Which Sattellite TV Antenna

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bross

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Jul 12, 2006
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Location
Pennsylvania
I'm looking for advice on which satellite TV antenna to buy for mounting on my fifth wheel and any suggestions as to where to buy it. I currently use a tripod mount with dish network but want to upgrade to something more automatic. I want a unit that mounts permanently to the roof and finds satellites automatically. It doesn't have to work when the 5er is in motion and I can install it myself. Suggestions please?  :)
 
Definitely Motosat.  They think like RVers because the owner has a motorhome and understands what we need.

If you're even thinking about a dome model, please think hard about it.  Rain and dew can cause raindrop attenuation which can distrupt the picture so much that you lose your picture.  Then you may have to climb up onto a wet roof to dry off the dome.  NOT a safe thing to do!  Also, some manufacturers paint their domes which is a no-no because paint also can limit reception.

Are you considering an automated version?  If so, Motosat has a version that has only two buttons on the box - Find and Stow.  So easy!  We love ours and, I might add, we've had various versions of Motosat since first getting satellite TV a number of years ago.  When you're moving around a lot as we RVers tend to do, an automated version can be really nice.

Also, the size and shape of the dish varies.  The ones that receive hi def are larger (21 inches vs. 18 inches) and have 3 transducers because the antenna has to skew to receive different satellites.  If you have more than one TV you also need to consider coax cables and splitters.  If you go to Motosat and have them install the dish, then they'll do all that for you.

Also, if you plan to use a TIVO, during installation you need two coax leads down to the Tivo.

Getting local TV is nice for weather, but nothing beats satellite TV when you're out in the middle of nowhere!!  ;)

ArdraF



 
I will join the chorus  I listened to the experts and bought MOTOSAT.

However I will caution you not to loose that tripod  here is why

Normally, when I'm here in the great west where "Trees" tend to be under 10' tall (Rig is 12.5) The rooftop dome works great, In my case it is a one-dual LNB (Only sees one sat at a time but feeds two receivers) Fully automatic, will track as I drive so the Digital Video Recorders can.. Record.

However when I'm closer to the great pine forests of Michigan, where trees are often 100 or more feet tall and only a few feet apart at best.. Sometimes I have problems seeing that satellite even with a tripod mount, From the roof of the rig, no hop in heaven. (And heaven is, of course, where I'm trying to see)

If you don't want "in-motion" television (I do) Motosat has the MD-500 and MD-1000 which can see 2 and 3 birds the last one works for HD receivers.  Far as I know Motosat can set them up for Dish or Direc.    Myself, I like DISH but there is an issue with network TV (ABC, NBC ETC) you have to contract with a 2nd company for network TV, Dish will tell you who.
 
Does it mean that most of these these new RV's with satellite domes will have problems due to rain or dirt very frequenly ?
Do most dealerships carry and install Motosat ?
 
Giles said:
Does it mean that most of these these new RV's with satellite domes will have problems due to rain or dirt very frequenly ?

Giles, we've had a King Dome for 3 years and only on a few occasions have we had a problem. Not 100% trouble-free, but not enough to make me want to change the dish. OTOH if I were buying new, I'd get the MotoSat.
 
John,
You seem to have good knowledge on this issue.
AM I right to assume that a Motosat dome works good in motion, and can be hooked up to 2-3 TV's ?
Then, carry a tripod for back up, in case of failure of the dome, or if located under trees , or in case of rain or dew affecting the reception.  If so then, how do you get your cable connected to your receivers; how does it enter the MH ? New to this. Thanks.
 
I'm going to answer two questions here.. First the rain question:  Motosat domes are rated "Best" for rain fade, They are the last to die in a rain storm,, I suspect by about one minute or so but Motosat does not feel it is necessary to wax the dome, King Dome sells wax at a very high price for their domes.  One of the reasons I like Motosat.

The T-2 Automotion I have does work very well when in transit, It's a DP model and is stacked (Meaning they put both outputs of a dual LNB on one cable.. I know it's done, but alas, the explanation of frequency domain multiplexing can be complex)

It does drop out when I go under a bridge or tunnel (of course) or in some other places where it's view of the southern sky is blocked (S.Western sky normally)

The DP (Dish pro) version is STACKED,  and if you are going to run multiple receivers you need to have one that is STACKED

Motosat says they have had problems with these and thus they are not, currently, in production (I have no idea what the problems are, mine works great)

I have a dual receiver hooked up at it's base.

