View Full Version : DirecTV goes mobile too.
I thought it would be a good idea to start a thread pertaining to mobile DirecTV setups.
Those who have motorhomes, boats and the like might benefit.
Tripods , Motosat , Nomad , Winegard , Mobile DirecTV , KVH , Domes , Motorhomes , RV's , 5th wheels , or anything else related to DirecTV in mobile situations all are welcome.
Motosat: http://motosat.com/index.php/tvante
KVH: http://www.kvh.com/LandMobile/index.asp
Winegard: http://winegard.com/mobile/index.php
I have a 45'er with a Slimline 5 (Motosat).
Nomad controller (D3). I am planning on upgrading my coach to SWiM/DECA and I am curious if anyone else has done this with the Nomad controller. I see there is an inline BBC connected right to the back of the D3. I also know that the Nomad D3 has a tuner in it to help it find the satellites needed.
I am planning on swapping out my existing receivers with HR24's. I know these newer units run cooler than previous models, and thats a huge win for motorhomes with smaller install areas.
If I use HR24s that do not require BBCs, how is this going to work?
sigma1914
05-31-10, 11:26 AM
If I use HR24s that have built in BBC, how is this going to work?
24s don't have built in BBCs.
24s don't have built in BBCs.
Allow me to rephrase: the HR24's do not require BBCs.
I want to switch my RV setup to SWiM. If there is a BBC connected to my Nomad D3 controller (because it needs it), will this cause an issue?
4120 woodrow ct
05-31-10, 12:34 PM
Allow me to rephrase: the HR24's do not require BBCs.
yes they do... unless installed on a swm system...
yes they do... unless installed on a swm system...
See #2 (above).
I'm not familiar with your controller equipment, but if it requires a legacy satellite feed through a BBC, you won't be able to use a SWM LNB. In that case you would probably have to use an external SWM, and you will probably have to run an WB68 in parallel to it to provide the feed necessary for the controller.
I'm not familiar with your controller equipment, but if it requires a legacy satellite feed through a BBC, you won't be able to use a SWM LNB. In that case you would probably have to use an external SWM, and you will probably have to run an WB68 in parallel to it to provide the feed necessary for the controller.
I just happen to have a couple extra SWiM8's sitting here. And a Zinwell. And some splitters. :lol:
I will call Motosat in the morning and see what they suggest... and then report back with the ideal solution. I may be the first with this "problem", but I know I won't be the last.
PokerJoker
06-01-10, 01:46 AM
I also have a 45 foot coach with a Motosat TV dish. And I wired the entire Nomad install myself with a SWM8 switch, so I do have a little experience here.
First - You need to realize that the Nomad controller in and of itself does not need a BBC. The only reason the instructions tell you to put one ahead of the Nomad is because the Nomad's "out to receiver" port won't pass the high frequencies needed for the HD satellites. The BBC downconverts them to a frequency that will pass through. The Nomad itself only needs to see a a "legacy" satellite feed. BBC or no BBC, it doesn't care, it will still aim the dish. And - here's a key point - this legacy feed can dead-end at the Nomad; you don't actually have to run any line at all from the Nomad to a receiver if you don't want/need to. The receivers can easily be fed separately if desired, using the other three dish coax lines directly, or using a switch if you need more lines. (This assumes that your installer did bring all 4 coax lines down from the dish. If he didn't, call him up and make him do it.)
If the Nomad is a recent version (Nomad SD or SD2) with recent firmware, you can supposedly feed the four lines from the dish directly to a SWM8, feed the Nomad directly from one of the SWM8's "legacy" ports, and run your actual receivers from the SWM ports. I tried this back when I had a Nomad 3, but it didn't work. There is a workaround. The workaround is to run the four dish lines directly to a WB68 switch, feed the SWM8 from 4 of the WB68 ports, and feed the Nomad from another one of the WB68 ports. That's the setup I have and it works very well, even though I do now have the newer Nomad SD box.
BTW You said "Nomad D3", which I don't think is an actual model name; Motosat made a D3, which was for an Internet dish; and they made a Nomad 3, which was a TV dish controller. But not a "Nomad D3", I don't think.
