Options to Winegard Trav'ler

[obiwancanoli]

Given the amount of time I've had on my hands this year - as have so many others of us - I've spent a lot of time thinking about ways I can improve my RV experience. As a result, one of my goals is to improve satellite reception...

Being relatively new to the lifestyle, when I bought my Class A, I wanted to extend my Dish at home to the RV, and so, it seemed the Winegard Trav'ler Satellite Dish was a great option... put it on the roof, always there, lots of good features, including the capture of 3 different satellites...

But a few times I've been in an RV park, it's been at a site with trees that block my ability to get a signal... and in hindsight, I wonder if I didn't make a mistake with the Trav'ler, instead of something portable, to make it easier to place it where I CAN get a signal...

Do RV'rs prefer the portable approach, or, for those with a Sat dish on top, do they also have a portable version for those times the Trav'ler can't get a signal? And if so, how and where do you connect it to your system? I have an external cable port, but am sure that wouldn't work for a satellite dish... so what are people doing to address this?

[chuckbear]

We have both the Travl'er and a portable dish. In almost every park we have been in that has so much tree cover the Winegard did not get a signal, we couldn't find a place for the portable that could get a signal either. Chuck

[obiwancanoli]

Thanks, Bill, I hadn't considered storage space needed...

[Bill_Satellite]

I have had a Trav'ler on the roof for over 6 years. I can count on 1 hand how often I have been in a campground and not been able to use the Trav'ler. I ask for an open/satellite friendly site. The folks are in the business of knowing there own campgrounds and we have rarely had them ask what we were referring to.
We also use a DVR with the Trav'ler so even if our overnight plans include trees we have the OTA antenna for the local news and dozens of recorded programming to watch on our Genie (I'm DTV).
If you do choose to go portable, the Pathway X2 is likely the best choice. Just be aware that it is quite a bit larger than any other dome option so it will require a bit more storage space.

[obiwancanoli]

Second Chance wrote:

obiwancanoli wrote:

TechWriter wrote:
What Dish receiver are you using?

The Dish Trav'ler

That's your antenna. Your receiver would be a Wally, Hopper, etc.

Rob

Ooops... yep, you're right, of course... I have 2 Wally's

[Second_Chance]

obiwancanoli wrote:

TechWriter wrote:
What Dish receiver are you using?

The Dish Trav'ler

That's your antenna. Your receiver would be a Wally, Hopper, etc.

Rob

[obiwancanoli]

TechWriter wrote:
What Dish receiver are you using?

The Dish Trav'ler

[Bill_Satellite]

I have had a Trav'ler on my roof for many, many years. We also have a DVR which we have hours and hours of recording just waiting for us to get stuck under a tree! We simply ask for a satellite friendly site when we book a campground and have only had issues on a few occasions in all those years.
The Trav'ler is so superior to any dome there is simply no comparison.

[8ntw8tn]

For several years we've used a Pathway X2 with very good results. This spring we acquired a new-to-us trailer that had a Trav'ler installed and we're quite happy with that. However, I'm going to take the X2 along for those times when the Trav'ler may be blocked, as the OP said. I've already tested it using the external satellite connection and it works fine. I'm not sure I'd spend the extra money to have both on hand, but that's a personal observation and decision. Hope this helps.

[TechWriter]

What Dish receiver are you using?

[Second_Chance]

You could get a Winegard Pathway X2 to have when you can't get a clear shot at the birds from your Trav'ler. It's a carry-out antenna (the largest reflector in the Winegard automatic portable line-up) and has the advantage of being both eastern and western arc capable. That means you can get HD locals no matter what part of the country you're in. We've been extremely happy with ours.

Rob

[obiwancanoli]

lryrob9301 wrote:
According to your profile, you have a 2017 Newmar. That coach should have a satellite connection in one of the bays in addition to the cable connection. Look around for it. Then you can connect a portable antenna and not be bothered by trees.

Wow, that's an interesting piece of news... never was aware of it, and yes, I will look for that connection - THANKS!

[lryrob9301]

According to your profile, you have a 2017 Newmar. That coach should have a satellite connection in one of the bays in addition to the cable connection. Look around for it. Then you can connect a portable antenna and not be bothered by trees.

[obiwancanoli]

IT occurs to me that when in those sites - if not boondocking somewhere - I could always ASK for a non-shady spot, eh?

[rk911]

we've had the Trav'ler on the DISH western arc for 5-years now and love it. the only places we've not been in the past 5-years are the mid-Atlantic and New England states. we've also had no problems finding public and private campsites with clear views of the sky.