Campsite Directv

[austingta]

I'm having trouble finding (well, deciding on) the best mobile Directv (needs to be HD, but not Genie so much) solution. Amazon has one that looks pretty good . Any recommendations?

What I want to do is have one account, and when I go camping, take my dish (which seems like it should be a second dish, instead of taking ny home dish with me) and its kit and my in-home receiver box with me and set it up wherever I may be.

Thanks for the advice.

[Bill_Satellite]

The Pathway (no dome) can see both at the same time. The 1 LNB inside moves back and forth between satellites when you make a channel selection. That's why you are unable to have 2 separate receivers watching channels being broadcast from different satellites. It's also often an issue with a DVR when trying to watch one channel and record another.
The open faced antenna with multiple LNB's solve that problem.

[Big_Katuna]

So how does the Pathway see both?

[Bill_Satellite]

Just to be clear, you cannot use the 1000.2 WA for the EA and you cannot use the 1000.4 EA to receive WA, no matter what your installer told you. You can swap the LNB's between the same reflector but the LNB's are different for each set of satellites.

[Big_Katuna]

When I had DISH installed at the house, I asked the installer for an extra dish and LNB. I mentioned going out west and gave me the .4? Dish.

He said it has an extra LNB for the WA; just aim it at whichever set you want. It will not get a combination of both. Neithercwill the Pathway

Its like the Pathway. It gets one or the other.

[Bill_Satellite]

Really? How is that possible when the 3 satellite spacing is completely different? You can't use the same LNB to pick up all 3 of the EA and WA satellites due to spacing differences but it might be possible to pick up the 2 main EA satellites. I would appreciate details as I have been out of the loop for awhile.

[Big_Katuna]

The WA LNB works for both arcs. You just point it differently.

My Pathway chooses SATs automatically; the user just changes channels, however its true that the second output follows the primary output and only gets channels on that sat. This is with the 211Z box.

[Bill_Satellite]

The Carryout automatic dome style antennas have only 1 LNB and can see only 1 satellite at a time. This can be a real problem for many users.
Dish use 2 different sets of satellites. The WA and the EA. If you want to be able to receive programming from more than 1 satellite at a time (DVR usage, etc.) then you need an open faced antenna with a multiple LNB. The LNB set is different for WA and EA.

[Big_Katuna]

Now I am confused. What about two sets of satellites with DISH?

I have one carryout that gets me all of my channels. Why would I need two?

[austingta]

Bill.Satellite wrote:

What confuses me is this statement:

"I don't have either yet. I'm moving out to the country soon and will need to get something for there and RVing as part of a lifestyle change."

Leaving the Country? Could you explain your plans?

LOL

Down here in the south, we sometimes call rural areas "out in the country". I'm selling my oversized suburban house and moving to a smaller house on a farm about 30 miles outside the Austin City Limits.

Or, put another way, no typo was made (this time!).

[Bill_Satellite]

There are no issues with Dish programming that DirecTV will not have at some time. That's how negotiations go with the satellite TV companies. I prefer DTV over Dish simply because I do NOT have to deal with 2 separate antennas for the 2 separate sets of satellites. Plus DirecTV allows you to sign up for DNS Network service so you have Network TV programming every where you go everyday without having to make any phone calls or chats.
What confuses me is this statement:

"I don't have either yet. I'm moving out to the country soon and will need to get something for there and RVing as part of a lifestyle change."

Leaving the Country? Could you explain your plans?

[austingta]

Big Katuna wrote:
If you dont have either yet or not under contract, I would recommend DISH over Directv.

I have had both DTV for fifteen years and switched to DISH a year ago when they came out with their $49/mo for two years.

With DTV I used a good tripod like TV4RV sells. You need a good tripod that you can easily level; it makes attaining a good signal on all sats more reliable.

There are no carry out auto domes for Directv HD.

With DISH there are several. The best (IMHO) is the Winegard Pathway X2. $400.

It lets you pick between the western or eastern arcs for a better chance to clear trees.

DISH is easier to deal with as far as being rv friendly. They encourage rv use and when you change areas and lose your locals, you call them up and they gladly change to your new area.

With a 211 receiver ($70) you connect the carry out, turn it on, it asks you which arc you want, you click scan and wait.

I don't have either yet. I'm moving out to the country soon and will need to get something for there and RVing as part of a lifestyle change.

Is the programming OK with Dish? I've heard they are losing channels.

[Big_Katuna]

If you dont have either yet or not under contract, I would recommend DISH over Directv.

I have had both DTV for fifteen years and switched to DISH a year ago when they came out with their $49/mo for two years.

With DTV I used a good tripod like TV4RV sells. You need a good tripod that you can easily level; it makes attaining a good signal on all sats more reliable.

There are no carry out auto domes for Directv HD.

With DISH there are several. The best (IMHO) is the Winegard Pathway X2. $400.

It lets you pick between the western or eastern arcs for a better chance to clear trees.

DISH is easier to deal with as far as being rv friendly. They encourage rv use and when you change areas and lose your locals, you call them up and they gladly change to your new area.

With a 211 receiver ($70) you connect the carry out, turn it on, it asks you which arc you want, you click scan and wait.

[Merrykalia]

We found a Directv dish that was left on a rental house in our neighborhood. The owner called and Directv said they would have someone come get it, but after 3 months, no one came, so the owner took it off his house and left it in the trash. We called him, took it and built our own tripod for it.

We take one of the receivers out of the house, hook up the satellite, manually locate the satellite using a smart phone app and we have all our channels that we have at home unless we are further than 100-150 miles from home. If that is the case, we have the cable networks and get locals using our antenna.

[Sandia_Man]

Been doing exactly the same for the last 15 years with either Directv or Dish network. I just purchase the same sat dish installed on our home online and set-up upon arrival to our destination. Not as important for SD viewing since only a single satellite is locked in, but for HD channels your satellite tripod/stand must be level/plumb to acquire the 3 satellites. Practice setting up your RV sat system at home first that way you could get the hang of it and work out any bugs in your RV wiring. Takes us 10 minutes tops and we have every channel we have at home while RVing.