Rookie Looking for Advice Setting Up a Tailgate

[RJTHOMAS21]

I just graduated from UGA and am looking to go back in the Fall to tailgate as one should. I've gotten a few friends together to fund the tailgate and together we've purchased a generator (Honda EU2000), speakers, tents, tables, etc. All we need is a way to watch the games out there and that is where we have no experience. I've read up on some of the great informative threads but still have a few questions and was wondering if yall could help me out.

What type of receiver and dish should I be looking for? I'd like HD and don't care about DVR. As for channels I guess I'm for local and ESPN (any other suggestions let me know). Where is the best place to find these pieces?

Once purchased what do I do in order to get these pieces to work with the satellites? I'm clueless on what type of service/contract is needed with DishNetwork or DirectTV. My parents have a cabin with DishNetwork, should I try to piggyback on their plan? Or is there something I should be concerned about (some friend mentioned issues with a permanent residence and tailgating)?

Thanks and any additional advice is much appreciated.

 

[jlo]

you can purchase a 211 secondhand, that a high def rcvr that isnt a dvr. you could piggy back and only hae it active when you go out tailgating, i doubt you want a new account if your only using it for a total of 10 days out of the year. it depends on what locals they have as to what type of dish you want. if their locals come from the same sat as ESPN, you outta get a dish 300 with a single lnb. just let us know you local market im sure you can get some good info about a dish quick.

i suggested a second hand 211 from ebay or yard sale etc because a new one is something like 300 dollars. if someone offers to sell one to you, call dish 1 800 333 3474 with the reciever (R00 or R01) number and the smartcard number (S19 only, S00 wont work). when you call them they can tell you if its transferable

 

[RJTHOMAS21]

you can purchase a 211 secondhand, that a high def rcvr that isnt a dvr. you could piggy back and only hae it active when you go out tailgating, i doubt you want a new account if your only using it for a total of 10 days out of the year. it depends on what locals they have as to what type of dish you want. if their locals come from the same sat as ESPN, you outta get a dish 300 with a single lnb. just let us know you local market im sure you can get some good info about a dish quick.

I called DishNetwork today and tried to see what they could offer in terms of mobile TV watching and they were pretty clueless. But if I own the receiver/satellite it is easy to get service from then on a temporary basis?

Also, we'll be tailgating in Athens, GA and most likely at UT, Vanderbilt, GT, and Jacksonville. For Athens, I believe I've read that people are able to get Atlanta local channels. How do people handle away games with getting signal? Is it just do some research as to the location of satellites in different cities? Thanks so much for the info.

 

[jlo]

yeah for mobile its best to get a dish and receiver second hand, or get a travel dish from and RV shop or something. you can take a leased receiver out too without many problems if you know someone who can lend it out. wherever you go its just a matter of pointing the dish with the correct angles to get good signal, so as long as you have a clear line of siht you should be good to go. you can always call dish to get the angles for the zip code you will be in, and you can push menu 6-1-1 to see the signal meter to zero in

 

[DAJohnsonGymDawg]

I am a UGA grad also, 1994. I've been doing satellite tailgating for years (like 7). I have a 24in LCD, Dish 1000.2, car batteries, inverter.

This is the first year I've used the 1000.2 because I wanted all the other HD channels. I've tried to set up the 1000.2 at home, but I've had no luck getting 129.

For most watching of football, it's only necessary to have a Dish 500 (sees 2 birds - 110 and 119).

I don't want to bore everybody with all the tailgating particulars.

Email me at djohnson@mstiller.com for further info and discussions.

 

[jerryez]

We don't get bored reading Sat Guys threads. We find them interesting, even if it is not a subject that we are particular interested in.
You never know when the info might come in handy.

 

[jlo]

We don't get bored reading Sat Guys threads. We find them interesting, even if it is not a subject that we are particular interested in.
You never know when the info might come in handy.

no doubt. we are all nerds. i leave echostar and come home to get on here.

 

[RJTHOMAS21]

I am a UGA grad also, 1994. I've been doing satellite tailgating for years (like 7). I have a 24in LCD, Dish 1000.2, car batteries, inverter.

This is the first year I've used the 1000.2 because I wanted all the other HD channels. I've tried to set up the 1000.2 at home, but I've had no luck getting 129.

For most watching of football, it's only necessary to have a Dish 500 (sees 2 birds - 110 and 119).

Awesome to see a UGA grad here. I hope you don't mind a few specific questions. We've been tailgating on North Campus in front of the Main Library and want to bring our tailgate up a notch. Any idea if you can get a clear line of sight? I've seen other satellites so I assume so. Just curious, and not to be stalkerish, but where do you usually set up?

You mentioned the Dish 500 being only necessary. So I guess that gets all the channels we'd need for pregame football? What about away games? Would that still access ABC/CBS/ESPN? What satellite to you suggest for being the most reliable for getting SEC games home and away?

Thanks and any other tips for rockin UGA in style are greatly appreciated.

 

[Andrewwski]

Generally all you'd need is a Dish 300 or Dish 500 - enough for 1 sat.

Dish 500 is meant for 110/119 but you can use one of the LNB's to pull in any of the sats, so just point it at the one the channel is on. Dish 300 or Dish 500 with a single LNB will get 1 sat.

If you're going to be flipping channels between different satellites, I'd go with the 1000.2 or 1000.4 depending on if you're Eastern Arc or Western Arc. But those dishes are bigger and harder to aim.

 

[DAJohnsonGymDawg]

I tailgate on south campus near Aderhold. My season tix are on the south side, so that makes entering and exiting the stadium easier for us.

