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It’s time to replace my Satellite. Winegard traveler or KVH or?

appreciate your comments
 

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1 minute ago, DavidL said:

Starlink Internet and stream content is the current popular approach

I was just about to say the same thing. That way you have the high speed internet and you just add whatever streaming services you prefer. I prefer to stream everything on demand but if you prefer live TV there are a number of services that can provide that as well. Also, I understand that Starlink will soon have a mobile dish that will be legal for in motion use.

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1 minute ago, Tom Wallis said:

I was just about to say the same thing. That way you have the high speed internet and you just add whatever streaming services you prefer. I prefer to stream everything on demand but if you prefer live TV there are a number of services that can provide that as well. Also, I understand that Starlink will soon have a mobile dish that will be legal for in motion use.

Starlink / Winegard already have a legal in motion dish.  The dish is a bit expensive, but the service cost is same  monthly.

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When my Winegard quit working I switched to Starlink RV.  When traveling, I activate the Starlink service and use our Spectrum home account which has a free streaming service.  This way the DW doesn't miss any of her favorite shows. We also use a Roku streaming service.  So far the Starlink has worked great. Also like Tom Wallis mentioned the internet is available so the DW can continue working remotely.

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We bought our RV 2 years ago and we haven't even checked to see if the satellite dish will extend, much less work. We would still need Internet service... We've been using Verizon hotspots as our Internet source (and hiiting caps & getting throttled) and are about to switch to Nomad Air Internet ($299 one time fee) with the RV plan for $129/mo (instead of springing for Starlink! at $600-700). We have subscriptions to YouTube TV ($72.99/mo), Friendly TV ($8.99/mo), and Amazon Prime video (incl in the$139/yr plan with free shipping) streaming services, and the TV's have HDMI ports that we connected Roku dongles to (if we upgraded to Smart TV's the Roku dongles would be irrelevant).  Roku has no monthly fee.  Nomad seems to use Verizon exclusively, although the modem can have a second SIM card.  I haven't heard any plans for that.  Satellite would only be attractive if we camped in very remote areas with no Verizon.  Hasn't happened yet...

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We currently have all the signal sources I know of and still hesitant to quit any since when we are on a trip, we move a lot and many times only one of them works. Starlink needs northern sky to be reliable, dish needs southern sky and under the trees or hills, the the cell/wifi could be the only option if even available. Good thing we like the desert stays. My wife can't stay out of touch with news and the outside world for long and I like to be able to search for our next destination as well. I think tne dish will be first to go, eventually. Tough call.

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Are you looking to stay with Satellite TV (Dish Network or Direct TV), or are you looking to switch to an Internet Access Service and then purchase a Streaming Service for TV content? 

If the former, there are two basic dish manufacturers, Winegard (Traveler) and RF Mogul (Eagle).  There are others, but those are the big two.  I've had both, and functionally, they are about the same.  The main difference is Winegard won't sell replacement parts - if anything goes wrong, you must ship (or take) the whole antenna and controller back to Winegard.  RF Mogul will sell most all the parts to you, so you can repair the system without removal and shipping.  

If you are looking for Internet Access service, the hands down choice (although expensive) is Starlink RV.  It has a lower initial equipment cost, but the monthly cost is higher ($150/mo) plus whatever it cost for the Streaming Package(s).  

If you already have Dish Network, there is little to no additional monthly cost after purchase of the antenna.  If you already have Streaming Packages, the same is truc, but you still have the $150/mo Starlink charge.  That Starlink monthly charge can be suspended is your travel is only seasonal.

  -Rick N.

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 I can’t get the wife to give up DIRECTV. We do use it also with Starlink as our login allows us to use certain streaming for free as part of DIRECTV (TCM, ESPN) 

So likewise, have the dish, Starlink and 2 cell phone plans, one CMDA and one GMS. 

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13 minutes ago, vito.a said:

We canceled Dish and use Starlink to stream Amazon, Hulu, and Netflix.  Both Dish and Direct TV are declining.  

