Winegard Traveler Satellite VS ..installation.....

mrsportys wrote:
We want a traveler 1000 satellite , period...I hear so many problem stories about the other dome units.
I contacted Fleetwood and decided I wanted the Traveler installed by the same guys who built the coach. They quoted me 10-12 hours of labor to install!!!!

Like others have said, the quote seems very high.

If you're handy & can lug the Travler up to your RV roof, then by all means do it yourself.

On the other hand, if you're not up to it, contact a local RV service center. It doesn't have to be Fleetwood specific.

Finally, what will be connected to the Travler? If it's a "1000" (SK1000), I assume it's the DiSH version.

If so, what DISH receiver(s) will you use? You should know this before the install starts.

mrsportys wrote:
We want a traveler 1000 satellite , period...I hear so many problem stories about the other dome units.
I contacted Fleetwood and decided I wanted the Traveler installed by the same guys who built the coach. They quoted me 10-12 hours of labor to install!!!!
Why? It seems the Fleetwood bounder comes prewired with 2 coax cables (rf1 and rf2) and a power supply harness.
I confirmed this with Winegard as they say the Traveler requires a 6 wire data harness that needs to be installed... thus the extra time quoted by Fleetwood.

Also, my 2014 bounder has never had a satellite on its roof so this a new install.

Any thoughts, suggestions?

Thanks!! :h

1. Just because they are the Manufacturer, does NOT make them experts at add on installs and repairs. BIG fallacy that RV'ers have is the Factory service center is much better than the local RV service center. WRONG. The Factory Service centers are basically parts changers. Since they have the appliances and parts in stock, they can swap out parts until they get it fixed. There are very few qualified RV Technicians at a Factory service center.
2. If a Service Center quotes a very high price, it is because they do NOT want the job, but will do it for a big profit, OR, they are not sure they are qualified to do the job, so quote a high price so you can pay for their education on the job. Doug

If you want a quality install and don't mind traveling to TX. We have used Sats2Go a couple of times. Dave is the owner and he is the RV satellite "guru" in my opnion. He added DirecTV to our back TV using a splitter and the price was 25% of what other RV dealerships wanted. He does quality work and is the only technician that we trust for satellite electronics work! www.sats2go.com
281-564-2828

we stayed at Rayford Crossing RV Resort in Spring TX and he came to our site.

I did my own, 3 hours was about right to remove the existing dome, screw down the trav'ler, and run the control cable and 3 new coax runs.

I cheated, used my forklift for the heavy lifting.

We brought the Dish Hopper and wireless joey from the S&B when we sold and went full time. Fabulous setup. With the wireless joey, we didn't have to disturb any of the monaco installed front to rear wiring, so cable and over the air TV works just as it always has.

mrsportys wrote:
We want a traveler 1000 satellite , period...I hear so many problem stories about the other dome units.
I contacted Fleetwood and decided I wanted the Traveler installed by the same guys who built the coach. They quoted me 10-12 hours of labor to install!!!!
Why? It seems the Fleetwood bounder comes prewired with 2 coax cables (rf1 and rf2) and a power supply harness.
I confirmed this with Winegard as they say the Traveler requires a 6 wire data harness that needs to be installed... thus the extra time quoted by Fleetwood.

Also, my 2014 bounder has never had a satellite on its roof so this a new install.

Any thoughts, suggestions?

Thanks!! :h

YES! Very high quote. However, when have you ever heard of a manufacturer giving you the best quote? No, they cannot use the existing power supply harness so they must run a new control cable (which would take about 10 minutes if the coach is being built). If the coax is going to be there I would not have them do the install at that price as a good installer should be able to do the install in a few hours plus the cost of the antenna. Shop the internet and you will even find some really good deals on the mount itself. When a customer of mine did that I charged a flat $300 fee to do a similar install.
The advantage of having the manufacturer do the install is that any issues (leaks) are covered, but there is no advantage if the antenna has issues as that has to be dealt with between you and Winegard no matter who did the installation. The way the antenna is sold and installed, there is almost no chance of a leak if the installer has even a half a brain.

The two biggest issues is getting it on the roof and the courage to drill the hole for the cabling, if you don't already have one. I helped my buddy install his about a month ago. With the dish removed, we bungee corded the arm so it wouldn't move and I threw it over my shoulder and walked it up the ladder. They're not that heavy, just awkward, especially if you leave the dish on.

Make sure whoever does the install that you take them the receiver so they can fire it up when done. There are some settings you can struggle with when setting up the receiver. Winegard will walk you through them if necessary, but they are slow to return calls.