Thoughts/Experience VuQube Satellite 1000

[sandrajerryallen@yahoo.com]

We are currently in the process of setting up a Dish portable satellite and are already determining how cumbersome this item is. We are full-timers in a 40-foot, 2008 Winnebago Vectra with no extra basement space for the unit. The dish is traveling behind the cowl of our 24-foot trailer. This makes for a less-than-simple job of attachment, removal, setup, breakdown, etc.

If you have any experience with purchase and use of the VuQube 1000, please comment. Thank you!

[Guest Wayne77590]

JerrySandra,

Have you looked at the Winegard "Carry Out?"

I use Dish Network and I bought a Carry Out in San Antonio 4 weeks or so ago. I set it up, plugged it in and was watching all three satellites, 110, 119, and 129 (and the HD Channels). It was my choice over the vue cube.

Good luck.

[sandrajerryallen@yahoo.com]

Wayne,

Thanks so much for your input. We just a few days ago spent some time internet researching the VuQube and Winegard products. Our conclusion was to buy the Winegard Carryout. Your input solidified our decision. Thanks so much!! By the way, is your Dish receiver a 1000 dual receiver? Ours is, and we've been advised that a single receiver works best. Any thoughts?

[Guest Wayne77590]

I pull the Dish VIP-722 out of the stick house when we travel. It is a dual receiver with recording capabilities. Earlene has tons of HGTV and FOOD network programs recorded that will keep her busy for a few hours, and several hours of other movies and programs, should we decide to not hook up the satellite for a nights stay.

Since I just purchased the Winegard Carry Out, I have not experimented with the dual receiver capabilities. I'm thinking that I will have to run another RF cable from the capable Carry Out for two RF lines. A "diplexer" did not seem to want to work with Sat2 input.

Let me know how you set up.

And my purchase from CW included the portable stand.

[kevinburns8@gmail.com]

Since I just purchased the Winegard Carry Out, I have not experimented with the dual receiver capabilities. I'm thinking that I will have to run another RF cable from the capable Carry Out for two RF lines. A "diplexer" did not seem to want to work with Sat2 input.

I'm pretty sure that you're correct, I seem to remember reading that you do need to run two lines for the dual receiver with the Carry Out.

[Guest Wayne77590]

I have also been told that the Carry Out is a single LNB and therefor will only receive one satellite at a time. I'm not real happy with that, but it will have to do. It would be nice to record one, watch one, but if it is on a different satellite there is going to be an aiming conflict. I'll find out when I test it out.

[Guest BillAdams]

I have also been told that the Carry Out is a single LNB and therefor will only receive one satellite at a time. I'm not real happy with that, but it will have to do. It would be nice to record one, watch one, but if it is on a different satellite there is going to be an aiming conflict. I'll find out when I test it out.

All systems under a dome are single LNB units (dual output LNB's are referred to as dual LNB's but they are only a single LNB) and therefore can only receive the signal from one satellite at a time. You will still be able to watch one channel and record another, but they must both be on the same satellite.

[Guest Wayne77590]

That's what I stated. If the channels I want to watch and record are on different satellites there will be an aiming conflict. I'll wager that 119 will be the controlling factor, also.

[Guest BillAdams]

I don't believe that I disagreed with anything you said. Just a clarification.

[jimmierteet]

Hello all,

Just want to warn/let everyone know what we've learned the hard way -- VuQube 1000 (and 2000) will NOT work with any DVR ... only with a receiver/tuner! We switched from DirecTV (too much hassle and fighting over bills/contract terms) and went to Dish, using multiple DVRs so we take one on the road when we travel. Although we were not told when we purchased a VuQube 1000, you need to know it won't give you anything if you try to connect one through a DVR. We just sold ours to a trucker and are researching just what system to go with now.

PS: our 2000 Georgie Boy CruiseMaster has a manual dish satellite receiver built in, but I don't want to spend all day trying to align satellites manually -- -- so we're still looking for a replacement. I have been told the carryout Wineguard satellite receiver also will NOT work with a DVR receiver, so if anyone has real experience with this, we would appreciate your input as well.

Jim and Joy Teet

[drsweger@nmax.net]

Both the VuQube2000 and Carryout WILL work with a DVR. That being said, if you are operating a dual tuner receiver (which is MOST DVRs), only one tuner will control which satellite is being watched. This issue can cause unexpected results, depending on which receiver and which firmare it is. The stumbling block with most Dish Network receivers attached to a "dome" is getting the "Check Switch routine" completed properly in the Dish receiver.

