What is the best Rv Direct Tv portable antenna

[bob caldwell]

FYI....had to call direct to flash my box...traveling from west coast to east coast, portable Flex lost satillight in M Missouri

[Maron]

Wow thank you all for some great input. Late today I bought a Winegard Carryout Anser and gave up trying to connect it an hour ago, just as the Mosquitos were coming out.
I will try again along with Rsdata's satellite app suggestion.
Thanks again everyone.

[johnruff]

I now have a Winegard portable because it works with DTV or Dish, but I have used the Dish like Big Vic in the past. Neither were / are difficult to do. The Winegard is a little easier and more compact to travel with but it is also more expensive. If you tend to stay for a long time the dish would be a less expensive alternative but if you move around a lot the Winegard would be easier - IMO.

[barrie1]

We bring our HD DIRECTV DVR from the house. We have a SWM HD dish that I set up on a tripod and point South South East. I purchased a HD sat finder from Sat Pro, simple to use.
Then our job is done in about 10 minutes. The great thing with the DVR is that while out and about durin the day having fun. We come home at night and can watch any of our recordings at our leisure.
Life is good!!!

[nomad297]

Originally Posted by barrie1

We bring our HD DIRECTV DVR from the house. We have a SWM HD dish that I set up on a tripod and point South South East. I purchased a HD sat finder from Sat Pro, simple to use.
Then our job is done in about 10 minutes. The great thing with the DVR is that while out and about durin the day having fun. We come home at night and can watch any of our recordings at our leisure.
Life is good!!!

South south east? Are you in Hawaii?

Bruce

[pmsherman]

You have a number of choices for an antenna. Most expensive is an LNB5 SWM roof mount with automatic pointing. The LNB3 SWM is a bit less expensive and still gets you almost everything. Both of these require a separate 21V power supply to run the amplifier in the antenna.

Roof mounts are great and easy to use, fold down when travelling, and are a disaster if you get parked in a tree shaded spot. Carry out antennas start with simple tailgater versions that receive one satellite and require manual pointing, carryout ones that will automatically point and manual pointed LNB3 and LNB5 SWM antennas that mount on a tripod and pole.

SWM antennas multi[plex signals from multiple satellites on a single wire and are what DTV now uses for most, if not al,l home installations. f you get a portable dish that's the same as the one installed on your house, it's easy to move the receiver back and forth without having to reconfigure it for different antennas. Make sure you get high quality cable rated for satellite use. RG59 has significant losses at satellite frequencies and should be used only as a last resort.

We purchased our tripod mount portable LNB5 dish at Solid Signal in Michigan and have used it from near home in Ohio to Glacier National Park, California, New Mexico and other places we stay at for more than a day or two.

Phil

[barrie1]

Originally Posted by nomad297

South south east? Are you in Hawaii?

Bruce

No. We are in Southern California.
It's actually Just East of South. But it doesn't really matter. You just get it close and use the SatPro satellite finder...

PS. It's great to have the options also with the DVR.

Take care.

[Pod2Vibe]

Originally Posted by Maron

Wow thank you all for some great input. Late today I bought a Winegard Carryout Anser and gave up trying to connect it an hour ago, just as the Mosquitos were coming out.
I will try again along with Rsdata's satellite app suggestion.
Thanks again everyone.

Winegard has an app for the anser but not for the Mosquitos:

"The Winegard mobile app makes it easy to set the elevation on your Carryout Anser antenna" Winegard Mobile App

Good Luck!

[rsdata]

I found some pics that I took last winter setting up the tripod and dish for HD on DirecTV. The tripod comes in the long back storage bag shown in the first photo and has room for cables and such.

I bought this tripod setup from
TV4RV: Satellite - Tripod - Slimline - Dish - DirectTV: satellite and Internet for RV - Recreational Vehicles - RVers - DishTV - Satellite Dish - FTA - Tripod

The dish setup was very stable but on a couple of occasions I used a ratchet strap and a screw anchor (provided with the Tripod kit) between a loop under the top of the tripod and the anchor screw to make sure it did not blow down.

Once you setup the base tripod, you use a bubble level and adjust the legs to get perfect level (90 deg to the ground) which is the key to easily pointing the dish and acquiring the satellite using the included compass and degree markings built into the tripod.

As I mentioned in a previous post I got down to about 10 minutes setup time by my third setup and was watching HD at that point. Brought my home receiver with me. I store the dish with arm attached in the "hallway" of my Shamrock 183 while traveling. TV4RV sells a hinge arrangement for the LNB arm, which I have not yet purchased.

[spock123]

Originally Posted by rsdata

I found some pics that I took last winter setting up the tripod and dish for HD on DirecTV. The tripod comes in the long back storage bag shown in the first photo and has room for cables and such.



