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Roadweary · 11-02-2013, 05:19 PM

I ordered my Ventana with a Winegard Trav'ler automatic satellite dish for DirecTV. I ordered it for DirecTV because that's my home service and I wanted to just transfer my box back and forth. However, I'm currently debating changing my home service to Dish. I'm wondering if it's possible to easily change out the Winegard Trav'ler for Dish. Has anyone done this?

FlyingDiver · 11-02-2013, 05:29 PM

At a minimum, you would need a new LNB and you'd have to reprogram the controller. I can't find any info on the Winegard website about doing that. You might need to call them and ask.

docj · 11-02-2013, 05:38 PM

This question has been asked occasionally and the answer, unfortunately, is that it is probably just as cost-effective to replace the dish and try to sell your old one.

FlyingDiver · 11-02-2013, 05:46 PM

That's too bad. One of the nice things about the Motosat dishes was that it was easy to reprogram the controller.

dengraham · 11-02-2013, 05:56 PM

Roadweary,
I did it without any problems. Call Winegard and ask for the kit to make the change. I did it myself with a single adjustable wrench; no problem. You do have to reprogram the "start button" but they give you the instructions. I think it was around $200 but they have a $50 rebate if you return the old dish and LNB. They pay for the return cost. I decided to keep it in case I wanted to return to DirectTV.
If you still have questions, let me know.

LongDogRanch · 11-03-2013, 05:18 AM

Can't speak for anyone else but we have not enjoyed our experience with Dish. We are currently in a region where they are having contract issues with the local NBC affiliate and we haven't been able to get that network for the past month. Other issues when we travel out of our local area in having to call them to redirect the satellite service to our location at that time. Maybe we're not tech savvy enough or something but we're seriously looking at switching back to Direct. Be sure Dish is what you want and best of luck with your decision.

Roadweary · 11-03-2013, 07:54 AM

Thanks for the replies. Good to know that I can change out the satellite for about $150--a little expensive but since I would be changing my house over also, it's probably worth it. The area I live in, DirecTV doesn't offer HD programing on our local channels. I've also heard that Dish allows RV customers to turn the service on and off. That would be nice and make me want to get a dedicated box for the motorhome. But as LongDogRanch warned, there may be service issues. What to do, what to do?.....