Winegard Trav'ler Dish

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arcticfox2005

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Apr 18, 2011
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I recently installed the Trav'ler dish I bought from Amazon. It was an easy install, and went smoothly. As has been stated earlier, getting the thing up on the roof was the hardest part of the whole deal. I used the box it came in as a sled, attached a rope, and pulled it up an extension ladder used as a ramp.

Now the question. We recently used it 4 nights on the road and it works perfectly once it peaks on the three satellites. The only concern I have is the length of time it takes it to do that - somewhere in the 10 minute range.

Is this normal? Any other users with similar results? We use our HD DVR from home and do not have DNS.

Thanks,
Bill
 
It does take a while for the Trav'ler to find and lock in to the satellites. Once in a while it's moderately quick, but usually it's searching for a while, then peaking. If you watch the dish itself, you'll see the search pattern (start aiming high, sweep around horizontally, then sweep aiming lower, etc.).

Unfortunately I don't know of a way to speed it up.
 
My experience is that the time can vary from five to fifteen minutes. Hasn't been an issue because I am busy doing other 'make momma happy  ::)' stuff. It usually takes a little longer than the DirecTV receiver boot.
Bob
 
That's probably close to average time. I always hit the button on my way out the door to hook up utilities, then put out the slides and get a beer. It's almost always done by the time I sit down on the occassions that I watch TV immediately.

ken
 
bucks2 said:
That's probably close to average time. I always hit the button on my way out the door to hook up utilities, then put out the slides and get a beer. It's almost always done by the time I sit down on the occassions that I watch TV immediately.

ken
Click to expand...
My schedule exactly.
 
The Trav'ler does not have GPS or compass capabilities so it has to start the search each time until it gets a hit.
 
Jeff said:
The Trav'ler dies not have GPS or compass capabilities so it has to start the search each time until it gets a hit.
Click to expand...

Actually, it is even a little worse than that since it will usually go back to its "last known position" before beginning a new search.  Therefore, at a totally new location it takes a couple of minutes to go to its last position to verify that there is no signal there.  Then it begins a new search.  Furthermore, a new search always begins with the dish at a tilt angle good for much of the country; if you are very far north or south it takes a while to get to those angles.
 
Thanks for all the comments - it sounds like mine is operating just fine.

One thing that it took me a couple of times to correct is: The control box for the dish is in the same cabinet as the DVR and both are powered off the same power strip. When we stop, hook up the electric, and then turn on the power strip, the DVR was coming to life. Then when I pushed the power button on the control box, the dish came to life. The DVR was then complaining that it could not find a signal because it was ready before the dish peaked on the satellites. Now, I have to be sure to turn the DVR off if necessary until the dish locks on.

All in all, it's a fabulous system - wish I had done it earlier.

Bill
 
The same thing happens to my DVR when we're setting up.  I just push the front panel reset button and let it reboot once the Trav'ler has locked onto the satellites.
 
I have had funny things happen to recordings like "no data received" when I forget to reboot the DVRs after the Trav'ler has locked on.
 
My Dish Hopper is plugged into the outlet that looses power when the ignition is on. So, when I turn the ignition off it automatically reboots itself. By the time it is looking for signal the Travler is just about ready to give it. I haven't had to manually reboot mine except when changing service addresses.

Ken
 
Do you need a subscription of any kind for this?  Also, does it work in Canada
Click to expand...

Yes, you need a DirecTV account, and no, I don't believe it will work in Canada. I'm not positive about the latter.

Bill
 
arcticfox2005 said:
Yes, you need a DirecTV account, and no, I don't believe it will work in Canada. I'm not positive about the latter.

Bill
Click to expand...

It will work throughout much of Canada (I'm using mine on PEI right now) but you can't buy a subscription without a US address and, I believe, it is technically illegal for a Canadian citizen to buy one (although we have seen a number of DirecTV antennas as we have driven around the countryside.)  Canadians are supposed to purchase the equivalent service from Bell or Shaw.
 
I learned the hard way a couple of weeks ago. Arrived at a new park and hooked up all the utilities, and THEN found out a big tree was blocking the dish from locking in.

Had to move one site over...after disconnecting all the utilities. So now, I lock the Trav'ler in first if there's any doubt at all. I do put the power on, but that's all until I know for sure.

By-the-way, my times are the same as reported by others. We don't have a DVR with our box, but we often have to reset it with the little red button.

Stan
 
The Travler requires EITHER a Dish, Direct, OR Shaw account. Previous comments stated that it requires a DirecTV account and that is not accurate. You purchase the Travler programmed to accept the provider you intend to use.

Ken


"Yes, you need a DirecTV account, and no, I don't believe it will work in Canada. I'm not positive about the latter."
 
Ken,

It's more than just programming. I have the model for Direct, but if I wanted to go to Dish I'd have to spend $300+ (the price a year ago) on a replacement for the upper part of it (keeping the base). The version for Dish cannot be converted to Direct, according to the outfit that installed mine, due to the base not being strong/heavy enough to work with the heavier part for Direct.
 
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