I have carried a tripod and antenna for years for both DirecTV and Dish Network. The manual setup for Direct was always fairly easy and fast. I switched to Dish a couple of years ago using the Hopper Joey configuration. Setup became more difficult with Dish. Hitting all three satellites can be interesting. A couple months ago I purchased the Tailgater and VIP 211 receiver. (Bought the package for $349 on Amazon) At this point I have used it a couple of times. Setup is easy. No worries about finding a good path to the satellites as I carry 200 feet of cable.
I do have some concerns about security that I have not addressed yet. Also I am concerned about the wind or accidently bumping the antenna. The base is small and does not lend itself to stability. Thinking about mounting the antenna to my transit tripod. This would require opening the antenna which voids the warranty. That would get it off the ground and make it very stable.
