Lazy Daze Owners' Group

TV AWAY FROM STICK HOUSE

December 18, 2013, 11:31:33 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 144194

---

When i am on the road can l use my Direct TV unit.  I have seen this on this site that this is possible.
How ? What must l do ? Thanks

Re: TV AWAY FROM STICK HOUSE

Reply #2 – December 19, 2013, 08:42:47 am

Yahoo Message Number: 144196

---

Bobby,
 Basically the answer is yes, you can . All you need to do is take the receiver from your house and put it in your RV  . Of course, you'll need a satellite dish, either a roof-mounted one or a portable one .   Even if you have a roof-mounted dish, I recommend that you carry a portable dish and about a 100' - 150' of cable for those times when the RV is parked under the trees .
 You can spend a few hundred dollars for a portable dish that is automatic, or you can use a simple dish on a home-made stand (that's my approach)  . See http://www.wxtoad.com/index.php/lazy-daze/enhancements/low-profile-satellite-dish
 You'll have to learn about the ins and outs of receiving the network stations (ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, Fox) when away from home .  We don't even worry about that and just use whatever local over-the-air (OTA) stations we can get for local weather forecasts .
 Your receiver does NOT have to be connected to a phone line .  We've had our system for 0ver 10 years and it has never been connected to a phone line at home or on the road .

Good luck .

WxToad @ Fort Bliss, El Paso, TX

Posted by: "bobbytonglyall1" bobbytong@att . net bobbytonglyall1 Date: Wed Dec 18, 2013 9:31 pm ((PST))

When i am on the road can l use my Direct TV unit  .   I have seen this on this site that this is possible .
How ? What must l do ? Thanks

Re: TV AWAY FROM STICK HOUSE

Reply #4 – December 19, 2013, 08:46:22 am

Yahoo Message Number: 144198

---

I have no direct knowledge of Direct TV (pun intended) as I use DishNetwork.  Here is how DishNetwork works.  Direct TV is probably very similar.
 In a stick house, my DVR uses a smartcard to tell the unit what my subscription allows me to receive.  The DVR allows me to view or record from those sources.  The DVR does not care where it is physically located.  It can be in a stick house or in an RV.  It does not matter.  The DVR sends a signal to the TV, allowing my viewing.
 Here is something that DOES matter - the Dish.  At your stick home, the dish will be mounted  and precisely pointed at the sky.  A coax cable runs from the dish to the DVR.  More specifically, that coax cable connects to an oddly shaped receiver called a LNB which is mounted on the end of the arm that sticks out in front of the dish.  The LNB will hold one, two or three lenses.  This determines how many satellites can be seen - one, two or three.  The more satellites you can see, the more HD information you can receive.  It is my understanding that you need at least two to receive HD signals, but I am not certain of this.
 In any event, that dish and LNB must be precisely aimed at the satellite to receive a signal.  It must have a clear, unobstructed view of the sky where the satellite is.  Trees will block the signal.  To get that signal, the dish must be on a mount, the mount must be positioned properly, the dish's skew and elevation settings must be set (I get those by entering the zip code of the area where I am located into my DVR) and the dish must be aimed at the right azimuth, which also comes from my DVR.
 That sounds like a lot, but most of the time it takes me less than 5 minutes to set up my mount, my dish, and align it.
 There are several options for mounts.  I use an adjustable tripod, tied down so the wind won't overturn my dish (I learned the hard way).  I use a BirDog meter to fine tune the alignment.  Other mount options include systems that sit on top of the RV, some with automatic powered alignment, some with manual alignment.  I have seen something similar but portable, a small device with a dome over the top that can be placed on the ground near the RV.  The advantage of a portable setup is that you may not have a clear sky from the top of your rig but there may be clear sky nearby.  The disadvantage is that a portable setup may be a theft target.  I have never heard of that happening with a full dish like mine but it has happened with those smaller, portable powered devices.
 OK, so you have clear sky, your dish is aligned and is connected to the DVR.  What now?  With mine, I run a test program built into the DVR that identifies the satellites being seen (110 and 119 for me) and determines what channels are available for viewing.  Most of the channels I watch are viewable anywhere in the country.  Some, however, particularly those identified as "local channels" are on a spot beam from the satellite.  Those will be seen only within the area covered by the spot beam.  My spot beam setup for Cimarron, CO provided me with Denver local programming.  It held from Flaming Gorge to the northwest, to Aspen and Buena Vista, and as far south as Abiquiu, NM.  Currently I am on an Albuquerque spot beam, which will cover pretty much all of New Mexico.  When I relocate far enough to lose my current spot beam coverage, I call DishNetwork and request a new "Point Of Service" address.   I usually have the new coverage within about 20 minutes but sometimes it takes a few resets and occasionally another call before I am good to go.  I don't do this if I am traveling.  Instead I wait until I get to my destination before getting a new POS.  For example, when I leave here in the spring I will head for the Sierras.  I may lose my signal my last night in New Mexico, near Deming, because it is so far south of Albuquerque.  Certainly I will lose the signal by Tucson.  I will call for a new POS when I am in California, using either Ridgecrest or Lone Pine for my new POS address.  That will cover everything from Los Angeles to Lake Tahoe, and maybe even Shasta.
 In summary, there are challenges but I have found that once you know the system, and if you have a good meter such as BirDog to fine tune the alignment, your satellite TV reception can travel with you relatively easily.

Ken F in NM

Re: TV AWAY FROM STICK HOUSE

Reply #6 – December 19, 2013, 04:23:32 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 144202

---

You mount it in the roof and run a single coax to the TV.

Re: TV AWAY FROM STICK HOUSE

Reply #8 – December 20, 2013, 10:05:47 am

Yahoo Message Number: 144207

---

We've taken one of our "home" DirecTV satellite receivers on the road with us many times and things work fine.  We have a small folding dish (Winegard ?) that sits on the ground.
 The one issue with this arrangement, however, is keeping the satellite receiver "activated."  About once a month DirecTV talks to your receiver via the satellite.  If you have paid your bill, DirecTV gives the receiver permission to operate for another month.  If your receiver does not get this "permission"  it deactivates and won't work until it is re-activated.  To get the permission message, power must be applied to the receiver but it does not have to be "turned on."  If your receiver is not connected to the LNB or AC power is not applied it will not get the message from DirecTV and will deactivate.  This same situation will occur at home too but is more likely to happen on the road.
 Fortunately DirecTV has made is relatively easy for you to re-activate a receiver.  You need an account on the DirecTV web site.  After you sign in, there are instructions in the Tech Support area about how to do this.  It requires that you know the serial number of the receiver (maybe it is the id number of the program card in the receiver). You are only allowed to reactivate a receiver if your account payments are up to date.   I have done this a number of times.  When you do it the power must be applied to the receiver and the receiver must be connected to the LNB.  If the attached TV set is operating all of a sudden the error message on the screen disappears and a program appears.
 Note that this communication is via the satellite, not via a telephone line connection.  The telephone line is only used for "interactive" things like ordering Pay-for-View.

Doug Baker