Less Expensive Satellite Setup

Greengas

Well-known member
Hi

I am really a person who loves his creature comforts (that's why I am upgrading from my current SOB 5'er to a Landmark). I would really love a satellite system but just can't get my mind around the money it would cost to get a system that gets Direct TV HD (we have that at home and I figure it would be easier to just take one of my home DVRs on the road). So, after searching around I came upon this web site that offers everything satellite and cable. They have setups that are under $200.00 and include the tripod, the dish, the lnb, the cable, and a meter. Here is a link: http://www.satpro.tv/HD-rv-portable-satellite-dish-kittwithfoldingtripod-1.aspx

What say you oh great and knowledgeable RV'ers. I've seen setups like this at just about every RV park we've been to so there must be something to them.

I eagerly look forward to your guidance.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Hi Ronn,

Some things to consider:


  1. If taking your receivers with you in the RV, you'll need a Dish/LNB that works with the receivers. There's the old multi-switch LNB technology that has 4 coax connectors on the LNB. There's the newer SWM LNB technology that has 1 connector on the LNB and requires a power inserter and a splitter. The dish you linked to looks like the older technology. Some receivers work with either type. Other receivers work only with one type or the other.
  2. The dish/LNB you linked to is a Slimline 5. You may be better off with a Slimline 3. I think the 3 may be easier to aim.
  3. The tripod will work, but one of the problems is when you don't have a level surface the dish can be very difficult to successfully aim. Many of us have switched to tripods from TV4RV.com. They're expensive, but it's much easier to get the dish set up and aimed.
  4. The meter in the linked deal is a simple analog meter that shows signal strength as you aim the dish. But, it shows the wrong satellites as well as the right satellites. You can carefully aim and get a great signal reading, then go inside and get nothing on the receiver because you're aimed at the wrong satellite. Some people successfully aim Slimline 3 dishes with the meters on the receiver. Others of us use the $10 meter. Others use meters like the $170 Tracker Plus or it's newer less expensive $75 successor that lock in the right satellite.
  5. When you leave your home area, your local channels can no longer be received because they are broadcast to a limited geographical area. The impact is that you lose CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, and WB network broadcasts because they go through local stations. Some people solve this problem by changing their service address to their destination. If you were going to be in South Texas for the winter, you could get the local stations there, and network programs with them. But if you happen to mention that you're in an RV, they may refuse and put you on the Distant Network Services path ($15/month to subscribe to LA or NY stations), with other complications likely. And if you're traveling to different parts of the country, you'll probably want Distant Network Services.
  6. If they find out you are in an RV, things can get very complicated depending on who you end up talking to. In my case, they created a 2nd account, gave me 2 receivers and a dish for the RV (for a new 2 year commitment), and then merged the new account with the home account, so there's only one programming charge, and a monthly charge for the 2 extra receivers. Other people have gotten to various solutions because they're not consistent.

So it can all work, but takes a fair investment of time to get it working and work everything out with Directv.

One of these days I'll get around to writing it all down.
 

Theresau

Well-known member
For a service call of $70 Directv set up the RV slimline satellite for us. No charge for any of the equipment. We had a tripod but got the stronger Winegard at CW. They even set up an outdoor connection to the house satellite for the RV as part of the deal. Worked great.

Directv has always been willing to change our receiving address when we've requested ; however, I'm considering getting the national locals.

Used this for two years and upgraded to Traveler at the rally.
 

scottyb

Well-known member
Ron, have you looked at the Dish Tailgater. They can be purchased for around $300. We have had good luck with it and it does all the work. Just point it to the south.
 

kowAlski631

Well-known member
We found that with Dish you pay only for the month(s) you want. In other words, before we went full-time, we connected up for Oct & Nov, then disconnected until Apr. There's no reconnection fee. Don't know if there's the same deal with others. We've had really good luck with signals. Just our 2-cents worth.
 

Greengas

Well-known member
Ron, have you looked at the Dish Tailgater. They can be purchased for around $300. We have had good luck with it and it does all the work. Just point it to the south.

I have looked at that option (being basically lazy the thought of having the unit do all the work really appeals to me) but I have direct tv at home and while the tailgater is a good price I would have to add to that the cost of the receiver in the coach and then the cost of programming. I looked at the other thread that Dan recommended and there was lots of good info. So much to consider, so many options.
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
DISH pay-as-you-go is also what we use for the summer. Last summer, we had the $5/mo DNS, as well, but now it's $15 with a six month contract.

