Questions about the Entegra Anthem Trav'ler system

[Gary.Jones]

This is a double post as it is added to the end of a recent thread about the Trav'ler SWM. I am concerned that people might not see my post and questions so I am posting it also as a separate thread.

I am a new owner of a 2015 Anthem 44B which I will get in mid- to late January, 2015. I am trying to understand the TV set up and not having much success. I have talked with Integra's technical people, my dealer salesman, and the local AV company that actually will be hired to do most of the install.

On my current Dynasty motorhome, I replaced the KVH in-motion dome with a Winegard Trav'ler SK-1000 designed for Dish. I have been absolutely satisfied with the SK-10100 Trav'ler mounted on the roof!! Its reception is fantastic. My new Anthem will come with the upgraded SWM-3 Trav'ler antenna rather than the standard in-Motion Winegard dome. However, the antenna and the system is all designed to be Direct-TV. To get 200 channels and the sports add-on package will cost me a bundle in addition to what I am already paying for Dish. So I am trying to understand what I gain for that cost if I stay with Direct on the new Anthem. We can't live without a DVR and high definition, so I assume that I will have at least one Genie HR-44 DVR box in my system. (I have been using the Dish 622 DVR receiver with my SK-1000 over roughly 8,000 miles with no problems so far)

I have some specific questions.

1.) Am I correct in assuming that Entegra has the coach wired so that there is HDMI cabling to all four TVs that run from the location of the HR-44 somewhere in the main salon area? Or are some or all at the end of coax runs (which would not give me HD TV on those TVs).

2.) Can I see different channels on each of the TVs if I so chose?

3.) If all TVs are connected to HDMI cables, then there is no need for wireless mini Genies connected to some of the other TVs to get HD picture on each of them.

4.) (anyone out there using the wireless mini Genies?... please tell me how they work for you and how happy you are with them).

5.) Where does the HR-44 go? We looked at all the cabinets we think on the model and saw no place for one... Is it positioned where the woofer is below the dining room table? The only place in the 44B floor plan that looked like an AV cabinet is behind the bedroom television. Is that the location?

6.) Anyone gone through the effort and expense to convert their SMW3 over to DISH...? What did you lose when you did that and what did you gain?

7.) Anyone take possession of their 2015 anthem recently.... can you tell me how many of the Samsung TVs are Smart TVs (WIFI enabled).

I am just trying to understand what I will get, need to get, or pay someone else to get....

Gary

[brobox]

Gary, You can now get the Travler for Dish installed at the factory. That was changed on the 2015 models. I have a Dish traveler that was factory installed on my Anthem.

[hogdriver]

Answers;

1) Yes. They install long HDMI cables to a splitter under the center of the coach. I can send a full HD signal to all TVs. The picture is good.

2)yes, if you have multiple DirectTV tuners.

3) no need for wireless broadcasting.

4) I'm not using Genies

5) about HR-44? I use a Dish PVR in the living room and send the signal via HDMI to all TVs.

6) I converted my 14 Anthem's Travlr DirectTV to Dish. Cost was about $350 in parts. PM if you want details.

7)All my 14 TVs were Samsung smart TVs, I think. I have one at home in use but don't see the application in a RV

[Gary.Jones]

Dave:

Thanks for your specific information. That is very helpful. Glad to hear all the cables are HDMI. Several guys that have posted on the forum talked about coax runs and the Entegra guy I talked to also talked about there being a coax junction somewhere in the basement. He also said that they actually have three coax runs up to the roof so that if I did elect to switch to the SK-1000, then three coax runs are there (the SK-1000) has a total of 3 coax outputs to feed separate TVs or separate Dish receivers.

I will PM you on why you switched the system to DISH.... my problem is simply that adding a DVR to my house Dish account is much less expensive than starting a new service with Direct. I am particularly interested in what I lose over a "full blown Direct" system if I stayed with the SWM-3.

The Direct people says that if I get a Genie, then it has 4 or 5 separate receivers in it and can record 4 or 5 different HD programs simultaneously. That does not really say that you can then watch different "live" stations on each TV, but I think that you can watch different recorded programs on different TVs simultaneously. Not sure about live TV on different channels on different TVs.

