out of the slots.





In making this upgrade, I had decided to remove the sliding plastic doors on the front storage area. With the new TV being larger, little of that area in seen and this allowed me to run the cables to the through the back of the mount. To make that work I had to drill a 1" hole in the center of the mount. Since I wanted both of us to be able to see the entire screen from the rear sofa, I offset the TV towards the left side and mounted the base,





The four screw holes from the original mount were visible. To make them less visible, I simply inserted the original screws.



Now I was ready to mount the TV to the base mount. The nice thing about the new mount is that you can tip the TV out at the bottom for access to the rear.





With the TV mounted, I was ready to wire it up. Through the 1" hole I ran the TV power cord, the HDMI cables from the Dish receiver and the DVD player, and the headphone jack that is connected to the radio to hear the TV over the radio speakers. There are two studs on the mounting plate to use as places to secure the wiring. I had to extend the RG6 antenna cable to make it work. The wires have to be run to the top stud and then down to the bottom stud so the wiring runs along the bottom of the TV. This keeps them out of the way when you latch the TV to the base mount.









With the wires run, it was time to make sure everything worked. It did and and I am sure we will be very happy when we use this TV on our planned trip to Florida in January.

[c21]

How much did Airstream charge for the mount. Also will the TV drop down with the new mount or is it at a fixed height/
Thanks

[jerhofer]

They charge $300, which is outrageous. But, it sure made the installation easy.

The TV does not drop down. It only swings out from the bottom. As I mentioned earlier, that makes it easier to get to the connections. I assume the other reason was for ease of assembly on the production line. My only concern is that it will be a head knocker. I am considering installing some type of padding on the bottom of the TV.

[73shark]

Isn't the swing-out function a storage position to minimize the head bump scenario?

[jerhofer]

Originally Posted by 73shark

Isn't the swing-out function a storage position to minimize the head bump scenario?

If you look at the photo above where it is swung out, you can see that it is still lower than the front overhead storage area. I found it to be in the way when it was swung out and bumped my head a couple times when I forgot it was there while doing the wiring. I am sure we will get used to its position.

[73shark]

Didn't realize that it didn't go up to the horizontal position. So now not sure what the purpose of the mount is other than making it a lot easier to wire up.

[Harleydeal]

The most frequently uttered phrase in my AI is "WATCH YOUR HEAD!" My wife and I average two to three head injuries per trip. Need to either travel wearing a helmet or add foam to the bottom of the tv.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Harleydeal

The most frequently uttered phrase in my AI is "WATCH YOUR HEAD!" My wife and I average two to three head injuries per trip. Need to either travel wearing a helmet or add foam to the bottom of the tv.

I never bump my head on the bottom of the front television. But at least twice a year I bump my head on an open overhead locker door— if I hit a corner rather than an edge it usually draws blood. No hair to pad my scalp, you know!

[jerhofer]

At Lowe's I found some foam insulation for plumbing pipes that was slit and had the adhesive already in place. I cut a straight piece for the bottom and made a corner piece for the right side. Not too worried about hitting the corner on the left side of the TV. I had to cut out a hole for the remote control sensor at the bottom right of the TV. We'll see how well the adhesive holds up.

[c21]

I'm fine with my front tv's size and location and I really like the built-in DVD player. What I would really like is to find a mount that would allow the tv to drop down into a better viewing position. Any tested ideas on this would be greatly appreciated.
Bill

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by c21bill

I'm fine with my front tv's size and location and I really like the built-in DVD player. What I would really like is to find a mount that would allow the tv to drop down into a better viewing position. Any tested ideas on this would be greatly appreciated.
Bill

Bill,
I installed a drop down TV mount last year. I searched for a TV mount and this is the one I ended up using:
Amazon.com: VonHaus Cantilever LCD Monitor TV Arm Bracket Wall Mount with Swivel and Tilt - Fits most 13" - 24" LCD Flat Panels: Electronics

Then I had to find some thing to lock in the up and stowed position. I used two of these latches:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ilpage_o00_s00

I also had to open up the side panel where wires run to TV to add a longer power cord. The whole job got pretty complicated. I also had to glue one of the swing joints to lock it from giving me too many hinged joints. It may be possible to find a better approach, but this one has worked well for us over the last few years and about 40,000 miles of use. I've posted photos in the past but here are some photos of the details.