The Motosat TV dish does need to use a real 4-wire SL5 LNB, it cannot use a SWM LNB, because it needs that legacy feed for aiming. If you want SWM, you must use a separate SWM-8 switch as described above.
Like someone else noted, HR24s and H24s (unlike the 23s) do in fact require BBCs - IF they are on a non-SWM system. But if you convert to SWM as I described, there will be NO BBCs - ANYWHERE - in that system. I have none in my coach and everything works fine.
Haven't tried DECA in my coach yet, because there really doesn't seem to be a need for it. But I see no reason why it wouldn't work, just follow the same rules as you would for a home system with a SWM8. The fun part might be talking D* into enabling it on your RV account. (You do have a separate RV account, don't you? ;) )
Keith
PS it's a very good idea to run the receivers (especially DVRs) and the SWM8 power inserter from a UPS power supply. They don't take well to sudden or repeated power interruptions, which can happen easily in an RV. The Nomad runs on 12V battery power, which should be an unswitched constant feed. I probably also should point out that my coach is virtually never powered down; it's always either on shore power, generator, or inverter.
I also have a 45 foot coach with a Motosat TV dish. And I wired the entire Nomad install myself with a SWM8 switch, so I do have a little experience here.
Exactly why I created this forum Keith. :)
First - You need to realize that the Nomad controller in and of itself does not need a BBC. The only reason the instructions tell you to put one ahead of the Nomad is because the Nomad's "out to receiver" port won't pass the high frequencies needed for the HD satellites. The BBC downconverts them to a frequency that will pass through. The Nomad itself only needs to see a a "legacy" satellite feed.
Makes perfect sense. Ever since I noticed that BBC on the back of the controller I have wondered why on earth it was there.
BBC or no BBC, it doesn't care, it will still aim the dish. And - here's a key point - this legacy feed can dead-end at the Nomad
This is exactly what I was thinking. If a "loop through" was not needed, this becomes very easy.
you don't actually have to run any line at all from the Nomad to a receiver if you don't want/need to. The receivers can easily be fed separately if desired, using the other three dish coax lines directly, or using a switch if you need more lines. (This assumes that your installer did bring all 4 coax lines down from the dish. If he didn't, call him up and make him do it.)
He did [bring all four down]. I think you mean a splitter, not a switch. ;)
If the Nomad is a recent version (Nomad SD or SD2) with recent firmware, you can supposedly feed the four lines from the dish directly to a SWM8, feed the Nomad directly from one of the SWM8's "legacy" ports, and run your actual receivers from the SWM ports. I tried this back when I had a Nomad 3, but it didn't work. There is a workaround. The workaround is to run the four dish lines directly to a WB68 switch, feed the SWM8 from 4 of the WB68 ports, and feed the Nomad from another one of the WB68 ports. That's the setup I have and it works very well, even though I do now have the newer Nomad SD box.
I have the Nomad 3 (sorry about the confusion... I have two dishes on my coach. Both the 'HD' and a Datastorm). I have the module to update the firmware, so its always current.
Out of curiosity: was an advantage to you upgrading to the SD2, other than the smaller foot print and SD slot in the front?
Haven't tried DECA in my coach yet, because there really doesn't seem to be a need for it. But I see no reason why it wouldn't work, just follow the same rules as you would for a home system with a SWM8. The fun part might be talking D* into enabling it on your RV account. (You do have a separate RV account, don't you? ;) )
I plan on doing the install myself. And yes, I have a copy of my waiver right here with me. I have not tried to see if DirecTV will come out and install the DECAs themselves (something tells me its a no), but I am sure they will give me the "unsupported" flag on my account.
I just happen to have extra DECAs and a couple of SWiM8's laying here, so I think I am gonna move forward on this one. The main reason I am doing this is to get MRV going. I have room for a third receiver (right now my bay TV is being fed off the same receiver as the bedroom TV), and with 3 receivers I can store a lot of movies that can be accessed from any receiver. I have a kid, so this is a win for her.
PS it's a very good idea to run the receivers (especially DVRs) and the SWM8 power inserter from a UPS power supply. They don't take well to sudden or repeated power interruptions, which can happen easily in an RV. The Nomad runs on 12V battery power, which should be an unswitched constant feed. I probably also should point out that my coach is virtually never powered down; it's always either on shore power, generator, or inverter.
