Installing a Trav'ler sk-3005 DirecTV antenna

[JucenBrudi]

Hi Gang,

I'm evaluating the wisdom of installing a Trav'ler sk-3005 antenna myself. Our unit is a 2004 Winnebago Adventurer with a fiberglass roof. It is prewired for satellite, but I don't yet know if the wiring is compatible with the 3005.

I've read the installation manual and some postings here. Installation appears simpler than I had imagined (I know simple doesn't mean easy); basically finding or running the cable, using sealant sensibly, and screwing the antenna to the fiberglass.

Is it that simple?

Is the fiberglass alone strong enough to support the antenna?

Has anyone attempted this install and later regretted not taking it to a pro?

Thanks,
Bruce

[UFO Pilot]

I just had the Travler 1000 installed by professionals so I don't know how difficult the installation would be for a non pro. They were able to use the old wiring in my RV to pull the new wire in. You do need a 110 volt outlet nearby for the power supply.

[JucenBrudi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wthomas1 You do need a 110 volt outlet nearby for the power supply.

Thanks. I have that so I'm ok so far .

Bruce

[Pusherman]

I just installed a Trav'ler SK-3005 in my coach. Since I own a shop, I had it done professionally by my master tech (I helped).

You need to install a new control wire, and I highly recommend running the new coax wires provided by Winegard to the sat box. I don't recommend re-using the old wiring.

Here is the thread with pictures in the Winnie fourm: Installing 32" LCD and new Trav'ler in 07 Journey

[JucenBrudi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pusherman I just installed a Trav'ler SK-3005 in my coach. Here is the thread with pictures in the Winnie fourm: Installing 32" LCD and new Trav'ler in 07 Journey

Hi Don, et al.,

Thanks for the link. Had I search wider I'd have found this earlier today. I've been over studying the thread. There's a lot of help there.

I noticed you're in Rochester, NY. We've been spending 2-4 weeks in the area each year visiting family in Pittsford. I'll make a note and try to remember to stop by the shop if we visit again this year.

Thanks again,
Bruce

[gspandel]

Bruce,
I have a 2004 Adventurer and installed the Trav'ler SK-3003 with no problems. The hardest part was finding the preinstalled sat wire. I did the cutout on the roof where the wire was supposed to be but couldn't find it. I called Winnebago and asked them where the sat prewiring was located and they said coiled around the cutout hole close to the surface. I went back on the roof and sure enough the wire was coiled around the hole embedded in styrofoam. Used the existing wires to thread all new wires to needed location. Have help when getting dish to rooftop as it is awkward to handle. Very easy to setup and install.

Good Luck,
George

[Pusherman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JucenBrudi Hi Don, et al., Thanks for the link. Had I search wider I'd have found this earlier today. I've been over studying the thread. There's a lot of help there. I noticed you're in Rochester, NY. We've been spending 2-4 weeks in the area each year visiting family in Pittsford. I'll make a note and try to remember to stop by the shop if we visit again this year. Thanks again, Bruce

Bruce, please do stop by. I would enjoy meeting you. Give us a call when you're in the area.

Happy Travels!

[HarleyWJones]

I installed the Trav'ler myself. I have a fairly sturdy fiberglass roof, but I decided to go with Winegard's enlarged mounting plate for not-so-strong roofs. It is a keyhole shaped sheet of steel which slips under the antenna and is mounted first. It extends a few inches beyond the antenna mount. It then has the holes that match the SK mounting pattern. Really the antenna gets mounted twice. The plate also extends under the roller for the LNB arm which keeps it from rolling on the roof surface. The mounting screws are heavily plated and are supplied with the antenna, and the extra screws needed are provided with the mounting plate.

By far, the hardest part was getting the heavy thing on the roof. It just seems like it wants to jerk you off the ladder. A friend is almost a necessity.

If you need new cables this is the time to do it. The SK comes with 2 lengths of RG-6 cable with F-connectors already installed on one end. The control cable to the power supply/control box has a plug on it that requires about a 1 inch hole to pass it through, plus the RF cables. If there is any chance that you will have multiple receivers in the future be sure to run additional RG-6s now. The antenna has four ports on my Dish model and I ran all of them just in case. They provide an entry cable plate which accepts all the cables and holds them tight to the roof, and I added individual cable clamps for each cable every 6 inches. use a good sealant liberally. In my case it was easiest to run the wires about ten feet on the roof before descending through the roof. That enabled me to drop straight into the cabinet for the electronics. This was much better for me than trying to fish the wires internally.

Don't be intimidated by this; it was a painless install. One good note is that the thing worked perfectly right out of the box. It seeks the birds on its own without a receiver. You do need 110 volts for the control box; 12 volts won't do.

There is a feature that requires an extra control cable from the control box to a source of either ground or 12 volts when the engine is running. You have to buy the cable separately. This stores the dish if you forget to. Be sure to select the source present only when the engine is actually running. If you use an accessory wire that comes on with the ignition switch, the dish will store when you check your fuel!

Good luck and let us know how you make out.

[Max Hubrich]

My Winegard Traveler Slimline 5 LNB works absolutely marvelously. My unit has 4 cable connections on it. You will need two cables dedicated to one receiver if you use a DirecTV DVR. I have done this to record programs we're interested in and not able to watch at broadcast times. I have two receivers and I put my DVR reciever in the back bedroom. I ran one extra cable (a total of two cables) along the roof fasteners and down the ladder and into the rear bumper then up to the receiver.
When I'm in Maine in the summer I have to use an externally mounted 5 LNB dish- because of huge trees. I then connect two cables from the external dish (disconnecting the two Traveler cables) to the rear bumper (into the rear DVR receiver) with normal male, female coaxial fittings. The third cable ties into the RV's cable TV connection. That cable feeds an A/B switch up front that decides which source of the two antenna systems, feeds the front TV for set up.

You will need "Distant Signal Reception" networking from DirecTV. That will require you to provide them, (DirecTV), with a copy of your RV registration, or, Title. You will then loose your local channels. The Network feeds (ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox) will then come out of New York or LA.

I removed the Sony selector function box altogether. That allowed room for a BlueRay DVD player. We now have two seperate, independent systems.

Camping World in Lakewood NJ did the antenna install almost 3 years ago when the 5 LNB Traveler first came out- They did a great job. It was well worth the $250+ sealant and extra parts, to me, as they have RV bays and the work was done indoors.

I know there are several ways to run cables with multiplex, or other such switches, but my install was simple and easy for me with super results.

My crank up batwing antenna (with a wingman addition) gives me local channels as we travel, with many HD ones available also.

I also installed two LCD HD TV's. A 32" Sony Bravia up front, and a Westinghouse 26", with a built in DVD player. They both have "WOW" quality pictures now-





Good luck,

[TurtleKent]

About two years ago I installed the Trav'ler SK-3005 for DirecTV myself, on an '02 Adventurer 35U. I can't say enough positive about the Trav'ler, as we have no need for in-motion, and the auto-locate feature is flawless. The rooftop install was a cinch(near the front of the coach), but routing the new cables all the way to the TVs was more of a challenge. This m/h has the front TV, which I removed as I was replacing it with a flat panel anyway. Once out of the way, it was easy to get the cables down into the front TV compartment. I chose to run new cables directly from the dish to my DirecTV receivers(two, one in front and the other in the BR), and bypass the switchbox which comes in most all m/h these days. All new HDTVs allow you to select input from multiple sources via the remote control, so we can easily flip between DirecTV and cable/air sources. Usually we only use either cable OR air, depending on the locale, so once set we never again have to walk to the front of the coach to select another source. I'm using the HD-DVR in front, which requires TWO cables input from the dish. My advice is to run extra cables down thru the roof, as you may want to expand later. Running a concealed cable all the way to the left rear of the coach took some creativity to get it down thru the coach, then along the chassis rail and back up in the rear of the coach. Being part timers, we just bring two receivers from home as we travel. Depending upon how far away from home, you may not receive locals on HD, but in my experience are more likely to receive locals on SD for a much greater distance. Just do it!!

