Best satellite TV for fulltime RV'er

[TCI]

Hey all. We know their are a few options out their but we value everyones input. Right now we do OTA or the rv parks cable. We would like a satellite service we don't have to make a annual commitment to. If we use it two months and then not for 6 months and then again for a month, we would only be responsible for the months we use it. OK, I also would like to know how the antennas you set up yourself outside compare to if we had one installed on the roof. Can I run more than 1 tv on the antenna? Looking to try to figure out all the costs.
1. Antenna 2. Service
I may be missing something so please let me know. Thank you all for your knowledge.

[TCI]

Thanks all for the info. I now have some thinking and research to do.

[Dutch_12078]

2oldman wrote:

TCI wrote:
, I also would like to know how the antennas you set up yourself outside compare to if we had one installed on the roof.

They're a whole lot cheaper!

And you can more easily locate them for the best aiming options on sites with trees.

[2oldman]

TCI wrote:
, I also would like to know how the antennas you set up yourself outside compare to if we had one installed on the roof.

They're a whole lot cheaper!

[Dutch_12078]

X2 on Bill's advice, although you do need to be aware that neither the Pathway X2 or any other "dome" style dish will work with the Dish multi-tuner "Hopper" DVR series receivers. Only the Dish single tuner "Wally" and the older VIP series receivers support it. The Hoppers can use the Winegard "Trav'ler" automatic roof mounted dish or a portable tripod mounted manually aimed dish though.

I should add that our first satellite TV system cost a bit less than $250 complete with the receiver, tripod mounted dish, signal meter, and all wiring. Eight years later, we still use the same tripod mounted dish and wiring, but have since upgraded to Hopper series receivers. Technically, we're still on the "Pay-As-You-Go" plan, but Dish is our only TV source other than OTA, so we no longer shut it down.

[Bill_Satellite]

TCI wrote:
Hey all. We know their are a few options out their but we value everyones input. Right now we do OTA or the rv parks cable. We would like a satellite service we don't have to make a annual commitment to. If we use it two months and then not for 6 months and then again for a month, we would only be responsible for the months we use it. OK, I also would like to know how the antennas you set up yourself outside compare to if we had one installed on the roof. Can I run more than 1 tv on the antenna? Looking to try to figure out all the costs.
1. Antenna 2. Service
I may be missing something so please let me know. Thank you all for your knowledge.

For the kind of service you are describing I would recommend the Dish Pay-as-you-go plan. You pay for 1 or 2 months up front and then it just stops. Pay for another month later in the year and then it just stops. DTV will require a 2 year contract and if you only use it 3-4 months a year your 2 years will last for 6-8 years (but I think they require 6 months/year usage).
As to the antenna, I recommend the Winegard Pathway X2. A bit larger than most but it has the largest dome style antenna and it will work with both EA and WA.

[K_Charles]

Dish has the pause and keep your whatever for $5 a month but they also have pay as you go that doesn't cost anything when you suspend service. I do call and turn it off because once they billed me for a second month and then sent me a notice about collection the next month. When I called they said they would wave the charge so I always called after that. It doesn't matter now because it's on all the time and not pay as you go.

[Testudo]

...I should have added, for anyone who needs bullet-proof access to particular television programming at an affordable price, I would suggest using a cloud-based service like XFINITY. How much use you'll get out of your satellite service depends on getting an unfettered view of the sky where the satellites are - - never an easy task since there is traditionally a bias towards designing camp sites to be shaded from the sun. That's the kiss-of-death for satellite reception, too. Having a USB air card or similar as a back up will give you more dependable service. Intensive full-time data streaming can get quite costly, though.

[Testudo]

I really can't beat DISH for pricing for occasional RVers. I don't have DISH at my fixed address so I go month-to-month - - dropping the service when we aren't using the RV. I just get the basic programming which is like $35 a month and then I add the $10 business channels ( "News" ) package - - which is what I really need when I'm on the road.

I have the WALLY receiver and the KING "tailgater" which I have roof mounted. I bought the equipment directly from DISH both for price and convenience. I also bought a small one-gigabyte WESTERN DIGITAL "My Passport" hard drive to use as a DVR. I didn't buy the hard drive from DISH but any one will do as long as it meets DISH's specifications. I paid a one-time $40 fee to add the DVR services to my account.

