Direct TV in my RV - RV-Dreams Community Forum

patoneill · RV-Dreams Family Member

Direct TV in my RV

GENECOP · RV-Dreams Family Member

Directv just bills based on the number of receivers, so yes as long as that HD receiver is activated it will work in your RV. You will need an HD dish...

WestWardHo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Hummm, I'm checking to follow up but there is something about the new receivers not getting HD in a rig but I'm not at all sure. I will follow up when I hear back.

Old Snipe · RV-Dreams Family Member

I did it for years with an extra DirecTV receiver. It worked fine. The only down side is if you go outside of the "Spot Beam" for your local channels (ABC, CBS, NBC, etc.) you won't get them, usually 50-100 miles from your house. Not a big deal because you can get them on your over the air antenna if you wish.

Now that we are full time, we changed our home coverage to the RV option. You have to provide your RV registration and then they will sign you up, and you can get the local channels with either an East Coast (NY) or West Coast (LA) feed.

Everything available on DirecTV is available with the RV option, just like your house subscription. As for the HD option, you will need a compatable dish for that.

Best Regards!

patoneill · RV-Dreams Family Member

I like the idea of keeping our receiver and using our subscription. This is just for a few months and I am glad it sounds so easy. This evening, we stopped by a RV parts dealer in our area and he recommended this portable antenna:

http://www.winegard.com/portable-satellite-antennas/manual-portable-satellite-antenna.php

I am not sure this is what we want... If I read well it says "Direct TV standard definition" aka not HD. I am also going to call DirectTV to see what they have to propose.

So, I can use satellite for some channels and antenna for others? how does the TV understand what to do? sorry for the question... I don't know anything about TVs.

Thanks!

Ann-Hank · RV-Dreams Family Member

We have a portable antenna from Camping World (looks like a hat box). It works great but will not receive HD from DirectTV, only Dishnet. We only have a small flip down Tv in our Sprinter, so not a problem. I didn't know DirectTV had a program for FTers, thanks for the info Paul.

Bill and Linda · RV-Dreams Family Member

patoneill wrote:
I like the idea of keeping our receiver and using our subscription. This is just for a few months and I am glad it sounds so easy. This evening, we stopped by a RV parts dealer in our area and he recommended this portable antenna:
http://www.winegard.com/portable-satellite-antennas/manual-portable-satellite-antenna.php
I am not sure this is what we want... If I read well it says "Direct TV standard definition" aka not HD. I am also going to call DirectTV to see what they have to propose.
So, I can use satellite for some channels and antenna for others? how does the TV understand what to do? sorry for the question... I don't know anything about TVs.
Thanks!

IMO and to sometimes quote my friend Jack, “You don’t want this one” for what you intend to do with the weekend camping deal. Correct, it is only SD, not HD. Also, as to cost, for $100 you can purchase a small 18” dish with a tripod. Still SD, but less technology to break and it costs less to do exactly the same thing. (Just cut and past the links.)

http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp?mc=02&p=46DTVDE2&d=DIRECTV-18-Dish-Antenna-with-Dual-Output-LNB-and-Mount-(46DTVDE2)&c=DIRECTV Dishes&sku=053818480106

If you want HD you will need an HD dish. For weekends, having done this for a long time, I would just recommend you purchase the small 18” dish and let it go at that. When you go full-time or travel more, invest in a Winegard SK-3005 automatic HD antenna mounted on the roof if you want the best that works. Then keep the little 18” dish for when the roof antenna is blocked by trees.

However, if you want HD on a tripod this one will work. It is similar to the one on your house and can be mounted on a large board with weights. It will work, but is pretty big. Some use this while in an RV

http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp?mc=02&p=AU9-SL3-B&d=DIRECTV-AU9SL3B-Three-LNB-KaKu-Slim-Line-Dish-Antenna-w-Long-and-Short-Brace-and-SL3-LNB-Combo-(AU9SL3B)&c=DIRECTV Dishes&sku=

Now, when you change between your home HD dish and a little 18” dish you have to tell the receiver that you’ve changed antennas so it “knows.” It isn’t complicated but you will need to begin by changing the settings in the menu under “setting up the satellite antenna.” IF you purchase the same antenna you have on your house then you probably will not need to make any setting changes in the receivers. Also remember in the Program Guide setup to tell it you want to see the “SD duplicate” channels or they may not show up.

On the question or comment about HD “not working in a rig.” It has to do with the old RV satellite “dome” antennas that don’t work for HD.

As far as receiving “off-air” TV stations, the TV “knows” by you reading the manual and telling the TV you want off-air TV stations or want “video” via the HDMI or video cable from the satellite receiver. I don’t say this to be flippant. It is just that you have to read the manual as all TV’s have different ways of doing the same thing and selecting “off-air” or video inputs from satellite receivers.

BTW, there is no such thing as an HD “off-air” TV antenna. While there are ways to improve reception range for “off-air” antennas, in the case of “off-air” HD there is no antenna that is HD or SD like satellite. They’re all “HD.”

As an observation, when you call Direct TV ask for a representative in the RV / Mobile area. Most of the first call reps don’t have a clue about RV’s and Mobile so you have to just stay with it till you get some who is trained in this area.

If you are just taking your home receiver out of the house and using it in the RV for weekends pretty close to home there is no need to call Direct TV. In fact don’t. They don’t have to do a thing and care less that you are doing this. It’s just fine with them.

Too long a post but you and other brought up a lot of subjects.

Hope this helps.

Bill

Edit by moderator: Activated links. Terry

-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Tuesday 14th of August 2012 01:53:23 PM

jbarrett72 · RV-Dreams Family Member

I don't know anything about these either!!! So, my question is....what keeps me from taking the dish off the house and sticking it onto a tri-pod???

53 Merc · RV-Dreams Family Member

We have been on Directv for years with no issues. As has been said, if away from home, no locals. We finally got tired of the set up hassles with the manual dish, so I bought the Wineguard Carryout antenna. Extra pleased with it. Hook up all the wires, drop it on the ground and it finds satellite within 30 seconds and you are in business. could not be simpler. Money well spent. No, I am not associated with Wineguard.

WestWardHo · RV-Dreams Family Member

O.K. I checked with our local DTV dealer. DTV caught on that people were taking their receivers from their homes and putting them in their RV's so with the newer receivers (H-25's) the last couple of years, they changed they programming so it won't work without a DTV Satellite Dish and new programming. If you have the older H-24's those will work fine work fine.
If you have newer HDDVR, you can use it with and HD antenna but it needs to be reprogrammed every time you move it. Takes about 10 minutes and your local dealer can tell you how to do it.
I think I got this right.....jump in if I'm wrong.
~Sherry