RV sat dish?

rvassar

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I haven't got around to putting together a receiver dish for my trailer yet. (Yep JV I lied to you... :sorry )

I'm going to throw one of my receivers in the rig before I leave, and I figure I'll find a dish somewhere along the way if I get desperate for non-OTA TV. Provided I don't find one on the side of the road somewhere on I-40... They're actually amusingly common road debris... There's a ham radio flea market out in Livermore, Ca where I can usually pick up stuff like this on the cheap. I'll be prowling for an old DirecHDTV receiver while I'm out there anyway. ;)

But I've never had to align a dish. I helped mhardin fail at it once (too many trees) several months back, but haven't had the pleasure myself yet. I've been assuming it's something a geologist/amateur telescope maker/astronomer/computer geek can figure out in short order. Does anyone have a list of Longitude/RA's for DirecTV?
 

ibsmurf

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Rob, if you can find out what the local zip code is, the receiver should be able to tell you where to point the dish. If all else fails, just point it in the correct general direction and use the signal strength meter to fine tune it.
 

ISurvivedNMU

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My friends dad has been telling me he is going to get a dish for his that you do not have to aim, and you can watch it going down the road? I have not seen it yet? Does such a creature exist?
 

ArlieEdwards

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It does exist. But like most other things there are pros and cons.

First thing is that last year the state of Texas passed a bill that forbids you having a monitor that can be viewed from the driver's seat. Yeah, technically, those backup monitors are also illegal. And these are the same guys that are in control of our Taxes???? :rolleyes:

Second, if you happen to park in an RV spot that has overhanging trees...you are stuck without your TV.

Third and most important, they are very expensive...to me. There is a company in Garland, Texas that makes them, I think they start at about $2500. That's a little rich for me just to watch TV.

Fourth. which relates to #2 above, I have my dish on a coax that is about 100' long. Usually there is a place within 100' of your spot in which you can get a signal.

Once you get your receiver set up, like someone said, just use your local zip code or GPS coordinates and the setup menu will give you the azimuth and compass point directions.

Direct is pretty simple. It is when you try to go to Dish 500 and attempt to pick up two birds that it gets a little more complicated, however, it merely adds another setting. I think they call it a tilt degree setting.

It seems that now about half of the folks traveling in RV's have some sort of dish or another. If an 85 year old grandmother can set hers up, you shouldn't have any trouble.

:eek: :D
Arlie
 

BIG JOE

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rvassar said:
I haven't got around to putting together a receiver dish for my trailer yet. (Yep JV I lied to you... :sorry )

I'm going to throw one of my receivers in the rig before I leave, and I figure I'll find a dish somewhere along the way if I get desperate for non-OTA TV. Provided I don't find one on the side of the road somewhere on I-40... They're actually amusingly common road debris... There's a ham radio flea market out in Livermore, Ca where I can usually pick up stuff like this on the cheap. I'll be prowling for an old DirecHDTV receiver while I'm out there anyway. ;)

But I've never had to align a dish. I helped mhardin fail at it once (too many trees) several months back, but haven't had the pleasure myself yet. I've been assuming it's something a geologist/amateur telescope maker/astronomer/computer geek can figure out in short order. Does anyone have a list of Longitude/RA's for DirecTV?

rvassar, I have a dish on my FW.... there aint much to it but it CAN BE A PIA... as you said: Trees'n such. Dont know about Direct TV but Dish Network has a 1-800 number, I call'm with the Zip Code, they tell me the Azmuth & Angle. The biggest thing to have RIGHT is the dish needs to be level, you can still do some Tweaking, but LEVEL is the key. I finally broke down and bought a Strength Meter...... WORLD OF DIFF.... Makes the whole thing Much, Much easier.

JOE
 

CHPMustang

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BIG JOE said:
I finally broke down and bought a Strength Meter...... WORLD OF DIFF.... Makes the whole thing Much, Much easier.

JOE
I've had this signal meter PHOTO since around 2000 and works great to this day,worth every cent :sweet
 

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