Satellite TV Questions

[JudyJB]

I am going tomorrow to Camping World to look at satellite TV systems. Lack of cable tv is the one thing that has been a problem with me and TV has been the primary thing I have missed since I started full-timing 7 months ago. It is a lot of money, and i am very cheap, but TV us also important to me since I am alone and along with the internet, it gives me company. So here are my questions:

1) I know that dishes that are automated and do the channel searching for you are a lot more expensive than the manual ones. How long does it take to aim and find channels with a manual dish?
2) Is it hard to aim and search for channels when you are by yourself? How do you do it? Do you have to keep running inside and outside if you are using a dish mounted on a tripod on the ground?

I guess what I am really asking is whether it is really worth the extra money to get a dish that automatically finds channels. Any opinions?

[Azusateach]

Judy, I've had both a portable, point-it-yourself dish and the dome type, where it automatically locks on to the satellite. And without a doubt, I'd opt to spend the considerably more money and get the dome. When I was camping over New Year's I watched 2 of my good friends spend HOURS trying to get their portable dish to locate a satellite, without success. Luckily for them there was a guy at the campground who worked for a satellite company who finally helped them out. It took me all of 5 minutes to set my dome up and have it acquire a satellite signal.

If you look at a dome you can either get the kind that you permanently attach to your rig or the "portable" type. I have the portable type, largely because I don't want to have to worry about trees interferring with a signal if it was mounted on my trailer roof. That said, you'll need space to store the portable one, and they're not petite. Not heavy -- just a bit bulky.

The other thing to consider is which satellite company you use. I have Direct TV, and I understand that they're a bit more full-time RVer-friendly than Dish. Not being a full-timer, I just take a receiver from my house when I go, and it works just fine. I've been able to get my L.A. stations in Washington without any problem. I understand that when you fulltime you need to pick either an east coast or west coast feed to get your channels. Lots of people choose east coast because the programs will come on 3 hours earlier.

If you have any more questions about either type, feel free to PM me. But you couldn't pay me enough to go back to a portable dish. (Guess I have opinions!)

[rvgrammy1953]

We have DirecTV with a portable dish on a tripod....for about 7 yrs.....being the 2 of us, we split the "tuning" duties, but I have done it by myself....during the satellite set-up, we open a window close to the area we got the tripod, turn the TV up as high as it goes, put it on the signal strength where you hear the "beep, beep" and point that sucker in the direction the "setup" screen gives ya'....such as Azimuth and Elevation...it takes a little practice, but gets easier after awhile...when the "beeps" sound the fastest, we check the strength numbers (good for us is between 79% and 90%)....like the portable as it's easier to find "THE SPOT" than roof mounted....when we are in the trees....just our 2 cents and experience...

[JudyJB]

OK, if I get an automatic, portable satellite receiver, what features do I need it to have?

I have never enen had satellite TV at home, so I am completely lost in this.

[mitch5252]

No worries about the expensive version "walking away" ? (I'm a cynic...)

[Acadianmom]

I've had all three and I'm surprised I didn't throw the dish on the tripod in the lake. It's a 2 person job to aim it unless you have a tv outside you can see or hear. My sister and I would fight with that thing and the few times we could get it aimed a big wind might come up and blow it over. There are manual ones that sit on the ground.

My motorhome came with an automatic dome but if there are trees in the way it doesn't work. I also have the VuCube automatic portable. If I had to just have one I would choose the portable. My portable is a few years old and I have to run the wires thru a window. I think the newer ones have different controls and you might be able to hook one up to an outside connection.

We have Directv at home so I just take a receiver from home. We had Dish years ago and had a problem with them and they lost my business forever.

Martha

[JudyJB]

Good reason for getting a roof mount, Mitch. If I get an expensive one and put it on the ground, it may walk.

Or is there a way to lock it down???

What about domes versus non-domes? I see that both roof mount and ground mount versions come in domes. Any reason to have a dome?

And if I am traveling the entire country, do i need one that uses multiple satellites? One advertises it gets 1000 satellites. Do I really need this? I can see my costs creeping up and up.

