Dish Outdoors TV

[flyingjack]

Just got an add for Dish Outdoors; anybody use this and if so would you comment.

We're currently using Direct TV at home and canceled 2nd system for RV many years ago when we quit traveling for work so now just stream through Verizon air card which is poor in many places. We'll be traveling next winter all over the SE US. So looking for something that can be used almost anywhere in US-lower 48.

Thanks for any info and opinions.

Jack

[Hollowhead]

We have dish network at home and have a dish tailgater for camping. Easy to set up and works great.

[Hblick48]

I've used my Dish Travel'r all over US. Never had a problem finding satellites so long as you are not blocked by trees. I also carry a Pathways portable dish that I can place anywhere with 50 foot cord when rig mounted dish is obscured.

Edit: I take my Hopper 3 from home, so there's no extra charge when on the road.

[grey ghost]

We have used the Dish Playmaker and used to take our wally from the upstairs bedroom, but now have a dedicated wally in the rig. Never had problems until we bought our new 2020 Montana 3121RL. Now we have to run our coax cable through a window and hook it up directly to the wally inside. They tell me it is a problem with the KEY TV system used by Keystone. However, until this we have NEVER had a problem as long as we had a clear view of the southern sky. I would highly recommend the Dish product for traveling!!

[bsmith0404]

If you have DTV (We do as well) why not just use that? We have a King One Pro and just take the house receiver with us when we go out. Have used it in several places, including Mexico. It’s a little more complicated to hook up than the Dish Playmaker, but we don’t have to change our service or add anything. I have everything set up in the RV so I just need to connect two cables , set the dish out and go through the satellite location steps.

My parents stay in the RV over the winter. We have additional receivers In extra bedrooms in the house, we just move one of those to the RV when they’re here.

[flyingjack]

That's why I inquire on this forum; lots of quick/good answer/suggestions.
Thanks all

Jack

[Hblick48]

Originally Posted by grey ghost

We have used the Dish Playmaker and used to take our wally from the upstairs bedroom, but now have a dedicated wally in the rig. Never had problems until we bought our new 2020 Montana 3121RL. Now we have to run our coax cable through a window and hook it up directly to the wally inside. They tell me it is a problem with the KEY TV system used by Keystone. However, until this we have NEVER had a problem as long as we had a clear view of the southern sky. I would highly recommend the Dish product for traveling!!

Install a coax outlet outside of your entertainment center. Connect it to your receiver on the inside.

https://www.amazon.com/Furrion-Connector-Coaxial-Weatherproof-Sealing/dp/B017P8HAP2/ref=sr_1_10?crid=FT0UDDC4O52J&keywords=exterior%2B coax%2Bcable%2Bbox&qid=1655506161&sprefix=Exterior %2Bcoax%2Caps%2C473&sr=8-10&th=1

[Mikendebbie]

We have Dish in the SOB and use a Tailgater + Wally black box in the RV. it has worked well for us. 2018 models did not have KeyTV thankfully, but I can not use the house coax for the Tailgater…bad splitters, connections, who knows…but campground cable and over the air antenna work well on all 3 TVs.

I used to poke the coax thru a window, but I ran a dedicated coax down behind the TV thru the slideout wire loom with a pigtail hanging down. I have a cap on the pigtail for travel to keep it clean. I hook up the Tailgater there and everything works as it should. Some folks install “the pigtail” permanently on the slideout wall with a nice connection - but DW did not want me drilling holes on the exterior walls (she knows my level of competence and skill!).

[RickV]

Originally Posted by Hblick48

Install a coax outlet outside of your entertainment center. Connect it to your receiver on the inside.

https://www.amazon.com/Furrion-Conne...3&sr=8-10&th=1

This is what I did when the "KEYTV" started acting up. We have a Wally and a Gateway X2 dish works great. We also have a 2TB SSD to make the Wally a DVR. It is a one time fee of $40 to activate it. We record a bunch of movies and stuff for when we can't put it out due to wooded sites. You can still access the DVR even if you don't have the dish set up. Two of the last three campgrounds we were in were in the woods so, between the DVR and streaming we had stuff to watch.

[bsmith0404]

I wish RV manufacturers would work out the bugs of new things before they released them. KeyTV has been a problem since it was first used by Keystone. I remember reps coming and telling us about it, but even the reps couldn’t really answer questions other than saying it reduced the number of splitters and amount of coax that was used. It was supposed to be a selling point. Personally I ignored it and hoped people didn’t start asking me questions I couldn’t answer. It was one of the few things I couldn’t tell a customer how to fix if they called me with a problem. I’ve never had it in an rv and don’t want it. Adding a separate connection seems like one of the best ways to deal with KeyTV.

[gearhead]

I hate our DISH system. We bought 2 Wally's and a King portable antenna. When we leave for a trip and call DISH to activate it is the most frustrating thing I've done in a long time. We eventually get it working but it is never the same procedure 2 times in a row. We can turn it off at night and the next morning have to call customer service to get it going. I had one CS Rep tell me I would have to run a cable through a window, even though it worked all day before and we hadn't moved an inch. I hung up on him.

