Roof mounted satellite?

[t1mrtork]

Do any of you have any experience with a roof mounted satellite? I see they have some systems that are mounted under dome and use their own built in gps to aquire a signal. This seems like a good solution to having bad free tv reception in places and most parks we go to dont have cable hookups. Do these systems work or are very reliable? It looks like a nice way to go instead of hooking up ground receiver although I dont know anything about those systems either. The gound dishes are alot cheaper I see. But how hard are those to find a signal on? Thanks for any help on this. I am relatively new to the moc group and dont post alot but generally read all of the posts everyday and I am very proud to be a member of such a fine group of people that help each other out so much. Thanks again to all for the help on the many problems that we read about but dont always post to.

[OntMont]

My own experience is all with tripod mounts on the ground, but I can offer some thoughts that I have picked up from others.
1. Roof mount, especially GPS aimed, is very expensive.
2. Roof mount limits flexibility in finding a spot to sight the satellite through. (I have met several RVers with roof mounts, who also carry a dish on a tripod to use when the roof mount can't find that elusive hole in the trees.)
3. Roof mount is quick, easy, and tidy.
4. Roof mount would be handy if you move around a lot, and don't want to take the time to set up a tripod each day.

A tripod mount is not hard to aim, if there is a clear view to the satellite. If there isn't, you will never get it aimed. As a rule of thumb, if you can't get the signal within 5 minutes, you probably never will. That is where the tripod mount comes into its own, you can just pick it up and try a different spot. I'm not sure what the limit on the length of co-ax you can use is, but I have seen hundreds of feet used at some sites. There are resources on the internet to help you with the aiming. One I use will let me input coordinates from my GPS and give me the appropriate settings back. You may need a little practice with a compass if you have not used one before, but that is not hard. Personally, I kind of like the challenge of going out and surveying the site, picking a spot, and seeing if I can hit the satellite first try. (Only did it once, probably as much by luck as anything.)

That's my 2 cents worth, see what others have to say.

[Glenn and Lorraine]

The biggest complaint I've heard about roof mount dishes is as OntMont pointed out finding that elusive hole in the trees. I've been a many a campground with a beautiful canopy of trees. In the summer when the trees are just full with leaves the shade is great but the TV reception is practically non existant. With a tripod mount and sufficient cable you can usually find that hole. In the park we were in in Ohio they ran their cable through a hedge row in order to get away from the tree cover. The distance had to be 100 feet or more.

[Bob Pasternak]

T1MRTORK: If you go to the site I've put here you'll find a Weingard automatic, roof top satellite antenna. We put one on ours and there's only been a couple places we were too covered with trees to use it. It even worked when we were in Halifax, NS this year. I thought we'd be over the horizon from the satellite. The rv places generally want a little over $1000 for one plus install. We got this one for $770. Then one of the rv places here was having a 20% discount on labor one month so we had them put it on. Total was less than $1000.

http://www.summitsource.com/Merchant...roduct_Count=6

[tbhd]

The key to getting your coordinates right starts with getting the tripod perfectly vertical. If that is off you'll never get your elevation correct. We use Dish network in our stick house and take it with us when we travel. The problem with Dish network is they use two satelites with their premium package (Dish 500) and the dish that is mounted to the house is canted off to one side which is impossible to duplicate when we are on the road. We have to reprogram the receiver to just one satelite (Dish 300). Other than that it is not real hard to do after you have done it a few times. I also made a bracket to fit on the ladder on the back of the RV and mount the dish to that. We always try and get a site that has a clear southwest shot. One other thing you have to be careful is the tripods can get knocked over easily then you get to start all over again.

[Chester]

I've used a tripod dish for a few years now. Most of the time I mount it on a 2" plastic pipe that I mounted to the ladder. Whenever I couldn't get a clear line of site to the satellite I mounted it on a tripod and found that clear line of sight. It's a lot more cost effective and flexible than a roof mounted system.

