DISH Satelite System this season

[JohnDar]

Having nothing else to do today, I finally set up the satelite equipment I purchased a couple of weeks ago in the garage to check it out. Put the Winegard GM-1518 Carryout unit on the driveway and hooked it to the DISH ViP211k receiver and the Jensen TV that goes in the rig's living room. Got three satelites linked up and called DISH to start the RV Pay-As-You-Go plan. It was so easy, even a caveman could do it. I got the ladder mount bracket for it, along with the ground tripod, so I'll have some latitude if there's a problem getting a clear shot at the satelite.

Proof of the pudding will be once we get the rig up to the seasonal site later this week and actually connect via the wiring in the rig. But at least I'll know it's not the hardware if there's a problem.

 

[Invizatu]

Just got my Dish Tailgater and 211k receiver yesterday. Hooked it up in the garage like you and it was a snap! Very cool. As a dish customer, all I had to do was add it to my account for $7 per month. I will probably deactivate one of my home receivers and use the 211k in place of it when at home and move it to the trailer when on the road.

 

[JohnDar]

Well, we're up at the rig on our seasonal site, so I set up the satelite hardware to try it out. No joy, says there's a problem with the connections. I know it's not the equipment since I set it up and ran it at home. Tired, getting dark and mosquitoed, so I gave up for tonight. Tomorrow, I'll try hooking the antenna directly to the receiver, instead of the connectors in the UDC to see if it will connect. Just a quick look behind the UDC wall and I'm not sure where they actually go.

I did change the zip code in the set up menu to where I'm at, but that didn't do anything. Being a newbie to satelite TV, is it necessary to call DISH every time I change locations? Or do you just plug in the local zip code via the onscreen set up menu?

 

[danemayer]

I did change the zip code in the set up menu to where I'm at, but that didn't do anything. Being a newbie to satelite TV, is it necessary to call DISH every time I change locations? Or do you just plug in the local zip code via the onscreen set up menu?

John, I have Directv, but I think it's the same. The satellite broadcasts most channels all across the country. Local channels are beamed on a tighter broadcast however. so my Austin, TX locals can be received across much of Texas, but once I get to Colorado, I can no longer receive the tight beam. It just doesn't get to Colorado.

In order to get CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, and WB, I have 2 choices:

I can call Directv and ask them to change my service address to wherever I happen to be located, in which case they authorize my receiver to use the tight beam for that area to receive the local stations. So when I'm in Breckenridge, CO, I give them that service address and I get Denver stations. I don't know how frequently you can call to change service address before they start pushing back, but they didn't object to a 6 week change last winter, at the end of which I changed back to my home address.

The other choice is to ask for Distant Network Signals (DNS). Directv charges extra for that and it gives me New York stations that are beamed across the nation. If your home address is closer to LA, you get those signals. But they have to authorize your receiver before you can see them. Last year, as we were traveling all over the country for 2 months, I went the DNS route.

So if you're parked in one spot for a while, you need to call and change your service address so you can get the nearby TV stations.

 

[cookie]

I did change the zip code in the set up menu to where I'm at, but that didn't do anything. Being a newbie to satelite TV, is it necessary to call DISH every time I change locations? Or do you just plug in the local zip code via the onscreen set up menu?

John, I don't know if it is anything like my DTV, but entering the zip code only gives you the correct azimuth and elevation settings for your location.
It has nothing to do with the programing.
Did you use a satellite finder?

Peace
Dave

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Tomorrow, I'll try hooking the antenna directly to the receiver, instead of the connectors in the UDC to see if it will connect. Just a quick look behind the UDC wall and I'm not sure where they actually go.

I did change the zip code in the set up menu to where I'm at, but that didn't do anything. Being a newbie to satelite TV, is it necessary to call DISH every time I change locations? Or do you just plug in the local zip code via the onscreen set up menu?

John, those coax connections can be a pita. I had to use an ohm meter to figure out which was which. As for the sat signal, as the others have said, you'll need to call and change the service address. Are you using Dish at home as well? The beams mentioned by danemayer are pretty tight in the Detroit area so you may not be able to get your home locals when you're up north. Dish Network, in my opinion, is a little more RVer friendly than DTV. Are you on a month to month plan with them just for the RV? Good Luck!

 

[hoefler]

I have Dish with a Winguard on the roof AND a Carry out, sometimes when we relocate, I have to call them and have them send a programming beam. Hook everything up, you have to have the receiver on with in 6 minutes of turning on the antenna. Let it do its thing. After it stops moving, go to system setup, installation, point dish, and check to see if you have any signal strength for the satellites you are suppose to get. If you don't have any signal, relocate the Carryout, something is blocking the signal to the antenna.

 

[Jimmyt5]

After you get set up go 611 on your remote, then check switch, this will tell you if you are getting the sat.

 

[JohnDar]

Thanks for the info. It's a DISH system, Pay to Go, by the way. We don't have satelite at home. Being blocked is a possibility, but since it's now thunderstorming outside, my experiments will have to wait. This "new" site this season is really nice, but unfortunately, there's a wall of tall trees on the south side, rear of the site. I put the satelite dish back in the basement and coiled the wires under the rig.

At least the Verizon 4510L MiFi is working fine.

 

[cookie]

John, if you have a smart phone, get an app called Satellite AR.
It will use your camera and GPS to "look" at the satellites and you will be able to tell if the trees are an obstruction.

