Winegard SK-3005 Sat Antenna Advice

[LewF]

We currently have a Wineguard RoadTrip satellite antenna installed on our coach with DirecTV service but this antenna will only receive one satellite at a time and therefore will not receive HD. We are thinking about replacing it with a Wineguard SK-3005 Trav'ler antenna so we can get HD service. Does anyone have experience with this antenna and have any tips about installation and use.

Lew

[Bill Adams]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LewF We currently have a Wineguard RoadTrip satellite antenna installed on our coach with DirecTV service but this antenna will only receive one satellite at a time and therefore will not receive HD. We are thinking about replacing it with a Wineguard SK-3005 Trav'ler antenna so we can get HD service. Does anyone have experience with this antenna and have any tips about installation and use. Lew

We really like the 3005 and we are going to be replacing our current in-motion antenna with a 3005 in the next few days. While we have not seen anything bad said about this antenna we don't have any actual experience with the unit. However, if you want to move to an antenna that will receive the DirecTV HDTV programming you only have 2 choices. The Winegard which has worked without a software update since Jan 2008 or the MotoSAT HD-SL5 which has required "at least" 10 software updates during the same time period. I made my choice and I am installing the Winegard.

[wa8yxm]

Short version of something I often post

Dome type antennas can be used (in some cases) IN motion, they can see but ONE sat at a time and are best used with DirecTV standard, Some of them can swich quickly between 2 or 3 different (2 is dish SD 3 is Dish HD) and sometimes you can upgrade, however they can be used with ONLY ONE receiver as all receivers need to look at the same satellite, and if you want say, Si-Fi (119) and wife wants Halmark (110) you got a problem.

DISH type antennas.. Can not be used in motion, period.

However you can get a dish for whatever level of Sat-TV service you want, DirecTV, DirecHDTV, Dishnetwork, Dishnetwork HD

You just get the antenna that meets your needs

[url]http://www.motosat.com[url] shows many of those dishes

[bkphotog]

Hi!

We have had our 3005 for about a year now and we are very happy with the system. Works like a charm!!!! Have had no problems with it. Finds the three sats in just a couple of minutes and the HD quality is great, if you have a HD quality TV.

The only problem we have is with Direct TV and the fact that you have to submit a DNS (Distant Network Service) form to get the West Coast programming feeds. The form is not the problem, it is the fact that if you have a residential account with Direct TV and your receiver in the MH is tied to that account they will not allow you to get some of the feeds. In our case we get only ABC out of Los Angeles We do not get NBC, CBS or FOX because we have these services in HD on our home account. They (DTV) wants us to set up a seperate account for just the receiver in the MH, which ofcourse cost additional money per month.

We are not full timers and that additional cost would be a waste since the MH may be in storage for a good portion of the year. We do about two long trips and several weekend trips during the year.

So when we travel we set up the 3005 ant to receive the package that is tied to the house account minus the ABC, NBC & CBS local feeds out of our zip code and then connect to the RV parks cable service to get the local national feeds for those stations. This gives the HD quality for most of the high quality stations that are above the local collection (CNN, ESPN, Sports Packs etc). If you stay within the home zip code then you get all the feeds assigned to your DTV package

Sorry to be so long winded. So again the Winegard 3005 has be very good and is especially good if we stay in our zip code. We had it installed by one of our local RV dealers, so I can not comment on installation issues.

Good luck with you decision.

Bill

[Pigman]

Our 3005 has been installed for over a year. I put it in myself and took a King Dome in motion out so I could see the HD channels. The install was not difficult. DirecTV is constantly moving programming from one satellite to another. You won't notice it as long as you have a 3005.

Since we spend many summers in Alaska, I found a bit more about the antenna. It's minimum reception elevation is 15 degrees. In Valdez, I needed it down to 11.4 so I put a penny in the LNB arm pinch point and now have full service. In addition, I cannot see 119 due to a VERY large mountain, but you can BS the system to allow it to receive 101 and 110. By shutting off the tuning cycle before it tries to see 119, you also get the 99 and 103 (untuned). This gives me full subscription service, including DNS HD and all other HD channels except locals.

John

[Triker56]

I have had mine for over a year. No problems. Finds and locks on under 5 minutes almost every time.

Quote:

we are going to be replacing our current in-motion antenna with a 3005 in the next few days.

Does that mean Bill is going to finally get into the HD via Satellite?
That calls for a new HD DVR receiver and new 2 year contract.

[Bill Adams]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Triker56 I have had mine for over a year. No problems. Finds and locks on under 5 minutes almost every time. Does that mean Bill is going to finally get into the HD via Satellite? That calls for a new HD DVR receiver and new 2 year contract.

Nope! Sorry! It does not!
I still don't have any way to either install 2 HD receivers or find a way to get an HDMI cable from our one receiver to our main TV 40' away. That doesn't mean that I won't be testing the heck out of this antenna to make sure it does what it should, but it will be SD satellite and HD over-the-air for me for some time to come.

[SCVJeff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Adams We really like the 3005 and we are going to be replacing our current in-motion antenna with a 3005 in the next few days.

WOW! That's quite an endorsement from a Datastorm guy.

Anyway, ditto to the rest. Went in without a hitch and has run ever since. The ONLY crick was the rubber foot from the feed got stuck to the reflector one time and never since.

[ernieh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Adams Nope! Sorry! It does not! I still don't have any way to either install 2 HD receivers or find a way to get an HDMI cable from our one receiver to our main TV 40' away. That doesn't mean that I won't be testing the heck out of this antenna to make sure it does what it should, but it will be SD satellite and HD over-the-air for me for some time to come.

