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Old 05-21-2015, 08:50 PM   #41
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Jack,
I have DirecTV and use a manually pointed slimline dish on a tripod to get HD. I'll dig that out and point it manually for the price difference between it and a Trav'ler at $1500.

I line up on the 101 degree west bird to get the global beam stuff. Some is on the 99 and 103 as well, I think. I don't know the limits of my local spot beam, but I'll be testing it when I go out around home.

Al
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Old 05-21-2015, 10:12 PM   #42
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Al and Missy View Post
Jack,
I have DirecTV and use a manually pointed slimline dish on a tripod to get HD. I'll dig that out and point it manually for the price difference between it and a Trav'ler at $1500.

I line up on the 101 degree west bird to get the global beam stuff. Some is on the 99 and 103 as well, I think. I don't know the limits of my local spot beam, but I'll be testing it when I go out around home.

Al

Spot beam info for Direct Is here. http://www.dbstalk.com/topic/184044-...print-library/

These beams in some cases are pretty big. I was shocked to pick up the St. Louis spot beam for Dish up near Bloomington Illinois at the Moraine View rally. That's about 215 miles. The Direct spot beam just about gets to Chicago.

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Old 05-21-2015, 10:14 PM   #43
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Originally Posted by LucasS View Post
Well I've had every version of satellite dish for a motorhome that has ever existed that works for DirecTV. I've always been an AV geek and TV addict to the point I've had DirecTV since it came out and also have full service Xfinity...(excessive, yah...I get that a lot)



So I started with a Winegard carryout manual dish (the domed ones didn't even exist back then) and I was simply able to take my receiver (actually I bought another receiver because at the time they had a keycard thingie that gave the receiver access) from my house to my RV and voila. Mind you back then aiming the dish manually was a pain in the +(#@....but times have changed.



My current setup is I have a Winegard Minimax in-motion for traveling so someone can watch TV going down the road (I've added another TV to my XC diesel...and am currently reworking the main to have a drop down 50" installed like my parent's have in their Newell). For when we get to the campground I fire up the Winegard Trav'lr. The Trav'lr is the only dish that can get DirecTV's HD programming outside of KvH made satellites. I have a KvH on my toad (Hummer H2). It's HD and in-motion but EXTREMELY expensive. (my friend owns my RV dealership so I get the friend's and family discount or I wouldn't even think about dropping nearly $3k on a sat for my SUV)



What I can recommend financially is using DirecTV at your home and RV on the same account. DirecTV actually has "DirecTV for Travelers" accounts and the two receivers in my XC are able to get network channels (not the local channels per se, if I want to watch the local news in whatever town I'm at I just raise my antenna with the Winegard Roadtrip HD adapter)....but DirecTV has network channels based out of Chicago (I think) you can get while on the road for ABC, NBC, etc.



So unlike 99% of the population I've never had problem with Comcast until recently and I've just decided (literally today) that I'm canceling their cable service and only keeping them for internet. One option while traveling if you have a REALLY good internet plan (or always stay at parks with good WiFi) is that EVERY cable/satellite service has an app or website where you can watch you programming on a laptop, iPad, etc...but be warned, if you're not on WiFi watching an hour long show in HD will blow though 2 gigs of data lickety split.



If you have any other questions just shoot me a message on here. I was the AV geek in high school and nothing's changed, lol



Happy Streaming!!

Hi-I do have direct TV at home,but have never taken a dish on the road. What is the very cheapest way to do this? We camp in the mountains in Northern NM in the summer, no antenna TV reception, and no wi-fi. 67 airstream pulled by a diesel Suburban. Have solar 12v and a 110 ac gen set. Mama would like to watch her shows once in awhile. (I used to have a manually aimed 9 foot dish pulled on a trailer behind my motor home when I full timed on construction jobs) Not going back there. Help would be appreciated, leave for Farmington in June. Rolland (christiansnaples@aol.com) thanks in advance!


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Old 05-21-2015, 10:29 PM   #44
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Satellite TV, Dish or Direct?

I'm not up on Direct hardware but you will need a receiver and a dish to pick up signals. Coax to connect the dish to your Airstream (assuming you have connector outside). Obviously there are quite a few dish options out there. Manual you aim it yourself, self aiming dishes, and high end dishes mounted to your trailer. When you get into self aiming dishes be aware that you may need a speciality receiver. Manually aimed dishes most likely can be used with a receiver that you can bring from home. Be careful note that Direct uses multiple satellites so understand your dish choice will affect the number of satellites that you can access, which in turn limits your channel offerings. My investment in my Tailgater and Dish receiver was about $450, With my setup I have the same channels as I do at home. If I'm in the footprint of the St Louis spot beam, I have the St. Louis local channels also.

