Portable Carryout Automatic Satellite

[Pat60]

I want to buy a portable carryout automatic satellite that I can use when I am parked on a site full of trees and cannot get a signal with the rooftop Winegard satellite.

I am confused about how that would work. I have a Tiffin Phaeton that has a satellite connection next to the cable tv connection on the outside of the motorhome.

I assume I connect the cable there but then how does the receiver know what satellite to use to get a signal and do I do anything with the electronics such as push the "aux" button instead of the satellite button on the tv tuner box that regulates how you want to watch tv.

It would be so much easier to live without all of our stuff but it sure is nice to enjoy the same things on the road that you would have in your house.

Thank you.

[wayne77590]

Pat,

I have the Winegard Carryout. You didn't indicate which service you have, Dish or DirectTV.

First, the Carryout is totally automatic but it does have some "restrictions." More on that later. For outside, the Carryout comes with 50 foot of power cable. You will need a 12v source (cigarette lighter plug type) to plug the power cable into. You will also need at least one run of 50 foot coax cable. I say one, because that is all I use but there are two outputs on the carryout for two different satellite receivers (front and back receivers if need be). I did not like the place where my cigarette lighter plug was in relationsship to where my antena input was so I purchased a converter at Radio Shack. There is some higher than normal current so I purchased the big one for around $80. I can always use if for something else if need be.

Once you connect the antenna coax and power to the Carryout, and the coax to the input on the motorhome you should have control inside the coach at the Entertainment Switch Box. That is specific to each model motorhome so I can't help you there unless I knew what system you have.

Now for the restrictions. For DISH, the Carryout is capable of only one satellite at a time and Dish's primary satellites are 110, 119, and 129. So when you are receiving satellite 110 you cannot recieve a signal off of 119, or 129. The same goes for any, watch one the others are not viewable. However, when you switch to a channel that is coming off of one of the other satellites the Carryout will automatically switch to the satellite that has the channel. what this means is that you cannot watch one and record on unless you are watching one off of the DVR that was previously recorded. Then you can record one and playback one.

If you have DirecTV you cannot get HD (High Definition) only Standard Definition.

With that all said, there is a new fellow on the block. It is called the Wingard Anser. It is advertised to receive all three Dish satellites at the same time and HD from DISH. The elevation has to be set manually, but after that it is automatic. Look into it. Maybe someone on here that has the Anser will chime in on it's features and shortcomings.

Happy trails.

[Pat60]

Thank you, Wayne, for replying. I have Directv and am not interested in HD tv so that isn't a problem and I have looked at the Winegard Anser...

I am still confused somewhat...I understand that you need to connect a cable to the carryout antenna and that cable will be connected to the tripod satellite connection in the hatch where the electric cable is.

Then I am confused as to how the DVR receiver recognizes the carryout satellite...you now have two satellites...

I just looked into the cabinet with all the electronics and see that there is no cable connected to the tripod connector so I think I need to have someone check to see what cables need to be connected where or maybe even a splitter so that we could use a portable when we are on a site with trees and no signal...

Thank you for helping me out...Pat

[desertdeals69]

The receiver doesn't know what dish it using only if the signal is there. You need to hook the coax between the dish and the receiver.

[Pat60]

Thank you for your reply....in other words, feed the coax iinto the bus through a window or a door up to the receiver in a cabinet...that doesn't sound convenient either way...

There's gotta be another way that doesn't involve leaving a door or window open...

Pat

[desertdeals69]

You can wire through a storage compartment into the coach. Thats the way I did mine.

[nitehawk]

Go to Radio Shack and get a bulkhead coax fitting.

As an aside: we once accidentally left the pass/fr side window open about 1" overnite while boondocking in Michigan. Our cat had a blast for about 12 hours looking for that "flying mouse" until the DW discovered it. Never knew she could move that fast!!

[wayne77590]

Most of the RV's have an RF input and it may say "cable" somewhere in one of the compartments. You can hook the portable satellite up there and use the cable switch inside your switchbox, or feed the cable connection on the inside to the back of the TV. If you are going to use cable and the portable satellite you will need a splitter but the splitter needs to be able to pass the sattellite frequencies. Tell them at Shady-ol-Rack what your intentions are and they should be able to provide hyou with a splitter that will handle both cable and satellite frequencies.

I do not know how DirecTV works, but it may be similar. Using DISH i have to run a "check switch," the first time we set up the receiver in the MH. It does not have to be run again. This tells the receiver what switching inside the "dome" is being used. You will have to check the DirecTV settings for the correct set-up.

DesertDeal may have the answer if he is using DirectTV. Then you just hook it up and go.

Happy trails.