I have an all electric myself, so I understand.
I will have two new HR24-500's in my hands this week and plan on switching those immediately. They seem to run cooler, and we both know how important that is.
Thank you for your knowledgeable reply Keith.
If you have not seen the Dishpointer app for the iPhone (works on my 3Gs), here is a video of it in action. I use this a bit as sometimes I need to park my coach in between trees, and this makes it easy to find that "sweet spot".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AFtcgYRcu4
I understand this is also available for the Droid as well.
SWiM's have a legacy port, so no Zinwell should ever be needed in a motorhome/Nomad controller zinwell-to-SWiM conversion.
It was also just pointed out to me that BBC's don't "down convert", they up-convert.
I just got off the phone with Motosat, and they want me to get back to them on my hookup. They told me that the BBC was not needed before the Nomad controller. It could have been on the back of the receiver just the same.
I told them my idea of using the legacy port on the SWiM (to the dish controller), and I then explained to them the benefit of having MRV in a motorhome, and they agreed to the point where they want me to email them the specifics once I get it up and running.
SnoBear
06-01-10, 03:50 PM
To change topic to Winegard:
I'm interested in upgrading my dome type dish (King Dome) to a Winegard Travler HD, but ....
Currently they use the 5 lnb setup - 99 to 119 degree spread, but todays HD programming uses 99 to 101 (3 lnb).
In lots of locations, in the trees, 99 to 119 won't work, but 99 to 101 will. Does the Winegard dish need to see 119 to properly align itself to multiple sats?
Will probably have to ask Winegard, but thought I'd toss it out for your thoughts.
Thanks
Brad
SnoBear: is this the model you are looking at getting?
TRAV'LERŪ SK-3005 DIRECTV Slimline
Shown here: http://www.winegard.com/travler/index.php
If it is that model, then you should have no problem. In most of these "auto dishes" there is firmware in place that keys in on one satellite. With the Nomad (Motosat), it just needs to find one of the birds and then knows where to "settle in".
The key here is to make sure you buy your dish from a authorized reseller (as opposed to lets say, eBay) to insure your new baby has the newest firmware installed.
As most of us know, there has been some changes up in the sky with the launch of D12. I had to update my firmware some weeks ago.
I found the instruction manual for the unit I mentioned above (warning .pdf file):
http://winegard.com/kbase/upload/2452149.pdf
Your best bet is to call the manufacturer (number is in the above link), and see what they say.
PokerJoker
06-01-10, 06:49 PM
SWiM's have a legacy port, so no Zinwell should ever be needed in a motorhome/Nomad controller zinwell-to-SWiM conversion.
It was also just pointed out to me that BBC's don't "down convert", they up-convert.
You're right about the BBC. Must have had brain fade here when I wrote that. What I should have said is that the Nomad won't pass the lower frequencies through.
I totally agree that my use of the WB68 should not have been needed. The whole setup should have worked just as you say, using the legacy output from a SWM8. And in fact that's what the dealer originally told me to do. Unfortunately, with the Nomad 3 that I had at the time, it simply would not work. And I tried every possibility to make it work, for about two days. I complained to the dealer and he talked to Motosat and they said "We're sending you a new Nomad SD". Between the time they said that, and the time it arrived, I had discovered and implemented the WB68 workaround. (Cost me nothing, I had the parts laying around.) Of course I'm not about to turn down a new controller, so when it arrived I installed it. I just didn't bother un-installing the WB68 at that point. It works, why mess with it. Maybe if I get real curious and have time to kill, I'll try bypassing the WB68 and see if it does work now on just a SWM-8. Or maybe I'll just let you try it. :lol:
Good luck with your install.
Keith
PS other than the SWM8 issue, the Nomad SD is functionally the same as the Nomad 3. It is smaller, and the SD slot makes it a lot easier to update firmware. As for the SD2, I haven't seen one so I can't comment, but it looks pretty much the same on the web site.
I am hoping to make some time to "play around" on Saturday. I have two HR24's coming to replace the aging units installed, and that in itself is going to be great.
We do about 10-20k miles a year, so its not like "that thing that sits in the driveway all the time".. its our second home.
