Community Forums

MO Fred · 11-27-2015, 08:05 AM

I just bought a Winegard carry out satellite. I am trying to determine to the best place to put it. We go to Branson Missouri a lot where there are a lot of trees. If I put it on the roof then I might be in the situation where a lot of trees would cause loss of signal. So the next option would be using a tripod. But I do not want the inconvenience of having to set it up and take it down every night. I guess I could just leave it outside all night on the tripod but it would not be very secured, not that Branson is a high crime area. Any advice before I get started installing the wiring and hardware for the Winegard system? Does anybody have experience with the roof mount system and how good the signal is around trees? Thanks!

Scarab0088 · 11-27-2015, 10:55 AM

The Winegard G2 is just like our portable (the Tailgater) that we have had for years, in that it is a carry-out that also can be rooftop mounted or hang on a window mount.

-Carry-out...best for camping when in heavy woods. The RV can be anywhere without worry of trees blocking the signal.

-Rooftop...best/safest from theft when you want to leave the antenna out while you are away.

-Window mount...really used mostly by truckers, but makes set-up quick and easy, and pretty safe against theft.

We use the dish in all 3 set-ups depending on which fits our needs. For rooftop, we just put it up there without the mount.

The wire connection is in a bin, just like the plug for campground cable...a coax goes from the antenna to the bin plug. We have a white coax for when it's on the roof to look less temporary/blends better on our white RV.

Finally, we always pack the antenna when traveling to protect it from the elements. Mounting these portables is allowed by the makers, but that defeats the idea behind it being portable.

Best luck

Yellowboat · 11-27-2015, 12:02 PM

For my Carryout I use a 15 foot cable used to secure motorcycles. I carry two locks; one for each end of the cable. I can secure the Carryout antenna to my coach or a nearby tree.

I also read where someone used a door knob alarm on his Carryout antenna. He said that the alarm went off late one night and that he rushed out to confront the person. The person said that he thought it was a barbecue and he wanted to look at it.

Safe travels. JD

blang · 11-27-2015, 03:54 PM

I mounted my Carryout on the roof using a tripod base with the legs removed and L brackets in their place... hard mounted to the roof. When I'm in a tree area and simply cannot get signal (happens very rarely, by the way), I un-hook it from the tripod base and put it anywhere I want it. As the coax and power plugs come right out, it makes it easy to pull a second set out of the bay and hook up.

I should also say that I did put a switch inside for the roof power so that, when it's time to move, I just kill the power to keep it from continually "seeking".

MO Fred · 11-27-2015, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blang

I mounted my Carryout on the roof using a tripod base with the legs removed and L brackets in their place... hard mounted to the roof. When I'm in a tree area and simply cannot get signal (happens very rarely, by the way), I un-hook it from the tripod base and put it anywhere I want it. As the coax and power plugs come right out, it makes it easy to pull a second set out of the bay and hook up.

I should also say that I did put a switch inside for the roof power so that, when it's time to move, I just kill the power to keep it from continually "seeking".

............................................
Thanks Blang, sounds like a good idea. It's kind of weird how Winegard makes a mount that permanently mounts the Carryout to the roof. I would much rather like to take it off the roof when I need to get a good signal. I ordered my carryout g2 satellite online from camping world where it was on sale for Black Friday at $399. That is much less than what I have been seeing it sell for which was about $536 to $700. I expect to receive it and also a tripod in the next few days. Should be fun trying to get it set up.

Wayne M · 11-27-2015, 04:24 PM

My Carryout is 5 years or so old. It did not come with a security mounting point but I did purchase the Carryout tripod. The tripod has a hole for securing the tripod to the dome. I removed the dome and put in an "eye bolt" with double nuts on the inside of the dome. I purchased a 40 ft either 1/4 or 3/8" chain (they ran out at 40 ft otherwise I would have gotten 50 ft to match the coax length and power cord length.

In my electrical compartment I have a 2 foot piece of metal angle iron with all the holes in it. I run the chain up through the service hole and padlock it to the middle of the iron and then secure the other end to the eye bolt with a padlock.

None of this will prevent a determined thief carrying around bolt cutters but it is a good preventative for the honest persons. Same as door locks on RV. All that is needed is a screwdriver/pry-bar to bust the locks to get in.

Since I have been using this method I have never had a problem. In gated RV parks, or, military RV parks I don't even bother with the chain.

The Carryout is meant to be portable so you can move it in any direction to get a clear shot of the Southern sky. Putting it on the roof or other means of securing it to the MH sort of does away with its portability.

I don't stay in cold climates so I use the "heater" switch that keeps the engine warm as a toggle. Most of the time I just leave it on when the Carryout is plugged in. Works great.

