Satellite dish question March 06, 2001, 01:18:16 pm Yahoo Message Number: 2451This may seem like a stupid question, but when you have the satellite dish on your RV do you need to pay a yearly or monthly fee in order to receive programs, or is that only for home based dishes that receive all the premium channels? Exactly how does that work? Thanks!LLD
Satellite dish question Reply #1 – March 06, 2001, 01:56:55 pm Yahoo Message Number: 2452I had service with Pegasus(Direct TV) last summer and paid $21.99/mo. for service that included all the cable channels, History, A&E, ESPN, etc. but no premium channels, HBO, Cinemax, etc. Network feeds ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX (both east and west coast feeds) cost another couple of dollars per month. There was also a one time hookup fee that I think was $10.00.jack
Satellite dish question Reply #2 – March 06, 2001, 04:18:31 pm Yahoo Message Number: 2459Thankx for inputs about satellite tv! I'm just at the point of deciding about accessories for my 26.5 MB ordered in October for May (?) delivery.Your experience using Pegasus DirectTV is relevant. One more question: how difficult to find the satellite when you arrive at a new location. Someone (LD factory, I think) says "enter your zip code ..." Does that work?But how do you know the zipcode of that favorite boondock place 20 miles from the nearest town?Can the satellite run off of latitude & longitude input? That's much more precise (by GPS), and available everywhere, even Canada and Mexico. Is there a provider that DOES operate on Lat/Long?What is your demand for power? Does having a satt imply I will want to have solar charger?Thanks for input! John
Satellite dish question Reply #3 – March 07, 2001, 09:58:08 am Yahoo Message Number: 2495Hi John,Yes, you can get the same initial azimuth and elevation data for your satellite dish using either Lat/Lon or Zip Code. The initial alignment, using this data, is not very precise however, and you will probably still have to fine tune the azimuth and elevation of the antenna to get better pointing accuracy. You will need a compass and level to do the initial pointing. I use a signal strength meter (Camping World & Radio Shack sell them) for final alignment. There is a signal strength function built into the satellite receiver and displayed on the TV, but it is hard to use especially when you're outside the motorhome making the adjustment. Incidentally, the satellite is too close to the horizon for operation in Canada.As far as power consumption, the TV will use much more power than the satellite. My satellite receiver and antenna consume about 0.4 Amps while the TV consumes almost 4.0 Amps.jack
Satellite dish question Reply #4 – March 07, 2001, 10:14:11 am Yahoo Message Number: 2496I have the Winegard manual roof mounted dish and found that the easiest way to align it is to set the elevation as precisely as possible and then just rotate the dish slowly to aquire the satellite. Winegard makes an elevation meter called the Digital Magic to do this although I elected not to buy one. I made a table that tells me how many revolutions to crank for a given angle and it works fine. Generally, I can align it in just a few minutes. Also, I was able to get the DirecTV sat as far north as Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia so they do work up there.
Satellite dish question Reply #5 – March 07, 2001, 02:20:54 pm Yahoo Message Number: 2506I really appreciate the several responses re satellite TV and its power needs. I'm just on the point of ordering that stuff for my to-be-built LD.One thing in bear bait jack's remarks that (I think) is incorrect. Power consumption: the thing consumed is *power* which is volts times amps. So the TV uses 4 amps at 12 volts (36 watts) and the receiver uses 0.4 amps at 110 volts for 44 watts. Pretty near a wash.
Satellite dish question Reply #6 – March 08, 2001, 09:20:31 am Yahoo Message Number: 2529Since John seemed concerned about battery power, the amperage numbers that I gave him were for +12V DC. I assumed that he would be using an inverter to convert +12V DC to 110V AC to power up his satellite receiver. So my measurements indicate that the satellite receiver plus inverter consumes approximately 5 Watts (12V x 0.4A). 44 Watts seems like a lot of power for a satellite receiver. If there is still a question about my measurements, I will make them again.jack
Satellite dish question Reply #7 – March 08, 2001, 03:15:37 pm Yahoo Message Number: 2540Does anyone manufacture a satelite reciver that uses 12 volts? Something made for RV or marine use.
Satellite dish question Reply #8 – March 08, 2001, 04:21:51 pm Yahoo Message Number: 2542I would measure the current by plugging the satellite receiver in to an inverter and then measuring the DC current draw of the inverter. Using this method has the advantage of including the inefficiency of the inverter.The planning sheet at rvsolarelectric uses 2A for a satellite receiver. If you are measuring 110V current, you will need to convert to watts and then divide by the DC voltage to get the DC current value to use in the planning sheet. [url=http://www.lazydazeowners.com/[url=http://www.rvsolarelectric.com/worksheet.htm
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Topic: Satellite dish question (Read 7 times)
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