Community Forums

Moxxi · 05-14-2018, 11:10 PM

What is the average cost to have a satellite dish mounted on top of your RV, including routing the wiring?

I’m not a big fan of using one of those portable satellite dishes.

Gidyupgo · 05-15-2018, 04:18 AM

Hi Moxxi. You didn't ask, but in case you haven't considered it, I have seen a lot of RVs that have a roof mounted dish and then a portable one anyway, because when it's hot (Texas for example) they seek out shaded sites. Dish gotta' "see" the satellites. Please excuse the off topic.

bruceisla · 05-15-2018, 04:56 AM

Gonna' need a lot more info.

1) make, model, year of RV?
2) is the RV pre-wired or do you need all the wiring installed?
3) make, model of dish you are considering?
4) is there already a dish on the roof or are you starting from scratch?

Your answers will probably create a labor variation of $500

MisterT · 05-15-2018, 06:08 AM

actually, MOST roof-mounted antennas ARE portables... the few that are not are the 'big' ones that articulate up and around and look just like your home's 3-LNB(eyeballs) antenna with the open antenna face. They are very expensive... $1,200 to $1,500 and require a bit more 'foundation' to mount them. They probably also require a bit more cost to install.

A portable is simply a 'single' eyeball antenna, but does EXACTLY the same thing - automatic acquisition of the satellites. While it only drives a single 'main' tv receiver, it 'can' also drive a second tv receiver, with some limitations.

Also, there's nothing to say that you can't use both a roof-mounted portable, that sits on your rooftop always, AND a secondary portable that you have access to move out on the ground 'just in case' you park under trees and can't see the satellites from the rooftop.

While I only carry a single Portable KingTailgater2 antenna, I have it easily 'roof mounted' at the rear of the roof, near the ladder, for easy access without climbing on the roof itself. I can take it down and move it somewhere for best access to the satellite views when necessary. I have some additional coax cable wrapped around the rear air conditioner cover, and the coax cable runs from the antenna down the rear of the coach ladder and into the rear radiator area where it is coiled up on a hook clip and carried while traveling. I just hook it up to my satellite coax connection in the wet bay when parked.

Matter-of-fact, just this past Mother's day weekend, at a rural and tree shaded state park, I moved it out about 150' to an area outside of the tree line where I could catch all three satellites. The additional coax cable I carry with me handled it just fine. I would not have had any satellite tv without being able to 'move' it, and the rural area also had no over-the-air stations either. : )

Two 'portables' will be a LOT less expensive and more 'mobile' than a single 'normal' antenna!

Moxxi · 05-15-2018, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bruceisla

Gonna' need a lot more info.

1) make, model, year of RV?
2) is the RV pre-wired or do you need all the wiring installed?
3) make, model of dish you are considering?
4) is there already a dish on the roof or are you starting from scratch?

Your answers will probably create a labor variation of $500

1) 2008 Itasca Suncruiser 38T
2) I don’t think that it is pre-wired. Although there is a controller box already installed that allows you to select from OTA to SAT to VCR, etc.
3) Not sure of which dish I want. I used to use Dish Network for about 16 years.
4) No dish yet.

bruceisla · 05-15-2018, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moxxi

1) 2008 Itasca Suncruiser 38T
2) I don’t think that it is pre-wired. Although there is a controller box already installed that allows you to select from OTA to SAT to VCR, etc.
3) Not sure of which dish I want. I used to use Dish Network for about 16 years.
4) No dish yet.

If it isn't pre-wired, figure about 4 - 6 hours of labor at about $125/hr PLUS all hardware costs. If you choose certain rooftop sat dishes (in motion), the labor will be much higher.

Whatever you choose, it will be obsolete in 5 -8 years.

Bob_C · 05-15-2018, 04:44 PM

My King Flex auto type portable will, and does, support 2 receivers, so we can watch different channels at the same time....just need two receivers....

Sbrownstein · 05-15-2018, 04:46 PM

I installed a crank up Winegard a couple of years ago with Magic elevation sensor. Use DirecTV SD and never have had a problem connecting, takes me longer to find out the azimuth and elevation for the zip code that I am in then to crank up to elevation and rotate to azimuth. Works great, cost me less than $300.

However, DirecTV has said they are going to discontinue SD broadcast in 2019 and it is unclear what they will do with the 101 satellite that it receives. One solution would have them putting national HD on that bird, as it still has a lot of service life left. Frankly, nobody knows.

You can no longer get SD only receivers from DirecTV. Don't know where this is going yet, but we should know in a few months. I love the unit and it makes a big difference. I would never use a portable. Stop, level up, extend the slides and crank up the dish...priceless.

sandpsycho · 05-18-2018, 03:39 PM

if your anywhere remotely near Quartzsite give my friend a call Satellite Advantage (928)927-4422. If not he could a least answer some questions and point you in the right direction.

I had a walk out that I mounted on my roof. I'm waiting to see where the dropping of standard def leaves everyone before I spend $1500 on a HD dish.

Beau388 · 05-18-2018, 04:07 PM

SD DirecTV signals come down from the D-4 satellite. It is in a galaxy with three other sat in the 101 degree position. It is a hybrid sat and is capable of transmitting on several frequency bands. Presently it is transmitting SD signals on the Ku band (K band under). DirecTV owns the Ku band frequencies in the 101 position. DirecTV also owns all the Ka (K band above) in the United States. Sats transmitting in the Ku band must be at least 4 degrees apart to avoid interference whereas sats transmitting in the Ka band only need to 2 degrees apart. Ka band allows more channels to be multiplexed in the same frequency and polarization than the Ku band than on the Ku band. In other words, continuing to transmit SD signals limits DirectV from expanding their HD signals (business decision). Note: the UTV signals come down on the reverse band so they do not effect the SD or HD signals. About 30% of DirecTV Ka frequencies are leased to businesses for their private use.

Craig36 · 05-18-2018, 04:28 PM

I have had two Winegard Traveler 1000 dishes installed on two different coaches. Installation is NOT difficult for a professional RV repair center who does these every day. Less than two hours labor.

I had one done by Camping World for about $1400, out the door. That even included removing an old King dome. My other coach was $1200, and they had to remove the old crank up dish.

BTW, because a full size dish is larger, it has much more gain.

in strong signal areas with a straight shot to the three satellites, any portable will work just fine, but when you have trees or a poor angle, that big Traveler dish on your roof will bring in signals that the guy next door with his portable unit can't get.