Satellite Tv Question

by driverguy on 1/11/2011, 3:04 pm

Do those of you who have satellite tv in your cat bring along your receiver from home, or do you have a separate subscription for the RV? Someone told me that in the fine print of your contract that the system is only to be used at the original install location. Just wondering if anyone had any issues with this. Thanks.

by Big Dave on 1/11/2011, 3:22 pm

I never had any issues and just used the reciever from home. As long as I stayed within 100-150 miles from home I still had my local channel subscription,

by Sean on 1/11/2011, 7:25 pm

I use a free to air receiver, that way I have no problems where ever I go. plus I also have a digital receiver for the aerial.
Sean

by Timflood on 1/11/2011, 8:49 pm

I have been useing one from are house for 3 years [DT] I think if you pay your bill ever month they don't care, don't tell don't care

by azandy700 on 1/12/2011, 12:01 am

We take the dual receiver from our lower level family room and keep it in the Cat all summer. It's too cool downstairs to enjoy the familyroom all summer anyway.
Works well.

by BayouDude on 1/12/2011, 2:59 am

I keep a standard receiver in the wildcat and another one at our fishing camp. Never had any trouble with my subscription but will lose locals once I am out of the spot beam. I keep the phone # to direct tv in the trailer since i have to get the box reactivated from time to time. If your receiver is unplugged for too long the internal battery with your information will die and they have to reping the box. All voice activated and never have to talk to a person. Only takes about 5 minutes if this happens.

by Cardinal_Bill on 1/12/2011, 3:43 am

In the past we would take ours with us. It was an unusual method.

1. Drive south, in the fall before the snow flew, and park the RV, usually Apache Junction AZ.
2. Fly home until February.
3. Fly back to the unit taking both receivers in a hard suitcase as checked baggage. The wife and I watch completely different types of TV so we want both receivers.
4. Last time I fudged a little, I called and said we were in a RV park located in NJ. That put us in the NY City area, which has it's local programming sent nationwide. We never had to talk to them again until we got home in the spring.

Now we don't tow. But we still drag the receivers south as baggage in the fall and back in the spring. All it takes is a call to let them know we're in Arizona or Alaska to fix things.

Having said all that...I plan to look into how it would/could work when/if we toss these two receivers and switch over to HD programming. The new receivers have the ability to handle multiple TV's.

by BobnPi on 1/12/2011, 5:24 am

I called Dish Network and point blank asked them about using one of my home receivers in my Cat. I was told that the agreement does not allow that. I was also told that most people do it anyway and the Dish Rep also said "...and the Dish Police are not coming after you like the matress police do for tearing off the tag." I swap mine between home and Cat as needed. We have 2 receivers, and I take the second one. I only need to unplug the main receiver at home for the second to work fine.

Since we no longer have children living at home, I usually leave the second receiver in the Cat and only bring it in if we have company over night. Just don't try to use them both at the same time if in different locations.

by BobnPi on 1/12/2011, 5:27 am

While we are on the subject, what kind of "mount" does everyone use for the dish? If you have something really simple that works really well, please post photos

The main problem I have is getting an absolute level base. Just a degree or two off (depending on my location) seems to make a huge difference. Pointers, tips, advice is welcome on setting up the dish.

Thanks

by jakomom53 on 1/12/2011, 6:20 am

I use a reciever from home, and have for the past 4 years. I have one adult child still at home and she uses the others while we are gone! Never heard that you couldn't... we have DIRECTV. I ordered a tripod, dish, and 50 ft. of cable, and hook it up, even in Florida we had no problem.
Cool

by Sean on 1/12/2011, 7:43 am

This is what I use and I am very pleased
http://www.twenga.co.uk/r.php?tp=2000819773064826459&site_id=75330&refurl=00641dc945c382ffed19c4cdfdeb2b8c&pos=5&dir=8&link_type=2&dd_seq=5&pmt=0&vopath=NzQxMjQvMzA5NDIvMC8wLw==
Sean

by Scruffy and Tater on 1/12/2011, 9:00 am

We have Direct TV. We take the TV and receiver from our bedroom. All we do is hook it up wherever we go. Scruffy put a mount for the dish on the ladder. If there are trees blocking the southern sky, we have a tripod that we can use. When we moved here and got Direct TV, the installer unofficially said we can take it with when we travel. We got an extra dish from our nephew. It works fine wherever we go. I think we have pics of our ladder mount in the Picasa link in our signature below.

