OK, we admit it, we can't live without television. - RV-Dreams Community Forum

suse1023 · RV-Dreams Family Member

OK, we admit it, we can't live without television.

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

For US customers there is only Dish and DirecTV. Canadians have other providers like Shaw and Bell Express.

We do live without TV, so I can't tell you which to go with.

suse1023 · RV-Dreams Family Member

huh, I thought I remembered reading about one called equate or something like that. but I could have dreamed it too!
if those are the only two options however, that sure will simplify the decision making process.

BiggarView · RV-Dreams Family Member

bjoyce wrote:
...We do live without TV ...

Do you feel okay? No palpatations? No feelings or burning desires to surrend your free will to the commercial Gods???? Are you crazy? biggrin Quick, somebody figure out how to get the tin foil( or is it carbon fiber now?) off Bill's head!! We are in control of the audio, we are in control of the video, we are in control everything you see and hear.... NO! stop the voices biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin

Alie and Jims Carrilite · RV-Dreams Family Member

We just have a simple TailGator that runs thru Dish Network. The plan is around $80 a month, but it only runs 1 TV.

Workinrvers · RV-Dreams Family Member

the Tailgator like Alie and Jim have is a nice option. We had one when we had our 5er and it worked well, loved that it was automatic and you just sit it down and it finds the sats itself. If you want to go less $'s you can get a dish and mount it on a tripod and do the aiming yourself. This is a little harder but the manual dishes will serve two TV's (watching different shows on each TV) and you can buy devices that help you aim them.

I would recommend Dish Networks 'RV to Go" plan which is a non-contract plan that you can discontinue and start back up month to month. We chose that because occasionaly we stay longer then a month in a park or at a work camping job where cable is provided and we can "shut off" the Dish and save our $55 per month. We give them a call when we want it started again and simply pay for another month and they turn it back on.
So far Direct TV has not offered a plan like this and you have a 1 or 2 year contract that you pay for regardless of using it.

Phil

ps: we pay for local stations based on our service address and when we move to a new location we change our address with Dish and they change our locals. We only do this 3-4 times per year as we work camp most of the time.

-- Edited by Workinrvers on Friday 28th of March 2014 06:16:31 AM

Jo And Craig · RV-Dreams Family Member

There are actually apps out there that will find satellites for you. I don't recall the name, so a Google search should work. I suppose this is dependent on whether or not you have cell service. Just a thought.

The Bear II · RV-Dreams Family Member

We have had Dish since it began operations. It works great for the RV.

There are beginning to be options that work over an internet connection. But you need broadband and unlimited data.

One of the up & coming services but in limited areas is Aereo. There's usually an ad for it on the RV-Dreams website.

I'm predicting satellite TV will be a thing of the past within the next 5 years. It sure looks like internet based TV services will take over as cell/internet services increase coverage and have better data plans.

MarkS · RV-Dreams Family Member

On the house I have a direct TV dish. I am thinking of a tripod and a dish until I can see if one mounted on the roof is what I want.

Would it save me anything to take the one off the house or will they provide one when I sign up for service?

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

there are so many around mark you can pick up a dish from someone who just wants it off there house....or the pole in there yard!!

Clay L · RV-Dreams Family Member

One downside with Dish is that you can't change the time and the program guide is wrong when you change time zones. As I recall my friend Bud had to call Dish to have his service address changed to get the time right.

With Direct it is a simple menu entry change.

Not a big deal, but for full timers moving about it can be annoying.

-- Edited by Clay L on Friday 28th of March 2014 01:21:58 PM

Bill and Linda · RV-Dreams Family Member

In an RV, if you travel, Direct TV has technical advantages over dish. In an S & B, or if you don't travel much, it is a Ford/Chevy discussion. But in an RV that travels and sometimes to places where reception is a problem (think trees and dirt - mountains) Direct TV is, IMO, the better choice. It's a technical issue. Not a programming issue although Direct TV makes getting DNS easier once you get it. (DNS = getting CBS, NBC, Fox, ABC off the satellite with national coverage.)

Direct TV also offers the option of integrating off-air local TV station signals with the satellite channels within the DVR, including recording off-air (local) TV stations on the DVR just like satellite channels.

We've used it a very long time and have been very pleased. Naturally YMMV

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

While we've not traveled with our TV, what Bill just mentioned is something that I've heard before. I would really worry about my TV being dependent in any way on having internet to make it work. That could add up to major costs if one doesn't have an unlimited plan. Also, if one is in an are without internet, then maybe no TV either.

With regards to the "carry out" antennas for satellite, check to see what it requires to power the dish. With some, I've heard that the same cable that carries the signal also carries the power to operate the dish. In that case, I wonder whether one could add extension cable or would one be limited to the "pre-set" length of cable. With our "manual" dish, I also have about 75 feet of double coax cable to provide signals to both satellite inputs on the trailer. That 75 feet may allow me to set the dish out from under trees and other obstructions.