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Old 05-21-2015, 10:57 PM   #45
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Rolland,
If you have DirecTV at home you may be able to take a receiver from home on the road. Direct allows you to use any home receiver in an RV. That said, there are some things about the Genie DVR that make it less than optimum, and you can't take a Genie client. In my opinion, the best (least expensive) way to take Direct on the road is to get an H-24 receiver. You will have to order it from Direct on the phone as only the live operators can ship you one without setting up installation. You want an H24 or older receiver because the newer H25 will only work with a dish with a SWM LNB. The problem with the SWM LNBs is that they can't be pointed with an inexpensive signal level meter.

I bought a manual point slimline antenna setup from Satellite Oasis:
DIRECTV HDTV Satellite Dish Tripod Kit for RV / Mobile
Usual disclaimer - No connection to Satellite Oasis other than being a satisfied customer.

I connected it to an H24 receiver which is connected to my TV with an HDMI cable.

Here is an article showing how I did it.
http://www.airforums.com/forums/atta...9&d=1421269670
Although the article says this is how I plan to wire it, it is done, and it works great. I have about a 50' coax cable that connects the dish to the trailer. It provides a great deal of flexibility as to where the dish is located.

Total Cost for this was around $250, $150 for the dish and $100 for the receiver. Direct will charge you $5/month for the additional receiver and you will not be able to get your locals on it.

And if you have an iOS device get the app that Jack recommended in an earlier post. It really simplifies setting up your dish.

Al
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Old 05-23-2015, 12:32 AM   #46
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Just chiming in to second everyone's response. As long as your receiver at home isn't a genie you can just unplug it and take it with you in the RV. As far as the satellite goes eBay is gonna be your friend. You can easily get a used manual carry out or automatic domed for 1/8th of retail. And portables won't require any labor or installation other than buying a coax cable. If your rig is pre-lined with a standard coax for park cable you can also plug the line from the dish into that. There might be some signal degradation but if you're not considering HD you won't be able to notice it.

That's how I started ages ago in my SOB FW. Boy oh boy were we skippy go down the road for that back then.

Lastly, since you have DirecTV your safest bet is to stick with Winegard products but make sure the dish is for DTV. Every brand (King, Winegard, and KvH) make models specific to either Dish or DTV and one will NOT work for the other (I tried to save money on a cheaper Dish Network satellite only to learn the hard way)
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Old 05-23-2015, 06:11 AM   #47
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We bring an older DirecTV receiver from home and use a Winegard manually adjusting antenna.


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Old 05-23-2015, 02:09 PM   #48
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Lazrus

I use DirecTV & a tripod. Take a home receiver (non HD) with you & there's no additional cost. I can still get local channels if I'm within 200 miles from home. If you only camp a few times per year you don't need to pay for an additional receiver & the tripod/dish is very easy to set up. Ninety per cent of the time it works on my first try. If there's something I want to record I set my home HD receiver & view it when I get back. GailMac
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Old 05-23-2015, 07:51 PM   #49
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Satellite TV, Dish or Direct?

One caution regarding an eBay receiver is the pay per view. I know with Dish, pay per views were once transmitted to Dish via phone connection. Some folks didn't establish that connection and folks buying used receivers were getting stuck with the unpaid pay per views the the original receiver owner had watched. Dish was pretty unsympathetic and would refuse to authorize the receiver unless the back unpaid pay per view bill was settled. I bought receivers via eBay but asked the seller to give me the serial number of the unit they were offering. You could call Dish with that serial number and verify if the unit had ever been authorized on their network and in addition whether there were any unpaid charges tied to that receiver.

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Old 05-23-2015, 11:08 PM   #50
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LucasS View Post
Well I've had every version of satellite dish for a motorhome that has ever existed that works for DirecTV. I've always been an AV geek and TV addict to the point I've had DirecTV since it came out and also have full service Xfinity...(excessive, yah...I get that a lot)

So I started with a Winegard carryout manual dish (the domed ones didn't even exist back then) and I was simply able to take my receiver (actually I bought another receiver because at the time they had a keycard thingie that gave the receiver access) from my house to my RV and voila. Mind you back then aiming the dish manually was a pain in the +(#@....but times have changed.

My current setup is I have a Winegard Minimax in-motion for traveling so someone can watch TV going down the road (I've added another TV to my XC diesel...and am currently reworking the main to have a drop down 50" installed like my parent's have in their Newell). For when we get to the campground I fire up the Winegard Trav'lr. The Trav'lr is the only dish that can get DirecTV's HD programming outside of KvH made satellites. I have a KvH on my toad (Hummer H2). It's HD and in-motion but EXTREMELY expensive. (my friend owns my RV dealership so I get the friend's and family discount or I wouldn't even think about dropping nearly $3k on a sat for my SUV)

What I can recommend financially is using DirecTV at your home and RV on the same account. DirecTV actually has "DirecTV for Travelers" accounts and the two receivers in my XC are able to get network channels (not the local channels per se, if I want to watch the local news in whatever town I'm at I just raise my antenna with the Winegard Roadtrip HD adapter)....but DirecTV has network channels based out of Chicago (I think) you can get while on the road for ABC, NBC, etc.

