Dish Satellite TV Systems, Questions

[CruizinDux]

Bob, Seems the Amazon/Kindle Fire app (offered by Dish Network LCC which I presume s the same ) is a bit different. It is called "DISH app" and as opposed to MyDsh App. It opens like you indicated but Showcase, Guide, on demand, sports & watch list are the bottom options. It also has all the preferences like the online version....just not the "services"



I had already set up the MyDish account online and noticed this morning their reference to and instructions and the MyDish app link for android. One of th quirks of the Kindle is that I can't download "android" apps, only the Amazon app store version.


I'll call CS but may be stuck with calling until we step up to a smart phone.


Thanks again for the the feedback.


Happy Trails
Bob

[rncordy]

Originally Posted by CruizinDux

Bob, Seems the Amazon/Kindle Fire app (offered by Dish Network LCC which I presume s the same ) is a bit different. It is called "DISH app" and as opposed to MyDsh App. It opens like you indicated but Showcase, Guide, on demand, sports & watch list are the bottom options. It also has all the preferences like the online version....just not the "services"



I had already set up the MyDish account online and noticed this morning their reference to and instructions and the MyDish app link for android. One of th quirks of the Kindle is that I can't download "android" apps, only the Amazon app store version.


I'll call CS but may be stuck with calling until we step up to a smart phone.


Thanks again for the the feedback.


Happy Trails
Bob

Bob (is there an echo here?),

Yes Dish does have two apps, at least. And I too have loads of issues with apps and our Kindle tablets. And not having a smart phone would complicate my travel life immensley! But the MyDish app for changing local channels is a great travel asset, at least for our kind of travel where we don't stay put for more than 2-3 days.

Good luck!

Bob

P.S. Maybe something like this will help you get MyDish on your Kindle.

https://lifehacker.com/how-to-get-go...any-1790706649

[CruizinDux]

Hey Bob Just got back from the coast (Beachside SP) and could not get a signal. Kinda figured as much...lots of trees and limited to 35' of coax. Same delio at home so I'm going to a local RV park for the night next week...110vAC & no trees to make sure it all works. The "class" at CW was pretty brief but was working when left. Just not sure what to expect for trees on the horizon as well as above.


Thanks for the link. I had hoped to avoid that as it a[apparently (at least on the kindle group ) causes some problems with the books. However since I don't use it as a reader, I think I'm going to revisit it...sidecar download or something like that. Utube has a lot of vid's on the subject too.
Again thanks for all your advice.


bob

[rncordy]

Originally Posted by CruizinDux

Hey Bob Just got back from the coast (Beachside SP) and could not get a signal. Kinda figured as much...lots of trees and limited to 35' of coax. Same delio at home so I'm going to a local RV park for the night next week...110vAC & no trees to make sure it all works. The "class" at CW was pretty brief but was working when left. Just not sure what to expect for trees on the horizon as well as above.


Thanks for the link. I had hoped to avoid that as it a[apparently (at least on the kindle group ) causes some problems with the books. However since I don't use it as a reader, I think I'm going to revisit it...sidecar download or something like that. Utube has a lot of vid's on the subject too.
Again thanks for all your advice.


bob

Bummer! I'd be lost today without my sat finder app! For a couple of years I just used a Boy Scout compass and aimed the Tailgater due south and crossed my fingers. That actually worked on occasion! Finally I figured out that there are 3 satellites that I need, 110, 119, 129, the latter I think for HD channels. Maybe this website will help you. If you enter your current location and the satellite your looking for, it will tell you where to point your antenna and how high the satellite is. On our just completed trip I noticed that these three satellites "moved" west of due south the further east we travelled.

I use 100' of coax to move my Tailgater around to find slots between trees or gigantic motorhomes. I also got rid of all the factory coax wiring and connectors and made my own very short cable from outside to the receiver input. In my case, that helped a lot.

Bob

[zapper]

Originally Posted by Bluto

This has been a mixed bag as far as what everyone thinks and suggestions about the systems. I guess I should have checked into the Direct TV usage a little further before selling it. That national usage plan sounds like what I needed. Too bad the company does not advertise a little more and let it's customers know that they have a choice of plans.
Looks like that when I do pull the trigger again on a system I'll probably go with Dish because of their HD capabilities with the dishes. My Direct TV system could not do HD.
I wonder if Dish has a way we can travel and not do the call in to get their signal? Seems like one person who posted on this thread said he traveled 1400 miles and didn't have to call in to Dish for the signal more than once. So maybe Dish has a special plan that covers it for a few extra bucks?

