Satellite TV Direct TV

[SilverSinbad]

I am considering adding satellite to our Airstream and would like any suggestions/ experience members might have had with the portable dishes. Ease of use, power consumption and any theft concerns come to mind.
We have Direct TV at home and plan on taking the box with us when we travel.
Thanks for your help!

[Al and Missy]

I havent traveled with mine yet, but here is what i did.
http://www.airforums.com/forums/atta...5&d=1423941158

Al

[Bluto]

I have a portable automatic dish that cost me around $650 and also have(had) Direct TV.
The auto dish worked everytime I set it out and never failed to provide an excellent signal to our Direct TV receiver. However, Direct TV is a problem. You have to call them each time you move and set up in a different zip code. That is still OK, but the people answering the phones at Direct TV that you will have to deal with to get the signal don't know what they are doing. Sometimes it would take an hour on the phone with the person then they say, you need a new receiver, yours is defective, we'll have to send one out to you. 5 minutes later I called them again and got a different person and that person had me up and running in no time.
The problem is that the phone people they have working for them are mostly people who don't know what they are doing and those are the ones that answer the phones 95% of the time.
I don't use my system anymore cause it's just not worth it to me, it just sits in my garage collecting dust.
The experience of calling them and talking idiots angered me so much that I cancelled my subscription with them at my house too!

[Al and Missy]

Bluto,
Were you trying to get locals in the area you were in? I have taken my directv receiver out of my local area and everything worked fine except i couldn't get locals. I also understand that the automatic dishes cant get hd on directv. I have a manual dish on a tripod and it works fine. It gets all the channels i get at home except for locals.

Al

[Bluto]

Originally Posted by Al and Missy

Bluto,
Were you trying to get locals in the area you were in? I have taken my directv receiver out of my local area and everything worked fine except i couldn't get locals. I also understand that the automatic dishes cant get hd on directv. I have a manual dish on a tripod and it works fine. It gets all the channels i get at home except for locals.

Al

Al,
No local channels was not the problem. To be more clear, I live in Texas and on the last trip I traveled to New Mexico and Arizona. Each time I stopped for an over night or even a 2 day or 3, I had to call Direct TV (DTV) and verify that I am a customer and then they activate a signal that gives me access to the Direct TV network. I had to do this every time I changed areas. I could do that with no problem if the customer service people at the other end of the phone knew what they were doing. First it takes too long to verify, then if they don't flip the right switch on their end and if the signal does not get sent, they try to say "it's your equipment or connections". Over and over, 'round and 'round again.
I have used both a auto and a standard manual dish and never had a problem with the dishes themselves but only with customer service from Direct TV.
If you travel far from your home area and need to use the customer service to activate your mobile dish you will see the problem first hand.
You are right about the HD and that the auto one I have does not get it but that was not what I was trying to tell the person who is considering buying into the system for travel. I just think it is a big pain having to go thru all the phone calls, and DTV customer service just to watch tv.
I feel that I wasted my money with Direct TV and should have gone with a different company.
Of course, this is just my experence and opinion concerning this company and how they don't live up to the hype.
When I called to cancel my subscription they wanted to reduce my monthly rate. They didn't even understand that I was unhappy with their customer service in regard to a mobile activation and therefore was canceling. The price was never in question. They transfered me several times and I repeated the same thing about my experiences with each one. Not one person from DTV said that they value the feed back and that they would try to fix it and make it a more pleasant experience going forward. Terrible company to try to do business with and it has no regard for customers. Again, this is my humble opinion about my experience with that company and what they sell and how they service accounts.
I really don't care anymore about my problems with them or their company since I cancelled, but just thought that before anyone dives into making a purchase they should consider what they are buy into.

[n2916s]

Something is not as it should be. I travel from Miami to Yellowstone every summer for work. I just move my receiver from the house into the trailer. Whenever we stop, I pull out the tripod mounted antenna and , using the dish finder app on my cell phone, aim it. Go inside and watch TV.

Direct TV doesn't know or care where I am when I point the antenna at their satellite. I do lose the Miami channels as soon as I pass north of about mid-Florida but, so what?

If you really need the major networks (for sports or what have you), you can send a copy of your trailer registration to Direct TV along with a form you download from their web site,and they will sell you the networks feeds from NY or L.A. (Depending on your location) for $15 extra a month. I don't bother.

If I want to buy a pay per view movie, I order with my IPad on the Direct TV website and, voila, the movie starts right on time.

Well, since you cancelled, it doesn't matter...

Mike


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[n2916s]

Fixed my previous post...

[Al and Missy]

Bluto,
When a receiver loses the satellite for an extended period (not sure how long that is, more than a couple of hours) it will forget it is authorized. Doesn't have to be in a different location. Recently i have been fixing the problem on their website. No personal interaction required. I have taken my receiver from FL to NC. Sometimes it works, sometimes I have to reactivate it. I presume this is to prevent service theft.

[RVDreamer]

You shouldn't have to call Directv every time you move locations. I use mine in our Airstream with a roof mount automatic traveler antenna. I get all HD channels and everything works fine no matter where I am located.

Like Al & Missy said, if your receiver is left off for more than a week or two sometimes it will need to be re-activated. But you can go to the website and re-activate it without calling anyone. Takes all of 5 minutes.

Local channels are an issue. If you move out of your broadcast area, you can not receive local channels and will have to rely on over-the-air broadcasts, internet channels, or cable if available.

