Satellite TV

[Billyk]

I was given a brand new never opened box Dish receiver for streaming, can I use it in a RV ??

[RJS3791RD]

I would suggest taking a picture of the box so we know exactly which reviver you have in hand. Most that I have seen, should be compatible for an RV environment. Do you have the dish that goes outside and points at the satellites to capture the signal?

[GlasNav]

Usually requires a Wally receiver for compatibility with portable antenna units, e.g Winegard, and King are the typical compatible antenna products.

[GlasNav]

Originally Posted by Billyk

I was given a brand new never opened box Dish receiver for streaming, can I use it in a RV ??

Streaming infers connected to a broadband source over the internet. Is that what you want to do, or access satellite TV?

[wiredgeorge]

To watch television using a Dish receiver, you will need a satellite dish and preferably one that orients automatically. I had a Dish Playmaker and a Wally receiver. A Dish 211 receiver will also work but that is about it. I had Dish TV in my home and paid $7 a month additional to add the camper Dish setup. I generally set my antenna on my slideout and connected to a connector I installed on the outside of my OLD camper that fed the receiver. Since trees sometimes block your signal and setting it on the slideout may not give you a clear view of the southern sky, I had a tripod and several different lengths of coax.

Dish got so expensive for the house that we dumped it and sold our Dish for the RV equipment. We now use a Roku and either campground WiFi or 4G LTE to stream TV. Works pretty well and costs nothing as we have as much data with our cell service as we like. I have added both a cell booster/router and WiFI booster/router to out camper.

[Billyk]

Picture of box

[Billyk]

Thanks for replies I understand what I have. Can’t use it throw it in the trash. Some times stuff that falls out of a truck is not valuable at all.

[RollaMo]

Originally Posted by Billyk

Picture of box

That is what we are using at home.
Direct TV Stream.

It is not a Satellite TV receiver, but uses the internet to "stream" tv.
It will require a good internet connection and a subscription to the service.
It works rather well for that.

[wiredgeorge]

If you are going to stream, DirecTV Stream is perhaps the most expensive and has the most features. We use a Roku and pay for Hulu Live TV for our home and use the same when camping.

[Badbart56]

We got StarLink internet earlier this year and love it! And it's costing us less than what we were paying for Viasat and Hughes Net. And unlike the others, it actually works. I understand you can get the portable version for the rv.

[GlasNav]

Originally Posted by Badbart56

We got StarLink internet earlier this year and love it! And it's costing us less than what we were paying for Viasat and Hughes Net. And unlike the others, it actually works. I understand you can get the portable version for the rv.

Starlink is in our future plans once the waitlist is removed from this region. We plan on dropping the high priced rural fiber being the only service available where we are located in NE Kansas, installing Starlink and also utilize their mobile option for the trailer. Good to hear that the technology is stable.

[Canonman]

I get FREE DVD movies at the County Library to watch while camping. No dish, No Wally, No service, No problem

[Kzneft]

We got Starlink RV last year. It is fantastic for us ! I get 100mbps+ when connected. We can stream movies, wifi our phones, and work on the laptop, all at the same time. Once you are initial connected, the next time you connect at a new camp place, its only about 10 minutes and we are connected. Best thing we have done.

[dutchmensport]

For the price you will pay for either Dish TV or Direct TV and be locked in for a couple years and then you'll experience nothing but commercials, have to deal with calling into either service to report your current location to get local stations, is simply much, much cheaper and easier to just use "streaming" television over the internet. Did I mention being locked into a 2 or 3 year contract and it isn't cheap.

You'd do better to upgrade the data plan on your cell phone to an unlimited plan and pick up a Roku television that is internet and wifi ready. There are dozens and dozens of free streaming stations on the internet and many, many more paid stations. If you have an Amazon account, pay a subscription, then you already have access to Amazon Prime.

Satellite television works well if you are permanently stationary (like in a house) and you don't mind paying a fortune and rising prices every year. But if you travel, streaming television over the internet is a much easier way to go.

We picked up a WeBoost phone booster for our cell phones ($500 one time purchase) and now can pick up phone service great. We had Dish TV and Direct TV in the past. We'll never go back to that.

[coastn]

Really feel a need to comment on the above for clarification on traveling with Dish TV service. In 2009 I subscribed to Dish TV Tailgater service which is a month to month billing arrangement, meaning only pay for the month (or subsequent) you're using the service. No contract. Start and stop when you want. Invested less than $500 for a receiver and mobile Dish Tailgater antenna. Have since replaced the antenna with a Winegard Playmaker and the original receiver still works like a champ. No need yet to replace with a Wally. Dish has since developed the MyDish app. It allows you to pay your bill, restart your service after being on pause, change your local channel locations and more from the convenience of your mobile device. No calling their support group, usually in Manilla, anymore. So, when I start my February trip to AZ first stop is in Albuquerque where I'll set out my antenna, plug cable into satellite port on the rig, plug in receiver to 110 and let it find satellites on its' own. Then open MyDish app, go to outdoor services, pay for a month's service, locate local channels, and 15 minutes later I'm watching TV. That's how it works these days. Many of the campgrounds I stay in will not permit streaming. Just sayin'

[Mikendebbie]

I will add this to Coastn’s post…if you also use Dish at home along with the “mobile” setup described by Coastn - you WILL have to call Dish customer service to have the local channels changed as you travel. You can not do that thru the app. Once you get back home call them and ask that your local home channels be turned back on. This applies only if you have Dish service at home and use Dish on the road.

[MattE303]

Originally Posted by coastn

...So, when I start my February trip to AZ first stop is in Albuquerque where I'll set out my antenna, plug cable into satellite port on the rig, plug in receiver to 110 and let it find satellites on its' own....

Helpful tip if you boondock with this setup, I got tired of having to do the full bootup/satellite search every time we wanted to watch tv after having the generator off, so instead of plugging the DISH receiver into 110, I got a small inverter that we plug into a 12v outlet to keep the receiver continuously powered. It's not a huge draw so it doesn't kill the batteries and makes using the DISH system much more convenient.