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Old 07-09-2009, 06:57 PM   #1
Jerry1944
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antenna for Direct TV

I'm looking at antenna's for my Montana. Does anyone have suggestions?
I have about 2 weeks before I hit the road. Does 1600.00 sound right as a quote from camping World?
Jerry
 
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Old 07-09-2009, 09:13 PM   #2
Art-n-Marge
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You must mean an autofinding satellite job that mounts on the rig. That price sounds like that's what it is including installation.

For me they are expensive so that's a little steep for me, but if you are looking for convenience and ease of use, and you don't mind spending that kind of money, then that's about right with installation.

Just be careful where you park your rig - watch for trees or other objects that might get in the way. I have been to enough campgrounds nestled in pine trees that many rigs could not avoid. That's when I like my $100 setup that takes a while to set up. With ovr 50' of wire I can put my dish a long ways away and just hope it doesn't get ripped off.

Others should be along shortly to comment further.

Good luck to you. Enjoy your shows!
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Old 07-10-2009, 12:06 AM   #3
ols1932
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You can save yourself over $900 if you just mount a dish on a piece of 2x8 and stake it to the ground when you locate the satellite. That's what we've done for almost nine years of full timing and it allows us to avoid interference from trees, etc.

Orv
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Old 07-10-2009, 03:44 AM   #4
Countryfolks
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If you do buy the mounted automatic antenna be sure you verify the rigs overall height. It would be tough to find it is a bit higher by impact measuring as you drive.

We use a ground unit with a long cable as needed.
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Old 07-10-2009, 04:26 AM   #5
Jolu
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Recently I installed a Winegard SK-3005 roof mounted dish. So far I really like it. Most of the places I go I really haven't had tree problems. I have read where others with roof mounted dishes say they rarely run into areas in their full time travels where trees blocked them. I have run into a couple of places where I had a problem setting up my tripod due to trees. So, I think you can run into areas with any dish that could be blocked with trees.

As far as the height, the height would be similar if you had a front air conditioner on your roof. When it is raised up it will be higher than a air conditioner.

If you look around there are many roof mounted dishes out there. If there was a real problem I really don't think there would be so many sales of them. The open face roof mounted dish is becoming more popular because of the HD capabilities and being able to lock onto all the satellites with one touch. When I ordered my dish on the internet it took about three weeks for it to ship. A lot of orders ahead of me.

I will still carry my DTV Slimline dish and tripod as a backup for the time being.

If you decide to go with a roof mounted dish I would check the internet for the model you want. You will find there are a range of prices out there. Most of the installations can be done by owners. Below is an installation video that might help in making a decision. Other videos are available at Winegard.com.
http://www.winegard.com/kbase/show_vid.php?vid_num=5
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Old 07-10-2009, 08:39 AM   #6
Art-n-Marge
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Wow Orv... I thought you and I were on the same wavelength regarding inexpensive solutions for satellite platforms but I need to see your $700 solution (you said save $900 on the OP's $1600 solution is a $700 difference). LOL

I spent $35 on a cheap tripod and built a strong weighted platform for it because the tripod would keep falling over in bad weather or winds. The parts for the platform was about $30 plus my labor to put it together. I can use the thing as far away as needed. It's too ugly to steal and I can camp in the shady trees and not have to worry about blockages. But set up can be time consuming some days!
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Old 07-28-2009, 10:27 AM   #7
ileyld
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by Jolu

Recently I installed a Winegard SK-3005 roof mounted dish. So far I really like it. Most of the places I go I really haven't had tree problems. I have read where others with roof mounted dishes say they rarely run into areas in their full time travels where trees blocked them. I have run into a couple of places where I had a problem setting up my tripod due to trees. So, I think you can run into areas with any dish that could be blocked with trees.

As far as the height, the height would be similar if you had a front air conditioner on your roof. When it is raised up it will be higher than a air conditioner.

If you look around there are many roof mounted dishes out there. If there was a real problem I really don't think there would be so many sales of them. The open face roof mounted dish is becoming more popular because of the HD capabilities and being able to lock onto all the satellites with one touch. When I ordered my dish on the internet it took about three weeks for it to ship. A lot of orders ahead of me.

I will still carry my DTV Slimline dish and tripod as a backup for the time being.

If you decide to go with a roof mounted dish I would check the internet for the model you want. You will find there are a range of prices out there. Most of the installations can be done by owners. Below is an installation video that might help in making a decision. Other videos are available at Winegard.com.
http://www.winegard.com/kbase/show_vid.php?vid_num=5
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Old 07-28-2009, 10:29 AM   #8
ileyld
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Jolu, I just purchased the sk-1000 antenna. Did you screw the mount directly to the roof, or is there a reinforced area to mount the antenna.
Thanks for your post and your help

Lonnie
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Old 07-28-2009, 12:27 PM   #9
Glenn and Lorraine
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I've had the Winegard TRAV'LER for well over a year and find it to be the best way to go.
YES, you do have to be careful of trees blocking the signal. So when checking into a CG ask for a site more in the open.
NO, you don't have to worry about the dish adding height to the Monty. My front AC and my bathroom MaxxAir cover are higher than the dish when traveling.
NO, you don't have to worry about manually setting up the dish as the TRAV'LER is completely automatic. When we pull into a site the first thing Lorraine does is push the button. The TRAV'LER does all the rest. Nothing greater that pullling into a CG for just 1 night and not having the hassle of a portable dish. Even better if it's also raining.
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Old 07-28-2009, 12:48 PM   #10
Jolu
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Lonnie,
Yes I did just screw it to the roof with that putty tape under the base of the unit and then sealed around the screws and the outside of the dish base with Dicor roof sealant. The roof will hold it just fine. I checked with an installer of roof mounted dishes like the Travelers and screwing it to the roof is the way they do it.

That $160 roof mounting plate might be necessary for some RV roofs with less supports and thinner roof decking than the Monty.
I used the putty tape under the base because I might want to remove it later and I thought it might be easier to take up.

If you look at my blog link in my signature you will see a slide show on how I installed the Traveler. I also did not install a roller plate for the roller. It appears there will be no damage to the roof. Again the installer said they never install the roller plate on rubber roofs. The installer said you can buy a pvc electrical box cover and that will work for a roller plate and you will save about $15.

The Monty has been in some really hard rains since I installed it and there has been no leaks or problems. I have made one trip with the Monty since I installed it.
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Old 07-28-2009, 02:58 PM   #11
Waynem
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I built one of these. Haven't used it yet, but I will on the next time out.

PVC Satellite Dish Mount
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Old 07-28-2009, 03:14 PM   #12
Jolu
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Wayne I bet it would take me a few tries to dial in the skew on a 5 LNB Slimeline dish. Any fine tuning of the Slimline would be out of the question. Might be fun to try though. To say the least it would be a conversation starter upper.
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