Satellite TV versus internet

[flyboykuao]

Hello, I am a new RV owner. I am hoping someone has been through this before and can offer tips:
My class A has a manual crank satellite dish installed on the roof, but it is not setup for the TV. I talked to my provider, DISH, who recommend a tailgate package with a portable satellite that will automatically find the satellite. The cost is under $400 and $7 per month.

I am considering, however, going with internet TV. We are in wifi-enabled parks at least 50% of the time - which is plenty enough for my TV habits.

Do you use either option (dish or internet) and how does it work for you?

Thanks in advance.

[wa8yxm]

First. Internet TV takes major bandwidth (Show I just downloaded is 941 MEG for an hour. call it a gig an hour and you will be close) not many parks can support multiple video streams. and often the wi-fi is not that good (last park I was at a one hour show took 4 hours to download).

Now DISH network Sat TV.
Dish has programming scattered across THREE satellites. DOME and Cube antennas (Like the tailgater) can see ONE at a time. oh it can see all 3 but only ONE at a time so if you have a SINGLE channel receiver like the VIP-211 line.. Great. but if you have a DVR (Most are at least dual channel) or multiple receivers.. You will have conflicts as one wants one bird and the other is in control.

Dish type antennas (Ground mount tripod) have solo. double or triple LNB's and can see 1 2 or 3.. The correct dish works, period, NO conflicts.

ROOF Mounts are not good if parked under the evil signal eating Tree
The ground mount or portable.. No problem.

DirecHDTV (Direc is dropping sd I'm told) no dome or cube currently exists for DirecHDTV far as I know.. but I'm not current on that.. Again DISH type antennas..> Work.

[jplante4]

We just finished up 11 weeks on the road from the northeast through the upper prairies and midwest and back. First trip with Dish. We were able to get a satellite signal on Dish almost everywhere. Get a Pathway X2 antenna, not a Tailgater. The Tailgater picks up only the western arc. I was on the eastern arc most of the time north of 43° latitude. Sometimes I needed to put the antenna on the roof to get a clear line of sight to a satellite.

It costs us $50 a month for satellite service and local channels. Sometimes we couldn't get locals because they transmitted on the arc we couldn't get. It's pay as you go. Don't need service next period? Don't pay your bill. Want it turned on? Pay your bill. Dish customer service is excellent.

For Internet, we got the FMCA Verizon "unlimited" plan for $50 a month. They slow it down after 25 gig, which we hit every month. We continued to get internet by adding data to our Verizon phone plan. Total data costs were bout $140 a month. We got park WiFi about 10% of the time and never would it have been good enough to stream TV. That internet usage is just email and surfing and watching an occasional podcast.

You can get a PathwayX2 antenna and Wally bundle for about $400. Standard channels and locals costs $50.07 a month. If you have internet you can get an internet adapter for the Wally and get Netflix.

And there's still nothing on TV.

[garyemunson]

When we first got our automatic dish (replacing the manual one) we used it with a tripod so we could dodge trees. I found, often as not, I was climbing up the back to set it on the roof to dodge bushes. Finally installed it permanently on the roof as the two methods of set up seemed to be a wash. I've found that pretty much every RV park is hip to satellite reception and has dish friendly sites they will put you in if you request it on arrival (or reserving).

[valhalla360]

NMDriver2 wrote:
We use our phones data-an unlimited package-to stream. We had direct TV for years but found we were watching streaming content more than the Sat provided content.

We have used Verizon data for several years all over the South West -Tried T-Mobile but it did not have the coverage we want. One or two spots will have bad coverage but for the most part we have not missed a show we wanted to watch and get the news/weather as we needed it.

We used to do the satalite thing but by dropping that we could justify an unlimited cell data plan.

It does slow down after 15 or 22 GB but even slowed down we can watch youtube without any significant hassle.

Only issue would be if you need ultra high definition, then buffering might be an issue.

We will use camp wifi if available but maybe 1 in 10 campgrounds are even marginally good enough for streaming.

[Big_Katuna]

If you’re going to use park WiFi for tv, be sure to take lots of dvds and books.

I recommend Winegard Pathway X2 over Tailgater.

It lets you select east or west sats and has a bigger dish so works better.

[theoldwizard1]

K Charles wrote:
An antenna works well for watching the news or most network stations.

Start here.

Add an internet streaming TV service. Many to choose from. AT&T cell phone service does not charge you for the data used to view their internet TV service, DirecTV Now (no connection to DirecTV other than they are both owned by AT&T)

[chuckftboy]

Dish works for us. I have a Tailgater mounted on the roof and another to use portable. Never been anywhere where couldn't get a signal with one or the other but 95% of the time the roof mount works fine.
We have dish at home so when we travel, 2 of the receivers go with us.

As for streaming from a park WiFi, good luck!!!

[Edd505]

MrWizard wrote:
if i could get sat TV for $7 month it would be a NO Brainer.. yessirrebob

i think you mean dish $400, box rental $7, subscription $XX

either way, the satellite will cost you less per month, than paying for celluar hotspot data link for your internet stream

you are going to Be Unhappy with park wifi video streaming in most parks

It is $7 if you have dish at home, I don't. I pay $49 for Dish mobile Flex pack with local channels. I use a Wally & Tailgater, about $300. Down load the My Dish app and change "local" channels with your smart phone. For WiFi I hot spot the phone, most RV WiFi is worthless, slow & drops out frequently.

[Dale_Traveling]

As a weekender camper I've found I we do very well with whatever the free to air antenna picks up where we happen to be. Others have voiced their experience with CG WiFi which I will agree with. I've also had a subscription satellite service and quickly determined it was not worth the barrage of junk emails to buy other stuff or to change my package. The final straw was the daily robo calls for several months when I chose not to renew.

Amazon Prime music, iTunes podcasts, free to air TV, a good free book from the local library or even the CG book exchange has quickly displaced subscriber TV in our coach. We don't miss it when on the road.

In very extreme circumstances when we have no other option we talk to each other. Only happened once so far.:E

[MrWizard]

if i could get sat TV for $7 month it would be a NO Brainer.. yessirrebob

i think you mean dish $400, box rental $7, subscription $XX

either way, the satellite will cost you less per month, than paying for celluar hotspot data link for your internet stream

you are going to Be Unhappy with park wifi video streaming in most parks

[NMDriver2]

We use our phones data-an unlimited package-to stream. We had direct TV for years but found we were watching streaming content more than the Sat provided content.

We have used Verizon data for several years all over the South West -Tried T-Mobile but it did not have the coverage we want. One or two spots will have bad coverage but for the most part we have not missed a show we wanted to watch and get the news/weather as we needed it.

[Dutch_12078]

dan-nickie wrote:
Never seen a Manual Crank Satellite Dish on the roof.
Got any pictures?

Try here: Winegard Crank-Up Satellite RV TV Antennas

[Dutch_12078]

K Charles wrote:
An antenna works well for watching the news or most network stations.

Only if you're in a location with good enough OTA reception...

[dan-nickie]

Never seen a Manual Crank Satellite Dish on the roof.
Got any pictures?

[K_Charles]

.