Tater

by Mopar_Earl on 1/12/2011, 6:09 pm

Scruffy and Tater wrote:We have Direct TV. We take the TV and receiver from our bedroom. All we do is hook it up wherever we go. Scruffy put a mount for the dish on the ladder. If there are trees blocking the southern sky, we have a tripod that we can use. When we moved here and got Direct TV, the installer unofficially said we can take it with when we travel. We got an extra dish from our nephew. It works fine wherever we go. I think we have pics of our ladder mount in the Picasa link in our signature below.

Tater

With your dish attached to the camper, does the normal movement effect the dish? I've never had sat and thinking about getting the pay as you go sat service for my camper. You pay in 30 day amounts for the service you want. Anyways, I was told the dish has to be mounted rigid or you'll have signal problems from wind. But these weren't sat ppl just ppl that think they're pros. lol!

Earl

by bpdlk33 on 1/13/2011, 5:02 am

I have a second box that I pay $7 a month for . I can turn it off when I am not traveling, I can do this on the internet or by calling Dish Network. There is no charge for just having the box, as I bought it and it is mine to keep. A friend had Dish Network and a few years back, he discontinued their service so he gave me a dish, I had to buy a tripod. When I get to the first stop/campground, I call Dish Network and they ping the box and I am good to go until I turn it off again. At that point I start the $7 a month fee. I have all the channels I have at home except when I get about 200 miles away, I lose the local channels. Dish told me that was FCC rules?

My brother has Direct TV. When he got their service, DT gave him an extra dish and a tripod so he could take one of the boxes from his home with him when he travels. He does pay for the box from his home as DT charges $5 for each box he has in his home. We both have good programing and enjoy the TV when we have to stay inside our 5th wheels.

by BobnPi on 1/13/2011, 5:17 pm

I was told the dish has to be mounted rigid or you'll have signal problems from wind.

You don't have to mount rigid, like clamped to your Cat ladder. Even then, you would be getting a little movement when you walked around inside. And I guess it would depend on how much wind you have. I have a tripod and use tent stakes to hold it in place. I"ve seen many different methods. Some use milk jugs full of water and hang them under the center of the tripod. Some screw an anchor in the ground and attach a spring loaded chain to the anchor. Some use sandbags on the tripod legs. Some mount the dish to a board and sit it flat on the ground, using any number of items to help level it.

I am a social person and love to visit with others. I always walk my dog around the campgrounds and will usually stop and talk to people (try to make it Cat owners if I can) about their dish setup, their model Cat, their lights, etc. There doesn't seem to be any one particular way to mount your dish that works better than others. And what works well for one, may not suit the next person. It's all in what you are comfortable with.

by Maxtor on 1/13/2011, 6:57 pm

I have a receiver in our garage that I take when traveling. For the antenna I use this:

http://www.gosale.com/4981153/vuqube-vq2000-portable?gclid=CPv9lI-BuaYCFRtVgwod2WulJg

It works great and has a 50ft. radius, so if you are camped in trees, you can normally move the antenna within 50ft. to find good reception. It is self leveling.

by Mopar_Earl on 1/13/2011, 7:34 pm

Maxtor wrote:I have a receiver in our garage that I take when traveling. For the antenna I use this:

http://www.gosale.com/4981153/vuqube-vq2000-portable?gclid=CPv9lI-BuaYCFRtVgwod2WulJg

It works great and has a 50ft. radius, so if you are camped in trees, you can normally move the antenna within 50ft. to find good reception. It is self leveling.

I've been checking out those Vuqubes. The 1000 and 2000. Since I'm not a full timer, I don't know if I want to spend that much to have semi or fully automatic stationary dish. Than again I don't know if I want to spend time sitting up a manual dish either.

Earl

by Mopar_Earl on 1/13/2011, 7:50 pm

BobnPi wrote:
I was told the dish has to be mounted rigid or you'll have signal problems from wind.

