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OK I was all set to get a Winegard Pathway 2 dish http://www.winegard.com/pathway/pathway-x2/ . It has 2 port for 2 TV's plus I was going to get a DVR, Hopper. I called Dish and X. These are the list of why nots and issues.

 

1. This dish will only allow 25 feet of cable from the dish to the DRV/box.

I could have that in the 5ver it's self before even hooking the dish up.

 

2. Have to use the 211z box and I would need to buy an external hard dive. Can not remember if she said the was a monthly for that service also.

 

3.This box is only a 1 channel box. So I can not watch a show and record a show.

 

4. She said that I would need to buy a Tailgater ($1500, part alone) and mount to the roof. But them if I'm under a tree, no TV. This is why I wanted to go portable automatic dish.

 

 

I have spent weeks looking into this and reading as much as I can on here and the web. And she shoot all of my planning out the window to step one again. She said that if I went with a King Tailgater two channel dish, http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/KING-Tailgater-Automatic-Satellite-for-DISH/84187/&?&affiliateid=5193&gclid=CJP4t_LfrsUCFQkRHwodl0AA5A. That I could have up to 50 feet of cable. And none of these are HD dishes. I could see $400 - $800 worth of equipment being bought and not being happy with the picture and service.

 

Shocked that it is that hard to figure out. I mean it is not like it is a new thing.

 

Thanks for letting me rant.

2015 Ram 3500 RC DRW CTD AISIN 410 rear

2016 Mobile Suites 38RSB3

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It looks like you went into the DISH conversation with some incorrect info and then DISH gave you some more bad info.

First, you can only use a Hopper with a rooftop Winegard Travler (about $1200) or a portable open-faced dish like a DISH 1000.2 or 1000.4. I think the DISH rep meant "Travler" instead of "Tailgater" because a Tailgater costs far less than $1500.

 

ALL the other automatic dishes (Pathway X1 or X2, Tailgater, King Tailgater, Winegard Carryout, all rooftop domes) use DISH's 211 (211, 211k, 211z, 411) receiver which only has a single tuner. Though you can add an external hard drive to a 211 to make it into a DVR, you can't record 2 shows at the same time unless one of the shows is an Over-The-Air (OTA) program. People try to use other DISH receivers and DISH DVRs, but they're just kludges.

 

Also, ALL DISH automatics and portables are HD capable.

 

If you want to use a full-function DISH DVR, you'll need a Winegard Travler and a portable open-faced dish for those times you're under trees.

SKP #79313 / Full-Timing / 2001 National RV Sea View / 2008 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
www.rvSeniorMoments.com
DISH TV for RVs

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The title of this thread is "Direct TV satilite dish" then the OP describes Dish equipment. The title should be corrected.

 

Zulu is correct on everything else.

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Joey - 2016 Bounder 33C Tige - 2006 40' Travel Supreme
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It looks like you went into the DISH conversation with some incorrect info and then DISH gave you some more bad info.

 

First, you can only use a Hopper with a rooftop Winegard Travler (about $1200) or a portable open-faced dish like a DISH 1000.2 or 1000.4. I think the DISH rep meant "Travler" instead of "Tailgater" because a Tailgater costs far less than $1500.

 

ALL the other automatic dishes (Pathway X1 or X2, Tailgater, King Tailgater, Winegard Carryout, all rooftop domes) use DISH's 211 (211, 211k, 211z, 411) receiver which only has a single tuner. Though you can add an external hard drive to a 211 to make it into a DVR, you can't record 2 shows at the same time unless one of the shows is an Over-The-Air (OTA) program. People try to use other DISH receivers and DISH DVRs, but they're just kludges.

 

Also, ALL DISH automatics and portables are HD capable.

 

If you want to use a full-function DISH DVR, you'll need a Winegard Travler and a portable open-faced dish for those times you're under trees.

Thanks for the information. Just a couple of questions. So I would need two dishes if I wanted the hopper? Or could I just get a 1000.4 dish, http://www.amazon.com/Dish-Network-1000-4-Eastern-61-5/dp/B001IQF6AO? And will this dish work while I'm in Washington state or even Alaska? I could always catch local new OTA. The whole reason with just going to a portable was because of the trees. As a nice shade spot would mean a bad to no signal on a roof top dish. What complete set ups would you recommend? Dish, stand, receiver, ect.... Are they hard to set up, aim the dish to the right spot?

Thanks for your input.

