Satellite TV or Cable

[Bellpr]

As we start to look to be traveling more and longer trips, we are wondering if we should invest in the Satellite TV for the RV. We already have Direct TV at home and would be easy to bring the receivers with us. Just would need a portable satellite. Seen some on amazon for ~$200. So do I buy one or not? If we did not already have Satellite TV, I'm guessing it would be more expensive. If we decide to drop the Satellite TV, then we are stuck with Cable TV. I assume most campsites have Cable. Satellite TV would just be practical when cable is not available.

[ol_Bombero-JC]

seagul1 wrote:
I have Dish TV at home. We have used a stand alone dish antenna and are considering purchasing a dish tailgater. I already have a 211 receiver for the camper but would like to use my hopper from home. Can this be done?

Start a *NEW* thread with your question - either here, or on the
*Technology Corner* forum (where it really should be).

~

[seagul1]

I have Dish TV at home. We have used a stand alone dish antenna and are considering purchasing a dish tailgater. I already have a 211 receiver for the camper but would like to use my hopper from home. Can this be done?

[RollandB]

I have Dish at home and recently picked up a Winegard Carryout G2 which will get Dish, Direct and Bell by setting its switch. A bit more spends than the Dish only options. It seems cable and satellite providers play this two year game of locking you in to get their best rate. TV is TV for us so with the G2 we have the ability to play their game without the RV set up causing a problem.

[CA_Traveler]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
I see satellite cable at less than 1/2 the parks.

And a lot of the cable is lower quality.

[rhagfo]

Well we have Dish network and use a Tailgater auto dish, and get HD channels. When we first got the unit, I had placed on the roof by a vent, when we changed channels we could hear the dish adjust to a different satellite. This has been great for us.

[CA_Traveler]

RustyJC wrote:
I guess I'm somewhat surprised that no one has been able to come up with an automatic portable dish system for DirecTV HD. Yes, I understand the implications dealing with multiple satellites, but whoever finally figures this out will make a fortune!

I wonder if this is possible vs practical?

It appears to me that DTV is headed towards SWM and that cold be a factor. SWM requires access to all 3 birds at the same time so repositioning the dish for the channel selected is not practical. Ditto for the HD non SWM at least when a DVR is used.

I know from experience that SD local reception has a longer range than HD which could imply that the larger and higher gain dish is required for good reception. Can't say for sure since SD and HD are on different birds and may have different transmit power etc.

For example I can receive the SF HD locals to the CA/OR border (300 miles) and south to Santa Barbara (250 miles) and the SD locals to the OR/WA border (550 miles). ie A north/south HD range of 550 miles and SD range of 800 miles.

[Cummins12V98]

"A nice benefit of a DVR receiver is we always have recorded shows to watch regardless of any trees"

We spent two weeks at MtHood, OR recently in the woods. The auto dish on the roof could not see thru the trees and i forgot the portable dish at home base.

Well that really was no biggie since we had many hours accumulated on the DVR.

I see satellite cable at less than 1/2 the parks.

[SparkDr]

CA Traveler wrote:
Storage of the larger dish is a concern for me especially considering I have a automatic RF Mogul.

Check out TV4RV.com. They offer a folding arm dish and a collapsible, adjustable leg tripod (similar to a transit tripod). A level tripod is critical to successful aiming and this one gets rave reviews on all of the forums. Both are big space savers. They're the next items on my wish list.

[CA_Traveler]

SparkDr,

Thanks for the information. That's a nice meter.

Storage of the larger dish is a concern for me especially considering I have a automatic RF Mogul. Even though we have a DVR and watch recorded shows there are a few times when a portable dish is desired.

[Dave_H_M]

I do the same as Me To

piece of cake.

[RustyJC]

I guess I'm somewhat surprised that no one has been able to come up with an automatic portable dish system for DirecTV HD. Yes, I understand the implications dealing with multiple satellites, but whoever finally figures this out will make a fortune!

Rusty

[Me_Again]

We have Slimline SWM dishes at home and for the trailer. I find the Slimline easier to align than the old SD antenna. Set the mast vertical, set the elevation and squew via the built in scales on the Mount and bring up the signal meters on one of the TV's and swing it until you find the SATs. Takes longer to set it up than align.

We have two HDDVR'S in the trailer with Wholehome running on our own hub.

Dish is better however about changing you locations for locals. I have a chat session with DirecTV and that works well for location changes.

Chris

[SparkDr]

I picked up a tripod and SWM dish kit for DirecTv new on ebay for $105 shipped. I also invested into this meter: AIM meter. It is the same meter used by the DirecTv field techs to dither and peak systems. I kept an eye out for it for a period of time on various websites and picked up a new one for right around $400. I flagged down a DirecTv tech one day and hired him to come back to my home on his own time to teach me how to use the meter. That puts my total investment at a little more $550. Expensive?...maybe in some people's minds, but I look at it another way. I have spent similar money on this setup to what others will spend on a Carryout or similar auto-find portable unit and much less than a Trav'ler system (with no worry about trees). I now have my premium channel movies, NFL Sunday Ticket, and other programs in glorious HD and can dial in my system with absolute precision in a matter of minutes. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before someone chimes in to say that a meter of this type is unnecessary and that other techniques or methods are "good enough" to loacte the birds in the sky. I say, to each his own. The keys words for me are "absolute precison". Good enough isn't good enough for me in this case. Another plus is that when peaked correctly, you will rarely ever lose signal due to weather. Keep in mind, everything I've covered here is DirecTv specific. Dish is a completely different system which is much more forgiving (and less expensive) for acquiring HD on the road.

[Thumb]

FWIW

Directv tech told me that the HD reception issue with the small portable enclosed auto satellite finders (Kingflex ...et)
Is caused by the type and location of the Directv satellites themselves

He said that to receive Directv HD you have to use a satellite finder that has a larger dish than the small auto finder units have

I was using my standard home HD receiver and a tripod mounted 18" dish that I could fiddle with and receive a lot of HD and all SD channels while camping

But I recently decided to just go with the ease, speed and convience of the King Flex setup
and not worry about HD reception

Less tv watching equals more campfire time

I suppose that the older and lazier I get, simple is better 🙂