Terry

WendysPhotos · RV-Dreams Family Member

I have a question does anyone just use an HDTV antenna on top of their rig? I mean we have one on our house and get all the local channels plus a bunch of free channels. No no ESPN or anything like that but it is enough for us. I mean some of the new antenna's will pick up a signal that is 60 miles away, so as long as there is a city with a broadcasting station within 60 miles you should be able to get a signal. We dropped cable 2 years ago and do not miss it at all, but then we do not watch a lot of TV and no sports. If there is a show we really want HuluPlus or Amazonprime has it. You can check out a couple of the sites

This one lets you put in an address and tells you if there is a signal and how far and where to point and antenna Antennaweb.org
This one give great reviews of the latest antennas hdtv-antenna-review.toptenreviews.com

Wendy

cherylbrv · RV-Dreams Family Member

We haven't watched live tv for about 5 years. We use a cross between Netflix / Amazon Prime and downloading shows. Of course, this may all need to change when we're on the road and don't have that kind of bandwidth available anymore (currently have Verizon FIOS).

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

I use the OTA rooftop antenna or stream when available......not an important fixture......I have yet to be anywhere when the roof top antenna hasnt worked in some way ,shape or form

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

WendysPhotos wrote:
I have a question does anyone just use an HDTV antenna on top of their rig? I mean we have one on our house and get all the local channels plus a bunch of free channels. No no ESPN or anything like that but it is enough for us. I mean some of the new antenna's will pick up a signal that is 60 miles away, so as long as there is a city with a broadcasting station within 60 miles you should be able to get a signal. We dropped cable 2 years ago and do not miss it at all, but then we do not watch a lot of TV and no sports. If there is a show we really want HuluPlus or Amazonprime has it. You can check out a couple of the sites

This one lets you put in an address and tells you if there is a signal and how far and where to point and antenna Antennaweb.org
This one give great reviews of the latest antennas hdtv-antenna-review.toptenreviews.com

Wendy

There are HD over the air antennas for RVs. Both Winegard and Jack make them. I have not heard of them pulling in stations from 60 miles away.

Streaming, HuluPlus, Netflix and AmazonPrime video, and being on the road do not go well together. The best internet plan is the $70 for 20GB a month one from Millenicom.com. 20GB is around 20 hours of streaming give or take. Campground wifi rarely can handle streaming and some places block it. This is why you do not hear fulltimers talk about streaming video, we can't do it or won't spend hundreds of dollars a month for it. The cable is cut going on the road, but it includes the cable bringing in broadband internet.

suse1023 · RV-Dreams Family Member

great replies, folks, thank you!
so after reading and reading and reading some more, I am inclined to see if this might work for us.

www.amazon.com/RCA-ANT751-Durable-Compact-Outdoor/dp/B0024R4B5C/ref=sr_1_1

I would not want to drill holes in the roof to mount it, so a telescoping 30' tall pole (flag pole?) would have to be figured into the equation too, and maybe with a winegard signal booster.
I checked the handy website above and we are within 45 miles of plenty of stations, and it's gently rolling hills with not much else besides oil rigs--lots and lots of oil rigs. (we are gate guarding on one).
might they interfere with signal?

I have seen a half dozen 'man camps' head up the road recently, and they all have dish satellites attached.
do they know something we don't? or is dish cable just easier to provide for the masses?

so if the oil rigs are not an issue, any idea if the pole and booster will work with this antenna in this application?
thanks so much!

Alie and Jims Carrilite · RV-Dreams Family Member

Where we sit, no satellite- no tv- even local channels are too far away.

WendysPhotos · RV-Dreams Family Member

suse1023 wrote:

I have seen a half dozen 'man camps' head up the road recently, and they all have dish satellites attached.
do they know something we don't? or is dish cable just easier to provide for the masses?

I bet they are guys who want ESPN and stuff. Since the antenna is only 45 bucks get run a coax cable through the window and hand hold it on the roof to see if you pick up a signal. If not and you are not going to be moving anytime soon pack it back up and send it back to amazon.

Out West there are vast tracks of land that the only thing that is going to work is Dish or Direct.

On the streaming thing. We know we won't be able to, but that is okay with us. REDBOX is nationwide and when we need a movie fix we can find one Also I have wonderfully techy brother, who will download the shows for me onto thumb drive and mail me weeks worth of stuff. I have yet to figure out how he got an advanced copy of "name redacted" to share. If we find we really cannot live without out 5 hours of TV a week we will get a Dish.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Susan,

At 45 miles away, I'm going to have my doubts that the antenna will really work for you. I used to manage a store for a major electronics store that sold a lot of the BIG VHF/UHF antennas for home use. In all cases, they have to be turned the right direction to get the signals, and the further you get from the antennas, the higher you will have to raise the antenna. Part of that reason for the need of height is because of the curvature of the earth. The further from the station, the more the curvature affects the signal.

