built in satellite dish

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yarnkitty

Active member
Joined
Jun 4, 2012
Posts
42
Location
Austin, TX
Here's another question!  We have a winegard satellite antenna on the roof of our 1999 Bounder.  I don't know if it is original equipment or installed later.  This model was supposed to come with an OTA antenna and satellite dish optional, but I see no sign there was ever another antenna on the roof.  My question is, can I use this antenna to receive DirecTV or Dish Network or would I have to get their antenna? 
 
Neither DirecTV nor Dish make a mobile antenna for RVs, but the Winegard will work just fine for at least the standard definition programming.  If it's round, about 18" in diameter, then it will get SD programming only.  If it's a 24" oval, and has multiple LNBs, then can also get HD programming.  Tell us the model number and we can tell you exactly what it's capable of receiving.
 
My dish is the round 18 inch variety.  It has another disc shaped thing oriented perpendicular to the dish and about 3 feet in front of it on a metal support that extends diagonally from the base of the dish assembly.  If the thing on the little arm coming from the front of the dish is the LNB, it looks like there is one.  I just crawled around it on the roof and could not find a model number anywhere, nor on the crank inside.  I have no documentation about the dish in my reams of manuals, just installation instructions for the OTA antenna that isn't on the RV.
 
That's probably the RM-4600, the round thing on the arm is the LNB.  If it has the Elevation Magic there will be a small box somewhere with an LCD display that shows the elevation in degrees.  That makes it much easier to point the antenna.  You can get SD programming from either DirecTV or Dish with that antenna.
 
The round 18" dish is a single LNB satellite dish.  Most likely designed for Direct TV signal. It sounds like you do not have an over the air crank up antenna.  There is also a model that does not crank up, but mounts in a static position on the roof.  I have heard that they do not receive signal as well as a crank up, but that is second hand information. 

You probably have a connection box for the satellite antenna somewhere in the RV, most likely in a cabinet over the windshield somewhere.  Since the satellite dish on the roof is a crank up, there is also a elevation sensor somewhere inside the RV as well.  It is to crank up the dish and set the elevation at the same time. 

I have a roof mounted over the air antenna and I think I have used it 4 - 5 times in 6 years.  I usually use the satellite or park cable if I can not get signal at my site.
 

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