[Azusateach]

No worries about the expensive version "walking away" ? (I'm a cynic...)

A little "reframe" on that, Mitch ...

As a realist, I lock mine to my trailer with a big ol' cable lock. You can buy a good cable and Master Lock at Home Depot or Lowe's, and it'll at least slow someone down. But frankly, up until this last campout I've never locked it. We were close to the Mexican border & virtually alone in the campground for the first night that I didn't want to take any chances.

Judy, there really aren't any special features on the portable dome. You just need to decide on the satellite carrier before buying the dome, as it's just easier. Some come already programmed for Dish, others for Direct.

One nice feature about my dome (a Winegard) is that it has 2 coaxial leads, so I can run 2 lines to different receivers -- one in the living area & one in the bedroom. Necessary? Not at all, but it sure is nice!

Something else I learned after using mine for several trips is that once you've got a signal you don't have to keep it hooked up to electricity. It's only needed for the dome to do it's acquiring "thing", and once it's done you can disconnect the power & you'll continue to get a signal.

I also learned that one loses the signal when the dome gets covered in snow ...

[Azusateach]

What about domes versus non-domes? I see that both roof mount and ground mount versions come in domes. Any reason to have a dome?

And if I am traveling the entire country, do i need one that uses multiple satellites? One advertises it gets 1000 satellites. Do I really need this? I can see my costs creeping up and up.

I think it's dish vs. dome, basically. And if you decide to go with a dish, there are ways for it to be automatic, too. I don't know about the cost on roof-mounted, automatic dishes, though.

And I don't know about getting 1000 satellites. I think that if you do some online comparison between Dish and Direct you'll figure out which is best for you. Again, check out Direct, because I think they're more versatile than Dish when it comes to Rving. I might be wrong, it's certainly worth looking at both carefully.

I paid about $700 for my dome, including the AC adaptor (it comes with 12v only). And it was literally plug-and-play. Love it!

On edit: There are ladder-mounted kits that you can get as well. But they run about $200 and I imagine that you've got to be oriented the right way so your dome can pick up a signal (I think it needs to have a view toward the SE). I have one of the plastic, foldable tables & put mine on that, just to get it off the ground. Just the right size & is an inexpensive alternative to mounting it, along with my cable lock.

[Redwahine]

The installers JUST this very minute left the house from installing a Direct TV dish on the roof. I have never had satellite before either and I spent days and hours before I figured it out.do not call directTV to get service for RV. use an independent wireless contractor or an RV shop. They install and set up acct. I spent hours on the phone with Direct TV with a nit wit that didnt have a clue about RV set ups. We are not giving up the Comcast for the house, but needed to have a home base unit to get the receiver to take on the road. This is what we decided on. We bought the Winegard Carryout portable dome dish. We got the very basic receiver. No DVR or HI DEF. Those features are more difficult to set up with portable dishes and have additional monthly costs. It is easy to set up. Connect receiver to TV like a DVR. Connect receiver to dish with coaxial cable. Plug dish into 12v socket. It whirs for a couple minutes, and voila locks on the signal. We got the Carryout because it locks on automatically and if you park under trees you can place it where ever you want....as long as you have a long cable

I found a Carryout dish on Craigslist for $250. They are around $700 retail new. It was 6mos old and still under warranty.

For full timers without a stick and brick you need to apply for an FAA license and you get different home stations...either east coast or west coast. For traveling license.. I think you night have to purchase the receiver as well. With S&B accts, it is owned by Direct TV and included in the monthly rental fee. Dawn has the mobile license and subscriptions with Direct TV and is a pro with Direct TV stuff

The dome is just a cover over a dish that rotates under the dome cover to acquire the signal.

[JudyJB]

One thing I decided when I started out on this adventure was that I would avoid snow at all costs!!

OK, this brings up another question. I have three TVs, which I know is overkill, but I only watch one at once. Do I need to attach a cable to each TV or can I use one cable to the box in my unit which separates the cable and antenna signals to each of the TVs?? Might need a new box, I think.