If I had realized just how much crap is on satellite, I wouldn't have wasted the money on the equipment. The DVR on the home cable system records our favorite shows and we can watch them when we get home and skip through the commercials.
 

Mizmary

Well-known member
FYI- we had dish pay as you go but without a home contract. We were paying the full price for a few channels. When we finally decided to bite the bullet and get real satellite they said we could not get the "new customer" discount. Because we were already a customer we had to cancel all service and wait 60 days then they would set us up. (Dish tailgater can only be hooked to one TV.)

We called direct tv and have service through them now. The technician was on time and spent a good portion of his time ensuring everything would be wired appropriately for all four of our tvs. I was pretty impressed so far with customer service. I know that the companies are almost the same, but I do feel like direct tv has a slightly cheaper programming setup.

What it boiled down to was that for $5 more with directv we got the next tier of channels and 4 tvs hooked up, vs a lower tier of channels with dish, and only 3 tvs hooked up.
 

Theresau

Well-known member
We do the same in the RV - use DVRs from home which are already set up with scheduled recordings. Don't even have to make a change when we go to FL as these are already set up as well... What's nice about Directv is the Whole Home DVR. I didn't realize you could set this up through coax until Jim B. put together his recent thread about this - it works great in the RV. I have two different sets of schedules now on the two DVRs from the house and they can be accessed from either.

We've strongly considered going to Dish - would probably do that if we didn't have Directv already at home. (And we are very happy with Directv at home...their customer service is superb...we're long term customers and I just have to call and they give us $ off our monthly bill...they have discounts available for such if you call.) And we already have a good deal of investment in Directv equipment. Dish's greatest advantages for an RV are the less expensive auto satellites and the pay as you go plan (I believe this is limited????).

Also, Directv is totally aware that we have an RV and use our regular service for it - there is no problem with this at all. We have a receiver permanently in the RV and we turn it off when not needed.

DISH pay-as-you-go is also what we use for the summer. Last summer, we had the $5/mo DNS, as well, but now it's $15 with a six month contract.

If I had realized just how much crap is on satellite, I wouldn't have wasted the money on the equipment. The DVR on the home cable system records our favorite shows and we can watch them when we get home and skip through the commercials.
 

kowAlski631

Well-known member
Dish is great for us since we are really full time without a stick & brick house. It might not work for everyone, but it does for us!!
 

Speedy

Well-known member
Because we wanted HD and didn't want to fool with all the trouble of aiming a dish we went with the Tailgater. Thought long and hard about which system to go with and when I saw many Heartlanders having trouble setting up the DirectTV system at various rallies and said that was not for me.

Now if I can settle in on a programming package and work on Dish for a discount I'll be good to go.
 

simsfmly

Ohio Chapter Leaders-retired
We have the Slimline 5, with a tripod from RV4TV.com and its really been easy to set up. Used it for 3 years solid on the road and haven't had one shut out instance, other than a couple of incredibly woody places NO ONE was getting a satellite signal for.
I use my meter on my DVR (yes, with the wife calling out numbers), dishpointer.com, and an app for my phone that shows the satellites in the sky. DirecTV has also been incredible to always update my service address (not my billing address) so I can get the locals.
 

Speedy

Well-known member
We have the Slimline 5, with a tripod from RV4TV.com and its really been easy to set up. Used it for 3 years solid on the road and haven't had one shut out instance, other than a couple of incredibly woody places NO ONE was getting a satellite signal for.
I use my meter on my DVR (yes, with the wife calling out numbers), dishpointer.com, and an app for my phone that shows the satellites in the sky. DirecTV has also been incredible to always update my service address (not my billing address) so I can get the locals.
That is another reason to go with a Tailgater, don't need to buy a DVR, a smartphone and a App to find satellites and involve the wife.
 

pegmikef

Well-known member
We have been using the tailgater and dish since they came out (this is the third season). . . easy, never had a problem, and we only pay for the months we use it. We use a local cable company (suddenlink) at the house so it is perfect for us. I bought the tailgater and the receiver for a little under 400 bucks online
 
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