On the Smart TVs, I called Entegra several months ago and they told me all of them were Smart. Then I just talked to the guy that is supposed to be the guy that knows and he said "maybe the 50" is, but I don't think any of the other TVs are." You said you didn't see a an application. The application I would occasionally use would be to NETFLIX or AMAZON or GOOGLE-TV programs with the TVs connected to my on-board router which is either connected to the RV Park WIFI (that is pretty much a joke since few of them work worth a darn), or the TV is connected to my cell phone run in "hot spot" mode. I have done the latter, but the download bandwidth to download a 30 or 60 minute TV program is pretty costly. However, having them all talk to my on-board router will be a big plus.

And BroBox, that makes perfect sense to me, buy I get confusing information out of the factory reps. The brochure says only the SWM-3 Direct TV Trav'ler is available, and the tech I talked to at Entegra spent the first half of a 15 minute call telling me that the only system I would get for the "upgrade" I ordered is the Direct TV version, then spent the last half of the call telling me that I would need a conversion kit for $275 that would convert the SWM-3 to Dish (different LMB arm and different parabolic reflector), and that the coax was in the roof to support either. Why they would not simply mount an SK-1000 on the roof instead of the SWM-3 is not clear to me.

Then I really dug into the Genie offered by Direct and if I understand its capabilities, it looks like a very capable system that might be worth the additional money beyond what I pay at home to Dish to keep the SWM-3 antenna and system. Thus, all the questions. Thanks all of your for your information.

Gary

[MRUSA14]

Gary, I have Direct TV at home and on the coach, one account for both and it comes out much cheaper that way, so you would be best off keeping Dish for the coach or changing the house to Direct.

Regarding Direct, yes you can watch two shows at the same time and this can be done with the Genie or alternatively, two receivers or DVRs. I did not need to change any wiring or use any wireless to do this, everything needed is in the coach using DirecTVs "whole home" setup.

One advantage of Direct over Dish is the availabilty of Distant Network Service which allows you to get the major networks (ABC NBC CBS FOX PBS) over satellite nationwide, rather than be limited to a spit-beamed small area as both DTV and Dish normally do with the major networks.

[hogdriver]

I get Dish to switch my local channels when I travel. I didn't know as Marc said DirectTV offers DNS. I think that'd be much more convenient. At work I stay at a place with DirectTV and the NFL package and like that. I have had both providers and they have their pluses and minuses. I use Dish because I'm a part timer and don't choose satellite at my house due to trees and heavy summer rainstorms. I can start and stop Dish service as needed. One nice thing about the DirectTV SWM3 antenna is you can connect multiple receivers without running new coax to the roof. If I was fulltiming I'd probably choose DirectTV.

[brobox]

Gary,
Trust me the factory will install a Dish Traveler Long story short, I was told I would only get a Direct when I ordered my coach with Dish. I changed the S&B over to Direct and bought an extra receiver for the MH while waiting fo rdelivery.. MH arrived, hooked it up the new receiver, it didn't work....I had a Dish Traveler on the roof. I decided to keep it, I still have my 211 so I will do "Pay as You Go" in the Anthem. I thought I saw it on line at Entgra's web site the that Dish, Direct TV and Shaw are now available with the Traveler up date, but I can't find it now. The photo shows what I received.

None of my Samsungs are smart TV's and the days of park wi-fi allowing any type of streaming are just about over. Most have blocked it and the other parks have too many users now there there is not enough bad width to stream. I am lucky to be able to watch a short YouTube video on park wifi. Red Box will continue to work for us.

You can do one receiver that can be seen on all 4 TV with a single plug in, or you can add a second receiver to the bedroom and switch one HDMI to that receiver, to watch different channels. The Entegra is wired nice for that.

