Itasca Satellite System

I just got off the phone with my dealer and was told that Winnebago has gone to the in-motion satellite domes and only uses Dish, is that true?  We have Direct TV at our house and to keep the costs down I'd like to have the same on my RV.  We have hd TV's and want to use our hd recievers in the new unit.  Any info would be appreciated.  Thanks.

4ducksrus said:

I just got off the phone with my dealer and was told that Winnebago has gone to the in-motion satellite domes and only uses Dish, is that true?  We have Direct TV at our house and to keep the costs down I'd like to have the same on my RV.  We have hd TV's and want to use our hd recievers in the new unit.  Any info would be appreciated.  Thanks.

Click to expand...

I think if you look at most in-motion units they work on both Dish and Direct TV by changing some dip switches so I am not sure that they will only work with one dish provider.

However, I did a quick check on the Winegard site on their latest in-motion dome.  It appears that while it picks up Dish and Direct ... it will only grab DISH in HD mode.  But here is the link, maybe I am reading it wrong.

http://www.winegard.com/minimax/

Yes, that's what they're telling me too.  I'm hoping there's some quick fix without costing me a lot of $$$.  Guess the one option would be to change out my house to dish and then they'd both be compatible.  That way I don't have to pay for the 2 services.  But, we've gotten used to the Direct and would hate to have to relearn....guess we're just getting old and set in our ways!  LOL

Just order your coach without the sat dish & install an aftermarket one of your choice.

It already has an "in motion" on the roof.

With a dome antenna Dish Network is the only service provider that you will be able to use in order to receive HD channels. Directv had put allmost all its HD channels on a KA satellite which a dome satellite can  not pick up

Harry,
Which do you have on your Itasca?  Dome or dish?

I have a Kingdome in motion dome antenna.  I have Dish Network as provider for the same reason as you have stated,  I wanted HD programming.  Left Directv so I could continue to use my dome antenna.  Has worked worked well well for me for over two years now.

I have the Winegard Road Trip SDi in motion satellite and use DirecTV.  To use DISH I would only need to change switches in the dome and, of course, have a DISH receiver and service. It is true you do not get HD with DirecTV, but I DO use a HD receiver that I take back-and-forth from the RV and the house.

I got an additional remote so they can stay in-place and are matched to the different TV brands in the RV and the house.

Placing the receiver in the house, I set it to receive HD channels only [no SD duplicates] While in the motor home I set the receiver to receive SD only. The reception is sharp in the motor home and I'm not lamenting its quality. 

I had to request DirecTV give me a distant networks (DNS) waiver to pick up the National networks. I mailed a form and copy of my vehicle registration. About 10 days later I was picking up local channels from the motor home while at home and NY (east coast) nationals while on the road. I could have faxed it for faster service.  I don't know if this is standard with both DirecTV and DISH, but you will receive National channels from the east or west coast based on the time zone where your home address is. If you are in CT or MT, you receive east or west based on the time zone you are contiguous with, i.e., I am in CT and receive Nationals out of NY.

I recommend you visit the website for the manufacturer of your satellite and download the user's manual.

When we purchased our first MH it came with a direct TV dish mounted on the roof.  At that time, I had Dishnetwork at home.  I switched to Direct to be able to take advantage of the ability to just pay $5 for the added receivers, instead of a complete additional service.  Also, at that time I tried to get them to give me my locals while traveling and was given a form to fill out, which I did.  I was then denied because they said that all of my receivers had to be in the MH and since 3 of mine were in my house, I didn't qualify.  Not sure what I did wrong but those are two scenarios that it has been different for me then what I've been hearing on this forum!  I've heard that I should not be paying the $5 monthly fee for the additional receivers ($10 if HD) and that I wasn't eligible for locals when out of my zip code.  I'm planning on researching both of these....

I believe things have changed with DirecTV.  They suggested I use the receiver that was in the motorhome to supplement the 2 new ones I got for the house when I switched from DISH to DirecTV for the house.  I pay $15 extra for the National networks, otherwise it is the package I have for the 3 HD receivers in the house.  Good luck sorting through all of it.

I have had DirecTV for years, not happy years, just years.  After many problems with the house to RV set-up, I was advised by DirecTV to have two accounts, one for the house and one for the RV.  This has worked well for the past three years.  When we travel, we put the house account in suspense and activate the RV account.  When we return we reverse the process.  DirecTV will allow you to suspend an account for up to six months, then you have to call and request the suspension be extended, if necessary.  We have HD DVR receivers in both the house and the RV.  When I make the activate/suspend call it takes three calls on average for DirecTV to get it working with the proper channels, etc.  Now, I expect to make three calls and am delighted if it is less.  Oh, another downside, when they suspend an account you leave a credit balance with them depending on what day of the month you suspend.  On one occasion, this suspended account balance was $75 and no refunds.  It stays in that account until you re-activate.

My concern today is that DirecTV is VERY EXPENSIVE.  My bill is close to $100/mth and I have no premium channels.

