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webecreekin's avatar
webecreekin
Explorer
Apr 07, 2014

Satellite TV reception?

What do people do for TV in Alaska? I use Dish satellite TV and have been as far north as Calgary in Alberta and could still get satellites 110 and 119. How much farther north can I expect to "see" the satellites? Do the campgrounds have cable. Are there over-the-air stations?
  • Even if your satellite does not work that far north, most rv parks have cable and WiFi.

    You should be able to watch TV and stay in touch
  • Great question. We're heading there next year. I'd like to know how far you can go north before you can't get reception. After that, I'll go another 100 miles and know I'm in the right spot. Then, I'll break out the cameras and fishing poles and enjoy retirement!
  • We're between Whitehorse and Haines Junction, Yukon and have satellite TV with a dish about one yard in diameter. It points south and directly at the horizon.

    The installer told us the trees might interfere in reception, and the mountains might be a problem, But we've had no issues. Good signal strength.

    My understanding is the smaller satellite dishes do not get the best of reception up here.

    No cable TV in most of Yukon, Whitehorse has cable though.
    No over-the-air TV.
    CBC radio changed its service a couple of years ago and now we don't get any radio at our place.

    Most RV parks here allow internet usage for basic email and internet browsing. No Netflix, no YouTube, no uploading of big images...the connections are too slow here anyway. It isn't uncommon to be bumped off your connection at an RV park, or to time-out. Video pauses often.

    Here at home my ASDL connection frequently times out and has never delivered the speed for which I pay, similar to other users with the same service provider. But we have no choice, there's only one provider here. Unless one opts for satellite internet, which is slower and more expensive.

    It is also common for the internet connections to go down in areas, for hours or days. Thus, carry cash with you because grocery stores and gas stations can't process debit or credit cards when the system crashes.
  • In Alaska you will see a lot of large antenna that look like they are pointed at the ground several hundred yards away. I suspect my antenna is half again the size of sue t's. There are two issues, North and West. The more you increase either one the less the signal. My suspicion is that the typical RV upper end antenna quits functioning somewhere between Ft Nelson and Whitehorse. I will know more this summer when my brother comes up.

    Some RV parks have cable, some don't. Charley Lake and Toad River have it. Teslin does not.

    On the Kenai in some places you can get over the air, and some parks have cable. Closer to Anchorage or Fairbanks both should be available.

    Mind sue. t.'s comments on WiFi. Some are only in the office or restaurant, some are broadcast. In Alaska you usually have good enough cell service to use the mobile hotspot on your phone if you are in a commercial campground or near city.
  • Howdy!

    On our trip to Alaska we found that once the left Calgary we lost satellite. Contacted DirecTV and just turned the service off until we returned to the lower USA. We boondocked alot on our trip and found the standard tv antenna reception to be slim and none.

    "Happy Trails"
    Chiefneon
  • Interestingly, last summer we had better WiFi at our RV park in Chicken, which uses local diesel generators and solar panels for all of their power, than we did in Fairbanks. However, there was no cell service on our AT&T phone or TV in Chicken, unlike Fairbanks. We ended up using McDonald's for uploading photos to our blog in Fairbanks because it was the only place we could get enough speed to do it. However, we never were able to even get connected to the Internet at the Whitehorse McDonald's.

    But then, no one really needed to know where we were at all times anyway. Part of the charm of NW Canada and Alaska is being in the boondocks and occasionally away from "civilization" (although that's hard to do when you are in an RV with a microwave and LCD TV that is always on asphalt or good gravel roads).
  • No problem with DirecTv (SD - 18" Round Antenna) on the northern end of Vancouver Island (Port McNeil, BC). And that included getting the Seattle Locals Spot Beam.
  • You're supposed to be outdoors enjoying Alaska not watching TV! :)
  • In Anchorage DirecTv uses 48" dish and aims them 9 degrees above horizon.