 

Or is this a dish,Direct TV Slimline Dish with SWM3 that I would be looking at? http://annapolis.craigslist.org/ele/4992521194.html

2015 Ram 3500 RC DRW CTD AISIN 410 rear

2016 Mobile Suites 38RSB3

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So I would need two dishes if I wanted the hopper? Or could I just get a 1000.4 dish, http://www.amazon.com/Dish-Network-1000-4-Eastern-61-5/dp/B001IQF6AO? And will this dish work while I'm in Washington state or even Alaska?

 

No, you don't *need* two dishes. What Zulu was saying was that, if you have a Trav'ler installed on the roof of your RV, you might also want a portable open-faced dish for those times you're under trees that block your roof-mounted Trav'ler.

 

The satellite dish to which you gave the link is the Eastern Arc dish which won't work in Washington State...you will want the Western Arc dish, or the 1000.2 for the Western U.S. As far as Alaska is concerned, while Alaskans do have satellite TV, they have to use larger dishes...typically, around 3' in diameter.

LindaH
2014 Winnebago Aspect 27K
2011 Kia Soul

 

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OK' what set up do you guys recommend? I have NOTHING and will be building my system. So I have no components that I need to work around. I do not think an OTA DVR will suit my needs. It would be the least expensive way of going but it will not nearly give me the programming Dish or Direct will give.

Thanks

2015 Ram 3500 RC DRW CTD AISIN 410 rear

2016 Mobile Suites 38RSB3

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No, you don't *need* two dishes. What Zulu was saying was that, if you have a Trav'ler installed on the roof of your RV, you might also want a portable open-faced dish for those times you're under trees that block your roof-mounted Trav'ler.

 

The satellite dish to which you gave the link is the Eastern Arc dish which won't work in Washington State...you will want the Western Arc dish, or the 1000.2 for the Western U.S. As far as Alaska is concerned, while Alaskans do have satellite TV, they have to use larger dishes...typically, around 3' in diameter.

OK so if I'm in Washington I would need a completely different dish or change out the head s of it? I would have no option as to use the western arc as I could not capture the Eastern signal. Correct? How about this dish? http://www.amazon.com/Kaku-Slim-Line-Satellite-Dish/dp/B0034DL3WY

2015 Ram 3500 RC DRW CTD AISIN 410 rear

2016 Mobile Suites 38RSB3

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OK so if I'm in Washington I would need a completely different dish or change out the head s of it? I would have no option as to use the western arc as I could not capture the Eastern signal. Correct? How about this dish? http://www.amazon.com/Kaku-Slim-Line-Satellite-Dish/dp/B0034DL3WY

 

I *think* that perhaps the LNBs can be switched out...from WA to EA...but not ever having had to fool with the EA, I don't know that for sure. Someone more knowledgeable about this matter will have to speak to this issue. (FYI, we're talking about the service from Dish...the service from DirecTV does not have this WA/EA idiosyncrasy.)

 

The WA vs EA has to do with where you are physically in the country, not whether or not you can get "Eastern" or "Western" signals. Obviously, when talking about Locals (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, PBS), you will not be able to receive a particular set of Locals when you leave its spot beam. With Dish it's pretty easy to call and change your SERVICE address (not billing address) when you move to a new spot beam in order to pick up the new Locals.

 

Again, the dish to which you gave the URL to is for DirecTV **NOT** Dish. You're going to have to decide which service you want to go with -- DirecTV or Dish -- and then get a satellite dish and receiver for that service. They are not interchangeable.

LindaH
2014 Winnebago Aspect 27K
2011 Kia Soul

 

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I *think* that perhaps the LNBs can be switched out...from WA to EA...but not ever having had to fool with the EA, I don't know that for sure. Someone more knowledgeable about this matter will have to speak to this issue. (FYI, we're talking about the service from Dish...the service from DirecTV does not have this WA/EA idiosyncrasy.)

 

The WA vs EA has to do with where you are physically in the country, not whether or not you can get "Eastern" or "Western" signals. Obviously, when talking about Locals (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, PBS), you will not be able to receive a particular set of Locals when you leave its spot beam. With Dish it's pretty easy to call and change your SERVICE address (not billing address) when you move to a new spot beam in order to pick up the new Locals.

 

Again, the dish to which you gave the URL to is for DirecTV **NOT** Dish. You're going to have to decide which service you want to go with -- DirecTV or Dish -- and then get a satellite dish and receiver for that service. They are not interchangeable.

I asked because the other member stated that I would not get a signal with my EA dish. At least that is what I understood. I mean what do people do when traveling the US? You are correct, I need to decide on providers. I'm thinking Dish but not 100% sold on it. That is why I asked for imput on what systems people would go with. As I have NO experience with satellite TV. And I rely on your opinions. I have been with Comcast with my stick and brick home for more then 20 years.

