Portable Dish

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PCB2054

Member
Joined
May 11, 2018
Posts
12
Everyone!
My wife and I bought a 2018 Catalina 261BHS and love it.  I want to make a few modifications over the winter.  I want to be able to watch tv from anywhere.  I have heard a lot of people say the Winegard Pathway X2 is the way to go but I have no clue if that is accurate.  Also, can I just but a dish receiver from somewhere or does it have to be programmed by Dish for my Dish Account?

I have Dish Network now, but I may eventually switch if service/rates change.

Let me know.  Any input would be great.  Thanks!
 
I am not sure if this helps - but here is my recent experience with DISH for my RV.

I just purchased the DISH tailgate package.  I am an existing DISH customer.  It comes with a Wally receiver that is fairly self explanatory.  The Dish is the one best suited for either East Coast or West Coast (it locks onto a satellite automatically).  In general I am very happy with it - I used it last weekend and it took a few minutes to setup.  The initial setup, at home before my trip, took about an hour.  I needed technical support to help with a known issue that required a software download.  When I first purchased it wasn't clearly evident that I would need an external hard drive before I can DVR. 

 
FYI the total package was ~$350 for dome dish and Wally receiver.  The monthly fee is $7 to access the same DISH package as at home.
 
I have been very happy with my Pathway x2. I bought it on Amazon.  Also bought a 211k receiver from Amazon. I got the 211k receiver because my coach is wired for component video.
 
The Pathway X2 is the current best of the portable automatic dishes for Dish reception, but it cannot be used for DirecTV. If you have a Dish Hopper series receiver at home, it will not work with the X2 or any other portable automatic dish. Instead, you'll need either a Dish Wally or VIP 211k or z receiver that can be added to your account for $7/mo. You can buy the receiver and dish from a number of third party sources, including Amazon. The receiver must be activated on your account before you can watch your already subscribed program package.
 
Only the receiver is "programmed for your account", and it gets a program card inserted (essentially like the Sim card in a phone) that activates it for your account. The dish itself has no smarts except that the LNB is calibrated for Dish TV satellite signals.
 
Current Dish receivers no longer use a "smart card" that's inserted into a slot. There's a pseudo-smart card built in to the receiver though, with a number found on the diagnostics menu that you give to Dish during activation. The number can also be found on labels on the receiver and the original packaging.
 
Have used the pathway X2 for several years. Tried the tailgater but it lost signal during light rain. The X2 usually works during rain storms.
 
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