Peace
Dave

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[JohnDar]

Thanks, Dave, but my phone is almost as dumb as me. And almost as old. Trouble is it still makes my necessary phone calls, which is all I really want one for. It's on the "Roundtoit" list to get replaced, though. It was almost as if the receiver wasn't connected to the satelite dish, so tomorrow I'll play around with the connections, including wiring the dish directly to the receiver to make sure the rig wiring isn't FUBAR'd as some have experienced. The GM-1518 is supposed to be an automatic unit, not requiring sat finders and Quija boards.

 

[JohnDar]

Re: DISH Satelite System this season - SUCCESS

Finally traced the rig's cabling with an ohmmeter to figure out which satelite connection was which. Seems I had visually picked the wrong one of the two. Fiddling around behind the UDC, it appeared to be the one running to the rear. Reconnected and then tried the "Dances With Dome" act again and finally got it to find a satelite through a hole in the tree canopy. Next step is to figure out how to get local programming with it. And I've got to send in the paperwork for the Distant Network (home stations) link. But it was a unique experience to watch the entire Hatfield & McCoy mini-series last night without a single pixel out of place.

 

[Jcullipher]

Ditto on the phone app, I have a gm1518, but it is easier finding the holes in the trees with the phone app before I put the dome on the ground.

 

[JohnDar]

All was good until yesterday morning. Seems I've lost the signal again. A new leaf on a tree must have sprouted. I did use Google Earth to try to see what direction the satelites were from here. I may need to look for a clearing a bit more to the southwest than I put it.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

All was good until yesterday morning. Seems I've lost the signal again. A new leaf on a tree must have sprouted. I did use Google Earth to try to see what direction the satelites were from here. I may need to look for a clearing a bit more to the southwest than I put it.

Might be time to get out the pruner? Chainsaw?

 

[CactusTwo]

Yes, that Satellite AR works great to find the sat dish setup location thru the trees....you just need to know which are your sats numbers

 

[JohnDar]

Fed up with it for now, so the Sputnik is back in the basement, receiver's unplugged and the cables are coiled up. Debating whether to keep it or put it on Craigslist. Unless we park in a barren cornfield, it's NWS in my opinion. Between that and the Never-Fail bushings, I'm 0-2 for upgrades this year. Next items on the agenda are the Mouse-Free spraying and mounting the window awning on the entertainment slide. Been a little too windy and wet to get into those projects.

Probably head down to Lowes in Gaylord today to get some vertical blinds cut for the small rear windows. I'll take the top valances home next weekend and modify them so the hardware will mount inside, similar to the large rear window.

 

[Moose]

Thanks for the info. It's a DISH system, Pay to Go, by the way. We don't have satelite at home. Being blocked is a possibility, but since it's now thunderstorming outside, my experiments will have to wait. This "new" site this season is really nice, but unfortunately, there's a wall of tall trees on the south side, rear of the site. I put the satelite dish back in the basement and coiled the wires under the rig.

At least the Verizon 4510L MiFi is working fine.

New Dish - - - Check
New Receiver - - - Check
Sat Finder - - - Check

and most important of all . . . .

Chainsaw - - - L0L

 

[JohnDar]

Ha! I'd be chainsawing some mighty tall oak trees and some of them would not be on CG property. We've got a very nice site, just not conducive to satelite TV watching via a ground mount dish it seems. Putting it on the ladder mount would be the same as putting it behind a wall. It's always something...

 

[phix]

John, I have Directv, but I think it's the same. The satellite broadcasts most channels all across the country. Local channels are beamed on a tighter broadcast however. so my Austin, TX locals can be received across much of Texas, but once I get to Colorado, I can no longer receive the tight beam. It just doesn't get to Colorado.

In order to get CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, and WB, I have 2 choices:

I can call Directv and ask them to change my service address to wherever I happen to be located, in which case they authorize my receiver to use the tight beam for that area to receive the local stations. So when I'm in Breckenridge, CO, I give them that service address and I get Denver stations. I don't know how frequently you can call to change service address before they start pushing back, but they didn't object to a 6 week change last winter, at the end of which I changed back to my home address.

The other choice is to ask for Distant Network Signals (DNS). Directv charges extra for that and it gives me New York stations that are beamed across the nation. If your home address is closer to LA, you get those signals. But they have to authorize your receiver before you can see them. Last year, as we were traveling all over the country for 2 months, I went the DNS route.

So if you're parked in one spot for a while, you need to call and change your service address so you can get the nearby TV stations.

I spent much time on the phone today with Directv. Their policy now is that if you call for a move or to setup a second account, they require installation of new equipment by an authorized technician. You cannot use your existing dish. You must get a new one and it must be installed for you.

If you want DNS, then you must purchase a mobile receiver (the M10). Then they can award DNS service to you. You do not have to use the M10, but you must own one. They will then activate other non-M10 receivers for your RV. The form you fill out to apply for Distant Network Service requires that your satellite dish is permanently attached to your RV.

BTW, you have to purchase the M10 receiver from an RV satellite dealer. I have no idea how much it costs. It is one of those that can track the position of your dish, move the dish, tune in the receiver, so you can access it while driving down the road. Definitely meant for a motor home, not a towable. Too bad. They just do not accomodate us. I don't know if the M10 will even work with a stationary dish.

So, they have made it very hard and expensive to get network television when camping; especially in a towable. I think we will continue to just transfer our receivers from home to the camper and just forget about network TV when out of the state.