Taking HD DVR on the Road

[Jimbo]

I'm the OP and here is an update. I had my home switched to DECA which required an LNB swap. I took the old LNB and acquired the rest of pieces, arm, dish, and base. I bought a Heavy Duty Tripod Kit from Satellite TV for RV - Tripod - Slimline - Dish - DirectTV - satellitGirl by the road at nightGirl by the road at nighte RV television - Recreational Vehicles - RVers - DishTV - Satellite Dish - FTA - Tripod. Moved my DECA'ed HR20-100 to my RV.

I set up the tripod and had no problem getting the signal. If you follow the steps exactly it is very easy. The two most important steps are an absolutely plumb mast and a dead-on azimuth shot. The TV4RV kit includes a bubble level, a aim-able compass, and sat finder to accomplish this. All else falls into place from there.

The HR20-100 is ideal for an RV as it will tune, hence record, OTA programming. I run my Winegard Sensar w Wingman to the HR20 and then HDMI to the TV.

I was worry about moving my DECA'ed HR20 to the non-DECA RV as the LNB's were different, one SWM and the other one non-SWM. It doesn't care It sees the LNB type on setup. The only difference is the RV setup requires two feeds with B-Band converters and the house only needs one feed with the DECA box and no B-Band converters.

I was also able to connect the HR20 via Ethernet to a DD-WRT modded LinkSys router that acts as a repeater for available WiFi signals. When the router is linked to an external WiFi source the HR20 is able to establish an Internet connection. I think this is necessary for PPV or if you want schedule via m.directv.com.

The Heavy Duty Tripod Kit from TV4RV is most economical yet functional mobile DirecTV solution out there. I also opted to purchase their Folding Arm Kit (make sure you buy the correct one) and an power supply for the finder.

Nice

No need to have the internet connected to do the m.directv schedule thing.

Curious, are you taking this camping or setting up for extended stay, month or so ?

 

[wildbill129]

Sweet. Like the setup. You will only need the wifi connection for DirecTV on Demand.

Congrats on the setup....

 

[Bodo Fenrirsson]

As far as HD goes for D* on the road,I read on the KVH website(or there abouts,actually it was on Solid Signal's website) that because D* was migrating all of its HD programing to 103 Satellite,their systems wouldn't be able to broadcast HD due to the fact that the size of the antenna to receive Ka band,well here is the quote from the website:
"Note: KVH TracVision systems support DIRECTV’s Ku-band standard and high-definition broadcasts. However, DIRECTV is in the process of moving its HDTV programming to new Ka-band satellites. Reception of Ka-band broadcasts requires larger antennas and additional equipment. As a result, KVH TracVision systems and all other domed mobile satellite TV antennas cannot support reception of DIRECTV’s new Ka-band HD broadcasts."

 

[schneid]

Nice

No need to have the internet connected to do the m.directv schedule thing.


Curious, are you taking this camping or setting up for extended stay, month or so ?

1. Are you sure about this? I tried it before connecting to the Internet and it failed but worked after I connected. How does the receiver know what to record unless connected?

2. Both although I don't plan on staying a month anywhere. Planning on leaving my trailer in AZ this winter so I can blow out of NV whenever I feel the need to warm up. Still want to ski and play in the snow too.

 

[schneid]

Sweet. Like the setup. You will only need the wifi connection for DirecTV on Demand.

Congrats on the setup....

1. I imagine I won't use it all but it was fun getting it to work.

2. Thanks. Works for me. I really struggled trying to find something affordable yet functional and fairly easy to setup. This works for me.

 

[schneid]

Yup, I decided to wait it out ... I will get the automatic dish when it does HD and not before, till them I'll throw up the Slimline set up .... like schneid said, you can be up and running in 15 minutes or less.

However, I don't find it to be all that big of a deal to set it up.
If I'm withing a 100 miles or so, the set up from home works great, otherwise I have to change the settings some, not usually the case.

The Winegard Trav'ler will do it automatically in a stationary setting. It uses a Slimline with their base. It is also $1500.00 give or take depending on the source.

 

[Jimbo]

The Winegard Trav'ler will do it automatically in a stationary setting. It uses a Slimline with their base. It is also $1500.00 give or take depending on the source.

Ya, I just don't want to spend that kind of money when I can do it the old way and set it up in 15 minutes.
Also, don't they want that unit mounted on the unit, not portable ?

 

[Jimbo]

1. I imagine I won't use it all but it was fun getting it to work.

2. Thanks. Works for me. I really struggled trying to find something affordable yet functional and fairly easy to setup. This works for me.

Try it at home, disconnect your HSI and send yourself a request to record something.

I'm almost certain that I've done it before when my set up was not connected to the internet.

See here, he's doing the same thing.

http://www.satelliteguys.us/directv-forum/224086-remote-dvr-without-internet.html

 

[schneid]

Ya, I just don't want to spend that kind of money when I can do it the old way and set it up in 15 minutes.
Also, don't they want that unit mounted on the unit, not portable ?

I agree and yes it bolts to roof.

 

[Jimbo]

I agree and yes it bolts to roof.

If it's meant to be permanent, I don't want it on the 5th wheel, if I happen to park under a tree, I'm screwed, portable I can move out to a better area.

Still hoping the Carryall comes out with a HD version .... with a comparable price.

 

[Aridon]

Wineguard travler or the motosat sl5 both work with a 5 sat setup. Both are permanate roof mounts. We haven't had any issues with our SL5.