2015 Ram 3500 RC DRW CTD AISIN 410 rear

2016 Mobile Suites 38RSB3

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You are correct, I need to decide on providers. I'm thinking Dish but not 100% sold on it. That is why I asked for imput on what systems people would go with. As I have NO experience with satellite TV. And I rely on your opinions. I have been with Comcast with my stick and brick home for more then 20 years.

 

Though I have DISH, either service (DirecTV or DISH) will do.

 

If you're full timing, I'd recommend getting a rooftop Winegard Travler ($1200 - $1500) -- there's a version for DISH and a version for DirecTV -- because setting up a portable open-faced portable dish (whether DISH or DirecTV) is a PITA.

 

That said, I as well as others carry open-faced portable dishes for those times when we're parked under trees.

 

Regardless, when you use a Winegard Travler and/or an open-faced portable dish, you can essentially install in an RV whatever you could in a house install -- DVR, Hopper, Genie, . . .

SKP #79313 / Full-Timing / 2001 National RV Sea View / 2008 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
www.rvSeniorMoments.com
DISH TV for RVs

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So I would need two dishes if I wanted the hopper? Or could I just get a 1000.4 dish, http://www.amazon.com/Dish-Network-1000-4-Eastern-61-5/dp/B001IQF6AO? And will this dish work while I'm in Washington state or even Alaska? I could always catch local new OTA. What complete set ups would you recommend? Dish, stand, receiver, ect.... Are they hard to set up, aim the dish to the right spot?

 

A distinct disadvantage with DISH is they use 2 sets of satellites: one set is called the Western Arc (sats 110, 119, 129) and the Eastern Arc (sats 61.5, 72.7, 77).

 

As a rule of thumb, Western Arc (WA) sats are used west of the Mississippi, and Eastern Arc (EA) sats east of the Mississippi. This is a very general rule of thumb, ok?

 

That said, with my DISH service I use a Winegard Travler, but when trees block it, I use a 1000.4 open-faced portable dish with both WA and EA "arms" so I can swap them out easily:

 

dish_setup_01.jpg

 

 

For a tripod (for either DISH or DirecTV), I use one from www.tv4rv.com.

 

Also, many folks like myself use a sat meter to help align the dish.

 

A WA DISH should work in Washington state and Alaska, but as you go north you point the dish lower and lower. So if there's anything in the way (trees, buildings, etc), the dish may not work.

SKP #79313 / Full-Timing / 2001 National RV Sea View / 2008 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
www.rvSeniorMoments.com
DISH TV for RVs

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Update

Racheal at Dish (very helpful and friendly) said I would need to buy a Winegard 1000.2 dish and a 612 HD/SD box. This would give me two channels to record at a time. Which I have now with my Comcast DVR. As the Hopper is not even an option for people on the road. The problem I'm seeing is that the 612 receiver has CRAP reviews, and I mean CRAP.

 

Direct TV was USE LESS. They said to contact my local place, The person that is at your local Sams, Walmart and BJ's. But they could not tell me where to go. Maybe it is just me, but that seems F&^%&*$ up that a person answering there phone knows NOTHING and can not even transfer me to someone that knows something. I would think that there customer service would be CRAP. As they would not be able to do anything for you but to point you in the direction of a local Sams, Walmart and BJ's.

 

The other option is just to buy an OTA DVR and just own it outright with no monthly charges. http://www.amazon.com/Channel-Master-DVR-Bundle-subscription/dp/B00JGZQ17Q/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1431108828&sr=8-3&keywords=over+the+air+hd+dvr

 

I mean this is not rocket science and not like I'm the first one looking to get TV on the road.

2015 Ram 3500 RC DRW CTD AISIN 410 rear

2016 Mobile Suites 38RSB3

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As the Hopper is not even an option for people on the road.

 

This seems to be the standard line whenever you talk to someone at Dish. However, I can assure you that there are many people on these forums who are using a Hopper in an RV!

 

Do a search for "Hopper." I know there have been discussions about this matter, some within the past several months.

LindaH
2014 Winnebago Aspect 27K
2011 Kia Soul

 

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Some day we will stop that bad information from coming from the Dish CSRs. So many Hopper users on this Forum.

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Mark & Dale
Joey - 2016 Bounder 33C Tige - 2006 40' Travel Supreme
Sparky III - 2021 Mustang Mach-e, off the the Road since 2019
Useful HDT Truck, Trailer, and Full-timing Info at
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Racheal at Dish (very helpful and friendly) said I would need to buy a Winegard 1000.2 dish and a 612 HD/SD box. This would give me two channels to record at a time. Which I have now with my Comcast DVR. As the Hopper is not even an option for people on the road. The problem I'm seeing is that the 612 receiver has CRAP reviews, and I mean CRAP.