Enjoy,
- - Mike

[c21]

Originally Posted by Boxster1971

Bill,
I installed a drop down TV mount last year. I searched for a TV mount and this is the one I ended up using:
Amazon.com: VonHaus Cantilever LCD Monitor TV Arm Bracket Wall Mount with Swivel and Tilt - Fits most 13" - 24" LCD Flat Panels: Electronics

Then I had to find some thing to lock in the up and stowed position. I used two of these latches:
GN 417 Series Zinc Die Cast Latch Mechanism Indexing Plunger with Pull Ring, 20.5mm Length, 4mm Diameter: Metalworking Workholding: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

I also had to open up the side panel where wires run to TV to add a longer power cord. The whole job got pretty complicated. I also had to glue one of the swing joints to lock it from giving me too many hinged joints. It may be possible to find a better approach, but this one has worked well for us over the last few years and about 40,000 miles of use. I've posted photos in the past but here are some photos of the details.

Enjoy,
- - Mike

Hi Mike, I located a different, compact mount that has a built in travel lock and looks like it will do the job. I have that on order. From your post I glean that all the wiring is long enough except the power cord. I have scoured the internet in an attempt to find a short extension with the C7 Female to Male Polarized connectors to no avail. How did you gain access to replace the cord with a longer one?
Thanks,
Bill

[jerhofer]

Originally Posted by c21bill

Hi Mike, I located a different, compact mount that has a built in travel lock and looks like it will do the job. I have that on order. From your post I glean that all the wiring is long enough except the power cord. I have scoured the internet in an attempt to find a short extension with the C7 Female to Male Polarized connectors to no avail. How did you gain access to replace the cord with a longer one?
Thanks,
Bill

I faced a similar dilemma as the cord plug on the new TV was different than the one on the standard TV. I could not see an easy way to remove the standard cord. In my case, since I eliminated the sliding panels, I left the original cord in place and then ran the new cord from the receptacle directly to the TV.

My alternative solution would work for you. Simply cut the cord and splice in whatever additional cord you need to make it work. If you are installing a TV with a different end, cut off the end on the existing cord, cut off whatever length you need from the new cord and splice them together.

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by c21bill

Hi Mike, I located a different, compact mount that has a built in travel lock and looks like it will do the job. I have that on order. From your post I glean that all the wiring is long enough except the power cord. I have scoured the internet in an attempt to find a short extension with the C7 Female to Male Polarized connectors to no avail. How did you gain access to replace the cord with a longer one?

Thanks,

Bill

I got lucky. I had a longer power cord in my "collection" of old stuff I save when various electronic items die. 😄

I pulled the side panel above the driver seat to get full access to the wires running to TV. Have a closer look at the last two photos I posted above. They show the wire runs.

Merry Christmas!

- - Mike
2013 Lounge EXT on 2012 Sprinter

[c21]

Originally Posted by Boxster1971

I got lucky. I had a longer power cord in my "collection" of old stuff I save when various electronic items die. 😄

I pulled the side panel above the driver seat to get full access to the wires running to TV. Have a closer look at the last two photos I posted above. They show the wire runs.

Merry Christmas!

- - Mike
2013 Lounge EXT on 2012 Sprinter

Just ordered a cord with a polarized C7 end on Amazon for 4 and a half bucks. I think I'd rather splice on an extension to the installed cord rather than taking more stuff apart. Is the rest of the wiring sufficient length? My tv will drop about 18".

Merry Christmas to you and your's Mike.

Bill

[Boxster1971]

Yes on mine the rest of the wiring had enough length to handle the drop. I also added a 90 deg elbow coaxial connector at the TV.


- - Mike
2013 Lounge EXT on 2012 Sprinter

[Bev1940]

I would like to mount a 32' Tv on the short wall that is on the living room side of the fridge, in mt 31' 1978 AS , I would like one that is easy to fasten tv to because I would take it down and lay it on the bed when travelling. Would the ones you see in stores work ok for this. ?

[73shark]

The TV mounts I've used all bolt to the TV and the wall. That's not to say that there's not one out there that's detachable. Check Mounts and More online as they have a large selection.

[c21]

Originally Posted by Bev1940

I would like to mount a 32' Tv on the short wall that is on the living room side of the fridge, in mt 31' 1978 AS , I would like one that is easy to fasten tv to because I would take it down and lay it on the bed when travelling. Would the ones you see in stores work ok for this. ?

Here is a bracket that will support the tv you have and is easy to remove the tv for storage. MAX-Q TVQ-2020 LCD TV Bracket. It is available at americanrvcompany.com which carries several brackets. Be sure it's what you want though because this company has a 20% restocking charge on returns.

They also have swivel and articulating brackets that have the tv removal feature.

[c21]

Originally Posted by Boxster1971

Yes on mine the rest of the wiring had enough length to handle the drop. I also added a 90 deg elbow coaxial connector at the TV.


- - Mike
2013 Lounge EXT on 2012 Sprinter

Hi Mike, I just removed my tv and noticed that all wiring that drops from the hole in the ceiling was too short to accomodate a drop mount. Do these have more length buried in the ceiling that I need to access or it is possible that on my coach I will need extensions/

Thanks,
Bill