I'd like to hear more from people who travel thru several states and never have to talk to their satellite company. It doesn't seem very common, and I'm interested on how you do it

Some people like Dish some like DIRECTV. We have DIRECTV at home and in our rig. We use a G3 Winegard Carry out. We have our home in So. Cal (no comments please) and have traveled though these states last year: CA, OR,WA,WY,MT,CO,NM, TX, AZ and had no connections issues. There are a few tricks though.

If you haven't used your DIRECTV Receiver in your rig for a few months you have to first reinitialize your DIRECTV receiver when you first start to use your service again. To do this some people call in some people use the DirecTV app. I use the app. It takes only a few minutes to reinitialize the receivers. This needs to be done only one time while traveling. Then make sure you power up the receiver BEFORE you power up the carry out dish. Otherwise they get out of sync. I leave both the receivers and the power to the carry out dish and TVs on all the time. Then when I plug in shore power, both units startup at same time and by the time I get inside the rig, I have a picture. Presto! The only thing that seems to interfere with this sequence is if the dish does not have a CLEAR view of the southern sky. I use "Satellite Pointer" App to locate the DirecTV satellites which seems to work most of the time.

Here's where the frustration begins IF you do not connect to the satellites on the first try. It begins an iterative process. 1. Relocate the dish; 2. Turn Off the power to the dish 3. Turn Off the power or press the reset button on the receiver 4. Turn on the power to the dish. Repeat as many times as necessary until you get a picture. Some times it takes a while.

Best of Luck. I know this can be frustrating but a carry out allows you more flexibility in parking your rig than a roof top mounted auto seeking dish. I have had both, prefer carry out for location flexibility and no holes drilled in my roof.

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by zapper

Some people like Dish some like DIRECTV. We have DIRECTV at home and in our rig. We use a G3 Winegard Carry out. We have our home in So. Cal (no comments please) and have traveled though these states last year: CA, OR,WA,WY,MT,CO,NM, TX, AZ and had no connections issues. There are a few tricks though.

If you haven't used your DIRECTV Receiver in your rig for a few months you have to first reinitialize your DIRECTV receiver when you first start to use your service again. To do this some people call in some people use the DirecTV app. I use the app. It takes only a few minutes to reinitialize the receivers. This needs to be done only one time while traveling. Then make sure you power up the receiver BEFORE you power up the carry out dish. Otherwise they get out of sync. I leave both the receivers and the power to the carry out dish and TVs on all the time. Then when I plug in shore power, both units startup at same time and by the time I get inside the rig, I have a picture. Presto! The only thing that seems to interfere with this sequence is if the dish does not have a CLEAR view of the southern sky. I use "Satellite Pointer" App to locate the DirecTV satellites which seems to work most of the time.

Here's where the frustration begins IF you do not connect to the satellites on the first try. It begins an iterative process. 1. Relocate the dish; 2. Turn Off the power to the dish 3. Turn Off the power or press the reset button on the receiver 4. Turn on the power to the dish. Repeat as many times as necessary until you get a picture. Some times it takes a while.

Best of Luck. I know this can be frustrating but a carry out allows you more flexibility in parking your rig than a roof top mounted auto seeking dish. I have had both, prefer carry out for location flexibility and no holes drilled in my roof.

I commend you for your "success" with Direct TV in an RV....I have tried for 3 years now, with no luck reaching someone knowledgeable at Direct TV (now ATT), so I recently bit the bullet and got the Tailgate Dish with Wally receiver on sale at Campers World...hooked it up, and am fine. I still have to wait 15 min or so in setting up in new location each time, but it has worked so far. I would have preferred Direct TV as I have at home, but finding someone there who "understands" RV and also "speaks good English" has been a challenge since ATT buyout. (no offense intended here; just stating real frustration in my dealings.)

I can get month to month service for $37.00 with Dish- not so with Direct TV; I can get HD with Dish also...down side is I have a great contract rate with Direct TV of $29/month at home, I have ATT cell service, and also internet which are equally good priced for my needs. Just can't understand how DirectTV has dropped the ball in service for RVers…??

I am contemplating switching now to Dish...but I can't quite get the same pricing per month at home...working on it though. I also like that Dish can give me $7/month pricing on my Walley and use as "second" receiver when I am home or in my RV...