I recently learned that Winnebago has cut a deal with Dish Network for a pay-as-you-go plan.  I went to this web site to find out more.

http://www.dishformyrv.com/

It appears that Dish Network now offers a RV plan.  I called and the Dish Network phone rep was clueless.  She referred me to a local Dish Network dealer who had only partial information.  I was told the new plan is $24.99/mth for the first year and $39.99 after that for 120 channels.  Plus a receiver charge of $6.00 a month.  They said they do not offer national channels but will in the future.  After the phone calls, I was left wondering what the program actually costs and why Dish Network cannot explain it to me.  I still wonder if I wouldn't save money with Dish Network, BUT I definitely want national channels.  Maybe someone else has more information on the new Dish Network program

Rex - interesting situation!  DirecTV also digs fairly deeply into my wallet each month.  Dish for my RV is an authorized Dish dealer, so perhaps that plan is something that business cobbled together.

I'm not sure what  you mean by "national channels". If you mean the Distant Network Service, i.e. the network feeds from either the East or West Coast, that is available for Dish via a third party. All American (MyDistantNetworks.com) will provide distant networks for Dish customers who have a legitimate mobile account.

If you just mean receiving the major network channels, they are available as "local service" in most any area you visit. You would need to notify Dish of your new local service area (zip code) and when you get those locals, you will see national network tv programming (ABC/MBC/CBS/Fox). You would have to do this each time you move.

Gary,

Yes I meant Distant Network Service with East or West Coast feeds.  And, yes Dish offers this on their standard service.  However, I was told they do not have it available on the RV Pay As You Go plan and will have it offered at a later date.

And, yes, you can get major network channels, ie local channels, in any area you visit.  However, DirecTV has to change your address in their system and has told me they will not change the address unless you are there at least four weeks.  Possibly, Dish Network, will allow you to do this more frequently.

4ducksrus said:

I just got off the phone with my dealer and was told that Winnebago has gone to the in-motion satellite domes and only uses Dish, is that true?  We have Direct TV at our house and to keep the costs down I'd like to have the same on my RV.  We have hd TV's and want to use our hd recievers in the new unit.  Any info would be appreciated.  Thanks.

Click to expand...

I'm not sure if this will help you but it is worth investigating.  Just before Christmas my old SD roof mount satellite system (Winegard) decided to die.  It was obsolete and unrepairable.  I decided to upgrade to HD (I have DirecTv) but all Wingard had was one system (not in-motion which I didn't want anyway).  However, the retail for it was $1,900.  Since I had a "legacy" system, they offered me the HD stationary antenna out of their Loopstock inventory for 1/2 price, which I jumped on.  The Loopstock inventory is where antennas go that are not wanted by either the original RV owner or a dealer or whatever.  The point is they are all new or reconditioned as good as new.  You might want to ask them about this.  FWIW, I've had DNS since it came out and have it in my house and MH all on the same bill.  I'd love to trade my monthly bill for those of you who are complaining almost $100! ;D 

Not sure whether it's relevant, but our '03 coach had a TracVision dome on it when we bought the coach last year, with a Dish network receiver. A tech converted it to DirecTV for us, apparently pretty easily and it was not costly. I just had to go to Best Buy and purchase a DirecTV receiver. So, you might just call up an RV-aware TV person and see what they tell you. Ours was a tech in Tucson AZ -- if that helps, PM me for his contact info.

sheltie said:

I'm not sure if this will help you but it is worth investigating.  Just before Christmas my old SD roof mount satellite system (Winegard) decided to die.  It was obsolete and unrepairable.  I decided to upgrade to HD (I have DirecTv) but all Wingard had was one system (not in-motion which I didn't want anyway).  However, the retail for it was $1,900.  Since I had a "legacy" system, they offered me the HD stationary antenna out of their Loopstock inventory for 1/2 price, which I jumped on.  The Loopstock inventory is where antennas go that are not wanted by either the original RV owner or a dealer or whatever.  The point is they are all new or reconditioned as good as new.  You might want to ask them about this.  FWIW, I've had DNS since it came out and have it in my house and MH all on the same bill.  I'd love to trade my monthly bill for those of you who are complaining almost $100! ;D

Click to expand...

I think this is a very viable option and one which would let you retain DirecTV.  The problem I think is with HD with an in-motion receiver, not HD.  As the main watcher of TV in my house no one ever watched TV while we ran down the highway, plus the few times I tried it bumps would do weird things to the TV picture, so I just did not use it anymore, switched to a stationary HD Dish ... which they make for both DirectTV and Dish ... in HD mode.

Bottom line, if you ain't gonna watch TV running down the highway, stick with a stationary dish up top.

I have received new information about the Dish Network "Pay As You Go" plan.  I will post a new message explaining what I found under Tech Talk.

sheltie said:

I'm not sure if this will help you but it is worth investigating.  Just before Christmas my old SD roof mount satellite system (Winegard) decided to die.  It was obsolete and unrepairable.  I decided to upgrade to HD (I have DirecTv) but all Wingard had was one system (not in-motion which I didn't want anyway).  However, the retail for it was $1,900.  Since I had a "legacy" system, they offered me the HD stationary antenna out of their Loopstock inventory for 1/2 price, which I jumped on.  The Loopstock inventory is where antennas go that are not wanted by either the original RV owner or a dealer or whatever.  The point is they are all new or reconditioned as good as new.  You might want to ask them about this.  FWIW, I've had DNS since it came out and have it in my house and MH all on the same bill.  I'd love to trade my monthly bill for those of you who are complaining almost $100! ;D

Click to expand...

How did you find out about loopstock? I would like to buy a Trav'ler for 1/2 price.