Do I really need a satellite dish?

[DGShaffer]

So recently my wife and I stayed at a campground with no TV reception all. I have another campground that I like but again, no TV reception. This got me thinking that with the new pay as you go service offered by Dish Network, I might just want to dive in.

The more I look into it the more I seem to think that maybe I don't need one as bad as I initially thought.

My question is, have any of you non-full timers gone for satellite and then decided that you really didn't need it all that bad?

[hardy1000]

Dw and I are part timers and have Direct TV. I guess satellite is a personal thing because we usally only watch tv at night unless there is a game I want to see. I enjoy National Geo, Military, Outdoor, Speed, HDTV, and DW has her channels that you can only watch on satillite. I just replaced my old KVH dome with a Wineguard SK3005 sat dish and now I have HD. I have Direct at home and just take a reciever when we travel. For us after a day of driving its nice to push a button and have the shows we enjoy at home no matter where we are.

[jwomack]

IMHO its a WOFTAM. DW wanted one before our last trip so........ After 5 weeks on the road and 10 CG's (all had cable) I have yet to set it up.

[calico]

We retired early 2011 and did a 'practice run' to Arizona for 5 weeks Feb & March to see if we could manage an extended stay together in a tin can! Glad to say we had a good time and will go for three months this winter. We had no tv reception on the trip and found we missed watching television. We cancelled our cable tv at home and subscribed to Direct TV giving us the ability to take a dish and reciever box on our camping trips. The cost is about the same each month. In fact, right now hubby is on his annual deer hunting trip in rv with the bedroom reciever and I'm home still able to watch tv in the living room. No regrets getting satellite tv!

[chasfm11]

We are not full timers and use our satellite all the time. Our situation is different, however, in that we have DirecTV at home. I will NEVER EVER do business with Time Warner Cable so it was Dish or DirecTV as the only alternatives.

For the RV, I picked up an old single LNB dish that someone was going to throw away. It has an LED on the LNB that shows when signal is NOT being received. Since most of our camping is done in Texas where the elevation doesn't change much from campsite to campsite, all I have to do is level the tripod and use the LED to figure out where to point it. It takes less than 3 minutes to set everything up.

We frequent the State Parks and other similar places that never have cable. While we may not turn the TV on for the entire weekend, it is nice to have the option.

[series60man]

Unless you dry camp most of the time, I am beginning to wonder if we need Dish or Direct. Most campgrounds offer some version of cable and with wi fi we can get HULU or Netflix, even tethering to our cell phone. Technology is changing our viewing choices.

[DGShaffer]

Unless the wi-fi is good or your on a 3G or better cell, streaming, I've found, is frustrating since I've tried the same thing. Sometimes I have good luck and sometimes not. This last trip to West Virginia I was totally without and thus my frustration and desire for a satellite alternative. Now that a couple of days have passed, my desire to dive in is in question. At least until my next trip to Gulf shores

[jzick]

We tend to look at TV a little differently. Even though we do not watch a lot of TV, we do not find it evil and wonder why a person would decide to live without access. News, weather, and entertainment available at the click of a button. We kind of live by the philosophy that, if we can afford it, why not, and our days of minimalist living were over long ago. Good luck with your decision.

[GaryKD]

Hi DGShaffer,
For us an in motion sat dome is the only way to go. Some CGs have trees and some do not. I now have a routine that before I do in to register, the sat dome is turned on and begins its' hunt. As I enter the camp site, I ensure where ever I stop has a sat signal. It does not matter where the coach is on the site, as long as I have the sat signal.

No CGs I have been in have the choice of sat channels I subscribe to. With the in motion dome, it is easy to get a signal and be happy with the channel selection.

As a side benefit, the Gkids can watch TV as we travel down the road.

KVH is the brand I have and it has been 100% trouble free for 6+ years. It has worked as advertised. Direct TV is the service provider.

[DGShaffer]

But when you're camping you shouldn't be watching TV, you should be outside

We spend a lot of time outside entertaining out 3 year old Springer and hiking so when the sun goes down and the fire dies out, I want to watch TV dammit

[toneumanns]

Ive been looking at the Dish Tailgater. A portable unit that auto locks on the satellites. $500 or the antenna & receiver & if you have Dish at home the monthly service is only $7.

[RustyJC]

We've had a DirecTV receiver in our 5th wheels for the last 15 years. We carry it on our home account as a mirrored receiver since that only costs an additional $4.99/month.

Although I've considered a dome (nope - trees and weak signal from dew/rain, etc. on dome) and an automated portable dish (may still do that!), as of now I'm still using a tripod and single LNB dish. Setup normally takes just a few minutes using the audible signal strength meter on the rear TV, a bird finder, or both.

Whether you need one or not, only you can decide. That's a lifestyle decision.


Rusty

[DGShaffer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RustyJC Whether you need one or not, only you can decide. That's a lifestyle decision. Rusty

Very true. Thanks for the input everyone

[62_inrightlane]

For us we watch TV in the early morning and at night. We did the park cable for about 6 months and we just got tired of trying to figure out what channel our favorites stations are on at this park.

We have had Directv at home for years and are very aware of the channel line up so I added a receiver for $4.99 a month and leave it in the MH. If we are out for a week or more I bring a 2nd receiver from home and hook it up to the bedroom TV. I started with a portable dish but moved up to a automatic roof mounted Directv HD dish. I just push the button and walk away. In about 5 minutes we are watching HD TV.