Winegard ROADTRIP T4 VS. TRAV'LER

[kudzu]

1 hour ago, Mark and Dale Bruss said:

...So I would start with a tripod dish, and if Dish TV, then get interchangeable EA and WA LNBF heads.  Get a good tripod, and a set of aiming tools, scope and meter.  I did that for years.

As I said nothing like having a Trav'ler automatically aim the dish and for Dish TV, the Trav'ler covers most of the US.  It is all what the CFO approves of.

 

Thank you for your patience and spoon-feeding of the satellite TV ignoramus!

The motorhome will have multiple TV's, and sometimes it would be nice to be able to watch a particular one, but my wife is really the only TV watcher. I waste my time in other ways! So, anything beyond feeding a signal to a specific television is gravy.

What would using the DISH antenna, tripod, aiming tools, scope and meter do for me (DW actually) that the Pathway X2 would not do automatically? For that matter, what would the LEV'LER do that the X2 would not do, except require me to place and connect the antenna? Easy and convenient is imperative.

Since the CFO is the primary beneficiary of our investment in satellite TV, I expect it will be an easy sell!

 

[kudzu]

DUPLICATE POST DELETED

[Mark and Dale Bruss]

The X2, like any automatic dome dish is a single LNBF.  That means one satellite at a time.  The Trav'ler and a tripod dish has a multi-headed LNBF, all the pertinent satellites at once.  That is for multiple viewers and DVRing.

There are secondary benefits as the Trav'ler and tripod reflectors are almost four times as large as the reflector inside the dome.  That means less chance of rain fade.

If you choose to, a tripod dish can be disassembled and takes a lot less space then a dome dish.

Granted I have practice, but I put my tripod dish up faster than people positioning their dome dishes.  The automatic dome dishes need to be level.  Leveling a tripod is easier.

You did not say if you were planning full-timing or not.  Than can have an effect on how much you need TV access.

[kudzu]

12 hours ago, Mark and Dale Bruss said:

The X2, like any automatic dome dish is a single LNBF.

Ah ha! That, sad to say, is what was not sinking in. I understand the benefit of accessing multiple satellites simultaneously. That is why, not needing in-motion viewing or DVRing, I had elected to go with the TRAV'LER instead of the dome.

The lazy me wants to think using an automatic antenna, like the X2, would suffice for backup when we cannot get a campsite that will work for the TRAV'LER. We do not plan to full-time, as you asked, but do plan to spend weeks or months in the mountains during the summer and somewhere further south in the winter. I probably need to dig in and learn to deal with the tripod dish with the multi-headed LNBF. Of course, you knew this, and were trying to tell me this, all along! Thank you for sticking with me until the light came on.

Now, back to study your website. And, I may bug Dutch to share details of his tripod hacks.

[Mark and Dale Bruss]

Dutch's tripod hacks are good  but the HD Tripod from TV4RV.com is ready to go and you can get a scope, a Elevation screw kit for a DPP 1000.2 dish and some other accessories from them too.

Just think of how much you saved from an X2 and you can get all kinds of accessories.

The advantage of a surveyor tripod is the easy adjusting the legs.  You unlock a leg, slide it until the bubble is close to centered and lock the leg.  Two legs is as much as you should have to adjust.  Put the load (water buckets, or bungee cord) before leveling.

 

[kudzu]

22 hours ago, Mark and Dale Bruss said:

Dutch's tripod hacks are good  but the HD Tripod from TV4RV.com is ready to go and you can get a scope, a Elevation screw kit for a DPP 1000.2 dish and some other accessories from them too.

Just think of how much you saved from an X2 and you can get all kinds of accessories.

The advantage of a surveyor tripod is the easy adjusting the legs.  You unlock a leg, slide it until the bubble is close to centered and lock the leg.  Two legs is as much as you should have to adjust.  Put the load (water buckets, or bungee cord) before leveling.

 

Most of my spare moments for the last 24 hours have been spent on your website, TV4RV.com, and Bingin' around the Interwebby thingy. I think I am getting a handle on what would be needed, and what would be involved, in going the route of a tripod-mounted dish. I have a couple of questions about details.

Is this the item you refer to as an elevation screw kit?

Is the First Strike FS1 ProHD meter a good balance of price/function for my purpose? Is there something else you would recommend instead? I am willing to pay for ease of use and quality.

I like the TV4RV.com stuff, especially the heavy-duty tripod. The folks there may become my BFFs.

With "all the money I saved from an X2," what kinds of accessories would you suggest?

