Want to add hd to my Directv - what do I need?

[marvmarcy]

I have a 2012 LM Key Largo. I installed a basic sd Directv rcvr in the entertainment center and have a portable Winegard dish with single lnb. I want to add/upgrade to Directv hd and sd. I know I need to replace the old rcvr and portable dish, but don't know what to get. I also don't see any wiring in the fiver other than some basic single runs of RG6, one run for living room and another for bedroom.

I don't watch tv in the bedroom, so only need one rcvr. Since the fiver doesn't seem to be prewired for a rooftop dish or for conecting to multiple lnbs, I presume I must rewire. I also presume a portable dish and a tripod is cheaper and easier to install, although it would be nice to just be able to push a button and have the dish find the birds.

What rcvr do you recommend? I don't have a house other than the fiver, and I don't care about recording. What dish setup do you recommend?

 

[2psnapod2]

The only options you have is putting a satellite dish on top of your rig (costing about $2000) or go with a manual set up dish. The manual dish is doable but pretty hard to get set up. None of the auto carry outs will work.

 

[boatto5er]

I would be surprised that your LM is not prewired for a roof install. Our 2011 has the prewire. In the UDC there are connectors from the roof wiring that can be connected to a connector that goes to the Living Room and another for the Bedroom. You should have four connectors near the top of the UDC. There also should be a label on the door that shows which connector is which.

 

[danemayer]

Hi marvmarcy,

Your Landmark should have prewiring for a rooftop installation, if that's what you want. In the UDC, you should find 4 satellite coax connectors and you're likely using the one that goes to the living room. Another goes to the bedroom and the last 2 go to the rooftop prewiring. If you get a rooftop dish, like the Winegard Traveller, you'll need to add jumpers in the UDC to connect the rooftop cable to the living room and bedroom feeds.

If you don't want a DVR receiver, an H24 is the basic HD receiver. But you'll need to make sure it's compatible with the dish you select. Some of the receivers support multiswitch dishes, some support Single Wire Module (SWM) dishs, some receivers support both. Not sure which the H24 supports.

If you get a tripod mounted dish, you'll probably want to get a Slimline 3 with multiswitch LNB. The LNB will have a 4way switch supporting up to 4 coax lines to separate receivers. It doesn't require external power.

Many of us have gotten tripods from tv4rv.com . Their tripod makes it easier to aim the dish.

It can take some practice to get good at aiming a HD dish manually, especially if you use the typical inexpensive analog signal strength meter. The problem with them is that they'll show you a signal from the wrong satellites as well as the right ones. If you use the tv4rv.com tripod you can get close enough that you may be ok with the analog meter. If you need a better meter, you can talk to the guys at satpro.tv about what would work best for you.

You might give Directv a call. In return for a 2 year commit, they might give you the receiver and dish.

 

[dfk009]

As far as the hd satellite, the only one that Winegard has that is hd, is the SW-3005. And as the previous post stated, get ready to spend some bucks.

 

[Wharton]

We are using a portable dish and set it up every night when on the road. Takes about 15 minutes, from pulling it out to getting a picture. Bought our tripod from tv4rv.com, high quality and heavy duty. We use a portable with 100' of coax to give us flexibility with trees and other obstructions. You will need a new dish, receiver, heavy duty tripod(dish is big), 200' of coax(2 lines needed). Coach may need an additional wire run. If you never do recording you may get by with 100' feet of coax since you will be using only one tuner.

 

[2psnapod2]

I also am using the portable. It is a SMW dish and only uses 1 cable to run 3 TVs. I have a H34 in the living room and 2 other H24s. I also have Whole Home, meaning I can record a program and watch it on all three TVs. I also have the heavy duty Tripod from TV4RV and a Tracker Light from Satpro. It is still not as easy to set up as SD, but it is doable.

 

[Wharton]

I guess I should have said we are non-SWM and that is why we need 2 cables.

 

[marvmarcy]

Thanks for your many rapid replies! Since most broadcast tv is not worth watching (in my opinion), I won't spend $2,000 for a rooftop dish, but the H24 with dish/tripod sounds doable. Guess I should now talk with Directv.

Thanks all!

 

[Hockster]

I think talking with a Directv Installer would be a good idea.
If you see one flag him down and talk to him.
Most are more than willing to help if you have an account with them.
When I had Directv installed on my home, I talked to the installer about my 5'er and traveling.
He set me up with a SWM Dish needing only 1 cable for the 2 TV's, power supply, 100ft of cable and everything I needed.
I purchased a Heavy Duty Tripod from tv4rv and we take 2 boxes from the house when we travel.
System works great for the little I have invested.

Hockster

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[Nabo]

We have used the 5 lnbs slimline dish (directv) with 3 of our coaches without any problemsover the years. Now we have a smw unit with the small receivers, still using a portable dish setting up everytime we travel. DH has it down to a science taking about 10 minutes to set up each time.

 

[fiverdude]

Thanks again to all of you for your help. I have decided to run a second cable to my living room. I did talk with Direct TV and was told that I could install a single power muti switch with a power inserter. I found one at Amazon.com for about $89.00. I guess I am really spoiled with having had a DVR and HD in my Cameo. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night !! Thanks again, In His Grip, David