Dutch_12078 wrote:
We have a Hopper w/Sling and a Joey installed at our Adirondack cottage, and another Hopper w/Sling installed in our motorhome. We use a tripod mounted triple LNB 1000.4 dish that I set up at each stop, and have both eastern and western arc LNB's for it that I interchange as needed for the best reception on treed sites. We have another pole mounted 1000.4 installed at the cottage. When we're traveling, I use the Dish Anywhere app to tell the cottage Hopper to record programs that we'll miss while underway for later viewing either with the app or when we return to the cottage. On the road, I change our service address as often as daily to get the local stations, which also changes them for the cottage where they often won't be received since it's usually outside of the spot beam coverage. That's not a problem though, since the cottage Hopper also gets that area's locals over the air. When we're back at our site at the cottage, I connect the motorhome Hopper to the permanent dish, making both Hopper's recorded programs available on either Hopper.
Setting up the dish at campsites rarely takes me longer than 15 minutes, including aiming. I use the DishPointer app on my phone to find the best location with a clear view of the sats. There are no portable automatic dishes available that work with the Hopper. Only the roof mounted Winegard Trav'ler or equivalent works, but besides the big bucks to buy one you're also much more limited by tree cover on camp sites. The Trav'ler only receives the Dish western arc sats automatically, although it can be manually dialed in to individual eastern arc sats.
All of our Dish equipment is purchased and on a month-to-month no contract plan.
WOW! I can't thank you enough. GREAT info. Couple of questions, though:
1. If you are ok with sharing, what does Dish charge for your specific setup. Right now, we have a hopper w/sling, 2 joeys, and 1 super joey. (Nothing in the RV yet). We pay about $90 for the tv plan, then $12 for the dvr ability, $7 per joey, and 10 for the super joey. We also pay a protection plan for $8 which I'm told basically covers any service calls that may be necessary. Total bill with tax ends up around $142.
2. Your setup is VERY similar to what I want to achieve with the exception of the fact that our "home" equipment all came from DISH and was not bought outright. I guess we're sort of paying for it because we are under a 2 year deal. I'm told that if we were to go the Wally route in the RV, that it would just add $7 or $10 to our plan (can't remember which). Do you know what it costs to "add" that second Hopper? I don't mind buying the equipment as long as I get what I want and everybody keeps telling me that we can't have a hopper in the RV.
3. Were you ever told that you can have a hopper in your RV? If so, how did you get around it?
Reason I ask is that dish referred me to Dish Outdoors to buy my necessary RV equipment and they told me flat out that DISH does not allow the Hopper in an RV and that it just wasn't possible. When I pressed him on it, basically saying that I could take it out of my living room, physically put it in my RV, and it would work, he then capitulated and said that it was because the Hopper can't stand the rigors of the road...but after what you just said, I'm betting that was BS. What is your take on this?
