Cutting the cable

[JWood422]

I'm considering getting a portable Dish Network receiver for our travel trailer. Does anyone use their portable dish for home television? I'm fed up with paying Spectrum a gajillion dollars every month. (I will add the dish receiver to our family-owned lakehouse account.) So I figure I could possibly find a place at our home to place it and take it with us when we go camping. Do any of y'all already do that?

[NJKris]

Get rid of network TV, cable or otherwise and you'll be a happier person. Tons of money saved, tons of time on your hands. I lost track how many years ago I returned all their stupid rental boxes and eliminated all but high speed internet. I still enjoy streaming shows on Netflix/Amazon, and don't miss any of the other nonsense.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by NJKris

Get rid of network TV, cable or otherwise and you'll be a happier person. Tons of money saved, tons of time on your hands. I lost track how many years ago I returned all their stupid rental boxes and eliminated all but high speed internet. I still enjoy streaming shows on Netflix/Amazon, and don't miss any of the other nonsense.

That would be your personal opinion.
We have moved to doing half of our camping in private RV parks since we're retired. Especially since we're on the road for months. Having tv is important to us while traveling. I'm a fan of Dish because of their app that allows us to access our home dvr box and watch all the same channels that we do at home and our recorded dvr shows. Don't need a separate dish box nor satellite dish.

[DougW]

We have the Winegard Pathway X2 and a Wally Receiver that we use at our home and take it with us in the RV, it works fine. The thing I like about this setup is how it will seek out and lock onto the satellites, all I have to do is tell it what state we are in and it does the rest provided there is a good view of the sky. The Pathway X@ will find the eastern arc or the western arc satellites so if one set is obscured the other will usually work. Not all dish systems can look for both sets of satellites and I am really glad I spent the extra few dollars to get that feature.

[NJKris]

Originally Posted by bikendan

That would be your personal opinion.
We have moved to doing half of our camping in private RV parks since we're retired. Especially since we're on the road for months. Having tv is important to us while traveling. I'm a fan of Dish because of their app that allows us to access our home dvr box and watch all the same channels that we do at home and our recorded dvr shows. Don't need a separate dish box nor satellite dish.

Of course it's an opinion. Nearly everything on this forum is! It's only important as you make it. TV is a habit, lifelong for all of us. Very hard to kick, I get it. I got newer reading glasses, so trying to read more again. You can't imagine not watching TV, just like I can't imagine being on the road for months!

[TowPro]

the portable satellite dish can only view one satellite at a time.
Home systems can record like 16 shows at one as you watch another and can watch in many rooms, which needs a real 18" dish that can see 3 satellites at a time.
We have had Dish for almost 30 years. For years I setup a dish on tripod in campground. last several I was using a winegard Pathway X2 dish.
when I bought the MH I installed a playmaker on the roof.

yes I have been in spots where the playmaker did not work because of trees where I would have gotten reception with the pathway.
I have not used the Pathway in 2 years now. one of these days I might have to sell it.

[Blackrock]

I have used mine for the house. Even thoi do have Dish wired throughout the house I still needed another tap in the spare bedroom when my grandson was living with us. I set the Winegard dome outside the window and the receiver inside for him and his wife. They whined that they couldn't record anything but oh well.

[emm-dee]

Originally Posted by TowPro

the portable satellite dish can only view one satellite at a time.
Home systems can record like 16 shows at one as you watch another and can watch in many rooms, which needs a real 18" dish that can see 3 satellites at a time.
We have had Dish for almost 30 years. For years I setup a dish on tripod in campground. last several I was using a winegard Pathway X2 dish.
when I bought the MH I installed a playmaker on the roof.

yes I have been in spots where the playmaker did not work because of trees where I would have gotten reception with the pathway.
I have not used the Pathway in 2 years now. one of these days I might have to sell it.

Not sure I understand what you mean when you say an 18” dish is required to see three satellites. I consistently see the Playmaker showing three satellites on line. Is there an 18” antenna inside that little dome?

[Gmoney67]

Yes on setup it finds the 3 satellites but when watching tv it only receive signal from 1 satellite.18" is house size satellite and has 3 Ln on front of dish witch allows more than 1 tv two watch a different show on different satellite. I had playmaker got rid of it and know have 18" house dish doesn't take long to setup. Now that dish and Sinclair are at odds ill just get rid of dish altogether and stream and get good ota antenna. Dish prices keep going up every year so at $95.00 month its not worth it in my opinion.

[TowPro]

Originally Posted by emm-dee

Not sure I understand what you mean when you say an 18” dish is required to see three satellites. I consistently see the Playmaker showing three satellites on line. Is there an 18” antenna inside that little dome?

The playmaker can see 3 satellites, but only one at a time.
when you change channels on the receiver to a channel that is on another satellite, the playmaker moves its internals to look at the required satellite.
I think there is a dual output playmaker where 2 receivers can use the playmaker at same time, as long as they are both viewing channels that are on same satellite.

the 18" dish like on a house can see 3 satellites at the same time.


the one thing I did not like about my playmaker with Wally receiver was every morning it would reboot and go through the re-aiming processes.
if the playmaker is mounted to roof of camper it will make a little noise that might wake up a sleeping wife.

