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

[Mags]

.
In theory the power delivery loss is supposed to be the same (within manufacturing deviation) down a 75 ohm impedance coax cable. A cable that has been tested (or swept) for 75 ohm uniformity will have minimum power delivery loss (also minimum signal distortion). The number of connected cable segments also affect power loss. There will be a few millivolts of drop with each connector pair. Meaning there will be less power loss down a single 150ft cable as opposed to segments of 100ft+25ft+25ft of cable. The power loss in this example might not matter depending on how sensitive the antenna is to it's operating voltage. It will eventually matter though at some point with longer length cable or set of cable segments.

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

[JEBar]

In theory the power delivery loss is supposed to be the same (within manufacturing deviation) down a 75 ohm impedance coax cable. A cable that has been tested (or swept) for 75 ohm uniformity will have minimum power delivery loss (also minimum signal distortion). The number of connected cable segments also affect power loss. There will be a few millivolts of drop with each connector pair. Meaning there will be less power loss down a single 150ft cable as opposed to segments of 100ft+25ft+25ft of cable. The power loss in this example might not matter depending on how sensitive the antenna is to it's operating voltage. It will eventually matter though at some point with longer length cable or set of cable segments.

info much appreciated .... the vast majority of the time a 50' coax cable has been more than sufficient .... in fact, only once have we needed more than 100' .... with past satellite dishes requiring less power to operate, the length of the coax simply hasn't been an issue .... with our new system, it can be .... if I can get 100' to work, I will probably buy a single coax that length .... I'll then make a couple of shorter lengths to use when longer ones aren't necessary

[Mags]

.
You're welcome. Sounds like you got a good handle on it.

In theory the power delivery loss is supposed to be the same (within manufacturing deviation) down a 75 ohm impedance coax cable. A cable that has been tested (or swept) for 75 ohm uniformity will have minimum power delivery loss (also minimum signal distortion). The number of connected cable segments also affect power loss. There will be a few millivolts of drop with each connector pair. Meaning there will be less power loss down a single 150ft cable as opposed to segments of 100ft+25ft+25ft of cable. The power loss in this example might not matter depending on how sensitive the antenna is to it's operating voltage. It will eventually matter though at some point with longer length cable or set of cable segments.

info much appreciated .... the vast majority of the time a 50' coax cable has been more than sufficient .... in fact, only once have we needed more than 100' .... with past satellite dishes requiring less power to operate, the length of the coax simply hasn't been an issue .... with our new system, it can be .... if I can get 100' to work, I will probably buy a single coax that length .... I'll then make a couple of shorter lengths to use when longer ones aren't necessary

[JEBar]

You're welcome. Sounds like you got a good handle on it.

while I'd sure like to think so, that's stretching it a good bit .... just received a kit to install ends on RG6 coax from Amazon .... doing so isn't all that difficult .... hopefully it will cool down out there and I will be able to put the kit to use

[If1Hitu]

Can you let us know how it works out for you if you will? My mother had Dish,but change to Cable.

[JEBar]

Can you let us know how it works out for you if you will? My mother had Dish,but change to Cable.

if all we were doing is to switch from one provider to another for our home, I could easily declare it a success .... an installer came to our home and set everything up .... the only real issue would have been learning the new numbers for various stations .... for us, the complications have arisen from wanting to take advantage of the same DISH programs in our camper when we are traveling around the country .... understandably, DISH will supply the equipment but they expect their customers to install them and to make them work .... most of that program has gone with minimal frustration and we hope tht in short order it all quickly move to the old hat category

[If1Hitu]

Wishing you the best setting everything up and getting the channels you want to watch.

[JEBar]

an RG6 terminal kit arrived today .... after watching the video below and playing with it a few minutes, I was able to make some solid connections .... I'm looking forward to using it to make some test cables when the weather cools down a bit


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfRa7VI6IPU

[cooperhawk]

I have one of those kits. Just clamp down really hard when you make one.
Otherwise they work loose.

[JEBar]

good to know, I'll make it a point to clamp down .... I've spent about 4 hours today messing around with our DISH system in our camper .... actually did find out a few things .... 7.8 is the max strength, with a 50' Coax our G2+ delivered a 5.2 signal lock under less than perfect conditions .... using 100' of cable the signal strength drops to 3.6 .... at that level, the picture and sound are good but it does take a bit longer to lock onto a signal .... at 125', no reception