Best RV Satellite Configuration?

[jstaffon]

I've read a number of posts about satellite systems for RVs. I know some of the posts are a little dated so I wanted to revisit this subject, taking into account new technology. I have a 2016 Forest River Rockwood 5th wheel. I spend three months during the winter in RV parks in Arizona. I spend summers dry camping/boon docking with only a generator. My priorities are : 1) HD picture quality; 2)portability; 3)ease of setup, 4)cost. I can't, at this time, mount anything on top of my 5th wheel due to height restrictions where I store my rig. I'm also not real keen on putting something on my trailer because there are some occasions when I park under trees. Something more portable better suits more of my types of camping. I'm leaning towards a normal dish mounted on a tripod, remote from my camper. I'm told they offer the best picture but I'm not sure that's still true with new technology. Can someone help and offer suggestions based on actual setups and configuration? Thanks in advance!

[Us_out_West]

If you have 2 TV's each one has to have a receiver...same as in a house. With that a separate coax has to run from the antenna, in our case a Pathway X-2, to the receivers.

The 'main' receiver, in our case the one in our rear entertainment center, controls the satellite for both TV's.

At least in our rig.....:)

[CA_Traveler]

jstaffon wrote:
So I would have to run two cables into my camper? I only have one input to my camper for satellite. I don't think I want to snake a separate cable into my camper for the second output.

Don't make the mistake of thinking you need to run coax for satellite to the rear of the camper. Run it to the nearest access point which can be a much easier run.

I ran coax to a locker with barrel connectors to connect the portable dish coax.

[jstaffon]

Big Katuna wrote:
I use a Pathway with a 211Z. Love it. The X2 is the only carryout that can receive both the eastern arc or western arc sats; a big plus that gives you a better chance to avoid trees, etc.

It also has a bigger dish (hence the larger size) so gets more signal in rain, etc.

The two outputs do allow you to run two boxes. The limitation is the second box can only watch channels on whichever sat the first box is watching which isnt that big of a limitation; there are a bunch of channels on every sat.

So I would have to run two cables into my camper? I only have one input to my camper for satellite. I don't think I want to snake a separate cable into my camper for the second output. I have two connectors on the outside...one being for a park cable service and one for a satellite hookup. I could use both of them for the two cables but I think my pre-amp switch in my camper is an either/or so I couldn't use it that way without a lot of wiring changes inside. Does that make sense or am I off base?

I'm a little confused because others have said they can watch two channels on their system as long as the channels are on the same satellite. Does that work with one cable into the camper and two receivers? ... or do you need two cables from the dish/dome to make it work that way?

[Big_Katuna]

I use a Pathway with a 211Z. Love it. The X2 is the only carryout that can receive both the eastern arc or western arc sats; a big plus that gives you a better chance to avoid trees, etc.

It also has a bigger dish (hence the larger size) so gets more signal in rain, etc.

The two outputs do allow you to run two boxes. The limitation is the second box can only watch channels on whichever sat the first box is watching which isnt that big of a limitation; there are a bunch of channels on every sat.

[jstaffon]

Arcamper wrote:
We have Dish at home so I have a Pathway X2 automatic dish with a Wally receiver plus external hard drive so I can use the DVR capability of the Wally and they work great for $7 a month. I did have to buy the dish, hard drive and Wally for about $550 up front. This setup works better than the Tailgater and 211 receiver I had before.

That sounds like the configuration I'm thinking about. Have you considered putting the X2 on a tripod (or not) and putting it on top (temporarily) of your RV? People have told me the dome type dishes tend to walk away in the evenings while you sleep.

I've got a single input to my camper for a satellite system. The X2 has two inputs, I think, so you can watch different channels on two TVs. How would that work with an X2 in my configuration? Sorry for the detailed question...I haven't researched the X2 enough to understand the capabilities and how it would work ... or not work .. with my setup.

[tinner12002]

We have the direct tv that we have at home and use when traveling and at our campsite. They charge an additional $6 month when we choose to turn on that receiver and then remove the charge in the winter when we shut it down. I looked at having one installed on the RV and was told the best way is to have it on a tri-pod so if I'm camping near trees I can move the dish and still get a signal...something you can't do with a roof mounted.

[tinner12002]

CA Traveler wrote:

azdryheat wrote:
You can't get Directv HD without the roof-mounted Winegard Travler. So it looks like DISH is your answer, which I know nothing about.

Incorrect. There are a variety of DTV Slimline 3 and SWM dishes that can be mounted on a tripod for example.

My RF Mogul roof mounted dish also folds down and is lower than other roof stuff but automatic dishes are pricey.

Correct as I use one mounted on a tri-pod.

[Arcamper]

We have Dish at home so I have a Pathway X2 automatic dish with a Wally receiver plus external hard drive so I can use the DVR capability of the Wally and they work great for $7 a month. I did have to buy the dish, hard drive and Wally for about $550 up front. This setup works better than the Tailgater and 211 receiver I had before.

