Tailgater satellite--pros and cons in various campgrounds

MarkieBob wrote:
We camp in various campgrounds in many states. I like the advertisement of the tailgater finding its satellites . . .

You might want to look at Winegard's Pathway X2. It has Eastern & Western Arc sat capability which is handy if you're traveling in the east at all.

We use the Tailgater. It is really a set and forget. As above, the Tailgater is limited in receivers and I believe it has poor if no reception in the eastern arc. Have not used it East of Montana, yet.

We do attach a cable and lock to it but have never even had it moved, as far as we know.

wal mart sells a 211 receiver and auto dish for $452. I have tried to aim a dish, can be a pain at times.
bumpy

Setting up my triple LNBF manually aimed 1000.4 dish typically takes me about 15 minutes, including setting up the tripod, anchoring and leveling it. Add about 5 minutes if I change the LNBF from one arc to the other. I use a Smart Tracker satellite meter to dial in the aiming for all three satellites on either arc. One issue to note with the Tailgater, is that it will only use the Dish western arc satellites. That limits your aiming options and can make the difference between getting a picture or not in some locations. Even west of the Mississippi there are locations where the eastern arc is the better aiming choice. The small size of the Tailgater reflector is another issue that can be troublesome at times, particularly during heavier rain storms.

Pros: Fast setup, Easy to use,

Cons: Only works with certain recievers, requires you to call for a reauthorization if you leave it disconnected too long (typically aq month or longer), theft

NOTE: this is what my friend says who has one.

When he has a good data connection, he uses a slingbox to hookup to the house. This allows for locals, and access to anything he has recorded on his reciever at home.

I have a Tailgater and there is nothing easier.

Hi "chuckftboy". How about theft--any issues there? Do you lock it?

I have aimed a dish many times in the past. Very time consuming but ok if you set up for a week or more. I now use the Tailgator and have used it in many states for over a year. Its simply plug and play. The setup is very fast and extreamly simple. I don't think you will have any problem setting one up, its pretty automatic.

I've aimed a dish, and find it VERY unpleasant, especially when trying to aim thru trees.
I'm a dish subscriber, and use a3 lnb dish to get 3 satelites. I can rarely find all 3. My automatic dome (fixed on the MH roof) is a no brainer, turn it on and wait 5 minutes. As long as I'm not under trees.