Skyboss
06-04-10, 10:57 AM
Holy crap! Mobile reception antennas are expensive!
Holy crap! Mobile reception antennas are expensive!
VERY much so for the "automatic" ones. Lots of people use tripod setups for this very reason.
JimMariner
06-04-10, 06:42 PM
Holy crap! Mobile reception antennas are expensive!
Yes, Yes they are !!! Ya gotta pay to Watch if you want it automatic :rolleyes:
It can be a VERY expensive habit, and the big toys do not come cheap for sure.
It also can be done very inexpensive:
http://www.aeonsat.com/Images/4foot_Tripod_clsup.jpg
PokerJoker
06-05-10, 01:07 AM
Holy crap! Mobile reception antennas are expensive!
They probably figure if you own a motor coach that costs upwards (often WELL upwards) of $500k, you won't complain much about a $2500 dish. And that's usually true.
Did I mention that it costs $650 to fill the fuel tank? :D
Keith
JimMariner
06-05-10, 06:22 AM
On the boat I am on, we went with a ReFurb KVH C3 Auto Tracking Dish Antenna. Right from the factory. End price on this unit was $1200. I have this locked on the 101 Sat, single sat settings. This dish is capable of hitting 3 sats, but only one at a time. Since most if not all SD channels are on the 101 Sat, this was our best solution. We have had it for just about a year now. Seems to hold up pretty well with the vibrations on a working boat. Once in a while we need to reboot it after some excessive vibration. But it always comes back to life for us.
Before we had this, I used, and still do for my HD content, a Slimline 5 on a rotor mounted on the smokestack of the vessel.
This is my mobile rig...
Doesn't sleep well, drives like a dump truck, but it get's me from a to b to c to d to e.....
D12 on the inverter, 7" LCD battery tv in the cab, and whatever dish i have handy on the ladder rack.
curt8403
06-05-10, 06:57 PM
This is my mobile rig...
Doesn't sleep well, drives like a dump truck, but it get's me from a to b to c to d to e.....
D12 on the inverter, 7" LCD battery tv in the cab, and whatever dish i have handy on the ladder rack.
nice looking rig, do people wave at you as you go from point a to point b etc.?
This is my mobile rig...
Doesn't sleep well, drives like a dump truck, but it get's me from a to b to c to d to e.....
D12 on the inverter, 7" LCD battery tv in the cab, and whatever dish i have handy on the ladder rack.
I can't see that getting to b, c or d with that flat tire. ;)
curt8403
06-05-10, 07:31 PM
I can't see that getting to b, c or d with that flat tire. ;)
well, that was FEB, maybe as it has gotten warmer, the tire has reinflated:sure:
I can't see that getting to b, c or d with that flat tire. ;)
Long story short, the roadside peeps sent a dude in a car with a lug wrench and a bottle jack.....
Small problem because those lugs are torqued to 150 PSI.... and the truck weighs over 8000 pounds....
we used a pole for a pole mount and his lug wrench, and broke his lug wrench. an hour and a half later, the tow truck showed up and drug me back to town.
I was in the cab watching the daytona 500 then. that picture was taken during the pot hole red flag.
and nope, the dish does not stay up while in motion.
and nope, the dish does not stay up while in motion.
Lets hope not!
Wisegoat
06-05-10, 09:49 PM
Holy crap! Mobile reception antennas are expensive!
VERY much so for the "automatic" ones. Lots of people use tripod setups for this very reason.
Just got back from a 10 days at the river. I have an old 18" round dish with 2 connections off the LNB. In the past I had the dish mounted to a piece of plywood sitting on a table. Worked, but not always and getting it level was a PITA. Not to mention the ghetto look to it!
At some point in time, I saw someone selling a mounting bracket that you attach to the ladder on your rig. You would then attach the dish bracket and J pole to that mounting bracket. The problem was that he wanted about $100 with shipping.
So, before this last trip, as I knew my dish would be up for a while, I decided I was going to make one myself. It was extremely easy and cost less than $20 for all the parts! Here is what I used:
1 10 foot length of 12 guage all-strut (this is the smallest length Home Despot sells). Cut 2 18" pieces.