Looking at the differences between the two units there is VERY little reason to choose one antenna before the other. I personally lean towards the Carryout, only because of the slightly better ( and I do mean slightly) signal levels I normally see when comparing the two antennas side by side. It may be a pound lighter also...

I have used the Dish Vip211K receiver with both the Carryout and V2000. Both work very nicely with that receiver. The receiver is DVR ready (you supply the USB hard drive) but being a single tuner device, you can not record one channel and watch another one. The Vip211k is supposed to be the only receiver "officially" supported by Dish for RV use. Other Dish receivers may work fine and they may not. They can work one day and not the next, depending on when Dish updates the firmware.

As for DirecTV, I have not personally tested DVR use on either antenna. That is something for me to do if winter ever goes away....

[Guest BillAdams]

Both the VuQube2000 and Carryout WILL work with a DVR. That being said, if you are operating a dual tuner receiver (which is MOST DVRs), only one tuner will control which satellite is being watched. This issue can cause unexpected results, depending on which receiver and which firmare it is. The stumbling block with most Dish Network receivers attached to a "dome" is getting the "Check Switch routine" completed properly in the Dish receiver.

Looking at the differences between the two units there is VERY little reason to choose one antenna before the other. I personally lean towards the Carryout, only because of the slightly better ( and I do mean slightly) signal levels I normally see when comparing the two antennas side by side. It may be a pound lighter also...

I have used the Dish Vip211K receiver with both the Carryout and V2000. Both work very nicely with that receiver. The receiver is DVR ready (you supply the USB hard drive) but being a single tuner device, you can not record one channel and watch another one. The Vip211k is supposed to be the only receiver "officially" supported by Dish for RV use. Other Dish receivers may work fine and they may not. They can work one day and not the next, depending on when Dish updates the firmware.

As for DirecTV, I have not personally tested DVR use on either antenna. That is something for me to do if winter ever goes away....

Since neiter VuQube nor the Carryout can receive the DirecTV HD signal we will speak of SD programming only. In that case, both of these systems work perfectly well with a DVR since all of the DirecTV SD programming comes from only one satellite.

[desertdeals69]

Portable dishes are too much of a hassle and have too many limitations. In the 80's I did use portable dishes even with c band which was a 6 foot diameter. In the 90's when the small dish came out I started using them. When HD came out 5 or so years ago I decided to go with a roof mount auto which receives all 5 satellites at the same time so hd and dvr's work just like at home. I use a Motosat which all you do is push a button and in less than 8 minutes you are connected to all the satellites.

[Guest BillAdams]

Portable dishes are too much of a hassle and have too many limitations. In the 80's I did use portable dishes even with c band which was a 6 foot diameter. In the 90's when the small dish came out I started using them. When HD came out 5 or so years ago I decided to go with a roof mount auto which receives all 5 satellites at the same time so hd and dvr's work just like at home. I use a Motosat which all you do is push a button and in less than 8 minutes you are connected to all the satellites.

The Carry-out is a fully automatic antenna so you would not have any of the hassles of a ground dish but still have the complete flexibility of a portable.

The MotoSAT and Winegard roof mounted automatic systems are also excellent choices if you want HD but not the best choice for many users.

[HarleyJones1]

Just one other caveat when using a Dish receiver or receiver/recorder. If you use an external hard drive for storage, it will only work if you have a satellite signal available. I stored gobs of programing on a drive before our last trip, just in case we were in an area where we couldn't get a signal or if there was bad weather. Turns out that a sat signal must be present for the external drive to function. The sat signal tells the receiver that its ok to use the drive, and without it the drive becomes just another weight to carry around.

We have a Trav'ler and just love it. Multiple receiver support with dual tuners. Occasionally we park in a spot under trees where we can't receive a signal, but it works through branches that many other dishes won't. It is not as versatile as a portable but it sure is a lot easier.

[Guest Wayne77590]

SuAnn & Harley,

I am not familiar with the hook-up of an external drive but I have a question.

Do you know what would happen if you plugged the USB into a regular Windows or MAC computer? I'd be very interested in what format the video is stored in.

Apple TV works the same way. You download a movie and you have to have WiFi to activate the movie. Just a little different principle, but the same results.

I've gone to downloading movies that I can download for free on the computer and convert them to play on the DVD.

Thanks.