Our first park without cable and need satellite suggestions.

mikeandconnie

Well-known member
Hello Every One,

We will be staying at our first RV Park without cable in a few weeks, so it's time to get a Satellite.I have never had Satellite ,so I'm in unfamiliar territory. Please may I ask for any suggestion, contacts or what works the best and easy.
Thanks,
Mike
 

tmax264

Member
I use Directv the problem with using a satellite on the road is that you have to find the elevation and the azimuth you can get this from directv by going to this website and enter the zipcode for the area that you are in. http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/customer/dishPointer.jsp you will also need a satellite signal meter I broke down and bought a Birddog this is the unit that the techs use I found one on ebay for about $200 it makes life easy I can usually have it going in less than 5 minutes they do sell meter for around $30 or less. If you have the money you can buy a VueQube it is your dish that will automatically find the signal for you but it cost close to a $1000. I have found that I have been in some locations that my air antenna would not pick up the local channels (Fox, ABC etc.) and fill out paper work from Directv for the national feeds out of New York and LA but this is also a extra cost of about $14 a month. All in all it is worth it to me and am staying in a campground now that has no cable and the air antennas channels are iffy at best so the dish is great for here. Hope this helps.
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
I'll give you some information on automatic aiming dishes for Direct TV:

I have a Motosat SL-5 for Direct TV. I hit the find button and the aiming is automatic. Winegard makes the SK-3005 for Direct TV - also an automatic aiming dish. These are both HD dishes. If you have no plans for HD, they both sell standard definition (SD) models. Two cons come to mind with an automatic aiming dish:

1. Cost - they are more expensive than a standard dish and tripod
2. Satellite view - you must have a clear view to the south from your dish on the roof at your campsite

Good luck,

Jim
 

jayc

Texas-South Chapter Leaders
We use Dish network for our satellite. When we're on the road, we use the batwing antenna for local channels and usually get at least 2 or 3 local channels. Of course, when we're within 300 miles of home, we get our local channels on the Dish. Although I haven't done it yet, I agree with Tmax264 about the Birddog for setting up the receiver. Dish furnishes a book with settings for the zip code where we are and the antenna will also give you settings when you fill in the zip code if you don't trust the book. We have the Hi Def antenna which is a little more dificult to get set but it gets easier each time.
 

mlburst1

Well-known member
If you're looking for satellite for occasional use, Dish offers a plan geared to part- time RVer's - http://www.paceintl.com/mobile/

You can find the HD receiver and antenna elsewhere on the Internet much cheaper and Dish activates with no problem.

There is no activation fee and you can turn the service on or off monthly using their Internet portal - you only pay monthly when the service is activated for the plan that you select.

Mike
 

gratton

Active Member
I have Directv in my home and take two of the recivers with me. I use a stand alone dish and tripod. This way I can move it around where I need to in order to get a view of the southern sky. Have both 50 and 100 feet coax. You can also receive the elevation and the azimuth settings from the receiver via the satellite setup menu. This way if you wind up stopping for the night someplace other than your planned location you can receive the info without having to go to the web site. Once you go thru the setup process a few times you should have no trouble everytime. I have been doing it this way for about 10 years now and have not had any problems. If you are a fulltimer Directv offers RV packages as well as Dish.
 

hoefler

Well-known member
I am with Dish, I have a self aiming Wingaurd mounted on the roof. I contacted dish for an extra reciever, they gave me a dual tuner dvr tuner for no charge. They said I was epanding my service so I quialified for the offer. It cost me $10 a month for this tuner. I also have a Winguard Throw Out self aiming dish that I use when I have trees in the way. When we get to our destination, I give Dish a quick call and have them change my locals for my location. They do this with out charge. All in all, it usually takes me less than 5 minutes to be watching the local news.
 

TXBobcat

Fulltime
I do the same as Tmax and find it much easier to setup.

However:
I use Directv the problem with using a satellite on the road is that you have to find the elevation and the azimuth you can get this from directv by going to this website and enter the zipcode for the area that you are in. http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/customer/dishPointer.jsp you will also need a satellite signal meter I broke down and bought a Birddog this is the unit that the techs use I found one on ebay for about $200 it makes life easy I can usually have it going in less than 5 minutes they do sell meter for around $30 or less. Using the wingard meter works but it is frustrating. I use the Birddog also and only a few places I could not connect to the satellite.

If you have the money you can buy a VueQube it is your dish that will automatically find the signal for you but it cost close to a $1000.
I belive you must also have DC power to operate the Cube. Maybe someone else will confirm that.

I have found that I have been in some locations that my air antenna would not pick up the local channels (Fox, ABC etc.) and fill out paper work from Directv for the national feeds out of New York and LA but this is also a extra cost of about $14 a month.

Something else I find easier to use is the Tripod from TV 4 RV Website. The heavy duty Combo.

About which to subscribe to for your satellite service. I have used Directv for years and am happy with the service I have received.
Difference between Directv and Dish Network that are important to me. I don't subscribe to High Def so the regular digital is great. If I used HD I would have to have a larger antenna and set up a skew. The 18" dish works great and is easy to setup. Dish Network requires a skew or two antennas thus making Directv easier to setup. Others may have no problem with setting up Dish Network but I will stay with what I have used for over 10 years.

I also use Distant Network Services (DNS) to get the main feed for the ABC, NBC etc. I just wish I could put in the zip code for where ever I am and get local channels. I know some say you can do that but I am not in one place very long and I believe that this is what Dish Network got into trouble with the FCC a few years ago. Not sure if Dish still has to use a seperate company to provide DNS.

This is what I do. Each has their own needs.

BC
 

Nabo

Southeast Region Director-Retired
We also have Directv having 3 receivers in the rig. True you must have a clear shot of the southern skies, but we really haven't had any problems. Usually we use a tripod but have also rigged the coach with a pvc pipe on the rear ladder to raise the dish in areas where clearance might require a higher setting. We got a dish off someone's house who was moving - FREE that way.
 

Wharton

Well-known member
We also have Direct TV and get the national stations(both east and west coast) as an option. We found a program on the internet where we plug in the zip code or lat/long and get the coordinates for the satellite. Our setup, with the basic $30 meter is about 5 minutes. I go into the trailer, open the rooms,boot up the computer, put in the zip code. By then my husband has finished hooking things up(actually I am ready before he has everything hooked up). I turn on the TV, go to setup and watch the strength numbers. When they are good, TV is good. His biggest problem(he is an engineer) is setting up too close to the rig and getting a reflection problem. If he sets up correctly all goes well.
 

jmgratz

Original Owners Club Member
We have Wineguard RoadTrip auto satellite system with Direct TV. It works great, just turn it on and it finds the satellite automatically. The down side is you have to have an open sky, that is, no parking under trees which block the signal since it is roof mounted.
 
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