Direct TV/RV clueless

FootSoldier wrote:
I ordered the heavy duty combo from TV4RV and I have a 5lnb slimline dish in my basket at eBay. If I understand correctly, that setup will give me the flexibility to use either our hd or sd receivers and be just fine.

Thanks all!

Check out his, TV4RV.com, folding and removable arm kits. Buy his or improvise your own if you're handy.

I ordered the heavy duty combo from TV4RV and I have a 5lnb slimline dish in my basket at eBay. If I understand correctly, that setup will give me the flexibility to use either our hd or sd receivers and be just fine.

Thanks all!

HD is no more difficult to set up than SD. Just pay attention to detail.

Can't beat TV4RV.com's HD Combo Kit.

eBay has recently had Slimline's with SWM LNB's, splitter and PI for $70 including shipping. Another option is to flag down a DirecTV installer and "tip" him. They carry a lot of stuff headed to the dump. They don't seem to like recycling items that have been in the elements. Call-backs are expensive.

Note: Don't forget about the remote. The HR24 supports the RF remote so line of sight is not required. In the RV the receiver is mounted in a cabinet and not visible. This resulted in a easy receiver installation.

FootSoldier wrote:
Could I get an HD capable dish and use the plain receiver box with it? ( I realize we would not have an HD pic.)

It depends upon your dish and receiver.

I have a HR24 receiver and Slimline 5 (2 coax from the multiplexer) and a portable 18" dual LNB (2 coax). Get HD on the slimline and SD on the portable dish. I now have a SWM dish on the RV and the same receiver gets HD. Note: You do have to change receiver configurations for both the dish and the TV but I have that down pat with written instructions attached to the receiver.

I could upgrade the receiver to the Gennie and get 5 channel recording with a new SWM dish at home. The 18" portable dish would no longer work and I'd need a SWM portable setup. DW says 2 channels is adequate.

Be advised that there are areas where there is NO SD channels for DTV. All channels or HD or transmitted on a HD bird. The Oregon coast is one such area and I've seen several other posts for other areas.

This summer we did not carry the 18" portable dish (needed the extra storage space) and got HD channels along the Alaskan Highway and Alaska.

Go hereand you will find everything you need.

therink wrote:
I use an app called dishpointer pro on my phone and makes finding the sats real easy. Once the 101 is locked in it usually just takes a little tweaking of the dish to get the 99 and 103 sats. The most important think is making sure the dish mast is plumb. My dish has a bubble level on it.

That's the way I do it and it does not take that long. Make sure your settings are correct in the box and the satellite mast is plumb. It is easier if you can have the TV and box close by during initial setup so you can see the numbers changing. If not then you really need to have someone inside the RV letting you know whats happening. I have done it three times with each time getting easier and quicker. First time was at home where I could take my time. Second at a campground which took some time but after 30 minutes or so of tuning we got it locked in. Third time took two minutes to plumb the mast on the tripod and then five to tune while someone in the RV was telling me what the numbers were.

Things I have learned in the few times I have aimed the dish. I only use a free smart phone app called Satellite AR to make sure I have a clear line of site and get me pointed in the right general direction.


1) Plumb the mast
2) Make sure the mast is plumb with the dish mounted. The weight of the dish will make it change if you plumb before mounting the dish. This is if you are using a tripod.
3) Take care and do not loosen the bolts on the dish to much. This will cause the alignment to change once you tighten it up. Noticed on my second setup.
4) Once I get 101 locked in I can lightly flex the dish and monitor the signal numbers to get an idea which way I need to fine tune the dish.
5)You can use the satellite pointer function on the box to get your initial settings. Set those first and work from there.

In my mind I thought this was going to be a tedious process but after a few times of setting it up I realize there is nothing to it.

Jake

I use an app called dishpointer pro on my phone and makes finding the sats real easy. Once the 101 is locked in it usually just takes a little tweaking of the dish to get the 99 and 103 sats. The most important think is making sure the dish mast is plumb. My dish has a bubble level on it.

How much harder is it to aim the slimline HD dish than the sd 18" round dish?

FootSoldier wrote:
I checked at home and we have a H21-200 receiver in the main TV room and a D12-100 in my son's room. Since the TV is just a little wall mount in the TT I think we'd be fine without HD, but I'd like to have the option in the future.

Could I get an HD capable dish and use the plain receiver box with it? ( I realize we would not have an HD pic.)

Yes, but you will not receive all channels on the SD receiver. Only if you have a 5 lnb dish that also catches the 110 sat.
I have one SD and one HD receiver in the rv and use a portable slimline 3 dish. I get all channels including locals on HD receiver and maybe 2/3 of channels on the SD.