Advise on Satellite choice

[Mimz1]

We recently sold our house and are living in our 5th wheel. We can't decide what kind of satellite to purchase. We have a 2014 Palomino Condo. Hookup for satellite and cable are on hookup panel. We're going to be in the same spot for 3 months. Please advise.

[Odd_Job]

I do imagine that you all have covered this a dozen times, but here is my situation... I have a 32' toy hauler with three (3) televisions. Two are inside, one is outside. I use the toy hauler primarily for camping. However, I also entertain business clients at college football games and NASCAR races where television is critical to our entertainment... I want to get a satellite system for the toy hauler that allows us to watch two separate stations on two separate televisions at the same time. Cost is an issue, however I do not mind paying for better equipment if it gets me to my goal. What I will not do is purchase an upgraded service plan that we do not need. I would appreciate your input and recommendations. Thanks in advance for your time.

[jerseyjim]

JMCGSD: DirecTV also has music channels (not SiriusXM)...800 and above.

FWIW.

[GoPackGo]

I fulltime and have had Dish for about 2-3 years, using my Winegard Pathway X2. I wanted automatic setup, portability (Think trees), and HD channels, so that meant DirectTV was a non-player.

Getting the local stations when I change locations is about as simple as can be. I just pull up the Dish website and use their 'chat' service. After they verify I am a Dish customer, I type in my new SERVICE location and 15 minutes later I have the local channels. Works every time.

* As an aside, I must say that I am always amazed how I can be set up in a very remote part of this great country and still have cell phone service, internet connectivity, and TV service just like anyone living in a large city.

[jmcgsd]

IMHO one of the big pluses for DISH is that it includes Sirius/XM. That's a feature I don't see mentioned ver often but it's a buggy for my wife and I. We're bluegrass & "old" country music fans.

I have Bluegrass junction from Sirius/XM on now as I type!

[Mimz1]

Thank you everyone for your help. Seems either way is going to have challenges. Just getting used to "living" in an RV, especially in the winter, is proving to be a bigger adjustment than we'd anticipated. LOL

[lbrjet]

RoyB,

In case you missed it, Direct TV is now owned by AT&T.

Bumpy,

Yea, the Denver locals area is huge on Dish. We had them way up in Badlands NP.

[Bumpyroad]

the "footprints" of the various Dish locations are interesting. IIRC the Denver stations are available only in a smaller limited area, but if you have them the footprint goes out about a brazillion miles and you can pick them up all over the west, but you can't subscribe to them that far out. there is a footprint map available someplace on the web
bumpy

[azjeffh]

Our Dish service while in Phoenix actually provideed coverage not only here, but also in Tucson and all the way up to Bryce Canyon as well.

While in MI this year we changed our service address to Hopkins MI and received local channels from Kalamazoo while in St Ignace.

Don't believe if you move from one city to the next your satellite footprint automatically changes. However when it does, it's very easy to get it corrected.

Personally I'd rather have the local channels than DNS as it's in my time zone.

[Dutch_12078]

One advantage for part-time RV'ers that Dish has over DTV is the "Flex" account, where you pay month to month with no contract. If you don't want the service for the next month, just don't pay the bill. Ready to go again? Give Dish a call and turn it back on again.

Also, with some Dish antennas, you have the choice of using either the western or eastern arc satellites, giving you more aiming opportunities on treed sites.

[BB_TX]

wa8yxm wrote:
...........
With DNS you get Networks (ABC, NBC, CBS et-al) from one of the "Super Cities" like LA or NYC... Dish you have to call and get your locals re-done every time you move.
.....

Getting Dish local network channels is not a big deal. We have Dish. When we move out of the current service area we are in, a phone call or a chat box on the Dish web site and within a few minutes we have local network channels from the nearest major city to where we are located, along with the local news and weather. And by that we get the programming in the time zone we are currently in. With DNS, you get the network programming, but in either the eastern or Pacific time zones.

[wa8yxm]

Ok sat 101.1 (Only about 1/10th my normal post
Antennas come in 2 times 2.2.2 flavors
Dish/Dome
Mounted/Portable

Advantages:
Dome antennas can be either "Stationary" or "In motion" (If mounted) but can only see one satellite at a time.. Dish uses 3 sats, Direct as well and what is more the domes can not see the High Definition Direct Sats.. (They can dish)
SOME domes can switch from 110 to 119 to I think it is 127 under receiver control but only a SINGLE receiver can control. If you have two or more, or a dual channel DVR you need multiple domes.