[GravelRider]

Originally Posted by NJKris

Get rid of network TV, cable or otherwise and you'll be a happier person. Tons of money saved, tons of time on your hands. I lost track how many years ago I returned all their stupid rental boxes and eliminated all but high speed internet. I still enjoy streaming shows on Netflix/Amazon, and don't miss any of the other nonsense.

We did the same thing, though I ended up missing sports, so I got Fubo for their sports package, and in the end save maybe $50/month. Now that I'm used to streaming, I can't go back to waiting for programming and commercials through TV shows and movies. I'm stuck with them for sports though. Besides football and re-runs of The Office, I rarely watch TV any longer.

[emm-dee]

Originally Posted by TowPro

The playmaker can see 3 satellites, but only one at a time.
when you change channels on the receiver to a channel that is on another satellite, the playmaker moves its internals to look at the required satellite.
I think there is a dual output playmaker where 2 receivers can use the playmaker at same time, as long as they are both viewing channels that are on same satellite.

the 18" dish like on a house can see 3 satellites at the same time.


the one thing I did not like about my playmaker with Wally receiver was every morning it would reboot and go through the re-aiming processes.
if the playmaker is mounted to roof of camper it will make a little noise that might wake up a sleeping wife.

Okay, pretty sure I understand that now. There is a state park near me that has one, and only one, FHU site that is positioned where it will allow the Playmaker to see one satellite. So, I assume since it only sees one that restricts it to only viewing the channels on that satellite.

Has anyone gotten an answer from Dish as to how the morning reboot can be disabled? Saying this action makes a little noise is an understatement. The dome is bolted to the MH roof and creates noticeable vibration in addition to a LOT of noise. Even if the Wally is turned off the action continues. I just pull the coax connection (quick connect installed) at bedtime which stops the process. Unfortunately, that means the system has to go through the entire startup process which takes 7-10 minutes.

[TowPro]

Originally Posted by emm-dee

Has anyone gotten an answer from Dish as to how the morning reboot can be disabled? Saying this action makes a little noise is an understatement. The dome is bolted to the MH roof and creates noticeable vibration in addition to a LOT of noise. Even if the Wally is turned off the action continues. I just pull the coax connection (quick connect installed) at bedtime which stops the process. Unfortunately, that means the system has to go through the entire startup process which takes 7-10 minutes.

buried in the menu's is something about auto update times. you can't turn off auto update but you can change the time. and its not necessarily YOUR time, I seem to recall I set mine for 9am and it really thought I wanted 8am. you can set it to the middle of the day if you know your going to be out at that time.

[NJKris]

Originally Posted by GravelRider

We did the same thing, though I ended up missing sports, so I got Fubo for their sports package, and in the end save maybe $50/month. Now that I'm used to streaming, I can't go back to waiting for programming and commercials through TV shows and movies. I'm stuck with them for sports though. Besides football and re-runs of The Office, I rarely watch TV any longer.

Amen, brother! When I go to parents' house, their TV is always on, I glance at it and always wonder 'why did I pay so much so long for this nonsense'. Turns out the 80 bucks a month I saved by just having internet and buying my own modem/router is now a $6,000 pile of cash after 6 years.


**Now I just gotta break my FR Forums addiction! That would save me time AND money!

[Nick Danger]

Originally Posted by NJKris

Of course it's an opinion. Nearly everything on this forum is! It's only important as you make it. TV is a habit, lifelong for all of us. Very hard to kick, I get it. I got newer reading glasses, so trying to read more again. You can't imagine not watching TV, just like I can't imagine being on the road for months!

I'm with you on this one!

[{Tpc}]

My issue with satellite tv is weather. When the weather comes you may not have tv. I guess that’s where high speed internet comes in.

Honestly if I lived alone I’d probably only have internet and some streaming service. And borrow a buddy’s SundayTicket when it’s football season lol.

[TowPro]

Having had both Comcast and Dishnetwork for almost 30 years in SE pa, the comcast was down more than the dishnetwork ever was When comcast was down it was hours, when dish was down it was minutes.

[NJKris]

Amazingly where I am in NJ, Comcast is virtually NEVER down. 21 years here with them. Which is fantastic, because I hate their customer service.

[TowPro]

and my Dish used to go out maybe 15 minutes per year from thunderstorms in PA. Snow can also cause it to go out but you can brush it off the dish real easy.
even in central Florida "land of the thunderstorms every afternoon" we might loose TV 5 minutes per month at the most. But everything I watch is recorded during the night so I don't see commercials either.

[{Tpc}]

Guess it’s different in Michigan because I had direct tv and dish and they both constantly went out in bad weather (dish was worse). My dad has dish and ex direct tv and both have nothing problems with bad weather.