We have DISH Network in our home, and the old original antennas in our '99 39Z Bounder. We are heading south soon for the winter, and I'd like to have the same DISH channels in the motorhome. We also want to be able to watch different shows at the same time on the rear and front TV's (my wife is not a big sports fan, and I'm a sports junkie). Also want to be able to use DVR show recording.
It seems like the Traveler roof antenna system may be the best fit, or should I go with covered dome dish?? I do not want the "in motion" system.
It seems like theft would be a major concern with the portable setups -- yes /no ??
As for a receiver, should I take the one from home (it is a DVR receiver that serves two TV's and allows each to be tuned to a different channel). Would I need any extra/additional wiring?? The label in the utility bay says it's already wired for both cable and satellite.
Would the "Hopper" that DISH is promoting work in the m/h??
If the receiver from home won't work in the MH, then what do you advise? I tried talking to DISH Network people, but I think I'm getting India or somewhere who I have difficulty understanding and who have no idea what an R/V or M/H is.
The problem with the DISH pay-as-you go plan, as I understand it, is it can't do a different channel on two tv's at the same time, and needs separate external drive to be able to record.
How do you find a competent and knowledgeable installer? Are Camping Worlds OK for this type of work?
On the Forums I've checked it seems there are more people unhappy w/ Direct TV than with DISH.
Thanks much for your time and help !!
The Bear II said
01:22 PM Oct 7, 2014
We use our receiver from home along with a dish antenna we bought separately for the 5th wheel I set it up on a tripod with weights to keep it from blowing over. I like this setup because I usually don't have to worry about obstacles to get a view of the southern sky. I have a 150 feet of cable so I can move the dish where I need it. If I do everything right it takes about 30 minutes to setup and lock in the 3 satellites. I use an antenna with LNBs to support HD and up to 2 receiver boxes.
So the answer is the right antenna & your box from home will provide what you are used to.
We've done this this way since Dish first began with no theft issues.
Two years ago after having trouble with the dish antenna in the RV, I chose to go with the Tailgator (pay as you go) setup. It's a lot easier to use... I set the antenna on top of the 5th wheel strap it to the ladder and hook it up to the receiver we bought along with the Tailgator antenna. I also added a external hard drive for recording.
If there is a need for DW and I to watch different TVs then I will hook up both Dish setups which makes her extremely happy because she can record 3 programs at once. I'm not so happy because she has tied up both receivers and I have to watch what she watches.
My next purchase will be a Traveler 1000 antenna to permanently mount on the 5th wheel. Between it and the tailgater we should be able to provide all of the entertainment we can handle.
-- Edited by The Bear II on Tuesday 7th of October 2014 01:24:39 PM
The Junkman said
02:29 PM Oct 7, 2014
Pretty sure the domeS does not get HD?
I have the traveler for direct tv mounted on the top of rv... and the genie dvr with 2 minis.. Loveing it.
Installed the boxes myself, and one call it's activated.. though the drv comes prewired..Direct tv also has a wireless option, I hear is good.
As to your local channels.. automatically set up when you sign up.By zipcode. I will add for $10/mo you can get DNS.. Distant network service, and get east coast/west coast locals.. as in abc/nbc etc.. We may add this later..
If you buy a winguard dish.. you can sign up with them.. They know how to get it done for RV'ers.. You may run into reps at dish or directtv that are lost, and don't or they say can't get it done..
Not sure on installers.. Mine was factory installed.
We watch all 3 tv's at some point each day.All in HD. And the dvr functions are cool.. When I am ready to watch tv.. so is it.. Wife is liking the NFL package..I like all like 50 movie channels ( hbo, cinemax etc.. )..lol
paying about $130.. mo for all of it.. well worth the money!
-- Edited by The Junkman on Tuesday 7th of October 2014 02:33:15 PM
-- Edited by The Junkman on Tuesday 7th of October 2014 02:35:36 PM
-- Edited by The Junkman on Tuesday 7th of October 2014 02:38:25 PM
A-S Travelers said
11:23 AM Oct 8, 2014
If your Dish Network receiver (DVR) in your home is set up for 2 TV's you can just move it to the RV and cable it the same way you have in the house.