4 U Bolts
4 Bolts, Nuts, 8 Washers.
Cut 2 pieces of all-strut to length to fit across your ladder. Make sure that the holes in the all-strut line up with your ladder's vertical bars. Space them so that the top part of the dish mounting bracket and the bottom can be bolted through the holes in the all-strut. Fit the U Bolts through the ladder's vertical bars and through the holes in the all-strut. Tighten down so the pieces don't move. Mount the satellite bracket and J pole to the all-strut. Use washers front and back on the bolts for extra stabilty.
When you get to your location, it doesn't matter if your rig is level or not. All you need to do is make sure the straight part of the J pole is level. Once that is level, place the dish on the J pole. I use www.dishpointer.com (http://www.dishpointer.com) to get the coordinates prior to leaving. I set the elevation before I leave. I print out the dish pointer map so I know roughly which
way to point the dish. Pop the dish on the J pole spin it until I have signal and I am golden!
A bonus is that, because I am in the Los Angeles DMA, I get SD locals most anywhere I travel in Southern California. I was in Needles, which is on the Arizona/California border and had no problems getting all my locals. People have said they get LA locals in Mammoth, which is almost 400 miles north. I have gotten them as far southeast as Glamis, which is near the Arizona and Mexican borders.
This is an extremely easy project for someone who is pointing their own dish. Parts are very cheap. This also could be adapted to the HD Slimline, with enough forethought. Maybe make the pieces of all-strut longer for the monopoles.
Michael Hilley
06-06-10, 12:37 AM
Haven't seen this Steren mounting clamp on any of the forum threads, but picked up a couple of these a short while back. Used one on an installation for a friend living in a quake retrofitted urban loft. Attached it onto one of the steel quake support braces. The clamp was mounted from the side with the forward end tilted up ~ 45° so the clamp is adaptable to a range of mounting configurations. The picture doesn't do the clamp justice... this is a beast... weighs a ton... built like a battleship. You could cantilever an engine block off of this thing, so a slimline mount doesn't register a blip. The mounting plate is ~ 1" larger on each edge than the slimline mounting plate, to give you some idea of it's size. Lists for $159, and is probably worth it, but I would have never known it, because I never would have paid anything close to that. Found both on Craigslist for $40 each no additional tax or shipping.
http://www.sterenusa.com/catalog/products_desc.asp?fam=2&sfam=346&item=2167&mv=221-365&cuenta=2&posicion=2#
This is my mobile rig...
Doesn't sleep well, drives like a dump truck, but it get's me from a to b to c to d to e.....
D12 on the inverter, 7" LCD battery tv in the cab, and whatever dish i have handy on the ladder rack.
That flat tire sure impedes mobility and I bet the level got thrown off too :grin:
Matt9876
06-06-10, 05:14 PM
This is one way to do mobile DirecTV HD.
http://www.dbstalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=19800&d=1254164428
Slimline-3 LNB + phase III dish + tripod = about $120 :)
This is one way to do mobile DirecTV HD.
http://www.dbstalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=19800&d=1254164428
Slimline-3 LNB + phase III dish + tripod = about $120 :)
I like how you set up the base on that. If it ever became needed (windy) it would be easy to throw a sandbag on there... or a big rock. ;)
JimMariner
06-06-10, 09:10 PM
This is my Slimline on a rotor setup I use for my HDTV Programing on the boat.
While at a dock.
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/4438/tmp4445in6.jpghttp://img87.imageshack.us/img87/8784/tmp5462qq0.jpg
http://www.kvh.com/uploaded/images/prod_c3.jpg
I use this while underway, a KVH C3 Dome.
If you click on my setup, you can see the complete layout for my systems.
I can clearly see that LOS is rarely an issue for you Jim. :D
JimMariner
06-06-10, 09:19 PM
I can clearly see that LOS is rarely an issue for you Jim. :D
The only thing I miss is my HDTV while underway, The C3 is NICE !!! Even if it is only SD Programing.
If anyone needs their Nomad controller updated, I have the "tool".
