Satellite services

La-rogers

Member
I don't subscribe to a satellite service at home so please forgive my ignorance. I've heard of Direct TV and the Dish Network but can anyone recommend other satellite companies that may offer a better deal or don't require continual service without charging (re)connection fees if service is not needed in the "off" season?

Anybody have experience using the Vu Cube or another portable satellite receiver that can also be used tent camping or tailgating?

Thank you,
Laurie
 

debandal

Member
We are from Canada and use a Canadian Satellite Provider while down south, but as far as Vu Cube goes, they work great. It is nice if you are in a area with lots of trees as you can move it around your site to get lined up with the satellite. If there is no trees we put it on the roof of the trailer. Only problem is, we don't like leaving it out in the open over night, it is fine if you are in a large gated resort, but while in Provincial or State parks things seem to go missing overnight some times.
AL
 

yondering

Retired-Full Timer
We , too , use the vuCube, with access through Dish network. Service is great, and in the off season, one can go to " dish pause " and not pay for the service you are not using, nor pay a reconnect fee.We are fulltimers, and have used the vucube all across the US, and up into Canada. Location permitting, We set ours on top of the bedroom slide, it is not easy to see there. Hope you enjoy your camping . God Bless ya, Al
 

jmgratz

Original Owners Club Member
LA-Rogers.
To my knowledge you will not be able to us any satellite dish whether it be a free standing one or VuCube without subscribing to some satellite provider service. If you check with your local satellite service provider be it Dish, Direct TV, Echo Star, or any other you will be able to check pricing, programming and other services. Some of the providers will allow you to turn off service temporarily when not in use. Many people (RVer, hunters, campers etc) have a satellite service at their home and when they are in their RV take their receiver from their house into their RV, Deer Camp, Lake house etc so their don't have to pay for services at two different locations. As for the legality of this ... well I believe in the don't ask don't tell. But it does work. Whether you get a fixed dish mounted to the RV roof of a free standing dish is up to your opinion. Hope this information helps. Oh and by the way, the bat wing antenna for over the air TV reception (free tv) still does work.
 

Delaine and Lindy

Well-known member
Direct Tv....

I know nothing a the VU Cube?? However we use Direct-Tv at the stick house and in the 5th wheel. We have had no issues with Direct-Tv. Since you don't have a system I would call Direct-Tv several years ago when we upgrade to HDTV they came out and installed our system. They will now come out and install your system now, the only issue is they ar using a basic Tri-Pod. The Tri-Pod is the key to getting a good signal the Tri-Pod must be level. At the time I was also using Hughes net Sattelite system and had a great Tri-Pod and went and got another. I have a Traveler winguard roof mount which will automatically lock onto all the Sats by just pushing one button. I do carry the Tri-Pod and dish for times I can't find a RV park without Trees, I don't like parking around Trees if possible, trees do more damage than good . Good Luck with your choice. GBY.....
 

rick_debbie_gallant

Well-known member
Okey here goes: From Michigan, have directv with an hd/dvr, local channels back home. We are now at our winter crib in Texas. I have the antenna set up getting good signal, all of the channels but I cant get the locals down here. Any ideas? I have re booted, reset the zip code, etc.. all with zero luck.. any more ideas. btw our daughter is living in our house bACK HOME so we want to keep the other equipment running there as well.
 

MD Buck

Active Member
With Dish Network I have to contact them and have them change me over to the location I am currently at. Unfortunately, when I do that, the home system suffers the local channels.
 

branson4020

Icantre Member
With either of the satellite providers, you can only subscribe to one set of local channels at a time. Thank the FCC.
 

kakampers

Past Heartland Ambassador
Okey here goes: From Michigan, have directv with an hd/dvr, local channels back home. We are now at our winter crib in Texas. I have the antenna set up getting good signal, all of the channels but I cant get the locals down here. Any ideas? I have re booted, reset the zip code, etc.. all with zero luck.. any more ideas. btw our daughter is living in our house bACK HOME so we want to keep the other equipment running there as well.

Local channels are "spot beamed"...this means there are only receivable within about a 250 mile radius of your address. You cannot have two separate spot beams...if you want you're daughter to have locals at your home address, you cannot get them at your location in Texas via DTV.

If you want to have them in Texas you will need to call and change your address to your current location and DTV will change the spot beam for you...HOWEVER, your daughter will loose the locals at home.

You can pull in local channels over the air using your regular TV antenna on the roof of your RV, and there will be some which are HD...hope this helps.
 

DMitch

Well-known member
Also, I have spoken to Direct TV Support and they have no problem with you taking a receiver from home and using it in your RV. KAKAMPERS is spot on about the local channels, DTV told me exactly that.

Dan
 

goldenbetty

goldenbetty
I am still not able to get digital TV and hold onto the signal on my BR TV. I think there may be a wiring problem from my BR to the antenna. Any suggestions.
 

2010augusta

Well-known member
Okey here goes: From Michigan, have directv with an hd/dvr, local channels back home. We are now at our winter crib in Texas. I have the antenna set up getting good signal, all of the channels but I cant get the locals down here. Any ideas? I have re booted, reset the zip code, etc.. all with zero luck.. any more ideas. btw our daughter is living in our house bACK HOME so we want to keep the other equipment running there as well.

We were in Brownwood TX from Jan-Mar of this year and we were able to drop all the locals and get both the East and West coast feeds of the networks, so it gave us alot of options to watch and record shows. It did cost about $2.50 per net work (i.e. NBC, ABC, FOX, CBS) so $10.00 per month. if we wanted local news then we watched the campground cable or over the air stuff. This way we always had network channels any where we went.
 
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