Switching To DISH

[JEBar]

the new G2+ portable antenna arrived as promised .... all in all, still very positive

biggest positives >>> install went as diagrammed >>> I was able to lock onto a usable signal >>> it is smaller than our old VuQube which makes it easier to store in our camper's basement >>> it fits the mounting holes in our current tripod

biggest negatives >>> it requires a power supply unit to send sufficient current through the coax to operate the antenna .... it comes with a 25' coax but that isn't long enough for a couple of places we camp .... I switched to a 50' cable and it did work but that appears to be its limit .... it will not operate with a 75' coax >>> while mounting it on our tripod is easy, it blocks the security mount where a cable can secure it to a tree or other such object

[cooperhawk]

What I have done when I still used the Tailgater was to place it on the roof of the RV.
Then I fastened it to the ladder with a bike lock cable.

[JEBar]

What I have done when I still used the Tailgater was to place it on the roof of the RV.
Then I fastened it to the ladder with a bike lock cable.

long ago we decided to go with two dishes .... our first satellite dome dish was installed on our 5er at the oldest Camping World in Myrtle Beach back in '06 .... it was a Winegard Movin’ View (first picture) and it served us well until an electrical issue burned it back in '16 .... the Movin’ View was 32" diameter, 15-3/4" height, and the weighed 28 lbs .... it was replaced with a Winegard CarryOut G2 (second picture) .... its diameter is 14.3 in, 13.5" height, and weighs 10 lbs .... the vast majority of the time, we pull into a site, turn it on and within a few seconds, it is locked on a signal .... the problem comes when our site doesn't have a clear view of the southern sky and cannot lock on .... that's when we have to get out the portable dish .... one exception is the 3 or so months we spend each summer in Estelline .... during that time our portable dish is in full time use ....

[JEBar]

OK, color me surprised .... actually color me shocked .... just got off of the phone with a lady at Winegard .... when I told her I needed to order a replacement "anchor spring" used to help tie down a Winegard tripod, she said she'd never had anyone request one .... we chatted as she had to look through her computer to find one .... turns out it is actually called an "anchor screw" ... it can be seen at this link ===> https://d38mfwkkxtsm2m.cloudfront.net/d ... 452180.pdf .... I can't find ours, its probably buried somewhere in the camper's basement .... she asked for my name and address, then told me she'd have one sent right out at no expense .. .. yep, I wasn't expecting that ....

[JEBar]

the good news is, all mods don't have to be complicated .. .. our new G2+ dome has a built in place to attach a security cable lock .... our old VuQube had a similar feature .... unfortunately, when it is mounted onto our tripod's Base Plate, the opening designed to accommodate the lock is covered and cannot be used .... it proved to be a simple matter to drill a hole

[JEBar]

our association with Direct has finally come to an end .... earlier today we hauled off all of our Direct electrical components to an electronics recycling facility .... doing so was different for us because we seldom haul off equipment that is still in working order .... we even let our trusty VuQube go .... the picture below shows our new Carryout 2+ on the left and our dearly departed VuQube on the right

[JEBar]

OK, my only hands on experience with RG6 coaxial cable involves screwing fittings in place and later removing them .... we have 4 - 50' cables that can be used to run our CarryOut satellite antenna which requires power to be sent through the coax .... we've tested and know it will work with 50' of cable but will not work with 100' .... in looking up shorter cables on Amazon I quickly realized that one can tie up some money in buying an assortment of shorter cables .... I've seen fittings installed on the ends of RG6 and it didn't look like it would be all that difficult to do so .... that's when I found a reasonably priced kit >>>> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H7 ... UTF8&psc=1 .... once it arrives I plan to cut one of our 50' cables in half .... we will then connect a 25' piece to a 50' and test to see if the antenna works on a 75' cable .... once we know, I plan to cut the remaining 25' cable into smaller sections in an effort to determine the maximum length of coax will work with our system .... sounds simple enough but I've learned that some things which sound simple aren't ... its going to be interesting to ses

[JEBar]

in addition, as can be seen below, a coax runs from the CarryOut to a "Power Inserter" .... with our setup that coax runs from the Carryout to a fitting in our camper's utility compartment .... from there a hidden coax takes it to a fitting in the TV compartment .... another coax then takes it to the Power Inserter .... from there yet another coax take the signal to the receiver .... our coax from inside the TV compartment to the Power Inserter is way too long and I plan to shorten it .... that should help a little with a drop in power by a little bit ... the cable that runs from the Power Inserter to the receiver is also too long so I may shorten it as well .... doing so can't hurt .... it makes sense to me (which probably means it ain't the case) that all the cable I can reduce inside the camper might allow using a somewhat longer cable outside

[JEBar]

OK, color me surprised .... actually color me shocked .... just got off of the phone with a lady at Winegard .... when I told her I needed to order a replacement "anchor spring" used to help tie down a Winegard tripod, she said she'd never had anyone request one .... we chatted as she had to look through her computer to find one .... turns out it is actually called an "anchor screw" ... it can be seen at this link ===> https://d38mfwkkxtsm2m.cloudfront.net/d ... 452180.pdf .... I can't find ours, its probably buried somewhere in the camper's basement .... she asked for my name and address, then told me she'd have one sent right out at no expense .. .. yep, I wasn't expecting that ....

true to her word, a replacement anchor screw arrived today .... still impressed with Winegard's service after the sale

[JEBar]

the link below is to Amazon's 100' RG6 coax .... most give numbers I really don't understand .... question for anyone who might understand this stuff, which would be the best for outside use to run from our camper to our portable antenna .... minimal power drop in the current required to run the antenna would be a prime consideration


https://www.amazon.com/s?k=100%27+rg6+c ... b_ss_i_1_8