 

I know this stuff isn't supposed to be rocket science, but it can be.

 

If you buy a 1000.2, then you can connect a Hopper to it -- skip the 612, or 722 or whatever.

SKP #79313 / Full-Timing / 2001 National RV Sea View / 2008 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
www.rvSeniorMoments.com
DISH TV for RVs

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I know this stuff isn't supposed to be rocket science, but it can be.

 

If you buy a 1000.2, then you can connect a Hopper to it -- skip the 612, or 722 or whatever.

 

Will I be able to do the "Prime time recording" plus up to 4 other channels? It also look like I would have to use a data to use that feature. If that is the case, why even pay for satellite TV and just spend a CRAP load of cash and just steam from the web? I guess if I make the jump to it I will make detailed post as to what to buy, where I bought it from and how it works. This way there would not need to be MANY thread on this very subject with no clear answers.

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2016 Mobile Suites 38RSB3

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The answers are very clear.

 

You need to learn a lot about the Hopper. Yes the Hopper connects to the Internet. That is how it reports Pay-Per-Views. Also, the Hopper may download movies for Video-On-Demand.

 

Prime-Time-Any-Time (PTAT) is a feature of the Hopper that records all four broadcast channels (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC) during the Prime Time Hours by using just one tuner because the four channels are on a common transponder. The Hopper receives the four video streams to disk and lets you view them from the disk. The Internet is not used in anyway for PTAT.

 

Using one tuner for PTAT leaves two tuners for receiving other channels, giving the 6-channel-at-once capability.

 

Getting stream Video from the Internet is just not a rational option for an RVer. If using an aircard, the data charges will make a satellite bill look like child's play.

 

It you stream all your TV from the Internet using Park WiFi, somebody is going to knock on you door telling you why you are being cutoff. Park WiFi doesn't the bandwidth for people to stream their TV from the Internet.

 

Satellite TV is the most cost effective way to deliver video for an RVer.

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Joey - 2016 Bounder 33C Tige - 2006 40' Travel Supreme
Sparky III - 2021 Mustang Mach-e, off the the Road since 2019
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asked because the other member stated that I would not get a signal with my EA dish. At least that is what I understood. I mean what do people do when traveling the US?

For the record, we have traveled most of the United States and have dealt with only receiving from the WA. The issue with EA/WA gets into HD Locals (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC). Depending where you are in the East, the HD Locals may be on the EA satellites. The WA satellites have the same channels but the Locals may be in SD.

 

I use a Winegard Trav'ler automatic roof dish which does the WA (119, 110, 129). I have put my Trav'ler in manual mode and locked onto satellite 61.5 and got most of the programming I wanted.

 

I carry a ground tripod for times when the trees get in the way of the Trav'ler. This year we had planned to spend a month where our trailer would be getting painted. I replaced my DPP 1000 dish that was get worn out with a new DPP 1000.2 with a WA LNBF head. I also acquired a EA LNBF head for the DPP 1000.2.

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Joey - 2016 Bounder 33C Tige - 2006 40' Travel Supreme
Sparky III - 2021 Mustang Mach-e, off the the Road since 2019
Useful HDT Truck, Trailer, and Full-timing Info at
www.dmbruss.com

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I've been using Directv as a full timer but as a likely future part timer, I likely will subscribe to Dish with its pay as you go pricing.

 

Why does Dish Network have two sets of satellites (Eastern and Western arcs) versus the single set of satellites that Directv has?

 

In addition to changing lnbs for the two arcs, do you also have to change settings in the receivers?

 

Good info on your web sites, Zulu and Mark!

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I've been using Directv as a full timer but as a likely future part timer, I likely will subscribe to Dish with its pay as you go pricing.

 

Note that you can't get a Hopper with DISH Pay As You Go.

 

 

Why does Dish Network have two sets of satellites (Eastern and Western arcs) versus the single set of satellites that Directv has?

 

That's just the way it developed. For example, the Eastern Arc sats are newer and use MPEG4 video encoding, the Western Arc use the older MPEG2 encoding.

 

 

In addition to changing lnbs for the two arcs, do you also have to change settings in the receivers?

 

No. You select a few menu items and do a "Check Switch" which verifies what satellites the receiver can pick up.

SKP #79313 / Full-Timing / 2001 National RV Sea View / 2008 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
www.rvSeniorMoments.com
DISH TV for RVs

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Note that you can't get a Hopper with DISH Pay As You Go.

 

 

 

That is not what they told me at Dish. I could not enroll in there 2 year contact special as I'm mobile and not a Sticks and bricks home. That I have no choice but to pay as I go, so that meant NO Hopper.