[CruizinDux]

Originally Posted by rncordy

Bummer! I'd be lost today without my sat finder app! For a couple of years I just used a Boy Scout compass and aimed the Tailgater due south and crossed my fingers. That actually worked on occasion! Finally I figured out that there are 3 satellites that I need, 110, 119, 129, the latter I think for HD channels. Maybe this website will help you. If you enter your current location and the satellite your looking for, it will tell you where to point your antenna and how high the satellite is. On our just completed trip I noticed that these three satellites "moved" west of due south the further east we travelled.

I use 100' of coax to move my Tailgater around to find slots between trees or gigantic motorhomes. I also got rid of all the factory coax wiring and connectors and made my own very short cable from outside to the receiver input. In my case, that helped a lot.

Bob

Bob, thanks again. I've looked at the dish pointer on the web and just reviewed it again. There is a lot of information there and on the web at least, you can drag and drop the location as needed. I now know what Azimuth is about. I have also used the TV's nav screen to get a good sense of true south.


Can you clarify " I also got rid of all the factory coax wiring and connectors and made my own very short cable from outside to the receiver input." Did you replace it or abandon it? How do you get the coax inside? I had CW install the wally where the Blu-ray was as that is where JC terminated the Sat coax. They also have written instructions they provided. We don't use the BR much so it seemed logical. I didn't want to set up the wally loose on the refer cabinet and have the coax loose in the cabin.


However, I have heard others comment on the direct sat/wally connection is best and may rethink removing the wally to the refer cabinet top and maybe feeding the coax thru the fed fantastic vent with the screen removed. I'll know more on Thurs when we go to a local RV park with a clear view south.


Thanks for all your feedback.
Bob

[rncordy]

Originally Posted by CruizinDux

Can you clarify " I also got rid of all the factory coax wiring and connectors and made my own very short cable from outside to the receiver input." Did you replace it or abandon it? How do you get the coax inside? I had CW install the wally where the Blu-ray was as that is where JC terminated the Sat coax. They also have written instructions they provided. We don't use the BR much so it seemed logical. I didn't want to set up the wally loose on the refer cabinet and have the coax loose in the cabin.
Thanks for all your feedback.
Bob

I just don't use the rig's original feedthrough connector or the coax cable leading from there to the receiver (about 20 feet in my case, and who knows what terminations it goes through!). I installed my own feedthrough connector on the outside wall closest to the location of my receiver. My receiver is attached to a countertop under our main tv with velcro strips. It is very secure. I have about 2 ft of coax between the outside of the rig and the input to the receiver. Works great!

Bob

[prairieschooner]

Not sure how important TV is in life~~~~~~~FAKE NEWS!!

[CruizinDux]

Originally Posted by rncordy

I just don't use the rig's original feedthrough connector or the coax cable leading from there to the receiver (about 20 feet in my case, and who knows what terminations it goes through!). I installed my own feedthrough connector on the outside wall closest to the location of my receiver. My receiver is attached to a countertop under our main tv with velcro strips. It is very secure. I have about 2 ft of coax between the outside of the rig and the input to the receiver. Works great!

Bob

Bob thanks again.
"and who knows what terminations it goes through!" an understatement!


We have reservation at a local RV park that is wide open so I'll see how it should work. Tho I don't have the 20' interior run like yours, I have and will continue to think about fresh coax, connections & feed through connector locations. Others have made similar comments re the AS interior wiring.


Happy Trails.
bob

[gypsydad]

I just drove from Montana camping for 11 days, thru Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Northern Texas using my new Dish set up. I have a 25' coax I was using for my cable connection previously. I purchased another 25' coax just before leaving, while setting up the Dish prior to the trip at my cabin in MT. I have a threaded coax union to connect the 2 cables (50') when needed. I also loaded a couple "compass" apps on my phone to find "true South". I do have to maneuver the phone in a "figure 8" motion to get the "true" south/north reading with the phone compass app's, which takes a minuet....but then I just set the "tail-gater" dish on the ground or on a table with the handle facing south....it takes a few minuets to find itself; I can hear it moving when I plug into the trailer coax connection, but it all sets up fine....new locations take 10-15 minuets each time; I was concerned because it seems like there is no signal from the readings on my TV screen, but then it finally pulls it all together. I was told this is common since it has to find itself when traveling in another state each time....