[Treecounter]

OK, might as put in my 2 cents. WE got our first Direct system in the mid 90's paid $800. for it and installed it ourselves. Mounted on the latter. Pain in the but to set up as if the rig was pointed South I was holding onto the latter with one hand and trying to point the dish. After I fell off the rig and broke my leg (not setting up the dish) Glub insisted we get a roof mount. Installed it ourselves and it is great. Not automatic but very fast. We got a device that tells you the elevation of the dish. Just get the coordinates set the angle and rotate the dish until you get a signal. Fine tune it for the best signal and you are in business. We used to carry a tripod for those times we had trees. But now we use a cement form stake. It is 5/8 steel and drive it into the ground use U bolts to hold the dish base to the stake. It wont blow over. We have two sets and are able to see the one in the bed room to see the signal strength.

[fulltimedreamer]

FYI it is possible to use the Dish 500 setup on a tripod and attach to both satellites (110 & 119). Here are the steps I use and it generally works in 10 minutes or less.

The LNB on the Dish 500 has a built in switch. There are two f-connectors so that you can go to a second receiver for a second TV.

Setup Process:
1. Choose Peak Angles in the installation menu on the receiver.
2. Enter your zipcode for the current location.
3. Write down the Azimuth, Elevation and Skew.
4. Set the Elevation and Skew before you set up the tripod.
5. Level the mounting pole/tripod for the dish.
6. Find the general Azimuth and use a satellite finder to lock on the satellite.
7. Fine tune the dish using the built-in signal strength meter in the receiver. (Try with transponder set to 19 or 20.)
8. Once you lock on the 119 Satellite - Choose "Check Switch" (This should then allow the receiver to see both 119 and 110 Satellites.)
9. Go back and Check the 110 Signal level - adjust and recheck 119 if necessary.
10. Enjoy your satellite programming.

Hope this is helpful.

[Ishler]

Just to add a little bit to the discussion about Dish 500, I've used it for about 3 years with a Bullseye mount but what really makes it easy is a small signal meter that can be had for $30-$40

www.rvdishmount.com
http://www.campingworld.com/browse/s...=14067&src=FPC

[rames14]

Fulltimedreamer -
The roof mount only comes with single LNBF because there isn't a way to set the skew. So with a roof mount, you need to use the Dish 300 setup and switch between satellites. We have the Wineguard manual with digital elevation. It's nice because it's mounted right by the bed in our 3400 and I can get to it very easy. If you use Direct TV, you get everything off of one satellite, so there is an advantage there. We bought our Montana in August and had Dish Network five years ago. Got cable when they put in Broadband because at that time they didn't have local channels. Now I can't get a good deal with Dish for home so I'll probably put in DirectTV at home so I can also use it at the trailer. We just signed up for two months of Dish to try it out and make sure everything worked.

[Thunderman]

quote:Originally posted by fulltimedreamer

FYI it is possible to use the Dish 500 setup on a tripod and attach to both satellites (110 & 119). Here are the steps I use and it generally works in 10 minutes or less.

The LNB on the Dish 500 has a built in switch. There are two f-connectors so that you can go to a second receiver for a second TV.

Setup Process:
1. Choose Peak Angles in the installation menu on the receiver.
2. Enter your zip code for the current location.
3. Write down the Azimuth, Elevation and Skew.
4. Set the Elevation and Skew before you set up the tripod.
5. Level the mounting pole/tripod for the dish.
6. Find the general Azimuth and use a satellite finder to lock on the satellite.
7. Fine tune the dish using the built-in signal strength meter in the receiver. (Try with transponder set to 19 or 20.)
8. Once you lock on the 119 Satellite - Choose "Check Switch" (This should then allow the receiver to see both 119 and 110 Satellites.)
9. Go back and Check the 110 Signal level - adjust and recheck 119 if necessary.
10. Enjoy your satellite programming.

Hope this is helpful.

Fulltimedreamer, I tried to use my new receiver from dish 500 with a single LNB "direct" dish this past week end. I used my local zip code even though I was 110 miles from home. I could get local channels from home area and some of the other channels but not all of the 180 which are in my package. The channels other than local had different numbers. Any suggestions other than getting the "dish" 500 dish with the two LNB? Thanks!

[Dennis and Carol]

Thunderman, you were probably receiving from Sat. 110. Your other channels will be on Sat. 119, just a little further around toward the west. I got tired of switching satellites and picked up a used Dish 500 dish from a pawn shop for about $40. Might also try E-bay.

