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Hopper 3 Installation


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I had the new 16-tuner Hopper 3 installed last Saturday. Very impressive. I'll have more details lated, especially for RVers.

In the meantime, here's some details from my Hopper 3 install. . . keep in mind that it's pretty nerdy.

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

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16 tuners? Wow, I can't even watch a 3 tuner Hopper. LOL

 

Some people watch TV more than others. I record Meet the Press every Sunday. Sometimes it's Friday before I get time to watch it. I guess I just like being outdoors more than watching the boob tube. My 211K with two tuners is more than enough for me. To each his own.

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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  • 2 weeks later...

I just bought mine today I can't wait to get it. they said I would have no problems hooking it up to my travlr :) .

 

I bought the hopper 3 off of solid signal for 229.99 not bad and dish wants 350.00 for it with no contract

the 4k joey is 149.99 out the door

Edited by ganto
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I had the new 16-tuner Hopper 3 installed last Saturday. Very impressive. I'll have more details lated, especially for RVers.

 

In the meantime, here's some details from my Hopper 3 install. . . keep in mind that it's pretty nerdy.

so do you know if it makes suggestions as to what it would think that you might like to watch like TiVo :rolleyes: ?? I hear different stories that it does and that it don't. I heard the last hopper made suggestions and that it needed to be hooked up to the internet to do so then I heard it didn't. I never messed around to know

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I just bought mine today I can't wait to get it. they said I would have no problems hooking it up to my travlr .

 

An off-the-shelf Winegard Travler SK-1000 will not work. It has to be modified -- Winegard Travler SK-1000 DISH Hybrid Pro Upgrade.

 

Plus, a Hopper 3 install is not the same as the former Hoppers:

 

dph_threetvs_hopper3_2joeys.jpg

Edited by Zulu

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 do you know if it makes suggestions as to what it would think that you might like to watch like TiVo :rolleyes: ?? I hear different stories that it does and that it don't. I heard the last hopper made suggestions and that it needed to be hooked up to the internet to do so then I heard it didn't. I never messed around to know

 

Well, the new Hopper 3 Home screen lists suggestions . . .

 

hopper3_dishhomescreen.jpg

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

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Well, the new Hopper 3 Home screen lists suggestions . . .

 

hopper3_dishhomescreen.jpg

I take it that your hopper is installed in your house. I did go ahead and ordered the western arc LNB and the hybrid solo hub today!! so that's not that big of a deal of an upgrade. from what dish told me is that the hopper 3 downloads the shows that it thinks that you might like to watch like TiVo from the satellite and not from the net. they also said the only thing that I would loose if it's not connected to the net would be the apps no biggie there though i'm gonna try to set it up through my mobile hotspot though I wonder how much data it will use :o . I called winegaurd today don't even bother getting info from them as they don't have the new hopper 3 yet and they haven't tested out the hybrid tech yet and there not in the place to say weather the hopper 3 will work with a travlr or not!! I called dish and chatted with them all day and if I had a dollar for everytime they told me the hopper 3 will NOT work in an RV I could retire. so then I chatted with solid signal again today and they sent me the links of the parts that I need to make the hopper 3 work in my RV :) . . I can say that dish customer support is poorly trained for the RV world since they don't know what a winegaurd travlr is and they carry it or they used to. since they kept telling my to get a dome style dish and a solo HD receiver :blink: of course I told em I wanted a DVR in my motor home then who ever in the hell I was talking to understood. god todays phone calls and chat sessions were so bad it made me start to think of leaving and going back to directv :rolleyes:

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Give the number of Hopper users in the Winegard Trav'ler market, to expect a re-engineering effort to be done already for the Hopper 3 is unrealistic.

 

Part of being an RVer is being somewhat self-sufficient. With the Hopper 3 and a Winegard Trav'ler, you have to accept the test work done by Zulu that showed it works but not with a rather easy workaround. Thanks again to Zulu for spearheading the testing.

 

Likewise, expecting Dish to be fully ready to accept the variances of RV equipment is unrealistic.

 

Having a Hopper since it was released, I am having Dish handle the Hopper 3 upgrade the way Dish can handle it. I set up my tripod and have the trailer running off of it. Dish will come in and change the DPH LNBF head on the tripod dish and hook up the Hopper 3.

 

Then after the Dish installer, leaves, the Winegard Trav'ler will be modified and my switches installed. And when I take possession of the new motorhome, I will have a standard Winegard Trav'ler SK-1000 installed. And then I will charge the new SK-1000's LNBF to the DPH LNBF.

 

I try to have Dish involved with my equipment as little as possible.