Happy trails.

p.s., my next portable will be the Winegard Anser.

MO Fred · 11-28-2015, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blang

I mounted my Carryout on the roof using a tripod base with the legs removed and L brackets in their place... hard mounted to the roof. When I'm in a tree area and simply cannot get signal (happens very rarely, by the way), I un-hook it from the tripod base and put it anywhere I want it. As the coax and power plugs come right out, it makes it easy to pull a second set out of the bay and hook up.

I should also say that I did put a switch inside for the roof power so that, when it's time to move, I just kill the power to keep it from continually "seeking".

.............................
Blang, ( or anyone who cares to input) you indicate that while roof mounted, you rarely lose signal while you're under trees. I was under the impression that any blockage at all by trees would cause the loss of signal. We have a lot of oak trees in Missouri and most campsites that we go to are completely covered by the trees. How would that effect my signal?

Scarab0088 · 11-28-2015, 11:41 AM

Mo,

The smaller faced antenna units (G2, Tailgater, Roadtrip, etc.) would lose connection before the larger faced units (Trav'ler, 1000.2) for any obstruction.

Like, a very heavy storm can reduce signal with a small faced unit enough to stop some High Def channels on a Dish account.

As far as trees...some users of the large faced antennae brag that trees are not a problem for them. I have doubts about these stories. And, if a tree has a hole in foliage (not blocking a signal), that would change as soon as a wind came up.

Best luck

blang · 11-29-2015, 06:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MO Fred

.............................
Blang, ( or anyone who cares to input) you indicate that while roof mounted, you rarely lose signal while you're under trees. I was under the impression that any blockage at all by trees would cause the loss of signal. We have a lot of oak trees in Missouri and most campsites that we go to are completely covered by the trees. How would that effect my signal?

Nope, sorry, didn't mean to imply that trees were ever acceptable. What I meant was... after I completed my setup on the roof, I've found that trees are rarely an issue because I'm under them less than expected.

As for my roof mounting... even of I did need to unhook from the roof and place away from the coach more often, the roof is still a superior place to store the unit while moving, in my opinion. One less thing in the storage bay. Additionally, if you find yourself in a Walmart one night, you're already set to go.

vsheetz · 11-29-2015, 06:42 AM

I carry two security cables. A 35' and 15'. Most often use the 15'. On occasion use the 35' or both to make 50'. Have a few small orange safety cones to denote the trip hazard.

We leave the dish out overnight and most often all the time. Usually setting on the ground, sometimes on a picnic table or a small table we carry. It could be our small table on the picnic table. Whatever works to get signal.

Dishpointer app to ensure over the trees or find the hole in the trees. Once at a rally with coaches stacked like cordwood best I could do was a spot that when the neighbor opened their door we lost signal. (-:

MO Fred · 12-06-2015, 08:51 AM

Blang, I followed your lead and put the Carryout tri-pod mount on the roof minus the legs secured by L-brackets. Do you actually drive your coach with the Carryout attached to the mount? I would be concerned it might pop off.

holycow · 12-06-2015, 07:44 PM

I had an old Direct T.V. tripod and I made an adapter plate to fit the tripod that the Carryout latches to. I made the adapter with a security handle.
that matches the security bracket on the carryout. With the matching handles a hardened steel cable is pad locked with a long shank lock at the carryout end and locked to the R.V. on the other end. It's really not as secure as I would like but about as good as one can reasonably do. The tripod is leveled with a small torpedo level laid across the adapter before installing the dome. The tripod is held in place with 12" spikes thru the holes in the tripod feet. At least with the setup being on the ground it does help when trying to find the satellite thru trees.

blang · 12-07-2015, 05:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MO Fred

Blang, I followed your lead and put the Carryout tri-pod mount on the roof minus the legs secured by L-brackets. Do you actually drive your coach with the Carryout attached to the mount? I would be concerned it might pop off.

Yes, the rubber feet go into the holes on the tripod plate and partial turn to lock in place. Just to be sure, I put a small bungie cord from the handle to one of the L brackets so that it can't turn out. The only threat, as I saw it, is if one or more rubber feet could pull off. Well... it's been a couple of years and maybe 10,000 miles and no troubles at all.

bigben · 12-07-2015, 06:30 AM

We have a Tailgater that can be roof mounted but we did not. Our trusty service manager advised against it as well as many others here on IRV2. So we continue to use a our DITY mast that attaches to our rear ladder and is higher than our roof in most conditions. When we are in a heavily treed area we have a simple base mount without the pole that attaches to the base of the Tailgater AND a lockable security cable. If I need it I carry an additional 50' of cable.

Only been in one spot that we couldn't use the our Tailgater.

This pic is from our original Tailgater before we switched it out.