Why is is "nice" to have a separate cable to each TV? I wonder if this needs new wiring??? question to ask Camping world.

My TVs are new so they are already HD, so I definitely want that. I had pretty much decided on Direct TV, although I don't know why for sure.

Azusateach, was your dome roof-mounted and did you need to pay for installation?

[sharon]

Judy, your coach is so new that you can use the same box you have. There should be a place to connect the cable in one of your storage bays, and that should already be hooked to your box. look in the area where your cable tv hook-up is. Then all you need is a cable run from your box to the tv. Should be a fairly simple job.

[OregonLuvr]

I have the Kingdome mounted on my roof. After having the other kind mounted on the roof also, I got tired of trying to dial in the satellite all the time. It would be easier if there are two people but I travel solo. My Kingdome is set up to get 4 satellite signals. I have DirecTv and it only uses one satellite signal so I just push a button and it locks on the correct satellite. It is also able to receive DISH network but I take my receiver from the house also. I also used to have the DNS (distant network service east and west feeds) but I cancelled it when they changed from you being able to have both east and west coast feeds. It was $15 a month extra/. Just had to send them a copy of my registration but I have since cancelled it and just dont get the local channels unless I use my antenna.

It is a bit of a pain in the rain or snow...distorts the signal. I have someone put RainX on it a couple times a year and that helps. Only lose my signal when there is mega rain. I can still use the DVR part tho so it works for me. Trees can definitely be a problem but Im not that heavy duty into TV anyway...just like to have it when I can. So far not been a big deal.

karen

I personally would not go back to the portable dish unless I had someone traveling with me all the time. Not likely for that to happen (whew)

[Azusateach]

OK, this brings up another question. I have three TVs, which I know is overkill, but I only watch one at once. Do I need to attach a cable to each TV or can I use one cable to the box in my unit which separates the cable and antenna signals to each of the TVs?? Might need a new box, I think.

Why is is "nice" to have a separate cable to each TV? I wonder if this needs new wiring??? question to ask Camping world.

My TVs are new so they are already HD, so I definitely want that. I had pretty much decided on Direct TV, although I don't know why for sure.

Azusateach, was your dome roof-mounted and did you need to pay for installation?

You need a separate receiver for each TV, so if you're willing to move the receivers around, then you'd be fine with just one. Getting a coaxial "splitter" for satellite is do-able, but you need to find someone who really knows what they're doing. I tried that this summer, and the kid at Radio Shack sold me the wrong kind. You also need to remember that your receiver uses a remote control, so if you're trying to change channels on your bedroom TV, the receiver that might be in your living area needs to "see" your remote control. If you only want to deal with one box, you're probably better off just moving it around.

As far as HD is concerned, please make sure you talk to someone who knows that you're RVing and would like the HD/DVR receiver. As Red said, you might want to talk with Dawn about that. Frankly, I didn't want to hassle with the particulars of trying to get the dome to talk with my HD DVR receiver for a weekend, and I can't really tell the difference between regular TV and HDTV.

My dome is not installed. I keep it in the outdoor storage and place it on my little plastic table when I use it. And when I locked it, I attached it to the tongue of my trailer. There is a place on the dome to attach a lock ...

Laura

[Acadianmom]

I was kind of worried about my portable walking away too but so far so good. If I'm going to be away from the campground for a while I will just set it inside. It's no problem to aim again. Just set it out and push the button. The only problem I have had has been operator error. I was in too big of a hurry for it to work. If I just leave it alone it works much better.

In a house each TV has a receiver so everyone doesn't have to watch the same channel. In your motorhome there is probably a way to connect the receiver so that all the TV's get the same signal from the dish. That's a question you need to ask someone that knows what they are talking about. I have never talked to someone at Camping World about satellite systems but I haven't found them too knowledgeable about other things. The receivers that receive HD are more expensive and I don't know if the portable dishes receive the HD signal. Another question to ask. I can't tell the difference between the regular signal and the HD. Of course my DH thinks he has to have HD but I'm not paying $10 more per receiver for HD for the whole house.

Martha