A lot of us started with various manual mounts (tripods and such) when the smaller dishes for TV were introduced. The crank up roof mounts that required manual positioning were next, and that is what I used for many years on three different RV types.
Probably 4 years ago I installed a King Dome semi-auto roof mount, and other than HD that I would like next, I am a very happy camper. After cranking up and pointing the dish for so long, it was quite an improvement. My last one was in a Class C with the crank over the dinette -- so I had to bend, lean, and twist to get the sucker positioned. I didn't have jacks on those RVs so it was never perfectly level, which causes the TV screen numbers to always be slightly off. That in turn sometimes caused multi elev tries and azimuth scans to find the bird.
Now with my semi auto King Dome, it is all done via a remote. I "do" first push a button to get the elevation, then, using the rigs direction as 12:00 o'clock - push the azimuth buttons until I find the bird. In 4 years, have never had to change the elevation and make a second sweep with the azimuth.
Rain fade is not a problem. And I really like that wind is "never" a problem anymore. As to rain fade, I purchased a can of Dome Magic to spray the dome - and it works just fine for me. They advertise that it will last up to a year and that has held true in my case, if applied properly (cleaning the dome plus multiple coats). Also, the remote allows me to maximize the signal strength, so have never had the problem of rain causing the signal to lessen to the point of no picture. W/sat signal, if you have "any" signal, you have a good picture. Quality does not lessen with a weaker signal.
I guess I don't understand the statements here about not being able to get HD with a Dome. Both King Dome and Wineguard advertise HD w/both Dish and DirecTV. Am I missing something there? I hope to go HD and redo my TV and front cabinets - and would hate to have to go back to a sail (oops, I mean dish) on my roof.