Domes vs. crank-up satellites

[EarlKabong]

I recently bonked the Winegard Mini-Max dome on my Sprinter Class B into an overhang and will likely have to replace it. But I never really loved the mini-max because I often had trouble acquiring satellite signals, even when not near any obvious obstacles. I understand the small dish means less margin for error in terms of satellite sight-lines. Still, I was often frustrated.

My question is whether there is any signal-acquisition advantage to switching to a crank-up satellite, or even a different model of in-motion dome? When I first acquired my vehicle, I thought in-motion was a necessity, but I used it so rarely that I think I could do without it now. I would certainly surrender in-motion capability in exchange for a more consistent signal acquisition ability when parked. It does need to be a rooftop dish though.

So, before I purchase a replacement dish, I'd love to know whether any of you have recommendations with this in mind. I do have an HD Dish Network receiver, but the contract is just about up, so I'd be able to switch providers with a minimum of hassle. My decision really is about finding the dish that is best able to find the satellite in the most situations.

What say you?

[wa8yxm]

A short compairison of Domes and Dish antennas

First: A dome can see ONE satellite at a time, DISHnetwork uses 3, and DirecHDTV uses 3 as well but 2 of 'em are in a different band so the dome can not see them at all.. Some domes can switch from one antenna to another on Dish.

This means if you and your significant other wish to watch two different shows on two different satellites... One of you will not be happy.

DISH type antennas however can have multiple LNB conveerters and band converters and can see all the birds at one time... You just need to have the dish that matches your service.


Second, Signal Strength

The bigger the reflector (Dish) the stronger the signal... Domes have very small half dishes inside them, So not nearly as strong.


Finally... A dome (Depending on the model) can work while you are tooling down the road allowing a DVR to record programmning for later viewwing.. Not so with a dish.

[deandec]

Hmmm.....I just installed the Mini/Max to replace the KVH LM dome we bought new.

The mini/max acquires the signal much faster and sits a bit higher on a narrower base. We have no extensive experience but so far it has been real good at in-motion tracking and signal acquisition.

At $950 and installed by me it was the cheapest alternative for a dome while getting SD signal from Direct TV. Both of my receivers use the SWM technology and that is how I wired the coach for both portable and dome antennae.

[EarlKabong]

Happytraveler -- Did you have a signal acquisition improvement compared to the Dome?

[Happytraveler]

We had the Dome and switched to the Winegard Traveler. So far very happy with the setup.

[Flanman55]

I have the crank up and love it... 15 seconds on the Iphone and 15 seconds cranking and she is up and running... Love my crank up

[drillking]

Have a Traveler SWM on our Lifestyle. Works great as long as we are not under trees. For those occasions we carry our old Winegard Carryout dome. I learned how to wire it in to bypass the Traveler. Don't have our HD but get all of our channels.

[Thunder_Mountai]

We absolutely love our Winegard Travler on our MH. Triple LNB. So, running a dual receiver and two TVs watching separate birds is not a problem. Great HD picture. Much more resistant to signal loss from rain than the KVH dome it replaced. Flawless one button operation.

All our MH campground camping is in the wide open spaces of Colorado, Arizona and Utah. If you camp where there are trees, then you have to rethink things. We also have a Tailgator on our little trailer. Do a lot of summer boondocking in Colorado's forests during the summer. We carry 150' of cable to get out of the trees. Once it is set up and running, switching between birds is pretty seamless. Since it is a single LNB, you can't run a dual receiver watching two different birds. Excellent HD picture with the Tailgator.

[Bill_Satellite]

Finding a satellite with a crank-up antenna is difficult but the more you do it the easier it gets. I would only recommend it for a DirecTV customer since all of the SD programming comes from only 1 satellite. You can't get HD but you will get all of your channels in SD. Dish uses 3 satellites and you would have to just pick on and watch the programming from that one.
The crank-up dishes also tend to get floppy after a few years making it difficult to hold the satellite picture on even a breezy day.
The Trav'ler automatic solves all these issues but it's pricy. A replacement dome (or a repaired dome if you ship it to Winegard) should work very well when weather is not an issue so if you get another (repaired) dome there might be some setup issues which were not handled properly.

[YC_1]

The Travler on the roof works extremely well. Just wish it had a quicker touch up for alignment. It has to close down and back up again if you relevel and need to have it realign. I would really like a built in signal meter but that does not seem to be in the cards.

I do carry a portable dish for the times we find trees in the way.

[Popsie]

IMO, a dish on a tripod is much more useful. We have a 100 foot cable for ours, and we've never been anywhere we couldn't get around or find a hole in the trees (we have been places where the mountain/hillside blocks the signals). It's also a lot cheaper, but that doesn't matter to everyone.

It may require a learning process, but once you get the hang of it (and bookmark dishpointer), it's easy to lock onto the satellites, and you don't need a fancy meter either.

[docj]

Not only do domes have smaller antennas they also have signal loss at the dome surface (reflection) which is made worse if there is any moisture on the dome surface. Furthermore domes are only capable of receiving channels from one satellite at a time; Dish requires the use of two satellites even for SD reception. Therefore, if you ever want to have a DVR, with a dome you can't watch one channel and record another unless they both happen to be on the same satellite. That's why so many RVers have switched to the Winegard Trav'ler; it's full size antenna can receive, at the same time, all 3 satellites needed for HD on either Dish or DireTV.

[mguay]

I have a crank up and sometimes it's a pain. I also realize carry a dish on a tripod for when there are alot of trees.

The next one will have a dome or traveler fully automatic!