With home games, the Dish 500 will get 110 and 119. That will get you ESPN in HD. To get the locals (CBS, ABC, etc.) in HD, you'll need 129 as well. That would make a 1000.2 necessary, but like somebody said it's a larger dish and very hard to aim. I've tried multiple times from my house, and can't get it to pick up 129.

For away games, you'll be out of luck for the local channels, in Jacksonville for sure. The local channels are on spot beams (SD and HD). They don't get to Jacksonville, but they might get to Knox and Nash. I'd have to look at the spot maps.

For the first game at home (South Carolina), we'll see how I pick up 129, if at all.

 

[DAJohnsonGymDawg]

On north campus you might have LOS, but it will be dicey with all the trees in the library quad. You'll have to pick your spot carefully. If in the library quad, you should aim over the right center of the library to get the birds.

 

[lakebum431]

Hate to see all the UGA fans on here as I'm a UT fan

That being said. I use a 1000.2 setup so I have the Atlanta locals. I am able to receive Atlanta locals in Knoxville no problem. One thing that I've done when I know I'm not going to be in the ATL spot for a game is take a small set-top powered antenna. That way you can plug that into the Dish receiver and scan for locals. You should be able to pick up whatever HD locals they have in the area and you can use those for your reception.

 

[DAJohnsonGymDawg]

I tried that last year in Jacksonville (right in the middle of downtown), but got nothing. I have an ota antannae at my house that works great. I use car batteries and an inverter to power everything. Maybe that was creating interference. I've got a different ota antannae this time around. Maybe that will work better for me.

I would wish UT luck, but I can't.

 

[RJTHOMAS21]

I tailgate on south campus near Aderhold. My season tix are on the south side, so that makes entering and exiting the stadium easier for us.

With home games, the Dish 500 will get 110 and 119. That will get you ESPN in HD. To get the locals (CBS, ABC, etc.) in HD, you'll need 129 as well. That would make a 1000.2 necessary, but like somebody said it's a larger dish and very hard to aim. I've tried multiple times from my house, and can't get it to pick up 129.

For away games, you'll be out of luck for the local channels, in Jacksonville for sure. The local channels are on spot beams (SD and HD). They don't get to Jacksonville, but they might get to Knox and Nash. I'd have to look at the spot maps.

So with the Dish 500 I'll be able to pick up ESPNHD at home games and that is pretty much it? I'd like to get as many channels as possible with the least amount of hassle, especially since I am very new to this. It sounds like I should get the Dish 500 from the posts, is that right?

Is there anyway I can pick up the local channels via powered rabbit ears? Or is there any alternative for this? For away games, I'm mostly concerned with getting CBS in Jacksonville since we're not going inside the stadium and want to watch it in the parking lot. (Nashville and Knoxville seem to be ok with local sats it sounds like).

 

[lakebum431]

I have not tried in Jacksonville and I'm not sure where the towers are there. But usually a good pair of bunny ears or an inexpensive powered set top box antenna "should" do fine.

RJThomas21 - Are you talking Atlanta locals in Nashville? That may be tough (and I've not tried it), but it may be a bit too far west to pick up Atlanta. However, I'm sure you can get locals OTA (see above).

To DAJohnsonGymDawg - I totally understand. We'll be friends here all day long, but when game day rolls around you're the enemy. When you're playing non-SEC teams I'm all for the SEC every time.

 

[RJTHOMAS21]

I have not tried in Jacksonville and I'm not sure where the towers are there. But usually a good pair of bunny ears or an inexpensive powered set top box antenna "should" do fine.

RJThomas21 - Are you talking Atlanta locals in Nashville? That may be tough (and I've not tried it), but it may be a bit too far west to pick up Atlanta. However, I'm sure you can get locals OTA (see above).

Thanks and sorry for so many questions. I've gotten a lot of people excited about tailgating this year and don't want to fall flat on my face with this setup. So it sounds like I should acquire a VIP 211, Dish 500, and a good set of rabbit ears/antenna to try and pick up local HD? Once picking up these equipment, I should contact Dish Network to have them allow my equipment to access their satellites? Any idea how expensive this runs? Sounds relatively cheap with no monthly/annual plan, right? Thanks again for all the help with the simple questions.

 

[DAJohnsonGymDawg]

I'll let you know how the 1000.2 works out for the South Carolina game. I may give the dish to an installer and let him play with it to make sure I've got it peaked right before we go. The only problem with only taking a dish 500 is that your locals will be SD, not HD.

 

[lakebum431]

I've found that on the 1000.2 I can usually get a better signal by increasing the elevation about 2 degrees. Giving it to an installer isn't going to do anything for you. You should be able to aim it in your yard just fine. Have you been unable to find any satellites? Make sure the first thing you do when you hook up the receiver is do a check switch (unless you are using a 1000.2 on your home set-up also so that the switch matrix is already set correctly. If you can't get it at home it is unlikely you'll be able to find a signal at the game.

One more hint. Make sure that your mast is as plumb (level) in all directions as possible. It doesn't have to be perfect, but the closer it is the easier it will be to find all 3 satellites.

 

[RJTHOMAS21]

Thanks for all the help so far. I'll be ordering my equipment tomorrow and hopefully will be ready to roll on Sept 12.

But I do have one other question. Does everybody use DishNetwork to get their service? What do you guys pay to get service? I just called them up and they said that to get the locals and ESPN in HD it will cost me $35/month with no contract. Does that sound right to you all? Are there any alternatives? Thanks!

 

[Foxbat]

All you tailgaters will want to get access to an iPhone 3GS and the new DishPointer app that shows you a live view through the camera with the satellites superimposed over the view. Click Here to see a video of the app in action.