What is the big obstacle that makes it impossible to reach your TV? I have pulled a lot of wire over the years and have found very few locations that were truly inaccessible. I worked on a friends bus a few years back and the huge bins made it one of the easiest MH's to pull wire.

BTW I have had the 3005 for about 3 months now and love it.

[Bill Adams]

We did get our SK-3005 installed a couple of days ago and we really it thus far. The time to lock is around 5 minutes and then it spends another 1-2 minutes peaking the signal. The most noticeable difference between the MotoSAT and the Winegard is that the Winegard can move the azimuth and skew simultaneously speeding up the peak time as well as making for a very elegant search routine. The stow routine does take longer than the MotoSAT however, but the difference is only about 1 minute longer. Every time you stow the Winegard it must first perform "home" routine (what I know as a "test dish" with MotoSAT). This ensures that the antenna will always stow in the exact correct location as well as be at the perfect starting point for the next search.
The installation is very easy and much faster than the MotoSAT since it is completely assembled except for mounting the dish with 4 screws. Front and back is clearly marked so you can't misplace the unit unless you are REALLY not paying attention. Our install took a bit longer as we also installed the electric Winegard batwing antenna, we re-worked (fixed) the way the original installer had run cables and to top it all off, we were interrupted by a rain storm. Well, it all went well and we moved from Colorado Springs to Cripple Creek, CO where only one analog TV channel is available over-the-air so the operation of the Winegard became a critical requirement. It worked perfectly and we were watching TV in no time.

[CWHTRAINS]

How have the new SK-3005 Winegard satellites worked in high winds. On my AS-2003 when the wind blows hard, it flops around.

[Bill Adams]

We left out of CO. Springs, CO this morning. The winds were blowing about 30+ when we woke up and we can see the 3005 through out sun roof. This thing is rock solid. There was a bit of a "quiver" in the arm, but the face of the dish did not move at all. I checked the signal meter on our DVR and the 96 signal strength never fluctuated. We are more and more impressed with the Winegard every day that we own this thing!

[CptnMorgan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Adams We did get our SK-3005 installed a couple of days ago and we really it thus far. The time to lock is around 5 minutes and then it spends another 1-2 minutes peaking the signal. The most noticeable difference between the MotoSAT and the Winegard is that the Winegard can move the azimuth and skew simultaneously speeding up the peak time as well as making for a very elegant search routine. The stow routine does take longer than the MotoSAT however, but the difference is only about 1 minute longer. Every time you stow the Winegard it must first perform "home" routine (what I know as a "test dish" with MotoSAT). This ensures that the antenna will always stow in the exact correct location as well as be at the perfect starting point for the next search. The installation is very easy and much faster than the MotoSAT since it is completely assembled except for mounting the dish with 4 screws. Front and back is clearly marked so you can't misplace the unit unless you are REALLY not paying attention. Our install took a bit longer as we also installed the electric Winegard batwing antenna, we re-worked (fixed) the way the original installer had run cables and to top it all off, we were interrupted by a rain storm. Well, it all went well and we moved from Colorado Springs to Cripple Creek, CO where only one analog TV channel is available over-the-air so the operation of the Winegard became a critical requirement. It worked perfectly and we were watching TV in no time.

My wife and I have just purchased a Tiffin Allegro Bay 35TSB. Our coach, like all Tiffin motorhomes, has a fiberglass roof. The Tiffin recommended satellite antenna is the King Dome. As a loyal DirecTV, a member since 1994, I opted to defer the antenna until after delivery. First, the motorhome comes prewired for the King Dome. I understand that the King Dome control wiring harness is not compatible with the 3005. Any thoughts about pulling the 3005 control wiring harness through the existing conduit? Second, considering the weight of the 3005 is there any concern about cracks developing in the fiberglass roof at the attach points? What type of fastening is recommended for a fiberglass roof?

CptnMorgan

[Bill Adams]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CptnMorgan My wife and I have just purchased a Tiffin Allegro Bay 35TSB. Our coach, like all Tiffin motorhomes, has a fiberglass roof. The Tiffin recommended satellite antenna is the King Dome. As a loyal DirecTV, a member since 1994, I opted to defer the antenna until after delivery. First, the motorhome comes prewired for the King Dome. I understand that the King Dome control wiring harness is not compatible with the 3005. Any thoughts about pulling the 3005 control wiring harness through the existing conduit? Second, considering the weight of the 3005 is there any concern about cracks developing in the fiberglass roof at the attach points? What type of fastening is recommended for a fiberglass roof? CptnMorgan

Tiffin is now pre-wiring for the Trav'ler upon request. The Winegard is only about 20 pounds heavier than the King Dome so overall weight is not an issue. However, there is essentially no wind load on a dome and there is substantial wind load on an open-face antenna. You need to stow wind the winds get above (I wish I had an exact answer to this) 30, 40, 50ish MPH.
If Tiffin uses a conduit and does not run the wiring through the coach wiring loom then you can feed any cable through a conduit. You can check this out or discuss your particular setup with Tiffin. You only need to get one new cable into the coach if the other coax cables are located nearby as well. The only incompatible part related to a KD installation would be the control cable itself.
You can pre-drill your fiberglass roof to ensure that you will have no cracking in the future. Do not use a self-drilling screw but a standard 10 x 3/4 (or similar) screw.