Please click for Emails instead of PM
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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Give the number of Hopper users in the Winegard Trav'ler market, to expect a re-engineering effort to be done already for the Hopper 3 is unrealistic.

 

Part of being an RVer is being somewhat self-sufficient. With the Hopper 3 and a Winegard Trav'ler, you have to accept the test work done by Zulu that showed it works but not with a rather easy workaround. Thanks again to Zulu for spearheading the testing.

 

Likewise, expecting Dish to be fully ready to accept the variances of RV equipment is unrealistic.

 

Having a Hopper since it was released, I am having Dish handle the Hopper 3 upgrade the way Dish can handle it. I set up my tripod and have the trailer running off of it. Dish will come in and change the DPH LNBF head on the tripod dish and hook up the Hopper 3.

 

Then after the Dish installer, leaves, the Winegard Trav'ler will be modified and my switches installed. And when I take possession of the new motorhome, I will have a standard Winegard Trav'ler SK-1000 installed. And then I will charge the new SK-1000's LNBF to the DPH LNBF.

 

I try to have Dish involved with my equipment as little as possible.

i can't belive that winegaurd said that they don't have the hopper 3 yet for testing i found that to be bs. they should have gotten the hopper 3 before the general public for testing!! i am very self sufficient. i found zulu's post worked and i trust his posts over the reps at dish!! the only thing that i trust the dish reps for is changing my address for my locals and swapping out hardware heck they have no clue what the winegard travlr dish is :blink: . than god i read zulu's post and found out that i needed a new LNB and a hybrid hub. but like i have said before both companies have good reps and reps that will make ya want to pull your hair out :lol:

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My 211K with two tuners is more than enough for me. To each his own.

 

I have a 211k... it has two tuners? I'm a TV dunce.. what exactly does it mean if there is more than one tuner? Is that what you need to watch one program and record another at the same time? Does it require separate equipment or does it go through the same cable?

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I have a 211k... it has two tuners? I'm a TV dunce.. what exactly does it mean if there is more than one tuner? Is that what you need to watch one program and record another at the same time? Does it require separate equipment or does it go through the same cable?

 

Sorry if I misled you. The 211K has a satellite tuner and an over the air tuner. You can record on one and watch the other, or you can record on both at the same time. There's a coax input on the back of the receiver to which you connect your over the air antenna. Then, scan for your over the air channels and they will be added to your program guide.

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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I have a 211k... it has two tuners?

Nope, just one. Each tuner can decode a video stream to play to a TV. Depending on the hardware, if you have more tuner than you need for your TVs, then the video stream can be recorded to a hard dish and played back at a later time. This is the Digital Video Recorder (DVR) feature.

 

Does it require separate equipment or does it go through the same cable?

Under the older Dish Pro Plus (DPP) Dish could move two data streams down one coax cable. Dual tuners receivers, VIP222, VIP622, VIP 722 could get by with one coax cable The Hopper 1 with three tuners needed two coax cables.

 

The new Dish Pro Hybrid (DPH) technology is moving (16) data streams down one wire. THe new Hopper 3 has (16) tuners so the Hopper 3 only needs one coax cable from the dish.

 

If the dish has only one LNBF (white plastic button on the head) then you an only receive video streams from one sate llite. If you want to watch two different channels on separate TVs or for recording, a single LNBF can support two video streams. However, both channels must be on the same satellite. Dome dishes, ground or roof only have one LNBF.

 

Open faced dishes like the DPP 1000.2 ground tripod or the Winegard Trav'ler SK-1000 have three LNBFs which lock only all three Dish satellite used for normal transmission. Therefore those two dishes can support as many channels on any satellite, depending on your receiver equipment.

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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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I finally received my DPH LNBF and converted my Trav'ler to work with my Hopper 3.

 

I have more info on the conversion and I sent it to Zulu so he can expand his write-up.

Please click for Emails instead of PM
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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Sorry if I misled you. The 211K has a satellite tuner and an over the air tuner. You can record on one and watch the other, or you can record on both at the same time. There's a coax input on the back of the receiver to which you connect your over the air antenna. Then, scan for your over the air channels and they will be added to your program guide.

 

Appreciate the additional info/clarification. I didn't realize it had that feature.

 

Apologies for the threadus interruptus, Zulu. B)

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  • 5 months later...

Completed Travler conversion today using Zulu's guide and now the Winegard will support the Hopper 3. Key is following the wiring schematic and don't miss the cross connect of the Hybrid LNB port B to the Travler Base connector C. Would have been tough to figure out without this schematic. Thanks Tom!