[bobmac]

I installed the Traveller Dish unit on the roof of my Journey. Agree with the previous poster, the hardest part is getting it on the roof. Definitely a 2 person job. We took it out of the box and hoisted it using a line to the roof and one to the ground to keep it away from rear end cap and it worked. Weighs about 70 lbs. If your unit is prewired as mine was, you should have atleast one coax (I had two) that are labelled and are indentified in Winn Wiring diagrams you can download.
On the Journey, they were mounted in the center of the roof in a "conduit" cut through the styrofoam in the ceiling. I was able to route the control cable (and added an additional coax) through the same "duct" inside to a ceiling lamp fixture and then take it to the overhead cabinets where I mounted the control box. You will definitely need a "fish" to route the control cable but that is likely the most difficult part of the installation.
Mounting the unit on the roof involves positioning it, drawing a line around the perimeter and applying caulking inside the line, and then placing the unit on the marked outline and screwing it to the roof.
Took me about three hours from start to finish. You need to power the unit up to be able to attach the dish so you need 110v as others pointed out. You can do this from the control box placed on the roof. I enclosed the cabling from the unit to the opening in the roof in black corrugated plastic split conduit attaching it to 4 places on the roof to really secure the cables and caulked the ends of the conduit and all screws.
Works exceptionally well and is almost immune to heavy rains. I don't think you will have a problem installing it - just be careful getting it to the roof!!! Good luck,

[Pusherman]

When we mounted the SK-3005 on my Journey, we completely sealed and covered the hole where the old sat wires ran thru the roof with the base of the new sat dish. Note on the pic below that the new coax's and control wires were run down thru the front cap on the coach. Inside pull down the wood moulding across the ceiling, and you can access the underside of the roof easily. Had to pull the wires maybe 12" into cabinet area above TV and routed to satellite receiver. Very easy install.

Note this pic was before final caulking.

[JucenBrudi]

Hi all,

I want to thank everyone that responded to my question. I got "slammed" with all sorts of things which dragged me away from the antenna project. You convinced me to install it myself, but I got way behind and now it appears I'll have it installed along with some other stuff. I'm not entirely happy with the decision, but I have more than enough to keep me busy.

I've decided to let the pros handle this one. I am buying the equipment, however, and have another question.

Winegard offers two optional plates and I want to make a decision about whether to buy one or the other. One plate is ska-008, "Roof support plate for thin roofs." the other is ska-004, "Roller plate, ideal for rubber roofs."

The RV is an '04 Winnebago Adventurer with a fiberglass roof. It comes prewired for satellite. Do I need either or both of these? I don't mind spending more to feel a bit more confident.

Thanks,
Bruce

[HarleyWJones]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JucenBrudi Hi all, I want to thank everyone that responded to my question. I got "slammed" with all sorts of things which dragged me away from the antenna project. You convinced me to install it myself, but I got way behind and now it appears I'll have it installed along with some other stuff. I'm not entirely happy with the decision, but I have more than enough to keep me busy. I've decided to let the pros handle this one. I am buying the equipment, however, and have another question. Winegard offers two optional plates and I want to make a decision about whether to buy one or the other. One plate is ska-008, "Roof support plate for thin roofs." the other is ska-004, "Roller plate, ideal for rubber roofs." The RV is an '04 Winnebago Adventurer with a fiberglass roof. It comes prewired for satellite. Do I need either or both of these? I don't mind spending more to feel a bit more confident. Thanks, Bruce

I used the ska-008 on my already sturdy fiberglass roof just for peace-of-mind. It extends 3-4 inches beyond the normal footprint if the antenna, and it provides a roller surface for the wheel on the collapsing lnb arm. I don't really think any bearing surface is necessary on a fiberglass roof, but I used it anyway. The plate is shaped like a giant keyhole.

The plate doesn't interfere with clearances around the antenna, since nothing should be that close. It comes with the extra screws needed. I liked them because they look like they could never rust. (cadmium plated, I think)

Using the plate is like having to mount the antenna twice, since you pre-drill the plate holes,use sealant, and then mount the plate. The plate then has holes that the antenna screws go through and into the roof decking. You wind up with twice as many screws mounting the antenna as you normally would. Just be sure to apply sealant on both rings of screw holes before placing the plate on the roof, and again when mounting the antenna. I put sealant on top of the screw heads just to be safe.

It sounds harder than it is. Be absoulutely sure of the number of receivers you might want in the future and run as many cables. The antenna has 3 ports and I ran three cables just in case. Winegard provides only 2, one gray and one black for identification purposes. I supplied the extra one. You have to drill a rather large hole in the roof to pass the coax cables plus the control cable. The control cable should go through the hole first because it has a large connector that would be hard to get through the hole if the coax cables were there first.

You will be very happy when you can pull in signals that domes can't. Its not a versatile as a tripod, but pushing one button is nice.