[hogdriver]

Not to dismiss Chuck's Dish setup, but here's a thought. I researched the Entegra Travlr system a lot prior to ordering. I emailed Ted Cook several times. I couldn't get absolute answers about HOW the cabling would be run. I offered to pay an up charge for some extra RG-6 cables and Entegra, who does not customize, refused. My primary concern was being able to run cables where they need to go inside the walls, which is best done at the factory. After talking to a Winegard engineer I found out the DirectTV version of the Travlr could be retrofitted to Dish but not visa versa. I went ahead and ordered the Anthem with the DirectTV version and bought the $350 kit to retro to Dish. The parts were easy to install. The hard part was figuring out the cabling in the basement. I guess the good part about doing it this way is I don't have to argue with Entegra about possible leaks with a factory install. All of the wiring and panels were verified operational before I got it. I also have the old parts if a few years from now I see a better offer and decide to change back to DirectTV. The only thing you might consider is paying a good RV installer to add the Travlr to your RV as a second antenna so you could use the in motion OR the better, stationary dish. Sometimes you go to an RV park where lots of trees make the in motion easier to site your RV before you extend the slides and drop the jacks. IMHO

[brobox]

On an up note on the Direct Genie I installed in the S&B....I do like it over my old Dish equipment. However the monthly charges are much higher.

[Gary.Jones]

Thanks to all those who responded to my request for information. The answers have both confirmed my experience and impressions, and then added information I did not have. Thank you again!!

Several questions remain....... Will my coach then come to me with both the in-motion and the SWM-3 on the roof? (The default is the in-motion, and there is roughly an up-charge of $1,500 for the Trav'ler. The Winegard in-motion lists for about $800 and the Trav'Ler lists for about $1,600 (the Direct version is more than the Dish version) so in a way, since I pay for the in-motion and then again for the Trav'ler, maybe it comes with both. That is what is a bit frustrating with Entegra is that it is hard to get the fundamental info that a new owner probably needs. I would guess a couple of you can answer that.

I wonder why all the technical manuals aren't up on a web page where a new owner can go to download all that information before taking possession of their coach? Sure would be a nice service.

Also, when I talked to the dealer/salesman, he says that the coach will come in with no receiver installed and that they sub out the install to a local AV company who does the install and set up locally. Is that your experience? I also don't think anyone is planning on having a conversation on how I want it set up until it arrives at the dealer...... Is that standard?

The more I read the specs for Direct, the more impressed I am with their offering. I particularly like the wireless capability to remote sites (this is more attractive for my house than the Anthem if the HDMI cabling is there). There are rooms in my stick house not wired with coax and coax gives you standard definition, not HD. Maybe I need to be considering moving my house over to Direct. I'm going to price out Direct two ways.

Both Direct and Dish say that I can put the service on "vacation" mode when the Anthem is not being used. So, I will look into shutting down the house when we are on the road and activate the Anthem and switch them back and forth. If they will play that game, it won't cost much more.

The Distant Network Service would be a real plus. My biggest frustration with Dish is that you have to call into them every time you move more than ~200 miles to change your local channels, a process that often takes 3 or 4 telephone calls to people who know less about this than I do, to get it accomplished. And it almost always results in me getting hugely angry at the incompetence or ignorance to the first level tech service person you always get first. The process doesn't help my cardiac health. Having all the "on air" networks available all the time would be worth thinking about.

Thanks again.

Gary

[Nowabeachbum]

Your coach will only come with the trav'ler. It comes all pre-wired but no receiver.
You can't put your directv account on vacation mode if you are still using it in your coach. It's an all or nothing kind of thing.
Directv is just like dish as far as getting 200 miles from home and losing all the local channels. As far as I know directv will not even let you relocate your service when traveling.
And just as an fyi, depending on who you talk to at directv, they will sometimes want to charge you a premium if they know there is an RV involved. Most of us don't even mention it and just move a receiver over to the motorhome when traveling. In your case it will be the 44 since the genies can't stand alone.

[loisjop]

Originally Posted by Gary.Jones

Thanks to all those who responded to my request for information. The answers have both confirmed my experience and impressions, and then added information I did not have. Thank you again!!

Several questions remain....... Will my coach then come to me with both the in-motion and the SWM-3 on the roof? (The default is the in-motion, and there is roughly an up-charge of $1,500 for the Trav'ler. The Winegard in-motion lists for about $800 and the Trav'Ler lists for about $1,600 (the Direct version is more than the Dish version) so in a way, since I pay for the in-motion and then again for the Trav'ler, maybe it comes with both. That is what is a bit frustrating with Entegra is that it is hard to get the fundamental info that a new owner probably needs. I would guess a couple of you can answer that.

I wonder why all the technical manuals aren't up on a web page where a new owner can go to download all that information before taking possession of their coach? Sure would be a nice service.

Also, when I talked to the dealer/salesman, he says that the coach will come in with no receiver installed and that they sub out the install to a local AV company who does the install and set up locally. Is that your experience? I also don't think anyone is planning on having a conversation on how I want it set up until it arrives at the dealer...... Is that standard?

The more I read the specs for Direct, the more impressed I am with their offering. I particularly like the wireless capability to remote sites (this is more attractive for my house than the Anthem if the HDMI cabling is there). There are rooms in my stick house not wired with coax and coax gives you standard definition, not HD. Maybe I need to be considering moving my house over to Direct. I'm going to price out Direct two ways.

Both Direct and Dish say that I can put the service on "vacation" mode when the Anthem is not being used. So, I will look into shutting down the house when we are on the road and activate the Anthem and switch them back and forth. If they will play that game, it won't cost much more.

The Distant Network Service would be a real plus. My biggest frustration with Dish is that you have to call into them every time you move more than ~200 miles to change your local channels, a process that often takes 3 or 4 telephone calls to people who know less about this than I do, to get it accomplished. And it almost always results in me getting hugely angry at the incompetence or ignorance to the first level tech service person you always get first. The process doesn't help my cardiac health. Having all the "on air" networks available all the time would be worth thinking about.

Thanks again.

Gary

Gary, I change my local channels to my current location with Directv and they never give me any problem. I am full time though so that might make a difference. I never tell them I want local channels though, I always tell them I want to change my physical address which gets the local channels.
Noel

[MRUSA14]

I have been with DirectTV since 1992 or 1993 and have been through it all with them. DirecTV has restrictions on their "vacation mode". No more than two suspensions per year and no more than 6 months per year total. That did not work well for my usage patterns, and required a whole bunch of telephone calls, discussions and negotiations. I got tired of hassling with them over it, and have found it is much simpler to use one account for both the house and the RV. Then I don't have to fight with them over the vacation mode changes. It costs me only $6/mo per receiver to have an extra receiver on the account, so I keep 2 DVR's in the house and 2 on the coach active all the time. Well worth an extra $100 or so per year to me to never have to activate, suspend and restore because they don't make it easy with their restrictions. This way, I have all my service available to me all the time in both places, on one account.

There is one issue with the above however if you want Distant Network Service (DNS). DNS is not allowed by law to be used in homes unless they do not have acesss to over the air service. This means that almost all homes are ineligible for it. DirecTV will not authorize DNS in your home, and you will need a dedicated RV account to get DNS. I found a work-around but it will not apply to everyone's situation. If you want to know about it please send me a PM.

As for the technical manuals not being online, Entegra doesn't have any. At least not that they will share with their customers. Documentation is not an Entegra strong point, and is an area where they sorely need improvement.



[)QUOTE=Gary.Jones;2323098]Thanks to all those who responded to my request for information. The answers have both confirmed my experience and impressions, and then added information I did not have. Thank you again!!

Several questions remain....... Will my coach then come to me with both the in-motion and the SWM-3 on the roof? (The default is the in-motion, and there is roughly an up-charge of $1,500 for the Trav'ler. The Winegard in-motion lists for about $800 and the Trav'Ler lists for about $1,600 (the Direct version is more than the Dish version) so in a way, since I pay for the in-motion and then again for the Trav'ler, maybe it comes with both. That is what is a bit frustrating with Entegra is that it is hard to get the fundamental info that a new owner probably needs. I would guess a couple of you can answer that.

I wonder why all the technical manuals aren't up on a web page where a new owner can go to download all that information before taking possession of their coach? Sure would be a nice service.



Gary[/QUOTE]

[brobox]

I did the cost difference of the sat systems with the dealer when we negotiated price...Entegra does not get involved with that, their price is bottom line to the dealer.

As for subbing out the Traveler installation to an AV company....I doubt that. When I took the last factory tour they had two stacks of Travelers stacked shoulder high on the upper floor where the installation is done.