IMG_3217a.jpg.c718bc170600aa5ce52e515511d83cb7.jpg

Jim & Wilma

2006 Travel Supreme 36RLQSO

2009 Volvo VNL730, D13, I-shift, ET, Herrin Hauler bed, "Ruby"

2017 Smart

Class of 2017

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Completed Travler conversion today . . .

 

16 tuners rocks, doesn't it?

 

Remember to disconnect Hopper from Travler during sat acquisition. Otherwise you will probably see the Travler's blue screen of death:

 

rvhopperinstall2-01-nolnbvoltage.jpg

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

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hello All, newbie here on this topic, call me MIkee.

 

I would like help with aiming my DISH 1000.2 antenna on a tripod for my RV. I need help with sighting the dish to AZ heading. I can't seem to use the proper references on the physical dish to accurately point it. I have great marine binoculars, and Android pointer and GPS apps, but since SKEW is dialed-in, the dish is like pointing a basketball. Any tip would be appreciated.

 

Second, I have only my Hopper 3 to use as a signal meter. I tried a Cheapo signal meter in the RG6 line at the dish, but I am sure it doesn't work with Hopper 3 DPH equipment. The new 16 tuner technology is really making this hard for me. I think I have proved that the Hopper 3's DiSeqC control turns the transponders ON and OFF completely while I am peaking my dish AZ. Then I lose my heading and have no signals at all ! To start over, I have to select a channel to watch, which turns on ONE transponder; then I can try to point the dish. But without passing a Check Switch, I can't tune even one channel. So it's like The Chicken and the Egg: No channels on, no aiming; no aiming, no passing check switch; no passing C.S., no transponders on; no T's on, no channels. Loop, loop..

I'll bet a nice meter like the Super Buddy, can apply voltage, and turn on transponders, so all aiming is accomplished at the dish, without relying on the Hopper 3. I don't have a nice meter. Again, thanks for tips or advice on how to aim a dish with only a Hopper3 as a guide.

 

MIkee

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Cheapo meter, you would be better if the Hopper 3 is not attached. Then the DPH LNBF (dish head) unit drops back to regular more. But then you have no way to insure the 119 LNBF is selected for aiming. A good meter is really important.

 

Sighting. The biggest thing is to understand that the arm does not point to the satellite. The signal path from the satellite bounces off the surface of the dish at a 30 degree angle to the LNBF receptor. That means the satellite is above the LNBF on the same axis. Now remember the dish is Skewed which means the satellite is to the right of the apparent direction of the arm.

 

The problem with the satellite pointer apps is that they do not have the same viewpoint as the center of the dish. They are great for insuring trees are not in the way.

 

The best reference point of the Azimuth is the vertical plates that support the back of the dish. The closer you are to the dish, the more the metal in the dish will affect the Magnetic Deviation on the compass. Depending if you are east or west of the Mississippi can add or subtract up to 10 degrees to the Magnetic reading.

 

First rule, the tripod mast needs to be absolutely vertical. Not eyeball vertical, bubble level vertical. A round bubble level on the top of the mast is the best.

 

Then preset the Elevation and the Skew on the dish and then mount the dish on the tripod. It helps if you align the tripod with the forward leg in the direction of the Azimuth before mounting the dish. It helps get you in the ballpark.

Please click for Emails instead of PM
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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Thanks for the rapid response, Mark. Your post and your links to your website have really given me some hope and some new ideas.

 

Tomorrow AM if there is no rain, I will try a new plan to aim my 1000.2 dish with compass and my Hopper 3 as signal meter. I will post results

ASAP.

 

If you know of an affordable (<$100.00) signal meter, I'd like to hear your comments on it.

 

I appreciate your help. MIkee

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The meter I know of for under a $100 is no longer available. I am into a used Super Buddy because I am planning for a lot more tripod setups in the East next year.

Please click for Emails instead of PM
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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Cheapo meter, you would be better if the Hopper 3 is not attached. Then the DPH LNBF (dish head) unit drops back to regular more. But then you have no way to insure the 119 LNBF is selected for aiming. A good meter is really important.

 

 

Mark,

 

I got pretty good bringing in all three satellites using the cheapo meter with the old Vip211 and a 1000.4 dish. Picked up a 1000.2 and east & west hybrid LNBs and expected to use same simple technique on our Hopper 3. Not so?

Edited by Jim & Wilma

IMG_3217a.jpg.c718bc170600aa5ce52e515511d83cb7.jpg

Jim & Wilma

2006 Travel Supreme 36RLQSO

2009 Volvo VNL730, D13, I-shift, ET, Herrin Hauler bed, "Ruby"

2017 Smart

Class of 2017

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