Trucker needs help.

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Here's one I found, nice antenna, not much weight either. Couldnt really determine if its for fta or subscription service, but you could prob swap out lnbf if needed:
Winegard RD-9046 - Portable Satellite Dish

I have one of those. I used to take dish on my camping trips. it is 18in circular lnb. easy to point. the real con with them is that the kids alway ran it over or I would trip over the cable so i would always find myself pointing in the dark. I let my neighbors use it on their boat now. they just plop it on the dock.
 
That's a $150 solution to a $10 problem.
But, it's a very nice $150 solution! :cool:

If we're back to watching Dish programming with an 18" dish, then anything can be used to hold and aim the little guy.
You could make something with suction cups or a sandbag.
Set it on the roof of your cab - I assume that's high enough to avoid vandals.
The other nice thing is, you can use a $10 sat meter to aim a DBS dish.
I've actually walked out into the back yard and hand-held a 20" dish, to test some questionable LNBs.
If you know roughly where to point, gettin' on it is not much trouble. :rolleyes:
 
Also remember that the pole has to be very plumb! If you mount one on your trailer it could pose a problem since where ever you park, the ground would be uneven. Any slight offset, it can be difficult to track your satellite(s).
A tripod stand would be your best bet...
 
Also remember that the pole has to be very plumb! If you mount one on your trailer it could pose a problem since where ever you park, the ground would be uneven. Any slight offset, it can be difficult to track your satellite(s).
A tripod stand would be your best bet...

Wouldn't matter much with a Dish300 at 61.5...very forgiving and easy to hit. I'm sure the OP would have excellent LOS in the parking lots ;)
 
easier than it looks

Note the mast behind this dish.
It's a good 20º off plumb.
http://www.satelliteguys.us/attachment.php?attachmentid=16076&d=1177640031
Other than running out of elevation adjustment on the mount, there is nothing at all wrong with this picture. :cool:

It's where I had my 18" 148º dish mounted, prior to this experiment to get Whitesprings.
In setting up for both, I simply got my bearings with a compass, and aligned with a $10 satellite meter.

The whole point with the DBS birds, is that they are very strong, and very far apart.
In my comment above, I mentioned finding one by hand-holding a dish like the one shown.
Hooked up to the recommended cheap sat meter, you can literally wave the thing around the sky, 'till you find your bird.
Of course, it helps to have an idea where you are, and where to look, but it's not terribly difficult.


Hey, BND, I see you're based in NY.
Where does your driving take you?
How far west/south?
Into Canada?
Stay in the lower 48 of the USA only?
 
I think you might need to get the dish receiver used. I don't think we have had anyone try a new unactivated receiver to see if it gets 3ABN.

I found a dish 300 at a garage sale for about $5 once.

I see a lot of Dish network receivers on E-bay for around $30. Ask the seller for the receiver number and card number then call Dish Network and ask if there are any outstanding charges on that receiver.


I tried to attach a photo of an idea for a cheap mount. With some PVC pipe and a 4 way fitting and a T fitting you might be able to rig up a mount for a few bucks
 

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I think you might need to get the dish receiver used. I don't think we have had anyone try a new unactivated receiver to see if it gets 3ABN.

an unactivated Dish box will have a screen that says "please call 1-800-333-Dish to activate the account" after downaloading the information

It wont even get Channel 101
 
wow. you guys were productive. Off for a couple days (driving) and i get a whole page to read... keep it up.

The ideas i've seen are awesome. I appreciate them fully

I live in NY, but i do NY-LA/SF all the time. I run refrigerated goods from CA to NY, and dry goods back. so it's eighter the I-80 corridor all the way across, or I-80,76,71,70,44,40,15 all the way across. if you look at thew map, that'll take you diagonally across the country. so i do cover a lot of miles, and a lot of different terrain.

BTW, i'd only be mounting up the dish for the weekends that i'm out (read not home) b/c there are Saturdays that i sit in a truckstop, and would love to get a better signal/quality feed than the online thing with 3abn.

quick Q. There is a promo going on in Pilotg travel centers, that if i buy the equipment in there, a winegard 18" dish, with a Dish Pro 311 reciever ($149.99 +tax) they pay for 6 months of service ($180 credit towards a newly activated account) so in essence eighther the equipment is free, and i only have to pay for service, or i get the equipment for a premium, and pay nothing for 6 months. would this be a good deal?

I know, b/c i did some googling, and ebaying, that the reciever can be had for $50 shipped or so, and the dish for another $70 or so shipped. I'd still like to go somewhere local and get all the stuff there instead of "waiting" for stuff to get to my home. I am out 2 weeks at a time...

now i know i'm being long here, and it may be a strech, but with an 18" dish would i be able to pick up any FTA stuff? or the minimum for that is a 30-31"?

thx for all the help guys, and i do really appreciate it.

cheers

BND
 
FTA would need a 30" or larger dish

That deal above seems to be pretty good but the only thing is the package sounds like AT100 which is mainly at 119 satellite....3ABN is at 61.5 & 129 so that would need 2 dishes.
 
This may be the FTA section, but if you are now going to become a Dish'er, we'll still talk to ya. :rolleyes:

Here's a thought: Get a two-receiver subscription, leave one at home with your wife, and take the other receiver on the road.
That way, if you want the History channel or HBO or whatever, and are subscribed at home, you'll get it in your truck.

But regardless, call up DishStore, one of our site supporters, and talk to Claude about the options.
Many of us have great things to say about him and his company.
He's a Dish dealer, and whatever you want that's legit, he can get for you.
Scroll down and read what I said about him.
 
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