Satellite Tv dish - RV-Dreams Community Forum

hpykmpr47 · RV-Dreams Community Member

Satellite Tv dish

Rob_Fla · RV-Dreams Family Member

We use a manual Dish Tripod and after a few times setting it up our setup time is usually 5 minutes and we are ready to go.

As far as storing, the tripod folds up and the dish stores easly on its side in the storage compartment without taking much room.

We do have a good meter that helps align the dish in a matter of minutes.

Also have the Dishfiinder App on I Phone to make sure we have a clear view of the satellites with no trees blocking.

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

Alan to find a signal is pretty easy after setting up a few times , even quicker if someone is there to give you a hands on lesson.....
Dish network has a system called a tailgator .....I have one in my sidebox they come automatic and manual,Nice little system......

without spending alot of money you can pick up a used dish and a tri pod almost anywhere also , it depends on your budget
but dont panic , setting it up is easier than it looks or sounds!!!

Workinrvers · RV-Dreams Family Member

agree that setting it up it not all that hard but let me add a little food for thought. We had a manual dish through DirectTV, single LNB (meaning no HD channels) feeding one receiver for our 5th wheel. We used it for the living room TV and it was really easy to set up. I used a simple compass to find the general direction and set the other settings per the direct TV set up guide on the TV. I used the tones that you hear through the TV speakers (when in "set up" mode) to fine tune the signal (I could usually open a window near the TV and hear them outside while adjusting the dish) and that was it. Took me about 5 minutes max from start to finish and is easier than I make it sound.

I hear that Dish Network or multi LNB dishes are a little harder to point but a lot of people do it.

Phil

Rob_Fla · RV-Dreams Family Member

Ours is the 3 LNB Dish Network HD Dish and you are right it is a little more tougher to aim, the meter gives me the signal strength for all three LNBs so it is easy to peak the dish signal in just a few minutes.

Just plug the dish into the meter and peak all three LNB signals, connect to the 5th Wheel Satellite port and turn on the reciever and tv, done.

53 Merc · RV-Dreams Family Member

I got tired of trying to aim the dish, so I bought a Winegard Carryout. Dirt simple. Step one, put it on the ground. Step two, connect the two coaxial cables. Step three, connect the 12 volt supply. Step four, wait until the dish quits (grunting). Step five, go in the rig and turn on the receiver and TV. Enjoy either or both TVs. Later, go disconnect the 12 volt cable and store. Total elapsed time, approx 2 minutes.

-- Edited by 53 Merc on Sunday 17th of March 2013 06:47:43 AM

Racerguy · RV-Dreams Family Member

Ken,Am I correct in saying you can't get Hi-Definition with the carry out ?

53 Merc · RV-Dreams Family Member

Racerguy wrote:
Ken,Am I correct in saying you can't get Hi-Definition with the carry out ?

yep, you are correct. I am not discerning enough to be able to tell a difference between hi-def and regular, so no issue to me.

hpykmpr47 · RV-Dreams Community Member

Sounds like a plan.I didn't realize that they needed 12 volt hook-up but I guess that would make sense. So do you have any idaes on how to get the local channels when you are in a certain area,by local I mean ABC,NBC&CBS........Alan

53 Merc · RV-Dreams Family Member

hpykmpr47 wrote:
Sounds like a plan.I didn't realize that they needed 12 volt hook-up but I guess that would make sense. So do you have any idaes on how to get the local channels when you are in a certain area,by local I mean ABC,NBC&CBS........Alan

You do have an antenna, right? The satellite reciever has a connection to allow antennae reception. DirectV and Dish both have local channels provided on the satellite, however, you have to request service address change everytime you change locations. Both companies get rather testy if you request address change too often.

Both also have either east or west channels, one is NY and the other is LA. Not local channels, but they are ABC, CBS and NBC. It is an extra cost.

TXRVr · RV-Dreams Family Member

You didn't say which service you have. I think DirecTV is easier to set up and find the signal because it doesn't have a skew factor (tilting side to side). Some things not mentioned:

1- Get 100 ft of RG6 cable. If you occassionally camp among the trees you may need that much for a clear sky view.

2- Go to WalMart and buy a hand cranking wind up reel for the cable. Easy storage. Also buy a 15-20 plastic covered boat anchor to weigh down the tripod. It will hook to the bungee cord on the bottom plate. I've used one for years and never had the tripod blow over.

3- If you are not aware, know that you need a straight thru connection on the side of your RV; possibly labeled "cable." You won't get a sat signal if it has to go thru the TV amplifier.

4- If you have a smart phone or tablet, you can go online and download a satellite app to find it. Pretty neat and they work. Or you can just look around for a neighbor who has their's set up and then copy.

Contact your local service provider to see if they have some of the older oval dishes that they will sell you cheap. In most home installations those have been replaced by a larger parabolic dish so they usually have the older ones laying around.

Lucky Mike is correct. Once you've done it a few times it gets easier, but don't change the settings when you put it away. The next time they will be close enough to make it quicker finding the sat. at another campground.

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

if you are looking for the whole " Kit & Kaboodle "....dishnetwork offers a deal on the tailgator carry-out system....easy setup

I dont know the price but my rig came with it and its simple to operate.