TITAN_53
06-17-10, 08:02 PM
I was able to watch the UFC fight in glorious HD with no issues at all using an HR24 and a modified 18x20 and Slimline 3 LNB pole mounted in a 5 gallon bucket of cement. I was lucky enough to camp next to a nice guy from Grand Lake Satellite that gave me a BBC so I wouldn't have to wait for my girlfriend to bring the one I forgot. He also peaked the dish out for me. Being a tech, he was obviously able to do it much easier than I would have been able to just eyeballing it and using the signal meter in the receiver.
Just thought I'd share something I quickly threw together to be able to watch the fight after floating the river on Saturday. It was good times.
http://www.dbstalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=22567&d=1276823045
http://www.dbstalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=22568&d=1276823045
http://www.dbstalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=22569&d=1276823045
http://www.dbstalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=22570&d=1276823045
Switching subject again :D I have a King-Dome 9702 on my motor home (SD with a dual lnb setup). Perfectly happy with the SD world and the unit works great, buuuuuuuuuuuuut, I was reading the documentation and on page 2, it says,. . . . the 9702 can be upgraded with kit number 9742 to an in-motion. Being a sucker for toys, that interested me. But (again) that kit cannot be found by me. Does anyone have a source, or knows of a source for that upgrade kit??????
I did this upgrade on one of my older motorhomes JohnQ. It was actually very easy.
I found the upgrade kit here: http://www.rvstuffusa.com/kingdomeupgradekitsbykingcontrols.html
And here:
http://www.rvstoredirect.com/satellite-antenna-upgrade-automatic-motion-p-5106.html
bfridge
10-05-10, 07:38 AM
I asked Winegard about changing LNB to a Swm LNB but they said their electronics were not compatable with SWM. Is there a way to get SWM using a SWM-8 and SWM splitter. Right now I have 2 coax inputs entering my RV , A total of 4 coax outputs are available at the dish. I run 2 receivers but would like to replace one with a DVR. Any thoughts?
luvphillysports
10-15-10, 08:55 AM
I have a slimline 3 swm dish. When I set this up at my RV I cannot get 99 101 & 103 at the same time. Signal strength is good for 101 but when I do a setup check 99 and 103 come up with X's. In reading the posts I am thinking I need a power inverter(inserter?) to make this dish work with my H20 HD receiver. The lnb3 swm setup works at home with a power source to the dish on my roof. Do I need power to my portable dish to make this work. When I do a setup at the tailgate I have the dish as LNB 3 and have tried SWM and multiswitch, but neither picks up all three satellites. By switching setups I can get 99 and not 101 or 101 and not 99/103. Also, what is BBC?
bfridge
10-15-10, 09:25 AM
Does your receiver model require broad band converters (the little boxes that attach to to your coax then to the receiver)?
Richierich
10-15-10, 09:50 AM
You need a BBC (Broadband Converter) unless you have an HR23-700 or you have SWM. Directv downconverts the signal to a lower frequency so it can pass thru and then the BBC prior to the DVR upconverts the signal back to it's original higher frequency.
luvphillysports
10-15-10, 02:27 PM
Thanks, I'll try that. Originally I had them on my receivers, but Directv told me not to use them with the new SWM configuration. I use one of my house receivers when tailgating, but have not tried using it with a BBC.
Wisegoat
01-03-11, 09:01 PM
Just a little bump to this thread and crow about how awesome my mobile setup is for my Toyhauler!:D
Just got back from 6 days in Dumont Dunes, out near Baker, CA. My mobile dish setup on my trailer (seen here: http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?p=2486876#post2486876) was the easiest thing to point. Went to dishpointer.com before we left, set the pointer on the map in the exact location I would be camped and knew to set the dish to 45.8. Locked it in, sweeped the sky for 30 seconds and the wife shouted out that we had 90's! Took no time at all.
Now I just wish the H21 would boot up in seconds instead of minutes. Everytime I turn off the generator, the receiver loses power and it takes 5 minutes to boot back up when I turn the gen back on.
I can't wait to get the rubber on the road myself Wisegoat. That itch is starting early this year. :)
DoneDunIt
01-04-11, 09:32 AM
Now I just wish the H21 would boot up in seconds instead of minutes. Everytime I turn off the generator, the receiver loses power and it takes 5 minutes to boot back up when I turn the gen back on.