DirecTV a dome works,,,, but not DirecHDTV and direc is trying to go all HD.

The other type of Dome is portable.. (This is the 2.2.2 part of this, now of the the first of those 2s

Dish antennas also come in mounted or portable, But you get the dish that matches your service (Dish or Direct) and it works, one receiver, 2, 10 makes no difference, it works.

The other 2, the one without points
Portable or Mounted
Mounted (rooftop) antennas are nice if you are parked in a place like I am just now.. Unlimited view of the sky, NO TREES... But alas if you are parked under the evil signal eating tree,, NO JOY (or in the satellite shadow of a building)

Portable antennas.. Can often be set up "in the clear" out from under said tree.


Finally we have "packages" both Dish and Direc offer a bunch of packages.. in the past I suggested you choose the one you like best....

Two cautions.. UP-selling (Talking you into buying more and more packages) is common, they will take that 19.95 and turn it into 69.95 or 99.95 faster than you can say "What happened".

Second: DNS, (Distant network service) Direc still offeres this but Dish can not so they do something different.

Make sure you get an RV account, Odds are selling you DNS on your home account is not legal. With DNS you get Networks (ABC, NBC, CBS et-al) from one of the "Super Cities" like LA or NYC... Dish you have to call and get your locals re-done every time you move.

Your choice.. My choice OTA.

[BB_TX]

Dish or Direct? Basically a personal choice with really not much difference. Many of us have had Dish for years and very happy with it. Others feel the same about Directv.

Being in one place long term, a tripod mounted antenna will work fine. And probably give more reliable reception in inclimate weather in the long run due to the larger dish size. Takes a little practice aiming it. Moving regularly makes an auto antenna a little more desirable. A portable antenna of either type, rather than a roof mounted one, allows you more flexibility for locating the antenna if there are a lot of trees around your site.

[padre1944]

I've had both and have Dish now which is better. Get the best satellite dish you can afford, as long as it will automatically hook to satellites. I like a portable dish better in case you get under trees you might be able to move it about to get reception. If you have Dish at home you can buy an inexpensive receiver and just pay $7 per month for service.

[Bumpyroad]

Bill.Satellite wrote:
. With Dish you can receive HD but the dome can only "see" 1 of the 3 satellites at a time so using a 2nd receiver or a DVR will usually cause issues.

only if you want to watch two channels NOT on the same sat????
bumpy

[RoyB]

It seems that DirectTV is now gearing up with AT&T to provide endless downstreaming for their HDTV channels. Just got recent brochure for their new plans ranging from $35 to $60 per month. Brochure says "Stream live TV and ON DEMAND anytime, anywhere, data free when you have AT&T Wireless..." This will be HDTV over the internet... No equipment to install - No SAT Dish required... Everything is downstreamed to your devices... If you are signed up with AT&T it is provided at no additional cost or something like that...

Have no idea how this is going to affect SAT TV in RV units for the future... I already do the Internet this way using Verizon Wireless.... I downstream our local cable TV provider over the internet now to watch our local HDTV channels here around the house and outside around the patio.

Also do same thing here when driving Ms Daisy around the local town doing her shopping. I watch our local HDTV cable channels over the internet connection just fine sitting in my truck anywhere I have internet connections... Our local provider also has installed several WIFI Hot Spots antennas around our town for anywhere TV as well at no cost to subscribers... We don't actually have to have HDTV here anymore- The local provided small Box has HDMI output and that is all we run the the HDTVs now. In my radio room here one of those local cable boxes feeds one of my 24-inch monitor HDMI channels - No high dollar HDTV required... Sounds and works great just using my HDMI computer monitor... I figured this out when my HDTV on the wall in my radio room went out on... Just plug the cable box into the computer monitor now... Computer monitors are alot less expensive than high dollar HDTV's

Using the local cable company over the Internet is real useful for me to watch the HDTV Shows I miss the previous night when other things are ON at same time or busy doing something else. Looks great on my Dual 24-inch monitor setup here both sound and picture...

Might be wave of the future for SAT TV viewing across the country... No SAT Dishes to worry about... Who knows...

Roy Ken