Satelite tv

MFOX wrote:
We are hoping to be getting our first travel trailer. I see people with their satelite dishes at the campgrounds and wondered how it worked. Do I need to have a membership or account with a satelite company? How does it work? We don't tend to watch TV that much, but it might be nice every once in a while on longer vacation times.

We subscribe to DirecTV at home and bring one of the SD receivers in the RV. We also have a Winegard Carryout manual dish that can be purchased at Camping World, and some extra coax cable. See the link to the RV in my signature below - the dish is set up at the right front corner of the RV.

I use an app on my Android smartphone to show me where the satellites are in relation to the tree canopy and so I know where to situate the dish. I then set the azimuth and elevation and am watching TV in no time. I get all the channels I get at home, not the local channels. If I want those I just put up the RV antenna and hope for the best. Satellite TV is not dependent on signal strength, so it works anywhere on the contiguous US.

DutchmenSport wrote:
We have DISH TV (about 5 months now), switched from Direct. Our home has 3 receivers. One is a dual receiver, the other 2 are singles. When they came to install DISH, we purchased another satellite dish and tripod from them. One of the single receivers in the spare bedroom has made it's way to the camper. Once you've done it, setting up the satellite dish is not hard, sometimes time consuming, but not hard. So, set up the dish, connect to the receiver, connect the receiver to the television and that's it.

The only down side with our plan, we get local channels only locally (central Indiana). If we travel outside the area, we get all the other channels, like always, but the local channels (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, PBS) don't come in.

That's how we do it.

You CAN get local channels when traveling. We have DishNetwork.....and get locals at home. When you travel out of your area, call DishNetwork and tell them you're in a different area and give them the zip code for that area. We are currently in Arizona and are watching the Arizona local channels. :)

We have Dish at home and bought a Tailgaiter. It works great and we have enjoyed it when in CO it rained for a week straight. You just point the handle N, best to buy a Boy Scout compass, and hook the cable up to the box. After bit it asks which state you are in, you st the state and it will check for the satellites, there are 3 and you're good to go. Cost is $7/mo and you can shut it off the months you don't use it.

Most have satellite service at home, then find an extra dish at e-bay or a flea market, etc. Get roll of coaxial cable at walmart, etc. Take a control box from home when you go. Set up dish on a tripod of some sort, Here's mine . Locate the satellites with the dish and "bingo" you are watching TV. The last part (locate the satellites) is the trickiest part, but with a little practice and research on these forums it gets easier.. Take me about 10 minutes on a bad day and 5 minutes on a good day. Good luck and welcome aboard.

We have DISH TV (about 5 months now), switched from Direct. Our home has 3 receivers. One is a dual receiver, the other 2 are singles. When they came to install DISH, we purchased another satellite dish and tripod from them. One of the single receivers in the spare bedroom has made it's way to the camper. Once you've done it, setting up the satellite dish is not hard, sometimes time consuming, but not hard. So, set up the dish, connect to the receiver, connect the receiver to the television and that's it.

The only down side with our plan, we get local channels only locally (central Indiana). If we travel outside the area, we get all the other channels, like always, but the local channels (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, PBS) don't come in.

That's how we do it.