We've been around to enough CGs now to find that OTA (or cable) reception and channel availability can often be dismal to non-existent. Nothing's worse than not being able to watch Survivor, DWTS or other fav. show... :M (We are "camping" and roughing it, lol.)This past weekend we ran into a fellow camper that said if you have sat TV at home, you can just bring along one of your PVRs from home and buy a dish. Our sat TV provider buys their service from Bell so I think all we need is a Bell dish? What else would we need or need to know about? Our TT is factory wired for satellite TV. Has a co-ax outlet at each of 2 TVs inside and 2 locations outside and don't know how it's all connected. Dealer did not know and the manufacturer has no info. Does each TV location require a PVR and is one of the exterior co-ax connections one of the inputs? A TV is going to be connected with an HDMI cable so not sure why we have 2 sat connections outside? There is a co-ax connection at the rear of the trailer which is for cable TV input with a sat. co-ax next to it which would suggest it's for input??Do we just need a dish & tripod, some RG6, a separator, compass and a signal finder and we are good to go? Here is one package that is available Canada Satellite. Can we just buy a Bell dish on CL? Are there different types of a dish that we need to be aware of and are some better than others? The only downside to having sat TV would be where to store the dish and tripod. Can go in the truck I suppose. Maybe a roof mount is something to consider?

Do you have SD or HD receivers? Do you want HD or is SD OK for camping?Yes, you can buy a portable dish and tripod off the internet. You can also buy a automatic portable dome that could work.

We did just that all the time with DIRECTV when we had their service. I would bring along two SAT RCVRs from the house and had a portable DIRECTV Dish setup that had a head with two outputs on it. This is back when Standard TV was what every one was watching...The simplist way way to bring along al couple of RG cable and run one to each of the SAT RCVR ANT inputs you brought along... Should fire right up for you once you get it pointed correctly. I would connect the VIDIO OUTPUTS of the SAT RCVR to the VID INPUTs on the two trailer TV sets. This way I could use SAT TV-OTA TV-CABLE TV with using the TV remotes.. click click click... You will lose your house location LOCAL TV if you have that signed up for. This goes away as soon as you leave your zip code area.My SAT RCVRs were older and most of the time when I unplugged on for any length of time they would lose their settings and I would have to call DIRECTV or login to them on the internet to get it reset. I taped the ACCOUNT INFO that you are going to need on each SAT RCVR... This was all OK with DIRECTV back then. They don't have anyway of knowing where you actually are anyway... I ran my two RG cables into the trailer through the storage bay door. They had rubber around the door edge so I could close the door and not bother the RG cables...I'm sure it still this way today...If you are wanting to get the fancy HIGH DEF TV SIGNALs you may have another problem - don't know about any of that...I stopped using my home SAT TV stuff when the Natl Broadcast Network changed over to Digital HDTV in 2009. Watching full mode High Def TV using the BATWING crank up OTA Antenna works great with the digtal HDTV coming from the local towns. This of course was a much better signal mode that came down from DIRECTV standard TV signals and is local TV from where you at showing the 24/7 WX RADAR stations etc...Of course you won't be getting some of those favorite CABLE TV programs like CNN USA TNT etc...Some folks report on here when they tried to get DIRECTV or DISH to install the SAT TV in their RV's they ran into problems...Bringing your own equipment with you is not the same issue... Try it all out at home and find out what you need to do there to make it work from the trailer. Roy Ken...

donn0128 wrote:Do you have SD or HD receivers? Do you want HD or is SD OK for camping?Yes, you can buy a portable dish and tripod off the internet. You can also buy a automatic portable dome that could work.We're looking for HD providing it's not a lot of additional cost. Our receivers are HD.The new ultra HD would sure be nice!RoyB, it seems to me that the satellite doesn't "care" where you are and you just need to be pointed at it so I can't foresee any real issues but I don't know a lot about this stuff. We're currently signed up for 2 or 3 bundles and get around 2,000 stations/channels across NA but only around 5-10 percent or so are HD. Way too many duplications too and there's only maybe 20 or so HD channels we actually use. They are supposed to be changing the regulations (this year??) so that you don't have to buy their bundles and choose just the channels you want. I'm hoping to finally be able to get some programs I have been missing like documentaries, travel shows, etc. (HD of course).Doesn't the dish have to be specific to your service provider?

For the standard programming, either service will work on either dish.

Well, I'm certainly not an expert at this, but I do know that yes, you have to have a dish that is specific to your provider. You also have to have a receiver specific to your provider. Some dish antennas can be reconfigured for different providers but not the receiver....which by the way may or may not be a DVR (not PVR).We have DISH (as opposed to DirectTV) and have two DISH 722 dual DVR receivers that i remove from the house and install in the motor home. On the motor home I have installed a Winegard Trav'ler dish antenna. With this combination I get HD on both of my tv's and each tv has its own dual DVR. This allows us to watch either or both tv's at the same time while recording another program on each of the tv's....or we can watch a recorded program on either or both tv's while recording two programs (4 total) on the two recorders.You probably don't want to go this extensive system, so suffice to say, take your DVR from the house and connect it to your tv in your rv (preferably with HDMI) and also to an antenna that is matched to your provider.Depending upon the distance you want to travel from your home and which provide you have, you may have to call the provider and give them your current location in order to receive the local network stations (ABC, CBS, NBC...etc). With DISH I can travel about 300 miles before I have to do this.Hope this helpsRon

How to implement a satellite system? | Good Sam Community

23 Replies

JamesJudasPries
Explorer
Apr 13, 2016
Why not just download some shows and movies onto your laptop computer in advance and then watch anytime, anywhere, no commercials?
Almot
Explorer III
Apr 13, 2016
Yes, receiver locks out if left without 120V power and without sat signal for a week or so. Big inconvenience for off-grid snowbirds.

