Direct TV

[Coachman_Dave]

I currently have a DirecTV account at my home. I would like to get one for my travel trailer also. I've talked to a couple RV dealers and they will sell me a receiver and dish for anywhere from $600 to $800. I went on eBay and if I buy them separately it looks like I could get by with about $200 - $300. Am I missing something here? I've always had great success with eBay but since I know nothing about this procedure of installing Direct TV, I'm a little hesitant to go forward with buying it on eBay.. any suggestions would help. Thanks!

[CA_Traveler]

Check the beam maps and you'll see good signal strength near the border. The further south you go the weaker the signal. So the answer is "maybe".

The 103 beam map for the lower 48 includes Alaska and covers much of western Canada. I had reception all along the Alaskan highway and Alaska.

[goducks10]

austingta wrote:
If this is off-topic please let me know or feel free to move it.

I'm thinking of taking my rig to Mexico for an extended stay. Is it practical to take my DirecTV set-up with me and use it there?

Per DTV site.

Is DIRECTV in Mexico?




We are legally prohibited from transmitting the DIRECTV signal outside the United States. However, DIRECTV Latin America transmits to Argentina, Brazil, the Caribbean, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

[austingta]

If this is off-topic please let me know or feel free to move it.

I'm thinking of taking my rig to Mexico for an extended stay. Is it practical to take my DirecTV set-up with me and use it there?

[ReferDog]

I think some have missed the ppoint. 1st what you are buying is a small dish with servo motor that's what locates the sat signal or sats. They work very well. You need a receiver either from your home or you purchase another, usually one that's compatible with the dish.(dish needs power)
Home units sometimes are not compatible. Sometimes you can not have home stations on a septerate receiver(DISH) only the 150 junk stations unless you change ZIP codes.

[humblerb]

We have used the Wineguard carryout for years and have had great success with it.
We have used both Dish and Directv. On the Dish, our daughter had home satellite and we added an extra box for $5/month. Kept it in the trailer and had to make a call and activate the box each trip.
On Directv, we bought a box on the internet.
We also bought an in-line satellite finder. Best investment we have ever made.
The large tripod dishes are probably nice, but the carryout is about 12" diameter and about 8" high, with a handle for carrying.
Very convenient and takes up very little space.

[Sandia_Man]

Whether it is Directv or Dish network, we simply purchased the very same satellite dish we had mounted on our roof at home either on Ebay or some other online retailer. That way we are assured of receiving the exact same programming we have at home. I paid just over $50 for the HD sat dish we are currently utilizing for satellite tv while RVing.

With either service provider, if you have an account for your home, a separate account is not needed. With Directv we simply brought our HD receiver from our master bedroom. With Dish Network we just purchased the VIP receivers for our rig since they are under $100, eliminating the hassle of bringing receivers back and forth from RV to home.

For HD satellite tv, both Directv and Dish network require acquisition of 3 satellites, while SD channels can be viewed with the acquisition of a single satellite. Either configuration is easy to attain as long as mast is plumb to start the process. I highly suggest to practice setting up at home to avoid frustrations at the campground.

One of the concerns is that many RVs are not really set up for satellite tv. My rig actually had a label above the single exterior coax input claiming satellite ready. Much to my dismay, the satellite signal could not reach my sat receiver due to a splitter where my interior coax output was located. There is a quick mod that alleviates this issue.

For us, the actual pointing of the sat dish is the easiest part, it takes longer to unwind the coax and set-up the tripod. Once again, to assure quick acquisition of the satellites in the southern sky, sat dish mast must be plumb, particularly for HD content, purchasing a tripod that has levels built in greatly simplifies the process.

[enblethen]

I chose the portable Winegard Carry out so I could move it around.
I watched many people fighting their tripods trying to find a signal and said that was not for me.

[daystrom]

The trailer mounted automatic systems are nice except when your view to the sky is blocked. A tripod mounted dish can be moved around to a clear area of the sky.

[CA_Traveler]

OP, We take our receiver from home with us in the RV using one account and that is one of several options.

BUT the equipment and dishes must be compatible.

[azdryheat]

I have DirecTv in my home. I used to take the main box and a tripod-mounted antenna in the trailer. Big pain at times finding the satellites at times. Plus all TV's had to watch the same program.

I upgraded my home to DirecTv Wireless Genie system and I installed a Winegard Travler antenna on the trailer's roof. Now I take the main box, the wireless units and hook them up in the trailer. When we get to the campsite I push a button and the antenna finds the satellites it needs. This is also the only way to get HD programming with DirecTv. One other point is the Genie's use HDMI cable so you have no signal interference from your trailer's coax cables. Best thing is every TV can watch something different, which is great when the grandkids are camping with us.

[Ivylog]

I take two from home, a DVR and simple one coax receiver. Be careful buying a used one on EBay without calling Direct with the receiver ID number as not all receivers will still work regardless of owned or not.
Why not take a receiver from home??? it does not care where it's located.

[enblethen]

We have Direct TV at the house with several receivers.
Wre take a standard receiver with us. We do not care what is happening at home. We use the antenna for local programming.
We use a Winegard Carry out for connecting receiver to the sats. Work good easy to set up.

[daystrom]

Whatever dish you get, standard def 18" or high def 36"... The most important part of setting up the dish is to make sure it is absolutely plumb. If you are off a few degrees on the ground, your off by a few hundred miles in space.

A quality tripod is a must especially with the larger HD dish. I recommend tv4rv.com. Their tripods are expensive but very worth it.

[SparkDr]

Good information posted thus far, but to be honest it is a re-hash of a question that has already been asked and answered in detail several times before. I think you'll see your responses will be a bit diluted since the information is already out there. A quick forum search will offer numerous discussions and thorough responses / explanations that will have you on your way in no time.