Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 39
|
The only way to get HD channels using ANY dome antenna is by subscribing to Dish. The satellites it uses can be received by a dome antenna. The satellites used by DirecTV for HD channels can NOT be received by a dome antenna, mainly because they can't penetrate the dome, and also because they use radio bands that need a larger antenna.
That might seem like bad news, but if you are a part-time motorhome user, Dish is the best choice because it offers RV service (notice their ads in RV magazines), meaning you can turn the service on/off as desired. And Dish allows changing your service address to view the local channels wherever you happen to be. I turn my Dish service on/off several times a year via a phone call, and change my service address whenever I move to a different area. This is not possible with DirecTV.
A Dish receiver model 211 is available from many sources including Camping World, typically around $100 one-time purchase, no ongoing fees. The newer 211z is small, but I prefer the prior 211k because it includes an Over The Air (OTA) receiver which I connect to my coach's TV antenna for even more channels. (An OTA adapter can be added to 211z but that pushes the total price well above 211k.) Via the Dish receiver I get both satellite and OTA channels, which usually is many more than the local channels provided by satellite (any satellite). And I can record shows from both antennas by adding a USB hard drive to the 211 receiver, turning it into a DVR. I can record any mix of satellite and OTA channels, even both at once.
In satellite terms, local channels are the major networks, ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, PBS in major cities. (There are usually many more local channels available via OTA.) The satellite services provide local channels within specific local areas by sending smallish signal beams, so when your motorhome moves, your local channels must be changed or lost. I'm based in California when at my location I either watch Los Angeles or San Diego local channels. But on my last trip to Florida I had Dish give me local channels for Tallahasee when I was in Pensacola, and switched to Orlando when I was there, etc etc. I switched at least a dozen other times as I traveled 14 states. In Arizona I can pick Tucson if I'm near there, but usually I choose Phoenix because that beam covers the entire state, don't have to change as I move around. When desired, I have Dish change my service location/local channels via a call, web site visit, or chat via my phone, simple, free.
I used to have DirecTV, back when my rigs did not have huge, amazing HD TVs, and back when DirecTV was flexible and helpful. But a few years ago they tightened up, only allowing service suspension twice a year, which gets expensive if the motorhome is used sporadically; I hate to be paying for satellite TV while my rig is parked and unoccupied. Also, DirecTV usually does not allow changing of local channels meaning when you are not in your official service location you don't get any local channels at all. DirecTV's solution is to subscribe at extra charge to national network channels. but they are not provided in HD. I don't want to watch fuzzy SD channels on my motorhome's enormous HD TVs. And rumors swirl that AT&T, new owner of DirecTV, doesn't care about or even want RV customers because we are not candidates for all the bundled services they want to sell. We'll see...
If you prefer DirecTV and want HD, you must add an exposed satellite antenna on the roof, typically Winegard Trav'ler, which is service-specific. Unlike a dome antenna which works with both services (by flipping a switch under the dome), you must purchase the Trav'ler model that matches the service you want to receive. A DirecTV Trav'ler can never receive Dish signals and vice versa.
The good news is that an open Trav'ler type of antenna, being quite a bit larger than the antenna inside a dome, has less dropout from thick clouds and a few tree branches. BUT, there's no in-motion because an exposed antenna must be stowed while driving, and sometimes during strong winds. Also, a Trav'ler is pricey. Well worth considering, but only after you decide whether to use Dish for its part-time RV-friendly service, or DirecTV for whatever it does better (if anything) so you buy the appropriate Trav'ler. There are small differences in offered channels, packages, and prices, if that matters.
What's so special about an in-motion dome? It always keeps itself aimed at the satellites, its rotating/tilting motors buzzing constantly. This can be distracting inside the motorhome, and obviously leads to wear-and-tear. But it can be useful too. Sometimes passengers (behind the cockpit area) watch live TV while rolling down the highway. My use has been to record shows while driving, to watch later. Except for dropouts while in underpasses, tunnels, among large trees, it actually works! It's amazing to view in HD a show recorded while driving through mountains far from major cities. (HD because I subscribe to Dish.)
PS: Dish can be annoying to deal with, apparently due to inconsistent employee training. I always ask for an Account Specialist, their term for a more senior customer service agent, because they know what an RV account is. The lesser CSAs tend to argue, misunderstand, and sometimes do it wrong. The biggest issue is changing service location/local channels, simply because it seems they must do multiple steps but sometimes don't. I always remind them: Be sure to actually change my local channels, and please push an update to my receiver.
Long answer to short question, and more could be said, but hope this helps.
|