I'm really starting to think about ditching the whole satellite TV as I'm hearing so many different things from members and there employees. Not to mention investing $500 - $2500 for a complete set up plus a $60 plus monthly charge. And just go with a OTA DVR. $300 - $400 total investment and no monthly fees. I think these satellite companies should really invest in training there staff as they would make a CRAP load more cash in doing it. I mean come on, it's not rocket science. Even though I know the satellites where once aboard a rocket. LOL

2015 Ram 3500 RC DRW CTD AISIN 410 rear

2016 Mobile Suites 38RSB3

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Just so you understand, that after the changeover to Digital TV, most of the stations were converted from VHF to UHF to free up the VHF spectrum for First Responders communications. That change reduced the distance the OTA signals can travel. You will find a lot of places where the reception of OTA signals will be beyond the capabilities of RV antennas.

 

There is a reason people have subscriptions to satellite TV services. Receiving the broadcast channels reliably is one of them. The selection of channels beyond those in the broadcast channels is another.

 

Dish has over 14,000,000 subscribers. The RV portion of that is probably in a 100,000-200,000 range. That 1% makes it difficult to expend a lot of resources to very unique situations compared to Sticks&Bricks situations.

 

Like many things in living the full-time RV world, you have to be more self sufficient by studying the systems you want to use. You can not choose to live in a unique life style and expect the whole world of business to understand you. You do that my asking questions, as you have on this Forum. You can find a lot more by reading the websites of the people who have answered you questions so far. Learning is a key part of RVing.

 

For now, stop talking to the CSRs until you have a better understanding of satellite TV and Dish TV in general. You might start by fixing the title of this thread. You should be studying Dish TV instead of DirecTV because Dish has better options for RVers than DirecTV. But with the title being "Direct TV satellite dish" you might not be getting some responses from Dish TV users.

 

When you are comfortable with what you want, a good recommendation is to go to a local Dish TV retailer (not a big box store) and order what you want.

 

And for the record, it just isn't launching a satellite on a rocket. Each satellite costs hundreds of millions of dollars. Even the rocket launch is a multi-million dollar proposition. And satellite have a useful life span of less than 15 years. Dish has 8 satellites that customers use and there are spares up there also. Not rocket science, space science. And expensive.

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Mark & Dale
Joey - 2016 Bounder 33C Tige - 2006 40' Travel Supreme
Sparky III - 2021 Mustang Mach-e, off the the Road since 2019
Useful HDT Truck, Trailer, and Full-timing Info at
www.dmbruss.com

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That is not what they told me at Dish. I could not enroll in there 2 year contact special as I'm mobile and not a Sticks and bricks home. That I have no choice but to pay as I go, so that meant NO Hopper.

I'm really starting to think about ditching the whole satellite TV as I'm hearing so many different things from members and there employees. Not to mention investing $500 - $2500 for a complete set up plus a $60 plus monthly charge. And just go with a OTA DVR. $300 - $400 total investment and no monthly fees. I think these satellite companies should really invest in training there staff as they would make a CRAP load more cash in doing it. I mean come on, it's not rocket science. Even though I know the satellites where once aboard a rocket. LOL

 

You stated in your OP that you have been studying this issue for weeks. Twice you've stated that this is not rocket science, yet you seem to be making it as so. It's not rocket science and all the answers you seek have been posted on this forum many times. Many of us use satellite tv while full timing with no problems.

 

Also, you need to read more carefully. Zulu clearly stated above that you can't get a Hopper on Pay as You Go. Then, you said that Dish told you something different. Then, you basically restated what Zulu had stated.

 

As stated here repeatedly, many RV'ers have monthly contract service with the Hopper by going to an independent Dish dealer. It's common knowledge that Dish reps don't know what they're talking about, yet you keep repeating that. If you want Dish or Direct TV service in your RV, it's simple. Just pay attention to those on this forum who have it and you'll do fine.

Everybody wanna hear the truth, but everybody tell a lie.  Everybody wanna go to Heaven, but nobody want to die.  Albert King

 

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Our current purchased, no contract, satellite setup on our Dish "Flex" pay as you go account consists of a Hopper, a Joey, and a VIP211k with an external HD. We use a tripod mounted 1000.4 dish that I configure with either a western or eastern arc LNBF as needed for the aiming conditions and/or local channels where we are located at the time. Our original basic satellite setup, with only the VIP211k and 1000.4, cost about $250. Our initial VIP211k activation was handled by Dish4MyRV, even though we didn't buy anything from them, but the additional Hopper and Joey activations were done directly with Dish.

Dutch
2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A
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2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump
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