Winegard MiniMax Satellite Dome

[RobinGio]

Hello,
I was wondering does anyone have the Winegard Road Trip MiniMax Satillite Dome? We have Direct TV hookup with a satndard dish. The RV is a'96 Winnie, it is wired for a roof mount,there is a plate on the roof. Any pros or cons. Camping World has it for $799. plus another $250.+ to install. Much trouble to install?
Thanks Rick & Robin

[John Hilley]

Shouldn't be hard to install. Just physically mount and waterproof over the spot Winnebago marks on the roof. You will probably have to fish the control cable from the dome to the entertainment center.

[NYMoose "Lenny"]

Do not pay that to have it sinstalled, that is crazy. If you have an exisitng dish, it should be no more than a hour to remove the old, and put the new one on.

[Bill Adams]

The antenna requires 12V power and a coax cable so if you open the roof and find only a coax then you are going to have to run the new power cable as well. I am not familiar with your coach but it is unlikely that you will be able to fish a new wire from pre-wire location to where you would want to place the power source. If you can that's great, but it's more likely that you will need to drill a separate hole to where you would place this and run the new cable to an appropriate power source. It is a pretty easy thing as long as you are sure about where to drill that hole. The antenna comes with a cover plate for the hole as well as the necessary screws. The only thing you will need is some Di-Cor caulk or other lap sealant and a little bit of time and patience.

[JeepTJ5]

Does anyone here know if the "Roadtrip Minimax" and the "Carryout" are basically the same unit with different mounting options? They sure look the same.
Thanx.

Don

[Bill Adams]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeepTJ5 Does anyone here know if the "Roadtrip Minimax" and the "Carryout" are basically the same unit with different mounting options? They sure look the same. Thanx. Don

They are the exact same antenna. The mounting setup is different and there is an on/off switch instead of the 12V cigarette lighter plug.
Otherwise, they are absolutely the exact same thing internally.

[JeepTJ5]

Thanks for the reply, Bill.

I guess the next logical question is how does this unit perform. My usage would be Dish Net. Does anyone have experience with this unit compared to the more common rooftop units, Kingdome, Winegard, etc.

It seems to me that the "Carryout" version allows the great flexability in that it could be used rooftop (with appropriate mount) or set up away from the MH to avoid trees, etc.

Any insights would most appreciated.

Regards,

Don

[winegard]

Good morning JeepTJ5 -

I'll let Bill answer your questions comparing Winegard products to other manufacturers because obviously I am biased. However, I wanted to give you an idea of the Minimax's signal quality compared to other Winegard products.

The Minimax and the Carryout use the exact same dish inside of the dome. The signal quality will be the same and the choice in those two units comes down to permanent installation vs. portability.

The Minimax and Carryout domes both perform at a higher rate than the RoadTrip SD or SDi. The dome shape and surface provide less rain fade and it is an overall better antenna. The only reason I would recommend a RoadTrip SD or SDi would be if the Carryout or Minimax's dome height causes an issue with your coach.

The Winegard TRAV'LER remains the best antenna on the market. It works exactly like your dish at home (which we manufacture as well).

Hope this helps, thank you for looking into our products.

[JeepTJ5]

Andy:

Thanks for your reply. I appreciate being able to discuss this with someone knowledgeable about the product. I find that there is minimal information even on the company's web site about how these products work in the field. So, if you would be so kind as to answer the following questions I would be very appreciative:

These questions are based on using Dish Network as the provider...

1. Assuming no heavy weather, and a reasonably clear view of the southwestern sky, are there any areas in the CONUS that this antenna would have trouble receiving a usable signal?

2. How long from the time the unit is turned on until it acquires a usable signal?

3. Is the unit pre-programmed by the user for the service it's on? What is that procedure?

4. When changing channels that involve changing satellites, i.e. moving from 110 to 119, for example, will the antenna know (without operator involvement) to move? And will the receiver know that there WILL be signal available? How does that work? Do the receiver and antenna communicate? Does the operator have to control the antenna during channel changes, etc?

Many thanks in advance for your comments.

Don

[JeepTJ5]

I tried to edit this in but I couldn't find a way so sorry for another post...

Will this antenna support the Dish dual tuner DVR that uses a separator at the receiver antenna input?

Thanks again

Don

[winegard]

Good morning JeepTJ5 -

Here are answers to a few of your questions. I'm assuming you are talking about the Carryout/Minimax antennas.

Quote:

1. Assuming no heavy weather, and a reasonably clear view of the southwestern sky, are there any areas in the CONUS that this antenna would have trouble receiving a usable signal?

Their is no area in the United States that these antennas would not be able to receive signal with a clear view of the southern sky.

Quote:

2. How long from the time the unit is turned on until it acquires a usable signal?

Takes about 3 minutes. You do absolutely no work after plugging it in or in the case of the Minimax, turning it on.

Quote:

3. Is the unit pre-programmed by the user for the service it's on? What is that procedure?

The Carryout and Minimax both come out of the box ready for DirecTV. Dish Network users will need to change one simple little set of switches just one time and then they will be good to go from then on. The easy instructions for this are in the manuals.

Quote:

4. When changing channels that involve changing satellites, i.e. moving from 110 to 119, for example, will the antenna know (without operator involvement) to move? And will the receiver know that there WILL be signal available? How does that work? Do the receiver and antenna communicate? Does the operator have to control the antenna during channel changes, etc?

The Carryout and Minimax are fully automatic. If your in your coach and change from a channel on the 110 to the 119 you will not even know it. These antennas know the location of those satellites and immediately snap to the appropriate signal. Their are no remotes. No controls needed. Just change the channel.

Quote:

Will this antenna support the Dish dual tuner DVR that uses a separator at the receiver antenna input?

You can use the Dish dual tuner DVR, but you will need to remove the separator. If you have issues with this setup you can call technical services at 1-800-788-4417.

[SCVJeff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by winegard ---------------snip---------- The Winegard TRAV'LER remains the best antenna on the market. It works exactly like your dish at home (which we manufacture as well). --------------snip-------------

And since you are technically "biased", permit me to back up that statement. My -3005 just sits there and runs. It's interesting to watch it go through it's search routing with absolutly no idea where it's starting it's search from. Great antenna!

It's nice to have a vendor here to answer some of the questions that come up.

Note to the Mod: The Forum clock is +7hrs fast (from PDT)

[Route 66]

Quote:

Note to the Mod: The Forum clock is +7hrs fast (from PDT)

The forum clock will display whatever time zone you have specified in your profile,

Each member should set their profile clock their respective time zone.

Click on User CP then Edit Options.

[SCVJeff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Route 66 The forum clock will display whatever time zone you have specified in your profile, Each member should set their profile clock their respective time zone. Click on User CP then Edit Options.

Fixed it. Probably been that way since the server change.

Mike: I have a -3005 question that is accompanied by a xponder chart (don't think I can post a .pdf). Is there an email address I can send the file and the question?