DIRECT TV FOR RV'S

I didn't change service, I just bought an antenna and tripod then took a receiver from the house into the RV. The only caveat is that the receiver needs to be a "D" receiver or an "H" receiver no higher than an H24. An H25 or higher requires SWM which means you need additional hardware, but CAN be made to work.

All you really need to do is send in the paperwork to turn off your local networks and get DNS service. DNS service is Distant Network Service, or something like that. It is the local networks from New York and/or Los Angeles.

I would keep your current DVR and take it in the RV. Why lose that benefit just because you are in an RV. I have a Genie plus an H25 in my RV and it works great. Even though you will only receive the SD version of the DTV programming, everything else will work just as it does now. You don't need to change anything about your account but if you are going to use less receivers than you are currently using you will need to drop them from your account. DTV will send a box for you to return them to avoid the fee if you do not.
Otherwise, just move them and go. You may also find that you wish you had service like you have at home since you will now simply be at home in an RV. The hardware you now have would still work when you find the dome simply does not preform as well as an open faced antenna does and you can get back your home performance plus HD with the "right" roof mounted antenna.

I don't think you're going to like a steady diet of SD after having HD.

You do not need to change anything - just bring along your spare SAT RCVR from your bedroom and connect a tri-pod type SAT DISH to it at the camp ground... This is NOT cheating and is condoned by DIRECTV. They don't have any problem with where you use your equipment once you have signed up with them. I would bring along the ACCT INFO and CARD INFO with you so you can have DIRECTV reset your SAT RCVR. Sometimes mine loses the setup info when I unplug it and I have to call DIRECTV to get it turned back on again. I taped all my info on the SAT RCVR case. You will lose youe LOCAL TV coverage when you get outside your assigned ZIP CODE but that can be filled in at the camp ground by using the OTA ANTENNA and tune in the local NATL BROADCAST HDTV signals being transmitted from the local towns.

Run the RG cable from the SAT DISH head into the trailer and connect to the SAT INPUT on the SAT RCVR. Then I run VIDEO CABLEs from the SAT RCVR to a VIDEO INPUT on the trailer TV set. Now I can use the TV REMOTE to switch to the SAT TV or CABLE/OTA TV.

Worked great for us when we was doing years back. We actually ran two RG cables into the trailer and brought along two SAT RCVRs form the house. This way we had TV in the living room and also in the bedroom both watching different SAT TV signals.

I use the BIRD WHISTLER to find the SAT in the southern sky



I also found a portable SAT DISH "DUAL HEAD" setup from local RV place that looks like this. Made setup real easy...


Worked great for us. We finally stopped using SAT TV when the Natl Broadcast came on line. All we like to watch are the CBS-NBC etc channels anyway and they are being transmitted in full HIGH DEF TV mode. We use the OTA BATWING antenna to tune thenm in from the local towns where we are camping- Usually get 6-36 digital channels from the local towns just about everywhere we camp here on the EAST SIDE of the US.

good luck

Roy Ken

I just grab a receiver from on of the kid's rooms. When you first turn it on (in our case) it will be set to SWM in the setup menu. But you can't change it until it gets tired of looking for the satellite, about 5 minutes or a little longer. Then, you go to setup and redo the satellite setup, making sure that you change the SWM designation to multi=switch. There will be many types of dish sizes to choose from, but I've found that the only critical thing is that it is changed to Multi-switch.

Continuing on with setup, it will look like only 'some' of the transponders are working when the dish is in the right place, but that is probably because you can't get the HD ones. As others have said, we don't get our local channels, because they are on a 'spotlight' beam, or a very focused feed that is only a couple of hundred miles wide. I just read that one of the posters had DirecTV put on the national networks as a workaround. We will try that on the next long trip.

When we get home, it still takes the receiver at least 5 minutes before it will let me get to the setup menu to redo the satellite setup. Going back to SWM for home, it seems to reconfigure itself by auto selecting the SWM option. But, you have to get it into the setup menu.

Get a HD dish...it can either be on the roof or manual on the ground setup...Not a big thing...We take our receivers with us...all over creation...same programs, etc.All HD...

We have the Directv HD digital recorder that we planned to take with us this summer. We have the HD tripod mounted dish for the RV. Any reason the recorder won't work under these conditions?

double post by mistake, sorry.

Boxer Lovers wrote:
We have the Directv HD digital recorder that we planned to take with us this summer. We have the HD tripod mounted dish for the RV. Any reason the recorder won't work under these conditions?

It will work just fine. That's specifically what I recommend in a post above.