[CruizinDux]

Originally Posted by gypsydad

I just drove from Montana camping for 11 days, thru Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Northern Texas using my new Dish set up. I have a 25' coax I was using for my cable connection previously. I purchased another 25' coax just before leaving, while setting up the Dish prior to the trip at my cabin in MT. I have a threaded coax union to connect the 2 cables (50') when needed. I also loaded a couple "compass" apps on my phone to find "true South". I do have to maneuver the phone in a "figure 8" motion to get the "true" south/north reading with the phone compass app's, which takes a minuet....but then I just set the "tail-gater" dish on the ground or on a table with the handle facing south....it takes a few minuets to find itself; I can hear it moving when I plug into the trailer coax connection, but it all sets up fine....new locations take 10-15 minuets each time; I was concerned because it seems like there is no signal from the readings on my TV screen, but then it finally pulls it all together. I was told this is common since it has to find itself when traveling in another state each time....

Gypsydad, good info, thanks. Are you utilizing any of the AS's existing connections & coax to get inside or do you have a homerun from the tailgater to the wally with a different entry method?

Happy trails
B

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by CruizinDux

Gypsydad, good info, thanks. Are you utilizing any of the AS's existing connections & coax to get inside or do you have a homerun from the tailgater to the wally with a different entry method?

Happy trails
B

Actually, I connected using the satellite connector behind the BlueRay and I disconnected the DVD for this trip, and sat it to the left of the cabinet mount. Once you get the DVD out and cabinet unscrewed, you can pretty much see everything there under the cabinet.

Because I have a "splitter" switch from the factory set up for 2 TV,s (dining and bedroom), I will need another splitter along with an additional multi-receptacle electric plug if I want to have the option of DVD and Walley both operational.

The installation was straight forward; I first unscrewed the cabinet deck and used a credit card to dislodge the BlueRay from the Velcro tape on the bottom, slid it out and disconnected it from the HDMI and power. I then connected the Walley to that HDMI and ran the power cord though the cord hole in back of the deck, cut a couple smaller pieces of the Velcro tape that was on the BlueRay player, and slid the Walley in where the BlueRay was. Piece of cake.

[zapper]

"The installation was straight forward; I first unscrewed the cabinet deck and used a credit card to dislodge the BlueRay from the Velcro tape on the bottom, slid it out and disconnected it from the HDMI and power. I then connected the Walley to that HDMI and ran the power cord though the cord hole in back of the deck, cut a couple smaller pieces of the Velcro tape that was on the BlueRay player, and slid the Walley in where the BlueRay was. Piece of cake. [/QUOTE]

Ahh glad you mentioned how you got into the cabinet underneath the Blue Ray. Been poking around in there as I want to install a Monoprice, Blackbird 4K 4X2 Matrix HDMI switch w/Remote. With this set up I should be able to watch DirecTV or Blue ray or Antenna TV or on site cable. I believe it auto-switches to Blue Ray when the Blue Ray is powered up and back to DirecTV when Blue Ray power is turned off. You can also watch Blue Ray on the bed room TV. I have a separate DirecTV receiver for the bedroom and works independent of the kitchen.

For when I work off my laptop in the bedroom, I have another HDMI switch that allows the laptop to connect directly to the TV.

This set up requires running two coax cables from the Carry Out Dish connected to the outside coax ports. Works fine. You just have to be sure that the primary connection to the Carry Out (This is the main power connection that drives the dish motor) is connected to the coax connection that goes to the Carry Out Dish power supply usually located in the Blue Ray cabinet.

[CruizinDux]

Zapper and gypsydad and rncordy(Bob) ..great feedback....Thanks!! I originally pulled the Blu-ray usng a thin metal ruler to release the velcro...saw the birds nest and some other unknown components, slipped it back in and decided to have CW install since I bought it from them. They followed your paths. Also allowed some time for a quick instructional.


happy trails


b

[zapper]

I believe it auto-switches to Blue Ray when the Blue Ray is powered up and back to DirecTV when Blue Ray power is turned off. You can also watch Blue Ray on the bed room TV. I have a separate DirecTV receiver for the bedroom and works independent of the kitchen.

Sorry guys I mislead you on the HDMI switch. It was not the Monoprice HDMI switch mentioned above but a Portta HDMI 3X2 Switcher that was installed by the Dealer. It does auto switch the TV from your TV Box to the Blue Ray when the Blue Ray is turned on. The connection is TV Box to input 1 and Blue Ray to input 2. Main or Kitchen TV is connected to Output 1 and Bedroom TV is connected to Output 2. It seems that the Dealer billed me for the Monoprice but installed the Portta HDMI Switcher insead. Kept the difference in cost. I love my AS but hate the Dealer I bought it from because of crap they pulled and this is just one example.