You can get national networks ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox , & PBS but it requires a separate RV account and proof that you own an RV. You can't use your home account. This means paying double for everything. It is much cheaper to just forgo the local channels on the road and use your home receiver or a spare receiver on the same account.

[Rxtravelprn]

I live in Tennessee and travel to Florida and Alabama every year. All I do is put box in trailer and go. When I dish up I get my Nashville stations every where I go. Do not call Directv. I agree with previous post. They will mess your signal up.


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[Jim Foster]

We have Dish rather than Direct I carry the box from home and a 3 LNB antenna just like on the roof at home. I carry a portable, adjustable dish mount. All carried inside the trailer when moving.
Downside, a learning curve setting up. Care must be used not to damage the dish in transit.
Upside, can most always find a spot to setup for a good signal. If I need to call and change zip code to get locals, it's "sure, give it about 10 minutes and you'll have it," it has never taken the full 10 minutes. Always great folks on the line at Dish.
I really hate it when helping someone with Direct and I have to talk to their techs. Really bad every time. It's like they are reading from a script and really have no idea what it's about. Can never answer a direct question with a direct answer. (No pun intended)


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[Bluto]

Originally Posted by Al and Missy

Bluto,
When a receiver loses the satellite for an extended period (not sure how long that is, more than a couple of hours) it will forget it is authorized. Doesn't have to be in a different location. Recently i have been fixing the problem on their website. No personal interaction required. I have taken my receiver from FL to NC. Sometimes it works, sometimes I have to reactivate it. I presume this is to prevent service theft.

Well that explains a lot. I usually didn't use my tv or dish the first 3 or 4 days after I leave home then I would only use it maybe every 3 or 4 days in between . So I had to reactivate every time I wanted to receive Direct TV channels.

[switz]

We finally got tired of the three over $125 per month Dish fees (including $7 for the remote Dish and receiver) to get the one or two channels we really wanted at various locations. The other 200+ channels were nothing we wanted to see. So we cancelled the whole deal with Dish. That was really an ordeal as I was handed off to several "retainer specialists" multiple times because the words "cancel my service" were not in their vocabulary. (Almost as bad as XM Radio)

Since we had internet access at all the locations (except the trailer on the road). a Roku 3 and Apple TV allow us to pay once and stream only those items of interest at all locations. Our iPads can download over their modems a specific movie if so desired. Lots easier and one less bulky thing to take with us and find storage space for.

[paiceman]

Huh, we traveled from Pittsburgh up through the west last summer and fall, used Direct most nights and never had an issue with it not working. Simply turned on the receiver and TVs and off she went. Now we have a different unit with a remote ant so this year could be interesting. Thanks for the post, I think,

[SilverSinbad]

Thanks for all your input, but that was not the original question. I am interested in what satellite equipment have worked for you. I have Direct TV and will not be changing. I am interested in what equipment will allow me watch Direct TV in my Airstream.
Thanks

[jkcru]

Check King Controls web site all the info you need is there.

[graysailor]

I have DishTV. Works ok. Seldom do I get HD programs. I also have a roof mounted installation so set up is all automatic. Customer support is worthless when needed. Not a big TV watcher but it works most of the time. The only real advantage is I can "pause" my monthly usage and they stop charging the monthly fees until I "resume" my package. Of course they charge $7.00 a month to pause. 120 channels of which about 115 I don't think anyone watches.

[n2916s]

Silver,

There are basically three ways to go:

Tripod mounted, standard issue Direct Tv antenna. I have a 75' cable so I can wander about a campsite to get a clear view of the southern sky. Set up, using my satellite finder app, takes about 10 minutes.

Portable, automatic antenna (I.e. The King Flex) that is also cable tethered so you can move it to an open spot but it aims itself.

Automatic, self -aiming unit mounted on the roof of your Airstream.

I use the tripod option because a.) I'm cheap and b.) I have seldom been unable to get a useable satellite signal. Granted, you may have to relocate it a couple of times but it beats moving the whole trailer...

Mike

[RVDreamer]

Originally Posted by n2916s

Silver,

There are basically three ways to go:

Tripod mounted, standard issue Direct Tv antenna. I have a 75' cable so I can wander about a campsite to get a clear view of the southern sky. Set up, using my satellite finder app, takes about 10 minutes.

Portable, automatic antenna (I.e. The King Flex) that is also cable tethered so you can move it to an open spot but it aims itself.

Automatic, self -aiming unit mounted on the roof of your Airstream.

I use the tripod option because a.) I'm cheap and b.) I have seldom been unable to get a useable satellite signal. Granted, you may have to relocate it a couple of times but it beats moving the whole trailer...

Mike

There are a few options for the Automatic, self aiming unit.

There are the dome type (like the King Controls models) that are small light weight and can mount on the roof or be used as portable. They do not receive HD tv on Directv and they get poor signal when dealing with weather or trees. They are smaller, lighter but less effective at pulling in the signal.

The best roof mount option is the WineGard Automatic Travl'er antenna. When powered on, it will self seek the satellites, tune them in and provide HD TV service just like at home. The dish is a full size slimline design so it receives a strong signal even in bad weather and when partially obscured by trees. It is also compatible with almost every Directv home receiver including the new Genie.
The downside is weight and price. The Travler antenna is rather large and heavy. It requires a sizable baseplate installed and costs around $1500.00. It is probably a good idea to find a professional installer in your area that has experience with Airstreams and the Travler antenna. However it can be self installed if you want.

[StreamDog]

If you SHOULD decide to switch to Dish, get the Tailgater antenna ($350). Automatic and rugged.