I bought this tripod setup from

TV4RV: Satellite - Tripod - Slimline - Dish - DirectTV: satellite and Internet for RV - Recreational Vehicles - RVers - DishTV - Satellite Dish - FTA - Tripod



The dish setup was very stable but on a couple of occasions I used a ratchet strap and a screw anchor (provided with the Tripod kit) between a loop under the top of the tripod and the anchor screw to make sure it did not blow down.



Once you setup the base tripod, you use a bubble level and adjust the legs to get perfect level (90 deg to the ground) which is the key to easily pointing the dish and acquiring the satellite using the included compass and degree markings built into the tripod.



As I mentioned in a previous post I got down to about 10 minutes setup time by my third setup and was watching HD at that point. Brought my home receiver with me. I store the dish with arm attached in the "hallway" of my Shamrock 183 while traveling. TV4RV sells a hinge arrangement for the LNB arm, which I have not yet purchased.

I use a tripod for my dish, I'll take some pictures tomorrow but it's homemade and cheap. I was so scared of setting up the dish but now I can set it up and be watching tv in 15 min. I call my wife with a smart phone and we both set the phones on speaker and I just listen for the signal to get stronger on the tv, you can hear it. I ordered mine from Solid Signal and just take my receiver from home. I have a Tailgater from Dish, I need to sell it. It works good but I have Direct now.


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[rsdata]

Hey spock123

you get cell service where you camp? I got ATT and don't get 1/2 bar most times...
and my receiver does not beep with signal strength... a feature my previous receiver did have...

last 4 times I setup, I was spot on with no dish adjustment necessary after the initial setup of the tripod and angling of the dish...

how do you get your tripod level? I started with a homemade tripod, but gave up fighting with it after not even getting a signal while at home, always because it was so hard to get the upright at exactly 90 degrees...

the Dishpointer (DP AR) app ($10) has been great also to find a spot thru the trees in those shady campground spots

[spock123]

Originally Posted by rsdata

Hey spock123

you get cell service where you camp? I got ATT and don't get 1/2 bar most times...
and my receiver does not beep with signal strength... a feature my previous receiver did have...

last 4 times I setup, I was spot on with no dish adjustment necessary after the initial setup of the tripod and angling of the dish...

how do you get your tripod level? I started with a homemade tripod, but gave up fighting with it after not even getting a signal while at home, always because it was so hard to get the upright at exactly 90 degrees...

the Dishpointer (DP AR) app ($10) has been great also to find a spot thru the trees in those shady campground spots

I have Verizon and I get out most places I go. I don't hear too good these days but if I open a window that signal is so loud I can hear it most times outside. Direct satellite can get thur some leaves. My tripod I got in a set from Solid Signal, I'll take some pictures tomorrow, it's simple anyone can do it. All you need to know is someone that can weld a little bit


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[spock123]

This is my homemade tripod


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[nomad297]

You cannot go wrong with the (TV4RV) Satellite TV for RV - Tripod - Slimline - Dish - DirectTV - RV television - Recreational Vehicles - RVers - DishTV - Satellite Dish - FTA - Tripod heavy-duty tripod setup. I don't even need to worry about watching the TV screen or listening for a tone or using a signal meter -- I aim it where I am supposed to and I go inside and make sure I hit the three satellites. I always do. Always. Sometimes I will use my wife watching the TV screen to help me get my signal as close to 100% as possible, but usually I'm just fine where I setup with no help.

Bruce

[rsdata]

spock123

very nice

I started with same tripod but did not figure out your solution of adjusting the legs that way... did you do those swedges on the pipe legs yourself?

nomad297...

I aim it where I am supposed to and I go inside and make sure I hit the three satellites. I always do.

yup me too... luv that tripod system... takes any guess work out of the aiming... you are always very close to the precise position, usually good enough to setup and forget about it...
kudos to TV4RV.com

did you do the LNB arm hinge mod?

[spock123]

This is what it looks like set up


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[WatkinsGlenCamper]

A while ago I found a deal I couldn't refuse for a new spare dish, from a Directv installer, for $25 that also included 100' of cable. I then had to figure out a stand for it. I searched the internet and found a stand that was different, inexpensive and seemed easy to make. Total cost was about $12 (for the pvc piping). Its upside down from a standard dish stand, but the angle of the receiving signal is always the same. The only difference, from a conventional setup, is the direction the dish directs the signal to the the LNB but it works like a charm. It takes only a few minutes to line it, with a compass, once the Diriectv receiver goes through its setup. I have a HD receiver at home, but use my old standard receiver in my RV at a $6.00 cost per month. Here a few photos:

[jgourlie]

I have been using a Winegard G2 this year and have been enjoying it as I don't have to take the 15min to 1 hour to setup a dish on a tripod.

I am watching tv in less than 2 min on most occasions, can't beat that!

[spock123]

My setup did not cost as much as Wineguard G2 plus it only receives in SD, mine receives in HD and takes at most 15 min to set up


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[benagi]

I'm a dry camper most of the time. Of all the above post, will any of these work just on battery power? 12 volt not 110 volt.