As others have said, you can buy a dish and put it on a tripod and cable it to the DVR inside the RV.
I installed a Winegard Trav'ler on the roof of my RV and have been really, really happy with it. Just push a button and it pops up and finds the satellites and away we go.
I have used a dish on a tripod and it works well. A bit of a learning curve to set it up and find the satellites though.
We take the DVR from our house and just move it to the RV when we travel. Just be sure you don't have any 120V power going to the DVR while you travel. I have mine on a power strip and turn it off. If you travel with power to the DVR you will most likely damage the hard drive in the DVR. It is just like a desk top computer. The hard drive is not designed to be jarred or bounced while being used. Laptops have special hard drives which protect themselves from damage while being moved.
If you go the tripod route be cautious about the external satellite cable connection. The cable in the walls of the RV may not have the bandwidth to support satellite. Especially a 1999 model. I had that problem with a 2003 motorhome I had. You have to have coax cable which is tested/rated to 3000 G Hz.
Amazon has the Dish Network configured Traveler for a little over $1300 and maybe free shipping. Camping World is over $1500 and $80 shipping.
If you are pretty handy with tools you can install the traveler yourself. I have a curved roof so I built a plywood box with a beveled base so I would have a totally flat surface to mount the Traveler on. That may not have been necessary, but I didn't like having the base of the Traveler slightly bent. The install manual does not specify a "totally" flat surface. The install is pretty straight forward. You screw a mounting ring to the roof of the RV and then the Traveler attaches to the ring with screws. You have to route 2 cables to where you will have the DVR. That includes drilling a hole in the roof for the cables. One cable is the single coax for dish and the 2nd cable is from the Traveler's controller. This cable is just slightly larger than a coax cable.
By the way, did you install a HD flat screen TV in your 1999 RV? No sense getting the dish if you don't have a HD TV.
You probably have Dish Network "Local channels" at your house. When you get to your new location you can call Dish customer support and tell them you want to change your service address, but do not want them to change your billing address. I don't tell them I am now in an RV. I just say we have moved to a new location, all the equipment is set up and working and we just need to change our service address so we can get the local channels at our new location. If I am asked if we are in a RV I do answer truthfully. Sometimes I have to call customer service a 2nd time to get the local channels to change. They don't always get it right the first time.
-- Edited by A-S Travelers on Wednesday 8th of October 2014 11:40:26 AM
Lightfin said
08:32 AM Oct 10, 2014
Thanks much for the responses and the information. It's all helpful.
-- Edited by Lightfin on Friday 10th of October 2014 08:33:34 AM
We use our receiver from home along with a dish antenna we bought separately for the 5th wheel I set it up on a tripod with weights to keep it from blowing over. I like this setup because I usually don't have to worry about obstacles to get a view of the southern sky. I have a 150 feet of cable so I can move the dish where I need it. If I do everything right it takes about 30 minutes to setup and lock in the 3 satellites. I use an antenna with LNBs to support HD and up to 2 receiver boxes.
So the answer is the right antenna & your box from home will provide what you are used to.
We've done this this way since Dish first began with no theft issues.
Two years ago after having trouble with the dish antenna in the RV, I chose to go with the Tailgator (pay as you go) setup. It's a lot easier to use... I set the antenna on top of the 5th wheel strap it to the ladder and hook it up to the receiver we bought along with the Tailgator antenna. I also added a external hard drive for recording.
If there is a need for DW and I to watch different TVs then I will hook up both Dish setups which makes her extremely happy because she can record 3 programs at once. I'm not so happy because she has tied up both receivers and I have to watch what she watches.
My next purchase will be a Traveler 1000 antenna to permanently mount on the 5th wheel. Between it and the tailgater we should be able to provide all of the entertainment we can handle.
