Satellite install for dummies

[ScottBrownstein]

All of these issues relate to both Dish and DirecTV beginning to stop supporting standard definition TV. All new DirecTV receivers are HD and they do not have standard coax RF output connectors. Virtually all RVs are wired for coax television distribution so this is where the problem begins. You can still get SD receivers for DirecTV at Amazon and ebay and many of us have a bunch of them in the basement if we are long term DirecTV customers. There is nothing wrong with RF distribution and it is fine for HD as well as SD since all over the air HD is carried by RF.

I use DirecTV SD service exclusively at home so I don't miss HD on the road. It lets me use a single receiver in my RV, switch is via the existing wiring and splitters and run it to all of my 3 TVs. You can buy a DirecTV D-12 receiver, an 18" dish, a tripod, coax, bubble level, compass and a signal meter on Amazon for around $200 and you are set to go. I installed a Winegard crank up 18" dish with digital elevation sensor on my coach for $250. Works great and only takes me a minute or so to set up without lugging cables, tripods and running back and forth. Half the time I get a satellite without even using the signal meter on the receiver.

If you want HD the dish is bigger, the antenna harder to set up, no crank ups available and with Directv you have distribution problems in the coach without RF output.

[markb422]

Originally Posted by dea49

I want to use the slimline dish with my HR24-100 DVR with no SWM.

Since I only have one receiver I only need one cable attached to the 4 on the LNB, correct?

I believe that dish has a multi switch built in so you get the same signal from all 4 of the connectors.

[Ditchdigger]

Originally Posted by ScottBrownstein

All of these issues relate to both Dish and DirecTV beginning to stop supporting standard definition TV. All new DirecTV receivers are HD and they do not have standard coax RF output connectors. Virtually all RVs are wired for coax television distribution so this is where the problem begins. You can still get SD receivers for DirecTV at Amazon and ebay and many of us have a bunch of them in the basement if we are long term DirecTV customers. There is nothing wrong with RF distribution and it is fine for HD as well as SD since all over the air HD is carried by RF.

I use DirecTV SD service exclusively at home so I don't miss HD on the road. It lets me use a single receiver in my RV, switch is via the existing wiring and splitters and run it to all of my 3 TVs. You can buy a DirecTV D-12 receiver, an 18" dish, a tripod, coax, bubble level, compass and a signal meter on Amazon for around $200 and you are set to go. I installed a Winegard crank up 18" dish with digital elevation sensor on my coach for $250. Works great and only takes me a minute or so to set up without lugging cables, tripods and running back and forth. Half the time I get a satellite without even using the signal meter on the receiver.

If you want HD the dish is bigger, the antenna harder to set up, no crank ups available and with Directv you have distribution problems in the coach without RF output.

I had DISH install my Hopper system, and they used the coax in the trailer, to the hopper, and the Joey. Then HDIM cable to the TV, on each. I wanted HD to both TV's.

[Thurman]

I took the step to a portable satellite receiver system a couple of months ago. When I was first interested in a portable system I called DISH, as I have this in my home, to get info on which system I may need. When I started asking about the Tailgater the lady asked me a few questions then told me that I would not be happy with the Tailgater in S.W. Ga. area. She said she had knowledge of our area and knew that most campgrounds within 100 miles of me had many tall pine trees, which the Tailgater doesn't like. She also told me that the Tailgater probably would not work with over 50 feet of co-ax cable including the cable within the camper. So, I bought the new DISH antenna, which is oval shaped, and the Wally she highly recommended. She also informed me that I was overdue for a complete new system in my home as the dish and receivers (2) I have were outdated and were not HD, all this at NO charge. When the tech guy came out to replace my dish and receivers he also told me that I would not like the Tailgater for the same reasons the lady told me. On top of that he has a camper and uses an HD dish. After all he had to do in the house he offered to go out and help me set my dish and Wally up as I had only had them two days. He could not get the system to work using the outside cable connector. He "rang out" the cable from the outside connector and the inside connection to assure that it was working and it was but it would not support the dish system. He even took the co-ax loose from the amplifier using it straight and it would not work. He wound up running a co-ax straight from the dish to the Wally and everything worked. So later I ran a dedicated co-ax from the wall plate with the TV connection to the outside for the dish system. Setting it up is not that complicated. Having the tripod level is important for sure. I mount the dish and set it to 240 degrees from North using a compass, I have not had to adjust the elevation nor skew yet, and I hit the satellite. The info that the Wally does not support two, or more, TV's is correct. I just did not want to get into supporting two TV's in the camper.

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by Thurman

I took the step to a portable satellite receiver system a couple of months ago. When I was first interested in a portable system I called DISH, as I have this in my home, to get info on which system I may need. When I started asking about the Tailgater the lady asked me a few questions then told me that I would not be happy with the Tailgater in S.W. Ga. area. She said she had knowledge of our area and knew that most campgrounds within 100 miles of me had many tall pine trees, which the Tailgater doesn't like. She also told me that the Tailgater probably would not work with over 50 feet of co-ax cable including the cable within the camper. So, I bought the new DISH antenna, which is oval shaped, and the Wally she highly recommended. She also informed me that I was overdue for a complete new system in my home as the dish and receivers (2) I have were outdated and were not HD, all this at NO charge. When the tech guy came out to replace my dish and receivers he also told me that I would not like the Tailgater for the same reasons the lady told me. On top of that he has a camper and uses an HD dish. After all he had to do in the house he offered to go out and help me set my dish and Wally up as I had only had them two days. He could not get the system to work using the outside cable connector. He "rang out" the cable from the outside connector and the inside connection to assure that it was working and it was but it would not support the dish system. He even took the co-ax loose from the amplifier using it straight and it would not work. He wound up running a co-ax straight from the dish to the Wally and everything worked. So later I ran a dedicated co-ax from the wall plate with the TV connection to the outside for the dish system. Setting it up is not that complicated. Having the tripod level is important for sure. I mount the dish and set it to 240 degrees from North using a compass, I have not had to adjust the elevation nor skew yet, and I hit the satellite. The info that the Wally does not support two, or more, TV's is correct. I just did not want to get into supporting two TV's in the camper.

If it wouldn't work from your outside connector it means you have a splitter somewhere and any satellite connection won't like that. We have used the Tailgater all over the country and always can get HD. You just have to have a clear lane to the satellites which you can find with a phone app (even in the trees). We have only failed to get a signal in one place where we were in a very narrow and deep canyon. And I've hooked up my portable dish with 100' of coax with no degradation of signal.

Glad you found a solution that works for you, but some of the info you got just isn't correct.