The functionality of the tripod-mounted dish is undisputed and very appealing. I have to confess, I am struggling with taking on the complexity and learning curve. DW, CFO, is resistant to the less user-friendly, even if less functional, solution for those times when the TRAV'LER up top cannot see the satellites. But, I want to fully understand the decision I am making and live with it for a while before committing. Your help in the process is truly appreciated!

 

  

[Mark and Dale Bruss]

Yes.  I added links to the kit this morning.

The decision on a First Strike FS-1 today is dependent on whether you are going to get a Hopper 3 or plan to.

The reason is that at this moment, the Allied Instruments Supper Buddy is the only meter I know of that is qualified to work with DPH Hybrid LNBF heads that the Hopper 3 uses.  If you do not plan for a Hopper 3 than the FS-1 is fine.

The price spread for a FS-1 Pro HS is about $330.  Used FS1 for $240.  Last I looked on eBay, a used Super Buddy 29 was about $400.

As I write this a thought comes to my mind.  You could get a Dish DPH 42 Switch for about $80.  The DPH-42 turns a regular DPP LNBF into a Hybrid.  With a DPH42, you could use a FS-1 for aiming the dish and let the DPH-42 handle a Hopper 3.  So you could start with a regular DPP 1000.2 and a non-Hopper 3 receiver.  That would let you increment your investment to a DPH-42 when you want a Hopper 3.

You would really like a Hopper 3.  And the Super Buddy 29 is a really great meter.

[kudzu]

2 hours ago, Mark and Dale Bruss said:

...You would really like a Hopper 3.  And the Super Buddy 29 is a really great meter.

Yikes, more research and study!

[Dutch_12078]

Just to show the other extreme, this morning I helped a neighbor learn to dial in his new 1000.2 twin EA LNB dish mounted on a basic wall/roof mount attached to a piece of plywood. We used a few pieces of firewood kindling to level the platform, set the elevation and skew, and then rotated to the correct azimuth as shown by a standard Boy Scout style compass. The signal was then peaked using a basic $10 analog signal meter. The total operation took about 25 minutes not counting assembling the dish components that were still in boxes. The explanations usually took longer than the actions...

[Mark and Dale Bruss]

I enjoy watching the shimmed tripods where the rocks and wood shims shift in the breeze and then you go out and you have to relevel and aim again.

[Dutch_12078]

Yep, I've seen my share of really dicey setups too. Seeing some of those and the struggles to aim and keep them aimed helped inspire the mods on my low cost tripod for easy stable leveling and my choices for anchoring the dish. Our dish has withstood 60 MPH winds with no loss of signal, so I'm pretty happy with it. My initial setup was based on keeping costs to a minimum while building a reliable, easy to set up system. At that time, my wife wasn't convinced the sat system was a worthwhile expense. Then she found out we'd be able to get the NHL Center Ice package to feed her love of hockey games, and it suddenly became a vital necessity...

[paul65k]

We use a hybrid set-up as well. Our Satellite provider is Dish and we have a Hopper2 in the Living room and a Wireless Joey for the bedroom that can also be moved outside along with the bedroom TV for Tailgating without the need for wiring in either location.

We have a Trav'ler mounted on the roof and carry a tri-pod as well for those times when we need to move the dish when the trees are a problem. All in all we seem to be able to get coverage but we have only traveled through the western states so please keep this in mind.

All in all the Wireless Joey solution creates a large degree of flexibility and allows us to easily use this at home as well when we are not on the road. 

[Twotoes]

I had a 5th wheel and used the Pathway X2 with a 211k. Didnt want to manually set a dish on a tripod. Never had any problems. I bought a used Class A and it had a  DirecTv Traveler on the roof. There is a conversion kit to make it a Dish for $300 plus $200 labor. I elected to switch to DirecTv and save the $500 cost. The problem with the X2 was it is limited on which receivers you can use and you must use an external hard drive to DVR. The problem with DirecTv is that they do not have a option to set up an off the roof dish when you are under the trees. 

In my opinion the best option is to get a Dish Travler with whole house and DVR capibilites and have the X2 as a back up when under trees but remember the X2 need a 211Z or K receiver too. 

[Dutch_12078]

9 minutes ago, Twotoes said:

In my opinion the best option is to get a Dish Travler with whole house and DVR capibilites and have the X2 as a back up when under trees but remember the X2 need a 211Z or K receiver too. 

Having to pay for and switch receivers just because there are some trees around strikes me as more of a hassle then learning to aim a tripod mounted dish that works with your primary receiver. And a Joey of course, won't work with a 211k, z, or Wally receiver, only the Hoppers.