Community Forums

cwj212 · 10-19-2014, 07:03 PM

We will be spending a couple months in Florida this winter. We will be stationary for 2 months and moving for another month before and after. I want to get the Dish pay-as-you-go plan. I like the tailgater for its ease of use but was thinking it may not be stable enough for long setup times. On the other hand a portable dish setup may be a better choice in this situation? I would take more setup time but should be more stable. The portable dish is a cheaper as well. I am planning on connecting the dish to the cable input on the coach and using the box to feed the switch box inside to feed the TV's. I know this will show only one channel at a time but that is fine. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

Craig and Joan
2010 Itasca Suncrusier

Scarab0088 · 10-19-2014, 09:55 PM

The Tailgater is very stable. It is also very light, so should be protected from high winds as needed. We have used ours on the ground up to 150' away, on the RV's roof and even on top of the toad to get a clear shot of the southern sky.

Don't be confused by the low prices of single LNB stationary antennas because, unlike the Tailgater, switching between the 3 primary Dish SATs (110, 119, and 129) requires manually moving the antenna. To use a fixed antenna on a tripod and be able to switch between SAT's, you must acquire a multi LNB antenna.

The Tailgater is western arc only and has a smaller collector than fixed antenna's.

It's all in what you want.

Best luck

vsheetz · 10-19-2014, 11:56 PM

I have a Tailgater. Also have a home dish made portable, that gets all three satellites simultaneously (3 LNB). Use the Tailgater for advantages of quick and easy setup. When staying put for longer period of time the home / portable dish is used. I bought the dish via Craigslist for $35 with mounting mast/bracket. Made it portable by making a stand from a few pieces of lumber I had laying around. Nice thing about the home / portable dish is low concern of it being stolen, whereas the Tailgater theft is of some concern (I cable lock it for some security).

cwj212 · 10-20-2014, 07:00 AM

I was concerned about theft of a Tailgater. The park we stay at is safe but you never know. The portable dish I was looking at is a package.

http://www.dishformyrv.com/weekender-rv-pack/

Craig and Joan
2010 Itasca Suncrusier

bruceisla · 10-20-2014, 07:20 AM

I use a Winegard Pathway X2 on a tripod with bungees and stakes or weights. I use the same dish when at sticks/bricks on a solid roof mount. No issues.
Winegard Pathway X2 for DISH Portable Satellite

spritz · 10-20-2014, 07:24 AM

I am also looking at a portable.
Question has anyone put it on top of the MH instead of putting it on the ground? I would hate to have it stolen. Do most put it in the MH @ night or if your going to leave the CG for awhile?
Thanks, Tim

Scarab0088 · 10-20-2014, 09:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cwj212

I was concerned about theft of a Tailgater. The park we stay at is safe but you never know. The portable dish I was looking at is a package.

DISHForMyRv - The Weekender RV Pack: DISH ViP211k HD receiver, Winegard TR6100, 50' Coax Cable, 6' HDMI Cable

Craig and Joan
2010 Itasca Suncrusier

It is funny/odd to call that antenna a portable - IMHO. That is just a fixed antenna on a tri-pod. That means MANUAL AIMING for elevation and azimuth - every time it is moved.

There are many posts on iRV2 from the past about marital problems that came after the dreaded "aim the dish" drills, because the aiming aids on the 211 are on-screen - but you are outside with the antenna.
BTW, professional installers use a specialized device to aim and do not typically use the on-screen aid...it is not easy to do.

The Tailgater/Pathway/etc. are auto aiming. After a few times fighting to aim a manual the antenna, you will find auto-aim is worth SO MUCH $$$!

Best luck

bruceisla · 10-21-2014, 04:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spritz

I am also looking at a portable.
Question has anyone put it on top of the MH instead of putting it on the ground? I would hate to have it stolen. Do most put it in the MH @ night or if your going to leave the CG for awhile?
Thanks, Tim

Rooftop ... yes ... but not because of theft. Sometimes I need the height.

My tripod (quadpod) is PVC with various legs ... the short stubby ones are for the roof and the eyebolts in the square section are for bungees. Bolts/washers go thru the 4 holes in the square and screw into the alternate foot holes in the base of the Pathway X2. When on the ground I usually chain the dish to the motorhome frame. I try to place the dish close to the motorhome when possible ... mostly to keep it from getting damaged by bad drivers.

wa8yxm · 10-21-2014, 06:48 AM

3 Choices (Well 5 but for this chat 3 are the same)

Tailgater or Pathway X-1 or X-2 work with ONE receiver, all 3 work well in Florida but the X-2 is better in other places, plus the X-2 can do both east and western arcs and the others are western only.

Next: The dish: Single means one receiver, one satellite, DUAL means two (or more) receivers, one satellite (DirecTV or the eastern non-"Network" (local) bird) Twin = 2 LNB's (also 2 outputs so you can run 2 or more receivers but no Dish HD) Triple is the proper dish for DISHnetwork and it runs 2 or more receivers, one or more dual channel DVRs or a combination of those (By addition of the proper Digital Equipment Satellite Switc) and it works period,

The bigger the Dish, the higher the "Gain" of the antenna (not an issue in Florida usually) The more resistant to rain fade and such.

However as to which is more stable.... I very strong wind or an accident can knock the DISH typ antennas off axis forcing you to re-aim.

The Automatics do that automatically. So they win here.

But if you want to run multiple receivers, they have a problem on Dish.

Air Baron · 10-21-2014, 06:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cwj212

I am planning on connecting the dish to the cable input on the coach

I have the VuQube Flex...which is the next generation of Tailgater that can be used with Dish, DirecTV and Bell. We are fulltimers and love it. However, I was not able to use the cable input to the coach...due to possible splitters or switches in the coax system. We have to connect the 50' cable directly to the antenna controller in order to acquire satellites. When I tried to use 100' of cable, due to trees, it would not work. I have never had the unit move due to wind. You can buy a ladder mount for securing to the RV near the roof line.

BTW, the previous comment about doing every possible thing to save your marriage is quite true. I have witnessed some ugly scenes from neighbors trying to set up their manual dish antennas.

cwj212 · 10-21-2014, 07:46 AM

Another question. If my 2010 coach uses coax for the distribution system. Would I need the vip 211k receiver? It has coax out. The newer K model does not.

Thanks,
Craig and Joan

bdickson · 10-21-2014, 07:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cwj212

Another question. If my 2010 coach uses coax for the distribution system. Would I need the vip 211k receiver? It has coax out. The newer K model does not.

Thanks,
Craig and Joan

You can buy an add on coax converter for the new 211Z but if you have a choice I would go for the older 211K.

Air Baron · 10-21-2014, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cwj212

Another question. If my 2010 coach uses coax for the distribution system. Would I need the vip 211k receiver? It has coax out. The newer K model does not.

Good question and you probably have the answer. I have always had DirecTV...but plan to switch in the near future to Dish. The pay as you go feature is quite attractive.

Cooperhawk · 10-21-2014, 08:02 AM

We have the Wineguard automatic dish on our roof but sometimes there are trees or buildings in the way and then we used the "Tailgater". I usually use a cable to lock it to a tree, wheel, bumper, ect. I have set it on the roof when I needed to avoid a branch. It has worked very well for us.