HD for a mobile (RV) installation?

[hobie16]

Need advise, I currently have a 522 and Dish 500 with DPP LNB. I use this system at home and also move it to my RV when I travel. I use a second Dish 500 DP twin LNB on tripod. I usually am able to aim this dish with little trouble unless we are in a wooded area. My question is about upgrading to HD. Most of the posts indicate the need for an additional dish to aim at the HD satellite. Is this really necessary? Are there systems that receive all the satellites on one dish? How hard is it to aim for HD? What costs should I expect?

 

[Agonizing Fury]

Need advise, I currently have a 522 and Dish 500 with DPP LNB. I use this system at home and also move it to my RV when I travel. I use a second Dish 500 DP twin LNB on tripod. I usually am able to aim this dish with little trouble unless we are in a wooded area. My question is about upgrading to HD. Most of the posts indicate the need for an additional dish to aim at the HD satellite. Is this really necessary? Are there systems that receive all the satellites on one dish? How hard is it to aim for HD? What costs should I expect?

There is a single dish solution for HD, the 1000.2, the problem is that the 129 sat can be very hard to hit from certain areas (where I am it is at 24 degrees elevation) plus it has "issues". If you want try, you can pick one up from dishstore.net for $85. As long as your tripod is fairly stable it should work with your existing tripod. Depending on your location, and your planned locations) you may want to look into some threads about Eastern Arc and see if that may be the way you wnat to go instead. Avaialbility is currently limited, but with the right purchases you could probably be up and running regardless of exact avaialability.

 

[steve4810]

I upgraded my trailer to a vip211k and just kept using the Dish500. I found that I missed 129 channels very little.

Try that first you may find that you can't even remember what channels your not seeing.

 

[hobie16]

Thanks for the replys. I guess from what I read that there really isn't a problem getting HD on the current 110/119 sats and using the dish 500; however if I change over to a new dish (1000.2/1000.4) to get all the HD content will it be more difficult to align? Also I just read Scott's post about the new Eastern Arc sats which are now at 77, 72.7 and 61.5 degrees, does this require a different dish and LNB's from those I have or is it just a reaiming to the new location that is required?

 

[hendrix04]

Eastern Arc requires a 1000.4 dish (slightly different LNB pattern) or you could point a dish 500 and should be able to hit 61.5 and 72.7 (which are currently the only 2 sats being used). The only problem is that you need a new smart card to use it.

 

[steve4810]

Thanks for the replys. I guess from what I read that there really isn't a problem getting HD on the current 110/119 sats and using the dish 500; however if I change over to a new dish (1000.2/1000.4) to get all the HD content will it be more difficult to align? Also I just read Scott's post about the new Eastern Arc sats which are now at 77, 72.7 and 61.5 degrees, does this require a different dish and LNB's from those I have or is it just a reaiming to the new location that is required?

The problem with the way you stated your question is that it asks about what the situation will be at some unspecified future date.

As you'll see from your thread and others the current 129 bird is a weak link in the E* satellite chain. There is a brand new bird just now poised to take over some of the channel load and when that happens what channel is on what bird at what location could be entirely different so no one can give you any definitive answer in that regard.

But an overall observation: 3LNB dishes are trickier to get aimed for best performance because of skew errors becoming more important the wider the separation from one side to the other, as in 110 to 119 being a shorter stretch than 110 to 129. And skew being more critical implies that the verticallity of the mast is also more critical.

 

[jejagua]

I have an original Dish 1000 antenna that I use in my RV and I've found it hit or miss to align it properly.

Is the 1000.2 easier to align? I'm considering picking one up to try it.

 

[hobie16]

thanks Steve,
I am thinking that I will try to upgrade later this year. I live in upstate NY and travel mostly in the eastern US/Canada from Southern Ontario to the Florida Keys. I imagine that I would be provided an Eastern Arc system when I upgrade, so a 3LNB dish is what I would get. I currently align my Dish 500 antenna using a bubble level on the mounting post and hand held compass for azmuth; works well unless there aren't many clear opening in the sky. I have had some experience with the use of an Align-a-Site tool. It takes the difficultly out of getting the dish positioned since it is indepentent of mast vericallity and it helps locate a clear view location to setup at. I will probably purchase one for the new dish.