JSTUNME Report post Posted October 9, 2016 I just purchased a Class A and considering satellite TV. I've heard a number of comments on Direct TV, Dish, HD, etc.. I want a dome mount. Can anyone shed some light on this subject? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted October 9, 2016 JS, Welcome to the Forum, For the about the same price you can get a Winegard Traveler .The only thing you will not have is in motion. With the Traveler you will have HD. Worth the money. Herman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wayne77590 Report post Posted October 11, 2016 A dome system has limitations. For Dish there are 3 satellites and a dome antenna will only received one satellite at a time but for Dish you will get HD. For Direct it receives stations off of one satellite but it will not get HD. So for a dome there are some functionality losses. With an open faced (like Traveler) you will have the same functionality that is in the S&B. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brocki Report post Posted October 12, 2016 Completely agree with Herman. We got a Traveler a few months ago and once we got used to it, we are quite satisfied. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
abyrd Report post Posted October 12, 2016 I have Dish programing and Tailgater Cube, only complaint that I have is getting programing reactivated after several weeks of non use. You have to call DISH to initiate program, if you identify your system as a Tailgater they are lost and they will give you the run around. I have found out if you just give them the receiver serial number and smart card number its a snap. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tbutler Report post Posted October 12, 2016 The other limitation with the dome is the much smaller dish surface which will make strong signal a must. Add that to the problems with dew or moisture on the dome, makes for more loss of signal time than with any folding dish. Any weakening by heavy clouds or trees can result in no signal. We have a dome and when it is done, we'll change to a folding dish. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
blakeloke Report post Posted October 15, 2016 Completely agree with comments above. We changed out our "in-motion" dome for the Winegard Trav'ler earlier this year and added HD TVs to the bedroom & living room. Awesome reception and full HD! The only downside I've seen so far is that the Trav'ler doesn't always stow and gets locked up in a "semi-up" mode. There's a recalibration sequence to go through when that happens......just a bit irritating but has always worked. Blake Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted October 15, 2016 WD 40 is your friend, twice a year. no lock up! Carl Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
blakeloke Report post Posted October 15, 2016 Never thought of that Carl! Thanks....will do it! Blake Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillAdams Report post Posted October 15, 2016 Please! do not use WD-40. A bit of dry silicone spray is good but WD-40 can cause issue with long term usage. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted October 15, 2016 Why? WD 40 is not a lubricant, it's a protectant against the weather. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hayesfamily Report post Posted October 19, 2016 On 10/15/2016 at 6:32 PM, manholt said: Why? WD 40 is not a lubricant, it's a protectant against the weather. Actually WD-40 is more of a solvent than anything. If you're looking for a long-term project and I would also go with a silicone dry spray or something along those lines. I had a funky experience with WD-40 where is just ran away with the rain and left everything I did completely unprotected with my bike. So now for my bicycle chain I use a very thin layer of silicone and I've never had a problem if it rains while it was on the back of the car. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brocki Report post Posted October 24, 2016 I would like to throw another item in to be considered. What kind of programming do you like? This is STRICTLY MY OPINION. If you are a sports fan, and have favorite teams you want to follow, Direct TV has it all over Dish. We had Direct earlier and you have extra cost options that may or may not be worth it to you but you don't even have the choices on Dish. Just something else to consider. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
blakeloke Report post Posted November 5, 2016 We mostly watch the news, history, natgeo, velocity....lately we've been watching the political pundits with regard to the upcoming elections. We use Direct. Blake Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wayne77590 Report post Posted November 6, 2016 My RV did not come with a satellite dish/dome so I purchesed the Winegard Carryout. It has the same limitations as any dome, dish - full HD 1 satellite at a time. Direct - 1 satellite and no HD. The nice thing about it is that when I am parked under trees, as I am now, I can find an opening up to 50 feet in any direction. The carryout is smaller than a lot of dome antenna but the only time I loose a signal is during very heavy rains. Light rain and dew moisture does not have an affect on it even at 30-40% signal strength. I would like a traveler and it is sometime in the future. One problem with having the traveler is that I presently have only one satellite line coming into the RV. In order to have the full functionality of the traveler a second line would somehow need to be run. One dealer said hole over the recieve location through the roof. I don't like that idea so any suggestions are appreciated. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillAdams Report post Posted November 6, 2016 The hole in the roof option is the most common and should not give you any reason for concern. I have done hundreds that way and with the proper cover plate and a dose of Dicor caulk and it will be just as leak proof as every other hole in your roof (and you have lots!). If you don't mind paying the extra labor there are other option including running cabling through a/c duct lines or the foam insulation in the roof but it can be quite difficult and time consuming with no added benefit other than less exposed coax on the roof. If you are current a DirecTV customer there is an additional option. The Trav'ler uses a SWM setup so a splitter could be installed inside the RV with the existing coax and a new coax run from that location to where you want a 2nd TV. That also means there is a possibility that a coax already exists from the from to the rear that could be re-purposed. With all of that said, both DirecTV and Dish Network have a Genie or Joey and both have wireless clients. Use the existing wiring and install the Genie or Hopper and install the wireless clients where ever you like. No new cables! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wayne77590 Report post Posted November 7, 2016 Thanks Bill. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hayesfamily Report post Posted November 30, 2016 So I have a dish on my roof but its the old round dish. How difficult is it to have that swapped out for a trav'ler? My main concern if the little crank up arm being removed from the old dish and this gapping hole in my ceiling. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted November 30, 2016 Keon, Pretty easy to remove an old/obsolete dish: Use a piece of aluminum larger than the hole on the roof itself to cover the hole. Bed the aluminum with the appropriate sealant/caulk for your type of room and screw it to the roof at the corners of the aluminum-- if large area use more screws. Put sealant/caulk on the screws as well as between aluminum and roof. On the interior ceiling, make a piece of wood matching the kind/color of the existing interior wood and install it over the hole. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillAdams Report post Posted November 30, 2016 You can also just leave the mounting hardware of the old antenna in place inside and out. You remove the antenna, arm and LNB and just leave the round base in place and the interior crank where it is. Now install the Trav'ler beside base or anywhere on the roof that's convenient. I have done it both ways (as Brett describes as well) depending upon the customers desires. As an addition to what Brett said, you can also cover the hole on the inside with a smoke detector. Double duty! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
desertdeals69 Report post Posted December 1, 2016 17 hours ago, HayesFamily said: So I have a dish on my roof but its the old round dish. How difficult is it to have that swapped out for a trav'ler? My main concern if the little crank up arm being removed from the old dish and this gapping hole in my ceiling. One possibility is to replace the round dish mount with a batwing off air antenna, should fit in the same holes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hayesfamily Report post Posted December 2, 2016 On 11/30/2016 at 8:29 PM, desertdeals690 said: One possibility is to replace the round dish mount with a batwing off air antenna, should fit in the same holes. I have a Batwing on the other side. I was hoping to use the same hole for the Travler but guess that may not be an option. Can I still use the old dish for anything? It was put on the coach in 99 era of Television Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jrock Report post Posted December 2, 2016 I'd take it off and use it for a boat anchor. If you take some measurements I think you will lower your height by several inches. My dome is the highest thing on the roof. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillAdams Report post Posted December 2, 2016 1 hour ago, HayesFamily said: I have a Batwing on the other side. I was hoping to use the same hole for the Travler but guess that may not be an option. Can I still use the old dish for anything? It was put on the coach in 99 era of Television Yes, but you are not going to want to! That antenna can be used to receive the DirecTV SD programming (no HD content) or 1 of the 3 Dish Network satellites at a time. Most of the Dish HD programming is on the 129 satellite so you can get much of the Dish programming but not all (by far). You can remove everything that's there now, seal up the hole as described earlier and place the Trav'ler over that hole adding addition protection from the weather but that roof seal is not completely weather proof so you can't JUST put the Trav'ler over the whole and be done with it. The inside part remains the same. You will also still need to run a new control cable line which will require a new hole in the roof (no big deal!) and you may want to run a 2nd coax into the coach so you can get HD on more than 1 TV by utilizing a 2nd receiver. The Trav'ler is an awesome antenna and just about the only way to get satellite TV (Dish or DirecTV) in your RV with just about zero effort. I used to work for Winegard so if you have more questions just fire away. I, or someone else, will be along to help. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites