Dish Playmaker. Upstate NY

[krc2343]

Seasonal camping in upstate NY.  Thinking of getting the Dish Playmaker bundle.  In this area what direction would I need a clear view of the sky (S, SE or SW) of for the Playmaker to work?  Appreciate any advice before purchasing.

[SWharton]

We use Dishpointer Pro. You select the satellites you are interested in, via the camera you see the sky and where the sats are, great for seeing if trees are in the way. In general you need a ssw-ish direction. The azimuth is the challenge.

[Dutch_12078]

You would be better off with a Winegard Pathway X2 instead. The X2 can receive the entire three eastern and three western arc sat sets. The Playmaker is only capable of the western arc sats and 61.5 on the eastern arc. The X2 is more expensive, but well worth it in the long run for the additional aiming flexibility. We've been in many areas where the eastern arc was our only option.

[krc2343]

44 minutes ago, SWharton said:

We use Dishpointer Pro. You select the satellites you are interested in, via the camera you see the sky and where the sats are, great for seeing if trees are in the way. In general you need a ssw-ish direction. The azimuth is the challenge.

Thanks so much.  Already downloaded the app and checked the sight lines.  Just the info I needed.

[krc2343]

19 minutes ago, Dutch_12078 said:

You would be better off with a Winegard Pathway X2 instead. The X2 can receive the entire three eastern and three western arc sat sets. The Playmaker is only capable of the western arc sats and 61.5 on the eastern arc. The X2 is more expensive, but well worth it in the long run for the additional aiming flexibility. We've been in many areas where the eastern arc was our only option.

Thanks for the info

[LindaH]

11 hours ago, Dutch_12078 said:

You would be better off with a Winegard Pathway X2 instead. The X2 can receive the entire three eastern and three western arc sat sets. The Playmaker is only capable of the western arc sats and 61.5 on the eastern arc. The X2 is more expensive, but well worth it in the long run for the additional aiming flexibility. We've been in many areas where the eastern arc was our only option.

X2.  Although we use a Trav'ler rather than a dome, the Pathway X2 is the only dome I'd consider if we were going to go that way.

[D&J]

15 hours ago, krc2343 said:

Seasonal camping in upstate NY.  Thinking of getting the Dish Playmaker bundle.  In this area what direction would I need a clear view of the sky (S, SE or SW) of for the Playmaker to work?  Appreciate any advice before purchasing.

One of the biggest drawbacks with the playmaker and the western satellites is the size of the dish and signal strength because of the NE location. The X2 the whole black area is the size of the dish not like the small dish mounted inside of the playmaker and the ability to pickup the eastern arc satellites. 

Denny

[Dutch_12078]

It occurs to me that with a seasonal site, I would opt for a semi-permanently installed full face residential dish equipped for the most accessible arc. There's a higher learning curve for setting it up, but the end result is much more reliable with much less rain fade than the domes...

[Larry Burkett]

Dutch, we are in Michigan, have the Dish Playmaker and receive  Satellites 110,119 and 129.

[Dutch_12078]

16 hours ago, Larry Burkett said:

Dutch, we are in Michigan, have the Dish Playmaker and receive  Satellites 110,119 and 129.

I'm sure it does, Larry. However, we've visited a location at Cass Lake, MI several times where the tree cover restricts us to 61.5, 72.7, and 77 only. At another MI location near Grayling, we can use either arc. Having arc choice can be very helpful at times...

[Larry Burkett]

Yes it can.