However, as long as the location that you buy the antenna has no problem with it, I suggest you do as WendysPhotos suggested. Watch it with some retailers, because some will charge a "restocking fee" when you return a product.

Good luck.

Terry

mitch5252 · RV-Dreams Community Member

I have a Winegard Carry-Out antenna for use when out in the RV (directv). It was a bit pricey, but I was so tired of trying to point the manual dish properly. I LOVE IT.

I also use two iPad apps for 1) directv satellite location, and 2) broadcast antenna location, including each station's coverage radius.

The directv app is called SAToolz DTV. Even with the Carry-Out, I use this app to see if getting a signal through trees is even possible.

The broadcast station app is called TV Towers. The circle shows the broadcast radius of the ABC station in Little Rock.

Antenna App

-- Edited by mitch5252 on Sunday 6th of April 2014 09:03:04 AM

-- Edited by mitch5252 on Sunday 6th of April 2014 09:06:48 AM

Bill and Linda · RV-Dreams Family Member

mitch5252 wrote:

The broadcast station app is called TV Towers. The circle shows the broadcast radius of the ABC station in Little Rock.

-- Edited by mitch5252 on Sunday 6th of April 2014 09:03:04 AM

-- Edited by mitch5252 on Sunday 6th of April 2014 09:06:48 AM

Please keep in mind, the “circles of coverage,” as depicted in the informative post, are the theoretical coverage areas without any obstructions and with your antenna 30 feet in the air. Yea, I know, “30 feet in the air,” that sounds crazy. But it’s the FCC rules and has to do with interference protection. I designed these TV transmission facilities for a living. If your want more a more reliable prediction of actual reception in your location I suggest:

http://transition.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/dtvmaps/

This one above is color coded for “probably,” “maybe” and “forgetabout” it based on terrain and non-man made obstructions.

http://www.rabbitears.info/search.php

The one above is for the more exacting information for those that might like to nose around at the more technical level and will show you detailed coverage based on obstruction models. It’s not all that technical but might be of interest to those looking for stations especially out in the boondocks where you will find repeater stations and the like.

Both are free and web based. Nothing to install.

Bill and Linda · RV-Dreams Family Member

To comment a bit on TV reception over longer distances: 60 miles with an RV batwing antennas is not all that unusual if the ground is flat and the station is running the maximum FCC power. I’ve verified 72 miles with the digital stations many times. But the most important thing is terrain or man-made obstructions. In Florida or Texas, for example, much better results are obtained due to it simply being flat.

Also not all stations are allowed to run the same transmitter power. So, (sorry to say it again) it depends.

The best antenna available for RV use is the good old batwing we’ve used for 40 years with the wingman add-on for UHF and a little pre-amp built into the antenna. Digital TV or not, no laws of physics have been changed and this type of antenna is the best choice overall. Will others work? Sure. But based on professional antenna testing conducted when digital TV was introduced this is still the best overall choice for an RV, IMO.

You absolutely want and need the amplified model.

http://www.winegard.com/sensar/index.php

http://www.winegard.com/kbase/upload/2452013.pdf

If you have an older batwing on your RV you can add the little UHF wingman add on and the amplifier and it will work just as well as a brand new one assuming it is not damaged, corroded or the cable is bad.

azrving · RV-Dreams Family Member

We are not big TV people but we do like to look at the local/national new occasionally so I added the Wingman to our antenna a couple of years ago and it works as advertised. We pull in channels better and the picture quality has improved too. You still need to have a television with a digital tuner or a converter box to pick up digital stations but there are still plenty of analog signals out there too. We still use an outdoor antenna at our home...no Dish, Direct, Cable, or Internet TV and I'm guessing we never will have it, if they start paying me to watch it I might consider it but I'm not going to pay them. biggrin

http://www.winegard.com/wingman/index.php

bigboomer · RV-Dreams Family Member

We decided about 3 years ago that we had enough paying for Directv or cable as all it seemed to be was more and more paid advertising....we dumped them and went back to regular tv. With the rv antenna we have gotten up to 30 channels and the picture quality is better than with cable or the dish. We also have Amazon Prime and watch all the movies and other shows including cable shows. For $10/ month we get free shipping on all Amazon orders and all he movies and shows you could possible watch.

Call us cheap but would rather put the $100 a month to better use than to some utility company.

suse1023 · RV-Dreams Family Member

bigboomer doesn't amazon prime eat up your data plan?

bigboomer · RV-Dreams Family Member

We have the Verizon MiFi as part of our phone package and have 20 GB of data with the plan and have yet to come close to the limit. The great thinng is that we plug our laptop into the tv with an hdmi cable and we get big screen for all the movies. We also have a Sony Google tv in the basement that is internet ready so we just turn that on and sit outside and enjoy the show!