Returning home from our last trip, we experienced water infiltration through the horizontal seam of the dome. KING says it is "condensation" but the witness marks and the amount of water leaves no doubt in my mind that the rain water was forced in through the seam between the dome and the base. After much analysis, I'm planning to use MISSION AUTOMOTIVE dielectric grease on the lip under the seam as a water 'proofing' sealant.

When I got the KING "tailgater", I was aware that the WINEGARD "Playmaker" was a little faster but I was skeptical about using it as a roof mounted antenna because of the design of the base. Since then, WINEGARD has come out with the "Playmaker" model PL-7000 with a redesigned base that is more roof-mount friendly; even better internals; and a lower price to-boot ! I will continue to use my KING 'tailgater' until it 'dies' from flooding but then I will switch to the WINEGARD PL-7000.

[rk911]

TCI wrote:
Hey all. We know their are a few options out their but we value everyones input. Right now we do OTA or the rv parks cable. We would like a satellite service we don't have to make a annual commitment to. If we use it two months and then not for 6 months and then again for a month, we would only be responsible for the months we use it. OK, I also would like to know how the antennas you set up yourself outside compare to if we had one installed on the roof. Can I run more than 1 tv on the antenna? Looking to try to figure out all the costs.
1. Antenna 2. Service
I may be missing something so please let me know. Thank you all for your knowledge.

we fit your description. we're out for 4-5 months during the winter and again for a shorter trip in the fall. we own our DISH network equipment outright (no contract) and we pay only for the months we use the service. a day or so before we leave I activate the service by paying for a month in advance. when we return home I simply stop paying. if your account includes special pricing for a particular channel(s) (we have HBO for $10 p/m) you may lose that special pricing by placing your service in suspension. that is not the case if you simply stop paying. you don't need to call anyone to stop the service...just don't pay. you do need to make a call to resume. to make this work you need to turn off automatic payments in your account. when I was researching this back in the summer of '15 DirecTV did not have a pay-as-you-go plan. that might have changed.

as for antenna we have the Winegard Trav'ler mounted on top of the MH. I love the convenience of pushing a button while I'm setting up and having it find and lock onto the birds by the time I'm done hooking up. the downside are the trees. I'd like to get a automatic portable antenna for those times but as of this moment none of them are compatible with our receiver/DVR Vip 422k). we have two TVs connected to the antenna/receiver and can simultaneously watch/record two different programs or record two and watch a third recording. if I had it to do over again and knowing what I know now I would likely choose a different receiver...one that was HD compatible with the 3-DISH birds as well as with a portable antenna. but overall we're very happy with our setup.

[MrWizard]

Somebody with more info then Me will be along
But it should be mentioned AFAIK the tailgator is a one receiver and one satellite device
The second TV had to watch the same channel as the primary TV
It might work with a receiver that has (2) tuners, but the channels would be on the same satellite

For watching different channels you need a receiver with two tuners, or two receivers
And they must still be on the same satellite
To watch different channels that are on different satellites
You need a dish with (3) Lnb's, so it gets all three satellites with out moving

[tinstartrvlr]

I can only speak about Dish. They have a "pause" option so that you don't pay when you aren't using it. However, there is a $5 a month charge while on pause. (beats a contract in my opinion). I have been happy with their service and customer service.

I have two antennas. (can't speak to roof antennas, other than they can't be moved to account for trees and things; someone else will have to chime in)

One is the Tailgater, for short stays, which I simply set out and plug in, and it finds the satellites by itself. I usually set it on one of the slides since it only weighs about 5 pounds. It will only run one TV in hi-def, but you can run a second tv in low def.
The other antenna is a tripod antenna, that I have to set up and aim each time. It takes some getting used to and can take time, but worth it to me in the long run. I use it for long term stays, and I can run up to 3 receivers off it, all in hi-def. I have two separate wire runs from the antenna to two separate receivers. I don't use the RV wiring since I always seems to have issues when doing so (cheap cable, loose connections, etc)

Cost for viewing depends on how many channels you want. Go to their website and check out the packages. I pay about a $100 a month for what I watch. About the cheapest package you can get is going to cost about $75 after taxes etc, and you can easily top $200 a month with lots of channels, movie channels, sports packages, etc. Up to you.

Cost for equipment depends on what you use.
The tailgater is about $375.
Tripod antenna about $150.
Another $50 for the satellite finder kit (for tripod antenna)
Vip211 receiver is about $75. Wally receivers/Hoppers are $100 plus, I think.

Hope this helps.