Satellite tv

[SDM]

Going to invest in a satellite for our fiver. Thinking portable instead of fixed. Don't know weather to go with dish or direct if we go with a carryout model. Thoughts good or bad would be appreciated.

[AAFD]

wa8yxm wrote:
Ok, Antennas come in 2x2 types
Roof top (usually automatic) and Portable
Dish and dome
Domes can see ONE satallite at a time, And only one Frequency band. Work well with a SINGLE CHANNEL DISH receiver.. Do not work with DirecHDTV (work for the time with SDTV but that is on the chopping block in a few years).

NOTE: if you have more than one receiver, or a multi-channel receiver, Domes only work when all receivers want the same satallite, both services use 3. And again Domes on Direct only work with one of those. The SD one.

DISH type antennas: there are several types.. You get the one that matches your receiver and service, be it Dish or Direct, and it WORKS.. Well, Usually.

Rooftop or Portable.
A fully automated Rooftop, You park, push button Watch TV.. BUT... What if you are parked under the evil signal eating tree? (No joy there)

Portables set up takes a bit longer, epically with a DISH, but.. You can set it up away from said tree.

well said, I have both for my Direct TV. I also plan my sites out by getting sat views of the campground and check on the Tree line. It doesn't always work but It Ive learned.

KC

[wa8yxm]

Ok, Antennas come in 2x2 types
Roof top (usually automatic) and Portable
Dish and dome
Domes can see ONE satallite at a time, And only one Frequency band. Work well with a SINGLE CHANNEL DISH receiver.. Do not work with DirecHDTV (work for the time with SDTV but that is on the chopping block in a few years).

NOTE: if you have more than one receiver, or a multi-channel receiver, Domes only work when all receivers want the same satallite, both services use 3. And again Domes on Direct only work with one of those. The SD one.

DISH type antennas: there are several types.. You get the one that matches your receiver and service, be it Dish or Direct, and it WORKS.. Well, Usually.

Rooftop or Portable.
A fully automated Rooftop, You park, push button Watch TV.. BUT... What if you are parked under the evil signal eating tree? (No joy there)

Portables set up takes a bit longer, epically with a DISH, but.. You can set it up away from said tree.

[EsoxLucius]

If you travel and you want to see your NFL team play, then DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket is the only way to go. We have a Winegard Carryout G2 and DirecTV like it. It's only SD, but that works for us.

Well, maybe the above is overstating it. If you are assured good Internet connections you can get NFL Game Pass for $100 a year.

[SparkDr]

We've had both DirecTv and Dish in our camper and there are pros and cons to both. Dish gives HD with an auto-find portable while DirecTv offers more sports options and keeps signal better in foul weather. Right now, we're using Dish service with the Pathway X2 and are very pleased. FWIW - Dish seems more "friendly" to the concept of RV use and we move our units around from our outdoor TV setup at home, to the campground, to tailgating events, and then off to our hunting camp as needed. Dish knows what I'm doing as far as moving my portable setup around and doesn't care in the least. For full disclosure, I do have Dish equipment at home that stays in place as well. DirecTv, on the other hand, always seemed either incapable of handling the idea of portability in their system or thinks users are pulling some theft of service scam on them by having a portable setup. Just my $0.02, but we're happier with Dish.

[AAFD]

We have Direct TV at home, so when I bought our current RV we had a Travl'er dish set up on the roof for HD TV in our RV. We have two receivers that we take and leave in the RV. The only downfall is Trees can block your signal. But I have learned when making reservation to pick a spot based on trees.

KC

[Dutch_12078]

goducks10 wrote:
Only downside is that with the Dish portables you can't use any receivers but the 211 I believe. I would like to be able to pause and stop or record when not there. I know you can get an external hard drive to record but it's live recording, not preset.

With an external hard drive attached to your 211 and activated with Dish, you have full single tuner DVR capabilities including pause, stop, preset timing and channels, etc. If your receiver has the optiional OTA adapter (211z, Wally) or the built-in OTA (211k), then you can also record OTA programming at the same time as sat recording, or watch one while recording the other. You can even watch a recorded program while recording new programming with the sat and OTA tuners.

[goducks10]

We have Dish at home and in the RV. We're not full timers only weekend warrors with some full weeks thrown in. I used to have DTV but wanted HD quality for the RV so we went with a Winegard X2. We also have a 211 receiver we have permanently mounted in the 5er. Winegard stays in there too. It's nice not to have to unhook/hookup. Only downside is that with the Dish portables you can't use any receivers but the 211 I believe. I would like to be able to pause and stop or record when not there. I know you can get an external hard drive to record but it's live recording, not preset.
I use the Dish Pointer Pro app on my Droid phone and that really helps finding a good spot.

[BarneyS]

Moved to Technology Corner forum from 5th wheels.

[Big_Katuna]

DISH is doing 190 channels, $49/mo for two years, no DVR OR HD fees FOR LIFE. We switched from Directv and cuodnt be happier.

I use a tripod but am going to buy a Pathway X 2 carryout $400.

I read and have heard it has bigger reflector than the Tailgater so works in rain better plus sees western and eastern arc so you have a better chance of getting a signal.

[GoPackGo]

Been full timing for 3 years with a Winegard Pathway X2. Works great every time.

The X2 can get EITHER set of Dish satellites - eastern or western arc. Tailgater does not. I consider this to be a BIG deal.

X2 has a slightly larger dish then tailgater (bigger is better). It has 2 cable outputs so you can hook up to 2 TVs and watch different channels as long as they come from the same satellite.

Note that DirectTV does not put out an HD signal that the portable receivers can get. Dish does. Direct does have the NFL package and Dish does not (GRRRR !).

[rhagfo]

We are currently on Dish's RV pay as you go plan, we own all the equipment Tailgater and receiver. We actually have the service disconnected between trips, I believe the package allows this for up to six months. There is no charge for the down time, a "pause" you get charged $5 per month.
We do like the service Dish provides, and will continue to use when we go full time.

[md_procouple]

In our humble opinion, We have had Both Direct and Dish services, and have Found that DISH Tv has the better options. You can start and stop it any time, and keep it suspended for a minimal monthly fee, with Direct you do not have that option. As far as the antennas go, we just gotten a Tri-pod, and set it up. If your are Satillite finding challenged like my husband it, you can also have a set up plan at DISH. We just call them a day or two before our arrival and they come out and aim the receiver dish. Been doing that now for 3 years and not had a problem. Good Luck and Happy Camping !!!

[DannyA]

I have Direct at home. I had a receiver in a bedroom we seldom used so I put it in the 5th wheel, it stays in there all time.
Bought the Winegard Carryout, very pleased.

[BB_TX]

Are you a full timer, long timer, or sometimer? If you only intend to use it on occasional trips, the Dishformyrv pay as you go plan would be good. You only have to pay for the months you use it. And don't pay for the other months. Basic plan I believe is about $50/mo, and up depending on how many channels you want to pay for.

If you have Dish at home, just add the RV to the home account for $7/mo. You would need to buy an additional receiver for the RV. Some people take a receiver ftom home when they travel, but l prefer to have one I can just leave in the RV.

We have had Dish both at home and in the RV for many years and very happy with it. I used a tripod mounted antenna for a couple years, but never got very good at aiming it. Bought a Tailgater and let it find the sats automatically. With Dish, when traveling outside your home area you can call (or on line chat), tell them your current location, tell them you want to change your service address (not billing address), and in a few minutes you will have major network stations from the nearest local city.