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by zapper

I believe it auto-switches to Blue Ray when the Blue Ray is powered up and back to DirecTV when Blue Ray power is turned off. You can also watch Blue Ray on the bed room TV. I have a separate DirecTV receiver for the bedroom and works independent of the kitchen.

Sorry guys I mislead you on the HDMI switch. It was not the Monoprice HDMI switch mentioned above but a Portta HDMI 3X2 Switcher that was installed by the Dealer. It does auto switch the TV from your TV Box to the Blue Ray when the Blue Ray is turned on. The connection is TV Box to input 1 and Blue Ray to input 2. Main or Kitchen TV is connected to Output 1 and Bedroom TV is connected to Output 2. It seems that the Dealer billed me for the Monoprice but installed the Portta HDMI Switcher insead. Kept the difference in cost. I love my AS but hate the Dealer I bought it from because of crap they pulled and this is just one example.

Thanks for the details...I will look into the splitter switch for the Blue Ray and Walley, but I don't need the bedroom connection...we don't watch TV in there; we like "lounging" in our living area on the couch; ...by the way did you need to add an extra power bar for the extra plugs?

[gypsydad]

Maybe this needs to be a new thread on this topic, but I am wondering about replacing the Clarion factory unit with something that is easier to use, select speakers, etc...I saw the Jensen Bluetooth Stereo in this months Trailer Life, page 54, that has built in DVD player, which would eliminate the Bluetooth player issues, potentially? Anyone else have suggestions? I have not been a fan of the standard stereo units on all 4 of my AS's...first 3 were Sony, but this Clarion is a pain… Thoughts?

[CruizinDux]

Originally Posted by CruizinDux

Zapper and gypsydad and rncordy(Bob) ..great feedback....Thanks!! I originally pulled the Blu-ray usng a thin metal ruler to release the velcro...saw the birds nest and some other unknown components, slipped it back in and decided to have CW install since I bought it from them. They followed your paths. Also allowed some time for a quick instructional.


happy trails


b

Houston we see you loud and clear. The park was wide open to the south so that was a no brainer. However for fun I brought GrandPa's antique level with an adjustable built in protractor to dial in the elevation and used a couple of pieces of trim as a pointer. Actually pretty accurate.

Had to works thru some 015A and other error screens but continued to play with it until poof....TV. Still have to use the TV remote to contrl the volume but the Wally Remote wors for everything else??? go figure.

We went with Dish's smart pack so we should get Fox News, Bloomberg, the weather channel some various other channels and a fair amount of religion as filler....and the local stations...$45 for 30 days and for us perfect.

We connected via the AS's Sat connection in the rear quarter which has about a 10' run to the wally...used the old HDMI connection from the blue-ray which is where it's installed in the cabinet. I keep the cabinet open as the Wally seems to generate a fair amount of heat. I bought a 90 deg coax connection for the AS sat connection to maybe take the stress off that connector.

Again, thanks everybody for all the help and advice

Happy Trails
Bob

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by CruizinDux

Houston we see you loud and clear. The park was wide open to the south so that was a no brainer. However for fun I brought GrandPa's antique level with an adjustable built in protractor to dial in the elevation and used a couple of pieces of trim as a pointer. Actually pretty accurate.

Had to works thru some 015A and other error screens but continued to play with it until poof....TV. Still have to use the TV remote to contrl the volume but the Wally Remote wors for everything else??? go figure.

We went with Dish's smart pack so we should get Fox News, Bloomberg, the weather channel some various other channels and a fair amount of religion as filler....and the local stations...$45 for 30 days and for us perfect.

We connected via the AS's Sat connection in the rear quarter which has about a 10' run to the wally...used the old HDMI connection from the blue-ray which is where it's installed in the cabinet. I keep the cabinet open as the Wally seems to generate a fair amount of heat. I bought a 90 deg coax connection for the AS sat connection to maybe take the stress off that connector.

Again, thanks everybody for all the help and advice

Happy Trails
Bob

Well, just to add to your excitement, (at least mine), I just called Dish to let them know I would not be renewing this month, after 2 weeks on the road from MT to TX....I had received a renewal bill...they told me no problems...they would "bank" the other 2 weeks for next time I turn on my Dish for use again! I said, "WHAT??"

Never heard of a company (least not in several years) that allowed you to "bank" unused subscription time...(think ATT or Verizon...) Anyway, that was an unexpected plus to getting the Dish for the AS! They said I would have $16.00 to apply when I call back to activate again. I may "upgrade" next time I subscribe for a months use, and get the "smart pack" also now!