Tailgater portable satellite dish

[Kms68]

New here and wanting to find out if anyone has used one of these new Tailgater antennas yet? Found a link on the Dish Network site that shows it being a very simple system.

dish.com/tailgater

We have an older dome dish that can't get HD on our Directv and were told that it's too old to even get Dish HD. Looking to upgrade and the Tailgater at $350 seems like the logical choice. The antenna Camping world has for a Directv HD system is $1,700 plus several hundred more for installation. Am I missing something or is the Tailgater the way to go?

[TXiceman]

It looks like a VuQube 1000 to me. It works on both Dish and Direct. Shop the net and try Adventure RV and RV Upgrades.

Ken

[Kms68]

It's a new system that is specific to the Dish Network service. Just searched for the one you mentioned and while it looks similar, they are very different. The Tailgater is completely automatic. I did see a similar type of portable unit at camping world but it was $699, and works with Direct, just not their HD.

[Bill Adams]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TXiceman It looks like a VuQube 1000 to me. It works on both Dish and Direct. Shop the net and try Adventure RV and RV Upgrades. Ken

The VuQube does "work" with Dish or Direct but it cannot get the DirecTV HD programming (no domed unit can).

[Bill Adams]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kms68 New here and wanting to find out if anyone has used one of these new Tailgater antennas yet? Found a link on the Dish Network site that shows it being a very simple system. dish.com/tailgater We have an older dome dish that can't get HD on our Directv and were told that it's too old to even get Dish HD. Looking to upgrade and the Tailgater at $350 seems like the logical choice. The antenna Camping world has for a Directv HD system is $1,700 plus several hundred more for installation. Am I missing something or is the Tailgater the way to go?

There are some substantial differences between the Trav'ler you mention (more expensive) and the tailgater. The biggest difference is that the Tailgater will work with the VIP211K receiver and nothing else. If you are in your RV this may still be a very acceptable solution. If you are wanting to move a receiver between the house and the RV this might be an issue.

[mrschwarz]

As long as it was a 211k moving between the house and RV, it shouldn't be a problem.

[Kms68]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Adams There are some substantial differences between the Trav'ler you mention (more expensive) and the tailgater. The biggest difference is that the Tailgater will work with the VIP211K receiver and nothing else. If you are in your RV this may still be a very acceptable solution. If you are wanting to move a receiver between the house and the RV this might be an issue.

Thanks for the reply. After reading this I called the manufacturer, King Controls, and was told that one of the advantages of the Tailgater system is that the receiver automatically recognizes the Tailgater and does not need to be reconfigured when moving between the stick house and the coach. We have Directv now and have to change the setup settings on the receiver when moving between the coach and house. Not exactly sure what they were explaining, but the guy at King Controls was talking about a "check switch test" that the Dish receivers have to run when moving between a home dish and a portable. Sounded like it was a bit involved, but he said this step is not required with the Tailgater.

Even with adding the cost of the Dish receiver at $150, it's still a huge savings over the Directv HD setup and has the added benefit of being able to move it around within the campsite to get around the occasional tree that blocks signal. Are there any compelling reasons to spend $1,500 more for the Directv unit?

Would also really be interested to hear from someone that has already used this antenna before I go ahead and order one. Anyone know of another online forum that may have a user review?

[Bill Adams]

I assume you understand that you are comparing apples and oranges. The same type unit is available for DirecTV from both Winegard (around $700) or King Dome (several versions). You can't get HD with this setup but all of the DirecTV SD programming is available. If portable and HD are your requirements (and you understand you can only use one single tuner receiver...VIP211K only) then it may make great sense for you.

[Kms68]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Adams I assume you understand that you are comparing apples and oranges. The same type unit is available for DirecTV from both Winegard (around $700) or King Dome (several versions). You can't get HD with this setup but all of the DirecTV SD programming is available. If portable and HD are your requirements (and you understand you can only use one single tuner receiver...VIP211K only) then it may make great sense for you.

We already have a dome that gets SD from Directv. We're looking to upgrade to HD. Both Dish and Directv offer the same channels we want, but it seems the Directv HD antenna is a lot more expensive. I did see a portable antenna at camping world but it costs twice as much as the Tailgater to get the same HD from Dish. Aside from the Directv Hd compatible antenna being on the roof and the Tailgater being set out in the campsite, what is so different about the two that justifies spending $1,500 + more for Directv?

Checked on the receiver as I was not sure what you meant by single tuner. The info on the Dish website shows it does have 2 tuners, one for satellite and the other for the local channel antenna. It also showed that you can add an external hard drive that plugs into a USB port on the receiver to add DVR for recording both satellite and local channels for a one time fee of $40 with no additional monthly fee. I pay $10 per month now to Directv for the same feature at home.

[HobbyTalk]

Some satellite receivers have 2 satellite tuners in addition to an OTA tuner. I use a 211K with the Winguard Carryout. What I have found that most times I want to record two programs at once is that one of them is available via the OTA antenna so I can still record both of them.

[CSB]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kms68 The info on the Dish website shows it does have 2 tuners, one for satellite and the other for the local channel antenna. It also showed that you can add an external hard drive that plugs into a USB port on the receiver to add DVR for recording both satellite and local channels for a one time fee of $40 with no additional monthly fee. I pay $10 per month now to Directv for the same feature at home.

The Dish Network VIP211K has a single satellite tuner and a single OTA tuner. With the DVR option you can record both at the same time or watch one live while recording the other, but one channel would be from the satellite and the other received via the over-the-air antenna. While the old DIRECTV HD recievers used to have an integrated OTA tuner, I don't believe any current DIRECTV receivers have the integrated OTA tuner. The Dish HD receiver also has a coaxial output, so you could send the satellite TV signal to the back bedroom in most RV's over the coaxial cable that's already there. However, the satellite channel you're watching in the back would be the same channel your watching up front, i.e. if you're watching HBO in the front, your watching HBO in the back. You can also watch a local channel (i.e. NBC, CBS, FOX, etc...) via the over-the-air antenna on one TV while watching a satellite channel (HBO, CNN, History) on the other.

[jpdunc1803]

A somewhat related question...is there a source anywhere that lists the DISH channels by satellite--110, 119, or 129.

I have an in motion dome that gets DISH HD and serves two separate receivers. The only limitation is the fact that it views one sat at a time so the two channels must be on that same sat.

I must say, however, it switches between sats amazingly fast when a channel is selected that is on a different sat.

Thanks,

[HobbyTalk]

SatelliteGuys.US_TheList - Subscription subdish

[Kms68]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HobbyTalk SatelliteGuys.US_TheList - Subscription subdish

Great Link! I found a Dish forum on the same site that answered my questions on the Tailgater. Thanks for posting this!