Smoky said:
I am agonizing over this decision.
Smoky, it seems this was discussed in another of your threads -- guess the idea of putting holes in your roof is lingering on for you. If you can get over that hurdle, there is no question that the roof mount is the way go to. The only other better way is o have both a roof mount and tripod for backup. There will be times when you cannot see the bird from the roof position. So unless you have both, that would be a downside to the RM.
Some have actually mounted on the ladder, but as I wrote in your earlier thread, getting fully up on the roof is what you will most likely have to do -- plus mounting on the ladder itself looks ugly to me, whereas the roof mount Ron is pushing is a much cleaner install. Others have placed escape hatches in their roof beside the mount -- but as mentioned before, if the pointing places the LNB arm in your face -- that would not be a good situation.
Once parked, setting up on the roof takes far less time than the tripod. Your coach will be level when you begin setting up whereas the tripod must be retrieved from travel location, set up, and then made level - and that can be a chore depending on the ground surface you find. Having been both a Civil Engineer doing survey work and also using the dish both on a plywood base, a tripod, and now a roof mount -- there is no question that it gets "old" fast.
After the tripod is level, you must now retrieve the dish itself from storage, then place it on, and secure it to, the tripod. Bottom line here is that you roof mount is already there, it is level, and the dish is in place. You just raise it and point it. Ron will tell you he can do that in 5 minutes, but best count on a little longer. If you have only moved a short distance, or have just gone to a dump station and returned, the Skew and Elevation remain the same -- so that time can be subtracted.
OTOH, that is a bit of a plus for the tripod. If you are dry camping -- such as Quartzite, a trip to the dump station is easier w/the tripod. You just unplug the cables and drive away, whereas the roof mounted dish has to go with you and be reset on return.
Another plus for the roof mount is those situations where you may want to use the dish for short stays during travel. I'm a heavy duty Kentucky basketball fan - and I subscribe to DirecTV full court to make sure I see all the Wildcat games. As an example, on several occasions earlier in the spring during March madness, I just pulled into a rest stop, quickly raised the dish, watched the game -- then got back on the road. Another time I parked in front of my brothers place in San Jose -- set up the dish and enjoyed a game. Other times I haved done overnight or short stays at Walmart, Camping World, or other parking lots -- all are examples times when you cannot use the tripod and will wish you had a roof mount.
Eventually, if your budget would allow, you will most likely want a completely auto dish -- such as the MotoSat that a number of our members have. That one has a larger base plate so will withstand the wind a bit better and will have less tugging during set up. I hope to do this one day when my ship comes in (the one with all the bucks on board). For now, they are outrageously over priced. But if affordable to the individual, being able to push a button for a short or long stay -- then have a glass of wine while Ron climbs up on his roof in the rain at midnight to set up --- "is" cool? 8).
Smoky, if it really bothers you (and I can understand the reluctance to drill holes in the new roof), you could go with the tripod -- then add the roof mount after gaining some experience. You would then have the tripod as a backup for those times you cannot avoid that tree or whatever in your line of site. However, take if from the very first RVForum dish user that has pointed the dish for 3 1/2 years from a plywood base on the ground, to one of the original experimenters with the tripod, to now a manually raised roof mount, there is "no" question that the roof mount is the best way to go -- IMHO.
