Community Forums

Chickadee · 12-22-2012, 09:48 AM

G'morning:

So,....wintering here in Silver Springs, FL., and satellite dome for TV is gone kaput!! The unit is a the Trac King satellite system (made by King Dome), model #9762LP-41 that came w. the rig (08 EX) and the King Dome factory is located in Bloomington, MN.

Anyway,...after running troubleshooting programs shown in manual, I did talk with factory techs a number of times, following their directions, AND....after removing the dome and re-seating the cable to the Encoder adjacent to the circuit board on the dish itself, this still did not solve the fault/failure.

Trac King techs tell me the ONLY fix is to bring it in to their factory in Minnesota to have the Encoder issue repaired and the unit "recalibrated." Evidentally there are no King Dome Service sites here in Florida.

Don't know what the bill would be to have factory do this fix next spring, but wondering if just installing a new Trac King unit for around $2,500. might be a better choice.......OR.......installing a different dome system. I've always liked KVH but don't know if I'd run into all kinds of wiring, and/or tuner replacement/recalibration costs.

How would you guys/gals proceed??? anybody?....anybody?

Steve

FlyingDiver · 12-22-2012, 09:53 AM

Do you really need a dome? Do you watch TV while in motion? If not, I'd ditch the dome and get an automatic dish. I think about $1700 or so. Plus side is you'll be able to get HD channels (DirecTV) and DVRs will work properly.

hogdriver · 12-22-2012, 10:07 AM

Ditto what FlyingDiver said.....

I have a 2013 Entegra with a Dome from Winegard and wish I'd bought the Winegard Trav'lr avail for Dish or Direct TV. Unless you have a bunch of folks who want to watch TV on the road, the automatic type dish is much nicer. I've never talked to anybody that disliked them.

Check out a Camping World. For about $1500 + $300 instal you can have full HD and the ability to run several receivers.

IMHO

Ronnie Bledsoe 2006 Dutchstar 43' · 12-22-2012, 10:08 AM

Steve, if you go NEW look into a unit called RF Mogul. It is not a dome. I do not have one, but have seen several as I travel and all owners are pleased as could be. RF mogul was founded by several former DATA Storm employees.

FlyingDiver · 12-22-2012, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ronnie Bledsoe 2006 Dutchstar 43'

Steve, if you go NEW look into a unit called RF Mogul. It is not a dome. I do not have one, but have seen several as I travel and all owners are pleased as could be. RF mogul was founded by several former DATA Storm employees.

RFMogul was founded by the former execs of Motosat, which was bought out by it's investors. Motosat is now doing business as MoSat.

That said, the RFMogul product is quite new and I don't think there are very many dealers with experience with them at this point. I don't know how the price compares to the Winegard unit. One advantage of the RFMogul unit is that it doesn't need the 5-LNB head for DirecTV, it can use the 3-LNB which is more common. It can also use a SWM head, so you don't need the separate SWM-8 unit if you have receivers that require SWM.

UFO Pilot · 12-22-2012, 10:53 AM

Replaced my King Dome with the WineGard Traveler and at very satisfied. It locks on the satellites every time and hasn't faded out (lost signal) once in 2 years of use.

FlyingDiver · 12-22-2012, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UFO Pilot

Replaced my King Dome with the WineGard Traveler and at very satisfied. It locks on the satellites every time and hasn't faded out (lost signal) once in 2 years of use.

That's a good point. The reflector area on open-face automatic dishes (like the Winegard, RFMogul, or MoSat units) is much larger than any dome. So you're going to get a stronger signal, and are much less likely to loose the signal in heavy rain.

As I said before, the ONLY reason to get a dome is that you MUST have in-motion programming. IMHO

GaryKD · 12-22-2012, 03:48 PM

For those seeing no value in a dome unit, there is value. First I do not have HD TV and will not have it until I am dragged kicking and screaming into making the conversion. However, I digress. For me, the current value of a dome is when I pull into a CG, the dome and receiver go on. While registering, the dome finds the Sat. Now I pull into the camp site and know if where I am I have Sat TV. If no, I can move a bit forward or backward until I have the signal. This is great in CGs where the owners have gone crazy with trees.

FlyingDiver · 12-22-2012, 04:03 PM

Steve has an '08 Essex. He already has HD TV sets.

Chickadee · 12-23-2012, 08:46 AM

Joe and ALL:

Boy!!!......thank you thank you for your great input. Never have been happy with the TracKing system (lots of lost signals w. rain and dew!).

Say, Joe (FlyingDiver)....when you say "automatic dish" what are you referring to (ie., difference btwn. dome and automatic)? Is this the small dish that I see raised up atop rigs not having a dome??...and why the term "automatic?" Also, would YOU stick with MoSat??

Dave & Debbie (hogdriver).....what's the difference btwn. a Winegard and a Winegard Trav'lr?? Is the Trav'lr that open dish type and is that similar to the "automatic dish" that Joe (above) is referencing?

Ronnie (Bledsoe).......will try to get info about that "RF Mogul" unit.

ALL....again, thank you SO MUCH for your feedback. For an "electronically challenged" like me.....YOU GUYS/GALS ARE THE BEST !!!!

Steve & Lynette

FlyingDiver · 12-23-2012, 08:52 AM

Automatic means it automatically aims itself. You park the coach, push the search button, and wait a few minutes. Done. Most of the dishes you see on the top of RVs are automatic. A few of the real old small round ones (not oval) might be manual crank-up models. Not what you want.

I would not get a MoSat today. I would probably get a Winegard Trav'ler. I might consider the RFMogul.

The Trav'ler is the name of the specific dish from Winegard. Winegard also makes domes.

PDR John · 12-23-2012, 05:11 PM

Winegard Trav'ler automatically finds all sats with a push of a button. Available with sat system, never as to change between sats when changing channels. Can watch different channels on different TVs at the same time. Can DVR on one channel while watching another. No in motion. $1200-$1700

Domes. All domes operate the same, have to change sats as channels change. Only DVR one channel, the same one you're watching. As long as you know which channels are on which sat you might be able to have 2 different show on different TVs. Can do in motion, if you buy an in motion model. Also can be had in carry out style. $800-$2500

Hope this helps. I think you can find a better set up for less then $2500.

I bought our first Trav'ler on sale for $1250 and paid $300 for an RV dealer to install it. When we bought the new DS, we had Newmar put a Trav'ler on. Won't be without it.