[jstaffon]

Bill.Satellite wrote:
Since it is your plan to keep cable (good idea, most likely) and you only want satellite service 3 months per year then I would suggest Dish Network and the Pay-As-You-Go service. You can actually pay for 3 months in advance and at the end of that period the service will simply stop. No action required on your part.
As to the antenna, the picture quality will be exactly the same whether you install a Trav'ler, a ground mounted tripod or a dome style antenna like the Winegard Playmaker or the King Controls Tailgater (or any other for that matter). Where there are differences are during moisture related events (clouds, rain, dew, etc.) which are rare in AZ in the Winter. The least expensive antenna setup will be a home style antenna mounted on a good tripod. This is also the least convenient as it takes up a good deal of space while traveling and take 20-30 minutes to setup. If you only go one place for the Winter season this also makes no difference at all. This type antenna will also allow you to use any Dish receiver, DVR, or Hopper.
The dome style antennas work great as long as you only want to use 1 signal tuner receiver. The domes antenna can only "see" 1 of the 3 Dish satellites at the same time so if you have more than 1 receiver or a DVR both tuners must be watching programming coming from the same satellite and this often causes a conflict.
Hope this helps but it should give you a pretty good overview.

Thanks for the overview. Much appreciated. We normally watch TV at night and during the day when the weather is overcast, cold or raining. A DVR would be nice but not critical. It's my understanding I can use an inexpensive device like a Wally and an external hard drive to record TV. I haven't researched that much. It would also be nice to watch two different stations at once. I'm been looking at the Winegard Pathway X2 and the Carryout G2+. The 20-30 minute setup on the tripod and dish doesn't bother me ... at least not now... as long as I end up with the best TV during different weather environments. Maybe after doing it a few times I may think differently. I got the idea from other posts the automatic dome systems were a little flakey on HD and you had to mostly settle with SD. You mentioned the Playmaker. Is there an advantage with the Playmaker over the X2 or G2+, other than cost?

Also, do you have experience or good research comparing the Wally to the Dish 211z?

[Bill_Satellite]

Since it is your plan to keep cable (good idea, most likely) and you only want satellite service 3 months per year then I would suggest Dish Network and the Pay-As-You-Go service. You can actually pay for 3 months in advance and at the end of that period the service will simply stop. No action required on your part.
As to the antenna, the picture quality will be exactly the same whether you install a Trav'ler, a ground mounted tripod or a dome style antenna like the Winegard Playmaker or the King Controls Tailgater (or any other for that matter). Where there are differences are during moisture related events (clouds, rain, dew, etc.) which are rare in AZ in the Winter. The least expensive antenna setup will be a home style antenna mounted on a good tripod. This is also the least convenient as it takes up a good deal of space while traveling and take 20-30 minutes to setup. If you only go one place for the Winter season this also makes no difference at all. This type antenna will also allow you to use any Dish receiver, DVR, or Hopper.
The dome style antennas work great as long as you only want to use 1 signal tuner receiver. The domes antenna can only "see" 1 of the 3 Dish satellites at the same time so if you have more than 1 receiver or a DVR both tuners must be watching programming coming from the same satellite and this often causes a conflict.
Hope this helps but it should give you a pretty good overview.

[BB_TX]

I have a Dish vip211k receiver and both a Tailgater and a tripod mount 3 LNB antenna. The Tailgater almost always gets very good HD reception. And it is automatic. The larger tripod mount is probably a little more reliable in inclement weather, but I rarely bother with it.

[WyoTraveler]

azdryheat wrote:
You can't get Directv HD without the roof-mounted Winegard Travler. So it looks like DISH is your answer, which I know nothing about.

FWIW, the Traveler is not a height issue as if folds down lower than the A/C units. I like that I push one button to turn it on and it automatically finds the necessary 3 sats for HD. I previously had a tripod mounted antenna and it was a real pain, at times, to find the 101 sat, With that setup I only got Directv SD reception.

Are you saying that these millions of houses with direct TV don't have HD? Suspect you can do it with just a fixed manual dish either Direct or Dish.

[donn0128]

jstaffon wrote:

donn0128 wrote:
We take our receiver and mini rwceivers from home when we go out. This gives us recorded programing and the same channels both places.

What system do you currently have on your rig?

We have a Direct Genie and two wireless mini Genies. For my RV I take the three pieces necessary and go. On my RV I have a automatic Winegard Travler and a ground based dish assembly for when Im in trees. If I was to do it again I would not install a Travler. Just too many times it cannot be used. I have my trailer wired so I can with one single wire switch from the ground to the roof top dish. I also wired an inverter on two dedicated circuits to power the system in the living room and bedroom. Again, one plug switch gets me power from the source needed at the time. Not difficult to do, just need to think out your needs first.

[CA_Traveler]

I had the DTV HR24, used it at home and the RV with different dish types.

Currently have DTV HR44 at home and RV and it requires SWM dishes. Genie Clients either wired or wireless can be added for additional TVs but one TV serves our needs.

[jstaffon]

bob213 wrote:
I have a tripod, dish network dish and take one of my receivers from home, so the rv costs nothing extra. I have dual tuner sat. receivers so one receiver provides tv to kitchen and bedroom allowing different channels to be watched. It's not hard to point your antenna after a few attempts and bringing the receiver back and forth is easier when you set your wires up for quick connect and disconnect. I bought an extra set of remotes since that is the one item I usually forget. Now I just leave a set in the trailer. It works well for us. If you are out of the local area you can call Dish and relocate your spot beam to wherever you are. Tripod let's me put antenna wherever, so trees etc. are not a factor.

Interesting.... What system do you have?...dish and receiver? It sounds like what I'm looking for.