Satellite TV

[lattaj]

We are interested in the possibility of satellite TV for our Mountaineer TT. Any ideas: brands, pros, cons etc. We really are novices in this area.

[firetrucker]

lattaj,

We have Dish network, which works well for us. If we are close enough to home we are able to get our local channels (I don't know the exact limits, but it appears to be at least 500 miles...it depends on the footprint of the signal). We got our extra dish and LNB on eBay and take one of our home receivers with us. We can set up the dish in about 5 minutes on a tripod or clamped to the trailer or a picnic table.

Some other MOCers, like HamRad, use DirecTV and are able to attach the LNB to the same dish they use for the Internet. I'm sure he'll be able to add a lot more detail on that operation.

This type of setup is about the cheapest way to go, so you end up giving up a bit of convenience. But you also have more flexibility if you're in an area that has lots of trees.

More (much) expensive, but really convenient, are the units that mount on top of your trailer. Even here there are a couple of options that range from semiautomatic to completely automatic operation.

I don't have the URLs for the most popular sites that can give you more detailed info, but I'm sure they'll be along shortly.

Bob

[Imp]

We have the Kingdome and really like it. We usually can get a site with minimal tree cover and it is an automatic one.
Myrna

[faeb and genb]

We have Direct T. V. I do alright except they told me I could get local channels in the area we were in. We winter in Tx. They said law was changed couldn't get them there. Get them at home alright.
Gene

[mobilrvn]

If you are going to travel in Canada and/or Mexico besides the US, I would heartily recommend getting Star Choice--Canadian TV. You can get it all over Mexico. I use a 90cm dish mounted on a surveyors tripod which is very easy to set up (being absolutely vertical is the key to easy satellite location--been doing it for more than 10 years.) Go to www.global-cm.net for information on how to get equipement and a broker to pay your bill in Canada. The price is about the same as the others and programming is very flexible.

[Montana Sky]

I looked into getting a dome installed for satellite tv. The two brands I had narrowed my choice down to was 1. KVH TracVision or 2. Kingdome. Was going with the KVH until I decided the money would be better spent elsewhere, that is just my opinion... I have found for the most part I can get the top 3 local channels from the antenna on the coach, plus I have who knows how many dvd's to keep me busy.

[snowbunny]

A question for anyone using a satellite dish with an older Montana. My Montana has only one coax (RG-59) connector on the outside that is used to provide cable to both the main and bedroom TVs. I know that satellite requires RG-6 cable but was wondering what happens if I was to connect a dish to this RG-59 connector?

I imagine that it should work but with some signal loss. Am I correct? Anyone doing this?

[Roman4]

Snowbunny:
I honestly don't know what coax is in our Montana. However, I will say that I carry a few different lengths of coax to connect the satellite dish to the Montana; some are RG-6 and some are RG-59. My eye is not sufficiently discerning to distinguish a difference in performance between the two types. I predict that your RG-59 will not cause a noticeable problem.

[dyna_rider98]

For short runs you won't see any difference.

[Bob Pasternak]

We use Direct TV. We had a signal seeking antenna on our 2955RL that we were able to use from Prince Edward Island & Halifax, N S to anywhere else we decided to go so long as we wern't parked under heavy tree cover. We are having the same unit installed on our 3000RK the 10th of this month. The site I've put here will give a picture and specs for it.

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/t...rd-antenna.htm

[RADHAZJOE]

RG-6 and RG-59 have essentially the same impedance, therefore are compatible and can be used connected together. RG-6 has lower line losses and therefore reduces signal strength less per foot used. So most quality systems use RG-6 for longer lengths.

[snowbunny]

Thanks all,

Now I'll go and find a tripod....