Hooking up 3 or 4 is possible,  you need the proper adapter or adapters on the end of the indoor end of the cable is all.  Basically a dual lnb is TWO lnb's in one case,  They are often described as "H" or Horzontal and "V" or Vertical  though in reality they are more likley R and L (right and Left) this refes to the nature of the signal they are looking for.  (Letters describe polarization)

A single LNB has only one LNB and a switch on it's antenna to change from V to H or R to L

A Single lnb can feed a bunch of receivers, so long as they all want either one polarization or the other  But if one set wants to watch a V transponder and the other wants an show that is on an H someone looses.

A DUAL lnb (Which the DP version or any other stacked version is) has two LNB's one dedicated to each side and a way of choosing between them (Either a switch, or pair of switches or in my case where the receiver looks for them)

I could add a 2nd dual receiver quite easily as both polarizations are live all the time so if Receiver one is watching a "V" and receiver 3 wants an "H" no problem.  Each transponder is on a different frequency and the nature of a block converter is that it can pass half a dozen (or more) transponders all at the same time if the receivers want it to, it is just translating frequencies

My best suggesiton is http://www.motosat.com and click on the "Contact Us" link
 
Tom and John,
Appreciate the answers; it helps.
A lot of techincal info, but will deal with them. Thanks again.
 
IMHO there isn't a dome TV Sat antenna that doesn't experience rain fade more then a dish and personally we wouldn't have a dome type antenna.  As for a very reliable TV Sat antenna that deploys and stores automatically I would highly recommend the Motosat dish type. 

We have Sat internet and receive our TV on the same dish thus with that .74 dish we seldom experience any rain fade.
 
there isn't a dome TV Sat antenna that doesn't experience rain fade

No disagreement Ron, although from my experience it's not as prevalent as folks make out. FWIW we have a couple of (non-dome) dishes at home and they sure suffer from rain interfering with reception, much more so than we've experienced with the dome on the coach. Not an opinion, just our observation.
 
Lot of possible variables with a home dish that has been aimed once manually by a installer such as how good is the alignment, is the dish being shadowed by an eve or vegetation.  Where as with a automatic deployed dish the alignment is peaked every time it is deployed.  Have you taken your birdog out ant check the TV dish at home?  You might be surprised how poor the alignment might just be.  I have found that even manually deployed TV dishes are usually better aligned than many that are found on stick homes.

 
 
Ron said:
Have you taken your birdog out ant check the TV dish at home?

Yep and reported the activity here on the forum. But that was only one of the dishes (the one that's used the most) and I don't recall if I did it with the other one or not. FWIW winter time the rain blows horizontally from the south.
 
OK, it looks like Motostat is the way to go but I think they will a little more difficult purchase and install than a dome. I don't see them at Camping World. After looking at the Motostat website I think I need an MD-500. Does anyone have an idea as to the cost or where I go to find a dealer? Can they be self installed or does it have to be installed by a dealer? 
 
Does it mean that most of these these new RV's with satellite domes will have problems due to rain or dirt very frequenly ?

Giles, sorry I'm just getting back into the discussion.  We're anti-dome because one was mistakenly installed on our new Monaco.  They said to give it a try and if we didn't like it they would replace it.  One of the first places we went was to Newport Dunes along the Pacific Ocean.  Every morning there was so much dew on the dome that Jerry had to go up on the wet roof and wipe it off.  That did not make either one of us very happy and Monaco replaced it the next week.  As you might guess, we'd probably never order a dome TV.

ArdraF
 
Bross,

Here is where to go.  Contact Dale Morris    [email protected]  PHONE:  (702) 604-6757

He used to run MotoSat's customer service and not he works for himself installing MotoSat dishes.

JerryFitzGreald
 
I do agree a dome will have more rain fade than a dish, and I fully understand why (Physics of radio)

And of course there is no true "Multi-Sat" dome,  There are domes that can look to 2 or 3 or even seven different sat's at the touch of a button,, But only one sat at a time.  To work properly with my DISH 625 I could really use a 2nd dome pointed at the other sat  Or the MD-500 Automatic DISH (or the MD-1000) from motosat.  As ron said not only do they give better rain performance, they get more channels
 
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