[Jeff Heiser]

I have had DirecTV satellite TV since it became available. I use a tripod that is made for a roof mount antenna with a steel pole that I mount my dish on. The longest it has taken to site the dish has been 5 minutes. I do the following and have never had a problem getting aligned.

1. After setting up the tripod and dish I use a level to make sure the pole is straight and level. I turn the receiver on select the nearest city in the dish positioning option to get my coordinates for the dish.
2. I turn the receiver to the signal strength option and turn the TV volumn up loud enough to hear it outside after opening a window.
3. I set the elevation and use a compass for the azimuth. Once I do this I usually hear the signal strength meter change tone and 9 out of 10 times I am right on with 90 to 100 percent signal strength.

I have looked into the roof mount systems and for a while thought it was what I wanted BUT...the cost is high (my whole setup cost less than $125), someone has to poke a hole in your roof when they install the roof mount system (to me I would rather not have anymore holes in my roof than what I already have), depending on the type roof mount system you can significantly raise the profile of your unit and this is the KICKER - during this past summer when we had to evac dure to the hurricanes we had sat TV when others with roof mount systems didnt due to trees. We could move the tripod to a location that had clear sight of the sky. The ones with roof mounted systems were requesting different camp sites.

So now you have my two cents.

Jeff Heiser
Merritt Island Florida

[t1mrtork]

We have a dish 500 at home. Would we be able to use the box at home and just get a new dish for the camper? The LNB you guy are talking about, are those the twin arms that point at the dish? Our home unit has two, should the dish for the camper have two also?

[rames14]

t1mrtork -

Yes, that's what we did was used our box from home, but we got the roof mounted dish with a single LNBF. If you buy an antenna to put on a tripod, get the dual LNBF dish. If you have a single LNBF, you must switch between the two satellites with Dish. There are advantages to both the tripod dish on the ground and the roof mount. When using a Dish Network dish on a tripod, you can move the dish around to avoid trees and get a better signal. You can also set the skew that way using a Dish 500 dual LNBF dish so you don't need to change between satellites. With the roof mounted system, I need to switch between the two satellites, but I can do it without going outside. I turn the TV on, input the zip and get the elevation and rotation for the two satellites and then adjust my dish to whichever satellite I want to watch. I don't use any storage space lugging an a dish and its much nicer in inclement weather. My understanding with DirectTV is that you only use one satellite for everything and therefore with the roof mounted antenna you don't need to switch between satellites. Hope this helps.

[Thunderman]

quote:Originally posted by Dennis and Carol

Thunderman, you were probably receiving from Sat. 110. Your other channels will be on Sat. 119, just a little further around toward the west. I got tired of switching satellites and picked up a used Dish 500 dish from a pawn shop for about $40. Might also try E-bay.

Dennis,
Yes I was on 110...I thought 110 was for local channels only. We were able to pick up other channels but not all in our dish program. Did not have any luck with 119. Hopefully I can find a used Dish 500.
Thanks

[VanMan]

t1mrtork, The dish 500 has a dual LNB (the new one's look like one big wide fat one) that each point in slightly different direction to receive both sats (110 & 119). The dish is actually ovoid (rather than round)allowing the signal from both sats to bounce off the dish and point to the focii (center of the LNB).

Here's an interesting stand: http://www.bbrv.dreamstation.com/sat.html

[c5racer]

I have the Winegard crank up dish mounted in the roof above the sink in the bathroom. It has the digital elevation sensor, so I just crank it up and turn it to the satelite and we have reception. We have Direct TV, so only need to aim it at one satelite. It was installed by the dealer I bought the Montana from.

[rames14]

C5Racer -

We have the same antenna. That's one reason I may look at Direct TV - only need one satellite. On the Dish 500 with dual LNB, you need to set three things - elevation, azimuth and skew. With the Winegard, you can't set skew so there's no sense in putting in a dual LNB.

[Dennis and Carol]

Thunderman, you shouldn't have a problem finding one. Be sure to get the newer style that looks like it is only one LNB (wide and flat) and has a built in switch. The one I bought had 2 seperate LNB's and a seperate switch. Looks like the newer style would be less likely to get knocked out of alignment. Check on E-bay looks like lots of them for sale.