-- Edited by The Bear II on Tuesday 7th of October 2014 01:24:39 PM
Pretty sure the domeS does not get HD?
I have the traveler for direct tv mounted on the top of rv... and the genie dvr with 2 minis.. Loveing it.
Installed the boxes myself, and one call it's activated.. though the drv comes prewired..Direct tv also has a wireless option, I hear is good.
As to your local channels.. automatically set up when you sign up.By zipcode. I will add for $10/mo you can get DNS.. Distant network service, and get east coast/west coast locals.. as in abc/nbc etc..
We may add this later..
If you buy a winguard dish.. you can sign up with them.. They know how to get it done for RV'ers.. You may run into reps at dish or directtv that are lost, and don't or they say can't get it done..
Not sure on installers.. Mine was factory installed.
We watch all 3 tv's at some point each day.All in HD. And the dvr functions are cool.. When I am ready to watch tv.. so is it.. Wife is liking the NFL package..I like all like 50 movie channels ( hbo, cinemax etc.. )..lol
paying about $130.. mo for all of it.. well worth the money!
-- Edited by The Junkman on Tuesday 7th of October 2014 02:33:15 PM
-- Edited by The Junkman on Tuesday 7th of October 2014 02:35:36 PM
-- Edited by The Junkman on Tuesday 7th of October 2014 02:38:25 PM
If your Dish Network receiver (DVR) in your home is set up for 2 TV's you can just move it to the RV and cable it the same way you have in the house.
As others have said, you can buy a dish and put it on a tripod and cable it to the DVR inside the RV.
I installed a Winegard Trav'ler on the roof of my RV and have been really, really happy with it. Just push a button and it pops up and finds the satellites and away we go.
I have used a dish on a tripod and it works well. A bit of a learning curve to set it up and find the satellites though.
We take the DVR from our house and just move it to the RV when we travel. Just be sure you don't have any 120V power going to the DVR while you travel. I have mine on a power strip and turn it off. If you travel with power to the DVR you will most likely damage the hard drive in the DVR. It is just like a desk top computer. The hard drive is not designed to be jarred or bounced while being used. Laptops have special hard drives which protect themselves from damage while being moved.
If you go the tripod route be cautious about the external satellite cable connection. The cable in the walls of the RV may not have the bandwidth to support satellite. Especially a 1999 model. I had that problem with a 2003 motorhome I had. You have to have coax cable which is tested/rated to 3000 G Hz.
Amazon has the Dish Network configured Traveler for a little over $1300 and maybe free shipping. Camping World is over $1500 and $80 shipping.
If you are pretty handy with tools you can install the traveler yourself. I have a curved roof so I built a plywood box with a beveled base so I would have a totally flat surface to mount the Traveler on. That may not have been necessary, but I didn't like having the base of the Traveler slightly bent. The install manual does not specify a "totally" flat surface. The install is pretty straight forward. You screw a mounting ring to the roof of the RV and then the Traveler attaches to the ring with screws. You have to route 2 cables to where you will have the DVR. That includes drilling a hole in the roof for the cables. One cable is the single coax for dish and the 2nd cable is from the Traveler's controller. This cable is just slightly larger than a coax cable.
Here is the installation manual for the Traveler.
By the way, did you install a HD flat screen TV in your 1999 RV? No sense getting the dish if you don't have a HD TV.
You probably have Dish Network "Local channels" at your house. When you get to your new location you can call Dish customer support and tell them you want to change your service address, but do not want them to change your billing address. I don't tell them I am now in an RV. I just say we have moved to a new location, all the equipment is set up and working and we just need to change our service address so we can get the local channels at our new location. If I am asked if we are in a RV I do answer truthfully. Sometimes I have to call customer service a 2nd time to get the local channels to change. They don't always get it right the first time.
-- Edited by A-S Travelers on Wednesday 8th of October 2014 11:40:26 AM
Thanks much for the responses and the information. It's all helpful.
-- Edited by Lightfin on Friday 10th of October 2014 08:33:34 AM