Direct TV Satellite Antenna

Do yourself a favor and ditch the dome. A roof or tripod mounted dish will always provide more reliable service than ANY dome.

I personally have a Winegard Travler on my roof and use a Anser for backup when blocked by trees. I have been very happy with both.

FWIW, the Anser has a much larger reflector than any dome and seems to work well in the rain.

I have a Winegard carry-out which we used with our other motorhome. Still take it along in case we are blocked by trees. Had no problem with the roof-mounted dome until on our way back home from Canada last year. It now continuously searches and will not lock on to a satellite. Time to upgrade to HD anyway.

GM

kakampers wrote:
Travler gets HD and minimax doesn't would be my guess. ..

That is part of it, the other part is the stationary minimax lists for $799 but the in motion version lists for $1299.

The traveler will be able to pull in signals where the minimax can't. The larger dish will always get better reception. The traveler will support up to 4 receivers and the minin max will support only two. The mini max can only see one satellite it toggles between the two, the traveler can view two sats at the same time

I April 2012 I paid $1,492.80 thru Amazon is now selling it for $1,730.44

I suggest you check out this web site, I learned a few things I was not aware of

CLICK HERE

Thanks much for the input and suggestions. In-motion capability was never very high on our priority list. We recently upgraded to whole-house DVR/HD, so I will be taking those receivers with us when we travel. Looks like the Direct TV Trav'ler will be our choice. As to installing it myself, I'm getting a bit old (72, 100% disabled vet) to be climbing around on top of a motorhome, and my wife doesn't have time, what with keeping the lawn mowed and the back fields cultivated.

GM

Grey Mountain wrote:
Thanks much for the input and suggestions. In-motion capability was never very high on our priority list. We recently upgraded to whole-house DVR/HD, so I will be taking those receivers with us when we travel. Looks like the Direct TV Trav'ler will be our choice. As to installing it myself, I'm getting a bit old (72, 100% disabled vet) to be climbing around on top of a motorhome, and my wife doesn't have time, what with keeping the lawn mowed and the back fields cultivated.

GM

I am 66 with a bum back and two bum knees Paying someone is the smart way to go, just getting it up the ladder and on to the roof would be difficult.

Agree. No need to take unnecessary chances. Someone gave me some sage advice long ago. He said there were three things older folks should not do:
1. Climb ladders.
2. Ride horses
3. I forgot what that one was.

GM

Anybody have experience with KVH TracVision? That's what is installed now. System will not lock onto a satellite.

GM

I haven't had any experience with the dome type antennas, but I did a lot of research and from what I read the domes just do not have the ability to pick up a signal as well as a dish. I know from personal experience that my dish has locked on the sats under terrible conditions. I have been blocked by trees and caught in bad rainstorms and have almost never had a problem with my dish but I have noticed that it does not like to be near electric wires. My first day in NY I was too tired to back into the drive way so I parked the truck and camper in the street under the power wires. I could not pick up a signal till the next day when I backed the camper into the driveway. I had the same thing happen last year where I parked under wires.

Usually the dish is able to unfold itself and find satellites in about 5 minutes, as a matter of fact the dish is usually locked in before the HD DVR has finished booting up.

EDIT

If you think of the sat signals as rain and the antennas as rain barrels the larger barrel will catch more rain, and likewise with the dish the dish with the larger surface area will catch more sat signals