Buying a new satellite system

I have the Tailgater and the vip211k. This is my first sat sys so I have nothing to compare it with. However, the Tailgater does a great job of finding the birds and giving me TV with zero effort. For me, that "zero" in the effort column makes it all worthwhile.

I've had the sys for over a year and still haven't hooked up the usb drive to make it a dvr, because that requires effort. However, you can do that, with a small fee and a phone call (more effort).

The tailgator can only get you one bird at a time, which essentially means one channel at a time, I think.

Highly recommended!

Domes are probably somewhat less prone to wind damage in high winds.
Domes from what I have heard tend to loose signal faster in rain.
At least with DirecTV domes cannot get HD programming. Since your going Dish that is not an issue.
For our use, we carry a portable dish and tripod plus have the roof top mounted automatic dish. Many places we go the roof top is simply not an option. If I were doing it again, I would forgo the roof top automatic anything and strictly stick with the dish/tripod setup. Using the proper tools finding a signal is not hard nor time consuming. Plus the dish is far less expensive than the Tailgator or roof tops.