[bsmith0404]

Originally Posted by gearhead

I hate our DISH system. We bought 2 Wally's and a King portable antenna. When we leave for a trip and call DISH to activate it is the most frustrating thing I've done in a long time. We eventually get it working but it is never the same procedure 2 times in a row. We can turn it off at night and the next morning have to call customer service to get it going. I had one CS Rep tell me I would have to run a cable through a window, even though it worked all day before and we hadn't moved an inch. I hung up on him.

My parents use the Dish system, I forgot about how long my mom sat on the phone with customer service each time to get them to activate her receiver for a different area. I’m not sure why that’s required, if I remember correctly it’s something to do with which satellites are being used. I’ve never had to do that with DTV yet. Hope that doesn’t change, any call to any customer service is a recipe for a headache.

[RickV]

Originally Posted by bsmith0404

My parents use the Dish system, I forgot about how long my mom sat on the phone with customer service each time to get them to activate her receiver for a different area. I’m not sure why that’s required, if I remember correctly it’s something to do with which satellites are being used. I’ve never had to do that with DTV yet. Hope that doesn’t change, any call to any customer service is a recipe for a headache.

There are three satellites in each arc one east and one west. I never have any problems setting up. I used to contact them to change the address where we were to get the locals as they are in a spotbeam, I don't even bother with it anymore.

[bsmith0404]

Originally Posted by RickV

There are three satellites in each arc one east and one west. I never have any problems setting up. I used to contact them to change the address where we were to get the locals as they are in a spotbeam, I don't even bother with it anymore.

Yeah, I’m not sure what the issue is. Maybe it’s because of how far away from home they are, Wisconsin vs New Mexico. I just know she has to call every year. Well, had to. Now we just move a receiver from the spare bedroom to the RV. I have an extra cable run from a splitter in the house. When our daughter comes, she stays in the bedroom and just uses the Roku.

[Mikendebbie]

You have to call Dish if you want to receive the local channels for the zip code where you are camping.

We have Dish in the S&B. When we get to the first stop I get everything set up (Tailgater + walley). I hookup tailgater to a coax pigtail I installed thru the wire loom under the slideout. I call Dish and run a scan while they wait. I give them my new zip code for the campground, they send an activation signal…and we are up and running. When I get home I have to call them and reset the zip code for Austin local channels. It seemed cumbersome in 2017 when we first got Dish for the RV, but now it all seems to work fine.

I am told that if you do not have Dish at home - you can change the zip code location thru the Dish Anywhere app.

[RickV]

Originally Posted by Mikendebbie

You have to call Dish if you want to receive the local channels for the zip code where you are camping.

We have Dish in the S&B. When we get to the first stop I get everything set up (Tailgater + walley). I hookup tailgater to a coax pigtail I installed thru the wire loom under the slideout. I call Dish and run a scan while they wait. I give them my new zip code for the campground, they send an activation signal…and we are up and running. When I get home I have to call them and reset the zip code for Austin local channels. It seemed cumbersome in 2017 when we first got Dish for the RV, but now it all seems to work fine.

I am told that if you do not have Dish at home - you can change the zip code location thru the Dish Anywhere app.

I think you can do the zip code change from a chat window too. We just don't bother anymore there is very little on network TV that we even watch and if there is something it is usually available to stream. We DVR everything with commercials so we can bump through em.

[flybouy]

I don't have Dish so I can't speak specifically to that service. With that being said, I do have some limited understanding of the location requirements for some of these services. Our youngest daughter works for a company that offers telecommunications for the deaf thru the state of Maryland. So I'm relaying information from what I consider a very knowledgeable source.

When cable companies and other ISPs began offering voice over ip they couldn't share your address. That meant if you called 911 from your phone thru your cable company the 911 center didn't your address. That law was changed. My understanding is that the zip code reporting was for the "emergency alert system". That service is what the "authorities use to send out amber alerts, silver alerts, weather alerts etc.

[MattE303]

Originally Posted by grey ghost

We have used the Dish Playmaker and used to take our wally from the upstairs bedroom, but now have a dedicated wally in the rig. Never had problems until we bought our new 2020 Montana 3121RL. Now we have to run our coax cable through a window and hook it up directly to the wally inside. They tell me it is a problem with the KEY TV system used by Keystone. However, until this we have NEVER had a problem as long as we had a clear view of the southern sky. I would highly recommend the Dish product for traveling!!

whoever designs and installs the coax cabling in Keystone trailers simply does not understand how satellite tv systems work. Our '17 Carbon toyhauler came with a dedicated "satellite tv" hookup in the wetbay but I couldn't get it to work. Looking at how it was wired, I discovered that they were using splitters that are not compatible with satellite systems (I think because they can't pass the 12v required to power a portable dish). I replaced their coax cabling with my own straight run of quad shielded RG6 from the existing connector in the wet bay to the entertainment center where we put the satellite receiver. It works perfectly now with our DISH Wally and Winegard Pathway X2 dish.