Best Satellite System

[USMC46]

Our Dutch Star has a roof mounted, in-motion satellite receiver. The previous owner used it with Direct TV. We never bothered to subscribe and try to use it as we were/are not TV fans to any great extent. The one time I did ask someone, I think at PPL about the system, I was told it was old technology, and would have to be replaced. Think that's true ? if so, we might now just go with a portable dish and whatever other equipment we need and just deploy it whenever we camp and want TV. I would be interested in reading opinions on good systems and whether we should go with Direct or Dish, or ____?. we would prefer no long term contracts. Comments and suggestions appreciated.

[Bobbo]

We have the King Flex. It will do Dish HD or Directv SD.

We have Directv SD, even at home. Neither of us sees well enough to pay for HD service. If I were to buy today, I would get the same.

It has 2 coax connections, so you can use 2 receivers or a multiswitch for more receivers.

With Directv SD, all channels are available on all receivers. On Dish HD, like the other antennas, the channels must be on the same satellite.

[GoPackGo]

Here is my .02

I have a Winegard Pathway X2 and have been using it almost every day since I started full timing 1.5 years ago. It is great. It receives Dish programming - only.

It has outlets for 2 cables so you can watch different programs on 2 different TVs AS LONG AS BOTH CHANNELS COME OFF THE SAME SATELLITE. But at least you can watch different channels. I once did see a 5er set up with 2 Tailgaters - assume it was so they could watch different channels on 2 TVs.

I believe the X2 might be the best of the portables. For one thing, it allows you to choose between either the Western arc or Eastern arc set of Dish satellites. If the Western arc sats are blocked, just use the Eastern ones, or vice versa. I think this is a very important advantage of this particular receiver.

The antenna size is a little bigger then the Tailgater - and bigger is always better with these things, especially when shooting around trees, etc.

Why did I go with Dish over DirecTV ?
- Dish offers HD programming that can be received by the golf ball sat dishes but DirecTV does not.

There is no contract in place between Dish and their RV customers. I can stop at any time. I can also add and delete programming whenever I want to. I call Dish whenever I move the rig to a new location and they switch me to the local channels.

So if you want HD programming and you want a portable, then I would recommend the X2.

I got a portable receiver so that I could move it around to get reception in areas with a lot of trees. If you have a permanent one on your Class A or 5er, you would need to move the entire rig if blocked at your site.

If you get the X2, I also recommend getting the tripod stand to get it up off the ground. Twice now I have been in CGs when it monsooned. Luckily I had the stand or the X2 would probably have been damaged - the owner's manual states that water over 2 inches deep can damage the electronics. I suspect that would be the same situation for all of them.

When shopping, look for the bundle that includes a receiver box. Amazon or Camping World (sometimes) have deals on them.

The one drawback is that the X2 is definitely bulkier then the Tailgater.

If I had it to do over gain, I would still buy the X2.

Last - I have an app on my Iphone to help me find the satellites so I can position my X2 in a good place to start with. It's called DishformyRV. This app works great. Costs $5.00

One thing to know about all the 'golf ball' portables - They get their operating power via the cable from the receiver box inside your rig - and there must be a direct connection in order for that to happen. If your rig is already pre-wired, it may have 1 or more in-line switches. These will probably stop the flow of juice to the outside antenna - but you really can't tell till you hook it up. Many people just run the outside cable thru a window or sneak it past a slide-in. The other option is to permanently run a new interior cable from an exterior plug directly to the inside cable box.

Tim

[2chiefsRus]

If you must have HD (high definition) then it must be replaced. If you are able to "survive" on SD (standard definition), it may work just fine for you. If you decide to go with Dish changes will be necessary on the current system. If you go with DirecTV then it may work fine since that is what the previous owners were using. We seem to be in the minority since we still think SD is just fine for us.

[sdianel_-acct_c]

what brand is your in-motion dome? We have a TracStar SV360 on our 2004 diesel pusher and it's still working great. We have had to replace a few parts the tech said that it is much better made than today's models. I would try it to see if it works and if you don't care about HD, order a basic receiver from DirecTV and a package. We don't care if we have HD or not if we have TV. When we had a home, we got HD "local" channels using an analog-digital converter box. Now that we full time, we subscribed to affiliate feeds for ABC, CBS, NBC etc. If you are anywhere near Houston, call Dave at Sats2Go. He's the RV satellite "guru" in our opinion. We drive from Florida to have him work on our satellite system. He added a switch so we could have a separate satellite receiver in the bedroom so we could watch a different channel there. He can order the receiver for you and install it.

[Robin1953]

BB_TX wrote:
Direct or Dish is personal opinion, and there are fans (and critics) of both. We have had Dish both at home and in the RV for many many years and happy with it. Dish does have a monthly plan you can start and stop whenever you want. Check dishformyrv.com for info.

I would go with a portable satellite antenna. For one it is cheaper than having one permanently installed on the roof. And two, if there are a lot of trees around it can usually be positioned to find a hole thru the trees to find the sats, something not so easy for a roof mount.

I have dish and bought the tailgater portable sat dish at the time. If I had done a little more research I would have bought the Pathway 2x, which eventually I did. The tailgater only sees the western arc which a tree in my seasonal site has grown so much in the last year that no matter where I sit the tailgater it cannot see the sats in the western arc. The Pathway sees either the eastern arc or the western arc for a single receiver. Now I have a clear view of the eastern arc sats.

Just something you might want to consider if you go with Dish.

[the_bear_II]

Since you're not heavy TV users, there may be another solution-

Depending on what you want to watch, many of the broadcast stations now have their own internet streaming service. In addition, with a good digital tv antenna you can pick up broadcast and local stations. And if it's movies you want, Netflix, VuDu, Hulu plus other streaming services are also available over the internet.

Now days, I'm actually using Netflix and the broadcast stations streaming services more than our Dish service.

That being said you will need good WiFi at the campground and hope they aren't throttling the bandwidth for heavy users. We see this happen from time to time usually around 4pm to 7pm when lots of folks are using the internet/WiFi.

[FlatBroke]

If I had to watch SD on these new TVs I would get a lot more book reading in. Thing on your roof is worthless IMO.

[donn0128]

Yea old technology. It is only capable of receiving SD broadcasting. That may be a good or bad thing depending on your prospective. We like our HD programming so for us it is a big deal.

[BB_TX]

Direct or Dish is personal opinion, and there are fans (and critics) of both. We have had Dish both at home and in the RV for many many years and happy with it. Dish does have a monthly plan you can start and stop whenever you want. Check dishformyrv.com for info.

I would go with a portable satellite antenna. For one it is cheaper than having one permanently installed on the roof. And two, if there are a lot of trees around it can usually be positioned to find a hole thru the trees to find the sats, something not so easy for a roof mount.