which satellite system is best

**Dave&Ginny** · 03-02-2012, 06:59 PM

Ok, so with my new Redwood I'm going to get some sort of satellite system. I use Direct TV at my house but I know very little about the mobile units. What system do you use and what would you recommend for me? Please advise....what should I buy?

KR2011 · 03-02-2012, 07:50 PM

Dave I wish I could help here but it's been so long since I have had service I couldn't tell anything about them anymore.

j1251b · 03-03-2012, 04:22 PM

We have a 2011 36RL anduse Direct TV we are full timers and have not had any problems with it. We took it from our house when we started full time. It's easy to setup and all you need to do is call customer service give them the zip code were you are camping and get your programs.

mhs4771 · 03-03-2012, 04:54 PM

Winegard Trav'ler SK3005 roof mounted SlimLine Dish. Gives you HD DirecTV with just a touch of a button, if you're not into HD there are several lesser models that still offer automatic operation. We have it on our current Montana and one will be installed on our RL before we take delivery. I'm having all four cables pre-installed during assembly.

**Dave&Ginny** · 03-03-2012, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by j1251b

We have a 2011 36RL anduse Direct TV we are full timers and have not had any problems with it. We took it from our house when we started full time. It's easy to setup and all you need to do is call customer service give them the zip code were you are camping and get your programs.

We have Direct Tv at home so maybe I should give it a try, what kind of dish are you using?

**Dave&Ginny** · 03-03-2012, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mhs4771

Winegard Trav'ler SK3005 roof mounted SlimLine Dish. Gives you HD DirecTV with just a touch of a button, if you're not into HD there are several lesser models that still offer automatic operation. We have it on our current Montana and one will be installed on our RL before we take delivery. I'm having all four cables pre-installed during assembly.

Have you ever had problems with trees since it's mounted on your roof?

IPull · 03-04-2012, 06:20 AM

We camp with people that have Dish & Direct, I use
direct (not HD) and sometimes it is a little easier to hit the satellite
because it is located a little higher here on the east coast. I have been in
trees and have only hit one and was not able to get my local channels but still
got most of my upper channels. We usually have at least four campers in our
group and at least one site can hit a satellite so sometimes it looks like spaghetti
with cables. As our group has always said a bat camping trip is a trip you can’t
get satellite.

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j1251b · 03-04-2012, 06:40 AM

Dave and Ginny
I am using a HD Dish and tripod I got from Direct TV at no cost. I called them and told them we were going on the road and wanted to keep our Direct TV. We took our DVRrecivers from the house and were ready to go. I have friends how have roof mounted dish and they have to watch were they park because of the trees.

J1251b
john

**Dave&Ginny** · 03-04-2012, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by j1251b

Dave and Ginny
I am using a HD Dish and tripod I got from Direct TV at no cost. I called them and told them we were going on the road and wanted to keep our Direct TV. We took our DVRrecivers from the house and were ready to go. I have friends how have roof mounted dish and they have to watch were they park because of the trees.

J1251b
john

Thanks John, I'll call them and see what we can work out.

TravelinAnderson · 03-05-2012, 05:42 AM

Dave&Ginny;
On our previous trailer we used a VuQube 2000. It was manufactured by King Controls but it doesn't appear on their website anymore so I don't know if it's still available from them but if it is, it's a decent product.
On our 36FL we had the dealer install a Trav'ler 1000. It's a fully automatic, roof mounted unit that is more like the dish one has at home. We already had a Dish Network account so it was a simple matter of adding a receiver to the account and using it for the RV. Since it's a fixed unit we will have problems in wooded sites but we have recorded a good supply of movies and TV shows for those times.
If you already have a DirecTV receiver and are somewhat handy you can buy a used dish on Craigslist for about $20 and mount it on a tripod. Then just set the satellite up with a clear view of the southern sky and start looking for the "birds". There are several websites, such as Dishpointer.com, that will tell you where to aim the satellite. There's even a smartphone app that helps you visually find the satellites. I have met people that have both a fixed, roof mounted dish and a spare tripod setup for times when the fixed unit is blocked
As you can see, there are several options for you. It all depends on how much you want to spend and how much convenience you want.
Edited by: TravelinAnderson

5th_Time · 03-07-2012, 10:47 AM

It seems that many people on this forum have "ordered" units in many stages of production. My unit was ordered on January 20th and just went to paint on March 5th. The brochurestates that Redwood 5th Wheelsare "Satellite Ready" inthat they install the Winegard 6-wire control cable and a COAX through the roof for the dish. That's good planning.

It also seems that many of us are interested or planning to install the Winegard SK-3005 HD Auto-Seeking Satellite Dish for Direct TV. I was disappointed to learn recently that this unit requires a separate cable for each receiver (DVR needs two). Those of you who discovered this early had the foresight to callRedwood and have(3) additional COAX cables installed through the roof and back to the entertainment center. When I tried to to do this, my rep said "too late, your unit is actually coming off the line this afternoon" which was still pretty excitingnews...

Yesterday, I called Winegard Tech Support (excellent) and discovered a solution. It seems that they havea "SWM" (single wire multi)module which comes in a "SWM8 kit". The SWM8 module isweatherproof and can actually be mounted on the roof next to the dish. You can then runshort COAX cables from the (4) dish outputs to the SWM8's inputs. Next,connect your single existing factory-installed COAX cable (which runs through the roof) to the SWM8's output jack.

Back in the entertainment center... you continue normal installation by connectingthe other end tothe included PI-29 Power module which sits between the dish and a DTV splitter -which feeds your DVR and/or bedroom receiver. I've seen this kit on websites for $129. Winegard has downloadable diagrams and manuals for everything.

So if you are planning to use the Winegard SK-3005 HD dish for Direct TV and your coach is already built, or too far down the line to customize, all is not lost. When you think about it, it seems like this alternative is cleaner and simplier than trying to seal a bundle of (3) additional COAX cables through the roof.Edited by: 5th_Time

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