Older Winegard CarryOut/DishNet question

I have the Anser, not the Carry out, but I don't think you're supposed to run a switch test after you've found the satellites. When you find those and have a good signal, you should have a picture, and you're done. That's the way mine works anyway.

I use the early Carry out on direct TV. We use a receiver from the house.
I do not have to start over each time.
I connect the unit to the MH with receiver on. (coaxial and power cable must be connected), the Carry out searches for the birds and it is done.
We do not try to change our locations. We are happy without having the local channels. We use the antenna for them.

You do not need to run 'switch test' each time. Just once when initially set up.

Turn everything on and let it do it's thing. ONLY if it has been too long since used, it will display an error eventually (005 I think) then you need to call Dish to re-activate.

Seems like everytime I unplug my SAT RCVRS to take along with us on trips they reset themself. Then I have to activate them again with DIRECTV to get them to work again. You can do this using the 800 number or get online and reset it that way. Made me tape the ACCOUNT INFO on the SAT RCVRS we always took with us haha...

Like ENBLETHEN says we use our OTA BATWING antenna to pick up HDTV Digital TV signals from the local towns when we are out on the roads... This is better TV for us then the quality of the standard SAT TV signals was giving us haha...

Roy Ken

This was about Dish and not DirecTV. Very different procedures are required for the different services.

Yes, Very different setups! The Carryout and receiver are dedicated to the 5er. They are only connected/activated when we go camping. This requires a call to Dish to activate and a "test switch" and sat search each time me camp. I was just checking to see if anyone had the same issues and a resolution. Good thing is currently we usually stay in one place 5-14 days.

Once you have a good check switch (SW64) on a receiver connected to your Carryout, you should not have to run the check switch again and I highly recommend that you do not. The only reason to run a new check switch is when moving the receiver from one antenna type to another (dome to home antenna as an example).

As Bill and others say, with Dish Network and older Carryout you should not have to run the Check Switch each time.

I have used the exact same setup for 2 years and never run the Check Switch but once at installation.

A call to Dish occasionally is all that is needed.

So let's make sure I understand this. Sat and receiver stay unplugged and not activated for two months. Then we go camping which is generally 200+ miles. Plug in the receiver, connect the coax cable and plug in the Carryout to 12v, turn on Sat. receiver and tv and sit back and watch? BTW, Dish says the receiver needs to be plugged into the Sat when you call them to activate. So you don't call to activate the receiver?

If the receiver has been disconnected from antenna and power you will need to call Dish(in your case). b v