Camping with a satellite dish

wingard sells a tripod to mount a dish500 on. it has a level and compass onboard, with a little practice you can lock a signal in less than 5 min. try www.campingworld.com. it helps if you know the zipcode for your camping area.
 
I use the tripod from www.campingworld.com and have tried a dish 500 to pick up 119 and 129, yes I have 2 HDTV's in my RV. But I have went back to the dish 300 twin, it's just much easier to setup and get pointed and most of the stuff is on 119 anyway.

We use it for the weather channel and some times take a tv outside and watch a show and drink a few cocktails.

We went to a campsite one time and was there on a premere night and before 20 minutes, we had 7 campers over watching tv outside.
 
This might sound very redneck but Ive seen people put 40 lbs. of concrete in a 5 gal. bucket and have an appropriately sized pole about 5 ft. long leveled in the concrete
That's a very common method for mounting satellite dishes, especially for people in apartments, condos, etc.
 
I use the tripod from www.campingworld.com and have tried a dish 500 to pick up 119 and 129, yes I have 2 HDTV's in my RV. But I have went back to the dish 300 twin, it's just much easier to setup and get pointed and most of the stuff is on 119 anyway.

We use it for the weather channel and some times take a tv outside and watch a show and drink a few cocktails.

We went to a campsite one time and was there on a premere night and before 20 minutes, we had 7 campers over watching tv outside.

What's the point of the HDTV's if you're not getting 110 and/or 129?
 
Well, actually, the point is I bought LCD's for the size/weight, I have them wall mounted. An when not camping, one doubles as a TV for my office. I must say, monsters HD and kunfu are a big hit with the teens when camping. I need to get a SAT meter so it would be easier to align the 500, but with the trees at some parks it's a real PITA to get them both dialed in.
 
camping with Dish

Yes, I'm a big promoter of those cheap meters.
Makes field alignment a snap.
Just make about three practice runs at home, and you'll be fine.
There is really no reason to leave the Dish-500 at home.
...as for the Dish-1000, that's a pest to align at home, and I would recommend two dishes before taking one of those on the road.
(see other tailgating thread ,and fifthwheel thread for someone setting up two dishes in the field)

I've even managed a Dish-500 setup on a pole off-plumb by 15 degrees (not recommended). ;)
That was with one meter.

Later, I came up with a two-meter alignment proceedure for when you're not sure you have the skew correct (or a non-plumb pole).
You can see if you are peaking on both birds at the same time.
If they peak at different places in the sky, your skew is off.
 
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