Community Forums

donhoward49 · 06-12-2014, 09:38 AM

So, I bought the tailgater & 211z & the flat wire to go under or over my window. Now to try it out, maybe this weekend..
Question, I have 50 ft of wire, how do you spool this to keep from damaging it in set up, & travel.
Thanks again for all the help.

Scarab0088 · 06-12-2014, 10:16 AM

CONGRATS!!

Just a suggestion...set it up at home.

If it works you are set...but, if there are any issues, you can call Dish's RV desk for technical assistance: 888-309-0370.

If you use the phone number you provided during account set-up (hint: use a cell that you take camping) Dish will auto-ID your account when you call.

I just roll up the coax like an extension cord and stow it on top of other stuff in a bin. It is rather stout, but it is good to be careful to avoid kinks and cuts to the shielding. I do not have the flat cable, so no experience with that.

Best luck!

Orangepeel · 06-12-2014, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by donhoward49

So, I bought the tailgater & 211z & the flat wire to go under or over my window. Now to try it out, maybe this weekend..
Question, I have 50 ft of wire, how do you spool this to keep from damaging it in set up, & travel.
Thanks again for all the help.

Would something like this work? We use these for extension cords & the like in our garage at home. You should be able to pick one up at Lowes and I think they are under $10.

jwmaustin · 06-12-2014, 09:14 PM

In our design work and courses we had we were cautioned not to use flat wire since it creates ghosts. Coax (known as RG58, RG59 or RG6) has more "loss" but thats over much longer distance. With coax it is pretty durable but you don't want to nick it, bend it too sharp (keep kinks out) and you have to splice it with the right tools and connectors (see Radio Shack for tools, splice and connectors). Make sure you use the right connectors for the right type of wire.

Given the above, storing either is like storing extension cords.

SarahW · 06-15-2014, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwmaustin

In our design work and courses we had we were cautioned not to use flat wire since it creates ghosts. Coax (known as RG58, RG59 or RG6) has more "loss" but thats over much longer distance. With coax it is pretty durable but you don't want to nick it, bend it too sharp (keep kinks out) and you have to splice it with the right tools and connectors (see Radio Shack for tools, splice and connectors). Make sure you use the right connectors for the right type of wire.

Given the above, storing either is like storing extension cords.

I have to say that the 12" flat "jumper" that we used for the past 2 weeks worked GREAT. The picture is crystal clear with no ghosting or degradation at all. I'm sure that a long flat wire might cause signal loss, but the 12" connector through the window worked very well for us. We wanted a connection that could be moved to different windows as needed to clear line-of-sight obstacles.

The Pathway x2 works so much better than our roof-top dome that we will likely never use the dome again, except when we are stopped for one night and don't want to set up the portable unit.