You could put the receiver on a power inverter or a battery back up. Don't know how long you are going between gen runs.
Richierich
01-04-11, 12:02 PM
Get an APC Battery Backup!!!
Wisegoat
01-04-11, 05:59 PM
I can't wait to get the rubber on the road myself Wisegoat. That itch is starting early this year. :)
We go riding motorcycles and dune buggies in the desert, so the itch for me starts in November. Goes till April then it is time to hit the river!
You could put the receiver on a power inverter or a battery back up. Don't know how long you are going between gen runs.
Get an APC Battery Backup!!!
I am going to do an inverter, but not financially in the cards right now. Generator is usually only running in the morning for a few hours, then the evening when dinner is going and maybe later if there is a game or if I feel like catching Sportscenter before bed. I don't penny-pinch the generator runtime, but don't like leaving it running forever either. APC will not last long enough between run times and it beeps every few minutes when main power is lost. Inverter eventually that will run all 12vDC outlets. Maybe by that time I can afford a Traveller and not have to point the dish ever again!
It's getting to be that time of the year.
Has anyone here upgraded their mobile system to SWiM?
rjstuart
02-20-11, 09:31 AM
To change topic to Winegard:
I'm interested in upgrading my dome type dish (King Dome) to a Winegard Travler HD, but ....
Currently they use the 5 lnb setup - 99 to 119 degree spread, but todays HD programming uses 99 to 101 (3 lnb).
In lots of locations, in the trees, 99 to 119 won't work, but 99 to 101 will. Does the Winegard dish need to see 119 to properly align itself to multiple sats?
Will probably have to ask Winegard, but thought I'd toss it out for your thoughts.
Thanks
Brad
I too was looking at the Winegard SK3005 as a replacement for my SD dome I currently have. By the way I feel small to you other guys, I only have a 40' Damon pusher. I called the tech at Winegard, (I think I got one that didn't know what he was talking about) because I asked him if I could swap out the 5 LNB with the 3 Lnb, same reason, I don't need 110 or 119. The tech said no that it was needed for the dish to align itself properly. Of course I could try it if I wanted to but it would void the warranty and I would not get any tech support on that modification.
I also didn't want to give up the convenience of the dome. I like not having to remember to park the dish before moving. And you guys are right, mobile sat dishes are not cheap!!!
So I cheated a little. I still have my SD dome on the roof, and also ran second lines to the living room and bed room receivers down to my power compartment. Installed an A/B switch at each location so I can switch between the dome or external input. Then at several of my camp sites that I go to, ones that I own, I installed a SLM-3 dish right at the site and leave it there. I can buy a whole bunch of those SLM-3 dishes for the cost of the SK3005. I also carry one in the basement with a tripod for any camp ground that I go to that I don't have one installed at.
This way if I am just staying over night some place and don't feel like setting up the SLM-3, I just go off the dome and settle for SD. When I get somewhere I will be at for a while, I hook up the external dish and switch the A/B and wham I got HD. I didn't quite pay $300K for my coach so I am a bit of a cheap skate.
My first coach was a Damon. :)
rjstuart
02-20-11, 02:50 PM
My first coach was a Damon. :)
I will never buy another one. It is a 2004 LX400 Escaper. Can't tell you all the problems I have had with this thing from leaks to slide out problems, and now roof problems. This is my 5th coach and may be my last one. I was looking at a Tiffin 2010 Allegro Bus, new, but just couldn't come to terms with the dealer on it. I have so much into this Damon now fixing the problems, I don't know if it is smart for me to try and trade it in. I'm certainly not going to get anything for it.
I will never buy another one. It is a 2004 LX400 Escaper. Can't tell you all the problems I have had with this thing from leaks to slide out problems, and now roof problems. This is my 5th coach and may be my last one. I was looking at a Tiffin 2010 Allegro Bus, new, but just couldn't come to terms with the dealer on it. I have so much into this Damon now fixing the problems, I don't know if it is smart for me to try and trade it in. I'm certainly not going to get anything for it.
I pretty much just gave mine away for what I could at the time.
Then got a Fleetwood [gas, hated it], then another Fleetwood [Diesel, hated it].
I do love my Monaco... for 40,000 miles so far.