You don't have to mount rigid, like clamped to your Cat ladder. Even then, you would be getting a little movement when you walked around inside. And I guess it would depend on how much wind you have. I have a tripod and use tent stakes to hold it in place. I"ve seen many different methods. Some use milk jugs full of water and hang them under the center of the tripod. Some screw an anchor in the ground and attach a spring loaded chain to the anchor. Some use sandbags on the tripod legs. Some mount the dish to a board and sit it flat on the ground, using any number of items to help level it.

I am a social person and love to visit with others. I always walk my dog around the campgrounds and will usually stop and talk to people (try to make it Cat owners if I can) about their dish setup, their model Cat, their lights, etc. There doesn't seem to be any one particular way to mount your dish that works better than others. And what works well for one, may not suit the next person. It's all in what you are comfortable with.

Thanks for the info!

Earl

by Mopar_Earl on 1/13/2011, 7:59 pm

I've never use, had, installed, or even touched a sat dish. What's involed in aiming one while you're camping? How long does it take? Is it a pain the butt for just a weekend trip? Do you need all the special meters/tools they sell to aid in aiming the dish?

I once watched two guys trying to set one up. They spent an hour+ before they gave up. They brought a huge 30 or 40 inch CRT tv and it was in the bed of their truck unprotected. I think they may of been rednecks lol Was in a PA state park and there wasn't much sky visable. Was funny to watch though. They were all over the campground and in and out of other peoples sites. Also in the ditch, on the road, across the road yelling back and forth how about now, try over there and such.

Earl

by Scruffy and Tater on 1/14/2011, 4:52 am

Wind or movement in the trailer has never affected the performance of our sat dish, whether it was attached to the ladder or to the tripod. A loose connection, however, will really mess it up, so if there seems to be a problem, be sure all of your connections are screwed in tight. We were having a problem in a park near here early last fall. Scruffy moved the tripod all over, knowing that it had a clear shot at the southern sky. He finally checked all of the connections and found a loose one.... problem solved. The trees are so thick in some places at WDW's Fort Wilderness, that finding a good spot for the tripod in our new favorite site was quite a challenge, but Scruffy was persistant, and found the perfect place. A lot of parks have cable, but we prefer Direct TV (we have all of our favorite channels). We are able, if we wish, to hook up Direct TV, park cable, and local air. We often hook up Direct TV and park cable.

If it isn't bitterly cold outside, we frequently hook up for just an overnight stay.

Scruffy uses a compass to locate south, and finds a hole in the trees. Then he sets up the dish. I really don't know what he's doing out there. When it's all in place, he puts TV and receiver on the right setup page, and opens a window so he can hear. Then he goes out and moves the dish slightly as we listen to the beeping on the setup page. When the beeping gets real fast, and I can see the signal is close to 100%, it's all ready to go. One time Scruffy got everything set up outside, came in and turned on the setup page, and it was perfect.

The first time we used Direct TV, it took awhile. Now, once the dish is in place, it seldom takes more than 5 minutes to find the signal.

Tater

by Maxtor on 1/14/2011, 5:13 am

Setting up the Vu-Cube is a 5 minute process also. A compass is used to set it in the general direction, then while inside your rv, you press the remote to move the antenna left or right until you have the highest level reception, and you are done. It is nice to have tv reception for news, weather, and enjoyment.

by BobnPi on 1/14/2011, 6:28 am

I found the first couple of times setting up to be extremely hard. However, it usually doesn't take more than 30 min. total time for me to get set up now. A lot of that depends on surrounding trees and such. I have Dish Network and no idea how Direct TV works. With Dish, you put in the zip code of the area you are in, while you are in setup mode. You will be directed at what degree to aim your dish, what skew to set, etc. Once you get your head around this, and know what order to move through the menu, it's simple.

As has been said, locating the spot to put the dish is the hardest part.... sometimes.

As far as all the gadgets for sale to help you align the dish, a good compass is really all you need. I have one of the instruments that you hook to the cable at your dish and as you move the dish, you have a needle that indicates signal strength. Best I can say for that is "meh". It's ok at best. I still have it... somewhere. Compass is the best as far as I'm concerned.

One further thing. I stated above and will state again, you must be near perfectly level (at least I do) with the dish for it to work well.

by Sean on 1/14/2011, 6:45 am

I must be really lucky, push button to set elevation rotate until picture is seen under 1 minute, hay presto all the channels I want to watch and also the rubbish I don't.
Sean

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