From my experience, for a short run from dish to receiver any half-decent coax cable will work, be it labeled RG6 or not. Sat internet is more dependent on cable quality though. Exterior receptacle labeled "cable" should work for sat TV, but if you have another one labeled "sat", then use it. In Baja Mexico I see more Shaw users than Bell, didn't ask why. Bell sat TV is the same as Telus, I think.
liborko
Explorer
Apr 13, 2016
First of all DO NOT CALL ANYONE. You are not suppose to receive Canadian satellite programming south of the border. But it works and I am doing it for years.
All Bell HD channels are on satellite 82, all regular and music channels are on satellite 91. To receive both HD and regular channels you will need HD receiver that can receive both and a dish that is aimed at 82 or 91 satellites or a dish that can receive both without changing position. Theoretically any dish will work if you are prepared to re-aim it every time you want to switch from one satellite to other.
To receive Bell programing you have to use Bell receiver. If you use Bell HD receiver and Bell dish that can receive both satellites switching from regular to HD program and back will be done automatically when changing channels by remote. You can have dish on tripod or permanently install dish or dome on the roof of the trailer.

One word of warning. If your receiver is without signal for certain amount of time(weeks) you will have to re-synchronize it by calling automated Bell help line(call from Canada).

It is totally irrelevant how the receiver is connected to the TV; HDMI, composite or component will work.

You will have to figure out how to bring the signal from the dish into the receiver. RG6 cable is required because of high frequency of the satellite signal. Just remember that the receiver satellite coax input has 15V/18V DC voltage on it when on.
Almot
Explorer III
Apr 12, 2016
myredracer wrote:
A TV is going to be connected with an HDMI cable so not sure why we have 2 sat connections outside? There is a co-ax connection at the rear of the trailer which is for cable TV input with a sat. co-ax next to it which would suggest it's for input??

You have 2 coax connectors outside in case if you need both cable and sat dish at the same time. Or 2 different sat dishes. I don't think it matters which one you plug you dish into, though you might want to play and see if there is a difference.

TV will be connected with HDMI cable ... to what? Normally, HDMI cable goes from TV to sat receiver, and receiver is plugged into the coax receptacle inside the trailer with a short coax extension cable. From that wall receptacle there is another coax cable hidden in the wall, it goes to those 2 receptacles outside and to the OTA on the roof.
Almot
Explorer III
Apr 12, 2016
Your TT is probably pre-wired for "cable". A connector on the wall outside. It could also be pre-wired for OTA, with the pigtail in the hole on the roof, though there is usually a low-end OTA antenna already there. You can remove the OTA antenna and use this pigtail for a dish if you like. Both wires end up at the TV connector inside, usually through the switch so you can choose btw roof antenna or wall cable.

As to the satellite, to my best knowledge people from BC are watching their BC weather and news and other cr.ap on Shaw Satellite TV while in Mexico, through another Shaw receiver and dish. On the same Shaw BC account that they use to watch sat TV in Canada. Should work anywhere North of US border as well. I remember reading that Shaw was going to crack down on such users, but so far it worked.

Yes, receiver has to be specific to provider. Dish can be compatible with several different providers, but not always.

I wouldn't watch Survivor even if they were paying me to do it.
VoodooMedicineM
Explorer
Apr 12, 2016
Many on the go use a Winegard.
djousma
Explorer
Apr 12, 2016
We do this. If your service is DirectTV, and you want HD, then you need to buy a standard (home style) oval dish. The dome ones will not get the Directv HD channels. You can buy a tripod from TV4RV.net, which is what I did, and you have a very sweet setup. I take my DVR out of the house. As far as how many TV's you want to run, if you want to watch the same thing on both, then just one. If you want to be able to watch independently, then one box per TV. As for aiming the dish, I purchased a SATLOOKLite satellite tuner. Saves a lot of time and frustration. Depending on how far you are from your home location, you may or may not get your local channels, as those are spot beams. Everything else would be fine.

If you are on Dish network, then the domes are fine, and can get HD channels provided you are paying for them at home.

EDIT: I Know you said Bell was your provider. I assume they are reselling Dish or Directv, but I have no knowledge of them.
Byrogie
Explorer
Apr 12, 2016
Call Bell and see what they have to offer.
When I was researching with Shaw Direct, they offered a dish for free when signing up.
Decided not to go that way, at least not yet.
lanerd
Explorer II
Apr 12, 2016
Well, I'm certainly not an expert at this, but I do know that yes, you have to have a dish that is specific to your provider. You also have to have a receiver specific to your provider. Some dish antennas can be reconfigured for different providers but not the receiver....which by the way may or may not be a DVR (not PVR).

We have DISH (as opposed to DirectTV) and have two DISH 722 dual DVR receivers that i remove from the house and install in the motor home. On the motor home I have installed a Winegard Trav'ler dish antenna. With this combination I get HD on both of my tv's and each tv has its own dual DVR. This allows us to watch either or both tv's at the same time while recording another program on each of the tv's....or we can watch a recorded program on either or both tv's while recording two programs (4 total) on the two recorders.

You probably don't want to go this extensive system, so suffice to say, take your DVR from the house and connect it to your tv in your rv (preferably with HDMI) and also to an antenna that is matched to your provider.

Depending upon the distance you want to travel from your home and which provide you have, you may have to call the provider and give them your current location in order to receive the local network stations (ABC, CBS, NBC...etc). With DISH I can travel about 300 miles before I have to do this.

Hope this helps

Ron
RJsfishin
Explorer
Apr 12, 2016
For the standard programming, either service will work on either dish.

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