Tom Robertson
02-20-11, 04:18 PM
...
I am going to do an inverter, but not financially in the cards right now. Generator is usually only running in the morning for a few hours, then the evening when dinner is going and maybe later if there is a game or if I feel like catching Sportscenter before bed. I don't penny-pinch the generator runtime, but don't like leaving it running forever either. APC will not last long enough between run times and it beeps every few minutes when main power is lost. Inverter eventually that will run all 12vDC outlets. Maybe by that time I can afford a Traveller and not have to point the dish ever again!
You can tell the APC (or other UPS) to not beep until just before it dies. I've turned off most of mine--though I forget which ones I haven't until the next power outage. :)
Cheers,
Tom
rjstuart
02-21-11, 01:51 PM
I pretty much just gave mine away for what I could at the time.
Then got a Fleetwood [gas, hated it], then another Fleetwood [Diesel, hated it].
I do love my Monaco... for 40,000 miles so far.
One day we can start a thread about the pro's and con's of certain Rv models. I could spend hours telling you the problems with this dog. But to stay on topic about DTV going mobile.
I have noticed that as I was going around to the different dealers looking at new coaches, when I brought up the topic of mobile satellite service for the RV, all of these guys are pretty dumb on the subject. If the coach has a dish on it well then as far as they know it works for all satellite services. "Oh yea it can get high def", when the dish is clearly a SD dome or dish. And the installs from the factory usually just include one run to the living room and maybe, if your luck, one run to the bed room. They never make a run to the basement, even if there is a TV installed for outside viewing, it is usually hooked into the living room sat system.
If it wasn't so difficult to get the cable runs from the roof to where you want them, it just might be easiest to do the sat install yourself. I did just that for the Damon. There was one run of RG59 from the roof, that just had a cover plate in the ceiling, to the front compartment where a sat receiver would be. Why would you run RG59? I couldn't even pull it back to pull a piece of RG6 thru. So I am running that front receiver on the 59. They also did run unswitched 12Vdc to that same ceiling plate. So I was able to drill thru the roof and mount my dome. But I ended up running a RG6 from the dome on the top of the roof to the back and drilled into the roof where the bedroom closet was to get the run to the bed room.
Seems like the RV manufacturers should log into this forum and get some informed advice from some of the guys here before they do their next sat install.
RV sales peeps don't always know a lot about the electronics involved.
I had new cables ran myself, and it was NOT an easy job. I wanted HD some years ago, so removed my dome and put in a Slimline (Motosat) in it's place.
Question: has anyone here done a SWiM setup in their RV/5th Wheel or trailer yet?
I got my setup from tv4rv.com. I have a Slimline dish, LNB3, Zinwell multiswitch all mounted on a survey type tripod. All cable is RG-6 Quad.
This weekend our rv club went out for its monthly outing and it was in a park that had total tree cover except to 1 or 2 sites on the fringe. I chose one of the fringe sites so I could setup. Then the experimenting began with running the feed of the multiswitch to other rigs that had DirecTV recieivers.
All cable is CCS. I had a 50' length from me to the dish. Several had 50' or 100' from the Zinwell to their rigs. However one rig had 250' from the Zinwell to his rig. Another rig had 200' from his rig to the Zinwell.
Here is the question. I know the LNB3 is powered from a receiver and probably from one of the close in receivers. I can understand that most rigs were within 125' of the multiswitch and they should work fine. What about the 200' rig and the 250' rig? I would not think that the dc voltage would traved that far down the wire. I thought that the relays in the multiswitch took dc power to change them from 13v to 18v for channel changing. How far can the dc voltage travel if it is not used to mainly power the LNB3? Can some sort of power injector be used at the dish to power the LNB3 and the reciever be 500' away?
I do have all 4 outputs of the LNB3 to the Zinwell multiswitch dish feed side.
I am new to setting up a dish and probably have a lot of holes in my thinking, but 250' and it worked fine seems like a LONG way. Could we have gone 500'?
Bob Weis
I have a SWiM system at home with a 300' foot line that appears to work fine, but thats SWiM. I'm thinking that a run as long as 500' would not work without a line amplifier of some sort.
BUMP.
It's getting to be that time of the year again.
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