So unlike 99% of the population I've never had problem with Comcast until recently and I've just decided (literally today) that I'm canceling their cable service and only keeping them for internet. One option while traveling if you have a REALLY good internet plan (or always stay at parks with good WiFi) is that EVERY cable/satellite service has an app or website where you can watch you programming on a laptop, iPad, etc...but be warned, if you're not on WiFi watching an hour long show in HD will blow though 2 gigs of data lickety split.

If you have any other questions just shoot me a message on here. I was the AV geek in high school and nothing's changed, lol

Happy Streaming!!
Thanks, there are 3 boxes plus the one with the DVR in the house-can I just take along one of the small boxes and use one of the cheap manual antennas with manual aiming from e-bay? Can I then get satalite coordinates wherever I am from Directv? thanks, I was not going to do this, but the places we go are too remote for antenna TV
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Old 05-24-2015, 06:37 AM   #51
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With the Direct TV Genie and Dish Hopper systems, the small receivers used with them are not capable of standing alone without being connected wire/wirelessly to their DVR master units.

Jack
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Old 05-24-2015, 10:16 PM   #52
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Ditto that. The Genie's cannot work standalone. I'm 99% sure your main DVR box will so just take that one. I had DirecTV split my service so I could have my two receivers in my AS on a Traveler account.
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Old 05-26-2015, 08:12 PM   #53
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Well, I called Directv, and they assured me I could just use one of the receivers from the house. I ordered one of the sat dish kits for directv off of the Internet. However, the little receivers I have in the house, each with a card in them, are all H-25. Am I in trouble? Thanks, Rolland


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Old 05-26-2015, 08:37 PM   #54
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The H 25 receiver only works with a SWM LNB on a direct dish. It will not work with a standard LNB.

The only issue with using a SWM LNB is that you can't use a normal signal meter to determine where to point the dish.

If you want to use one of the H 25 receivers, you will need to get one of the higher dollar SWM compatible meters that supplies power to the LNB, or try to use the signal strength meter directly on the receiver. This is not the best way to point the dish but it will work.

Also you will need to hook the receiver directly to the dish. You won't be able to use the trailer's exterior satellite connection because it uses a splitter that is not compatible with the SWM LNB. You will need to provide power to the SWM LNB as it takes it's power from a separate power supply that is fed to the dish through the coax.

If I were you and I wanted to use a cheap dish with a standard LNB, I would see if I could buy an older receiver like an H 24 that doesn't require a SWM LNB. Directv only charges $5.00 a month for an extra receiver activation.
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Old 05-26-2015, 09:47 PM   #55
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That brings up my next stupid question. The H25's are all actually 12v, as is my flat screen. I really don't want to use the later equipment, and don't mind paying DTV for monthly use. Would like to stick with 12vdc so don't have to use the inverter or genset, just solar when away from "facilities". If I pick up a used "owned" receiver from e-bay, are any of the early ones 12vdc like the H25 and not 110ac? All the wiring in my 67 was put in by me, and I added lots of extra coax and cat5 when I put it together, so connections are not a problem. The problem is evidently the upgrades DTV did last time they were here at my house. Thanks again for answering my stupid questions. Rolland


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Old 05-30-2015, 05:45 PM   #56
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We had Direct for years but switched to Dish for two reasons: 1) Ease of use of the Tailgator 2) Ability to get local staions everywhere. You just call them and give them your new address. Also the "put on hold" feature, eliminating the monthly fee.
Direct was a bear to deal with on getting locals. They forced NY or LA locals and required affidavits and registration documentation every year.
We have been able to get US network stations in southern Canada too.
I have a hard drive connecte so we can record and pause. As noted before, you are limited to watching or recording one live program, but we just watch everything off the hard drive.
Works good for us and has been for a couple of years...no issues with Tailgator or VIP-211-K receiver.
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Old 05-31-2015, 08:20 AM   #57
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Well, I got a d-12 off e-bay for $30, called directv and they verified it was a good usable receiver. They are sending me a card for $20, will charge $6.50 a month more, and I can suspend and re activate whenever I want. So, for $150 plus $6.50 a month, I will be able to watch the same channels I have at home on the road. Also have a nice antennae I put on last year for local channels. Will probably use a BNC switch box to control all of this? Getting close to time to Leave for New Mexico, Farmington rally, so need to give the old girl a last clean and polish and finish building the new air hitch. Thanks to all of you for the timely information! Rolland
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Old 07-16-2015, 01:09 PM   #58
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Just a update-Back home after 3 weeks on the road-The Directv worked great, ended up using a 140w inverter on the receiver when boondocking so didn't need to run the generator. Finding the satellite was easier than I hoped. Did not need to add a switch box, the antenna, dish, and cable worked well together routed through the Winegard box and the receiver. Happy camper! Rolland


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