Yes. Dish has been hurling lawsuits at Starlink and Att shareholders are after them for buying DIRECTV 

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This is what I use this one is from T-Mobile but all the carriers have them. I think it’s referred to as home internet but I take it every where I go it’s $50 a month as long as you have cell service it works. I use Utube tv Netflix and prime. I would recommend Verizon they have the best service. No fees nothing to buy the box is free.

Don

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Ditto on Starlink but for little different reason. Heading toward Alaska in couple months and once you get to the Yukon, geostationary DISH satellites are too low on the horizon to pick up.

Currently pausing the RV Starlink plan while using our jet packs to stream. Moving to streaming service is not without growing pains and buffering delays. But heck, when we were kids, we had three channels that signed off at 10:30P. Somehow we survived. 

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5 minutes ago, Jim Pratten said:

Ditto on Starlink but for little different reason. Heading toward Alaska in couple months and once you get to the Yukon, geostationary DISH satellites are too low on the horizon to pick up.

Currently pausing the RV Starlink plan while using our jet packs to stream. Moving to streaming service is not without growing pains and buffering delays. But heck, when we were kids, we had three channels that signed off at 10:30P. Somehow we survived. 

Yep, back in the day, we had homework.  I was lucky to see an hour of TV a week (spoken in my shaky old man voice)... and we walked to school in the snow, uphill both ways (in Central FL.  Riiight!!) 

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33 minutes ago, vito.a said:

Both Dish and Direct TV are declining.  

Very true.  I like content without commercials.  Dish plays the same mediocre movies month after month, sometimes simultaneously on different channels.  As streaming content increases in popularity satellite will continue to decline.  They'll be joining Blockbuster soon IMO.

Our issue is cost of access.  We'd love to use Starlink but they aren't positioned in the SE US yet, and to get it I'd have to give up Dish (DW's rules) and somehow justify home internet *and* on-the-road internet (ie Starlink).  Cellular isn't available in many locations I visit (I take boondocking quite literally - way out in the boondocks!) so any cellular solution isn't acceptable . . . . although if Verizon wouldn't throttle usage I'd be all over it. 

- bob

 

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Guest Ray Davis
1 hour ago, Jim Pratten said:

heck, when we were kids, we had three channels that signed off at 10:30P. Somehow we survived.

When I was a kid never heard of tv finally a neighbor go one.  All of us kids would invade their home at dark to watch Charlie Chan mysteries.

Might even watch a test pattern.  Ever heard of those?

Edited by Ray Davis
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5 minutes ago, Ray Davis said:

When I was a kid never heard of tv finally a neighbor go one.  All of us kids would invade their home at dark to watch Charlie Chan mysteries.

Haha, where I grew up, we had 3 channels, 3 different antennas to 3 different countries in 3 different languages, one of them illegal to watch,  memories... aren't we spoiled with the crap they put on now and we still pay for it.

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We just replaced our old Trav'ler with the updated version and were told this one can be serviced by authorized people and doesn't have to be sent back to Iowa.  The main reason I wanted to stick with  DISH is for the automatic recording of our favorite shows.  I don't have to search for shows and we skip the commercials.  We also don't have unlimited fast streaming.

 

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Guest Ray Davis
8 minutes ago, cbr046 said:

 

Our issue is cost of access.  We'd love to use Starlink but they aren't positioned in the SE US yet, and to get it I'd have to give up Dish (DW's rules) and somehow justify home internet *and* on-the-road internet (ie Starlink).  Cellular isn't available in many locations I visit (I take boondocking quite literally - way out in the boondocks!) so any cellular solution isn't acceptable . . . . although if Verizon wouldn't throttle usage I'd be all over it. 

- bob

 

Yeah,  the guys above sound like they are out quite a lot per month, and all the while I'm thinking of cutting back.  What with landlines, cell phones, and direct tv I feel like I'm propping up the industry.   Over-the-air free tv looks more tempting all the while.  I suppose it depends on ones perspective & maybe it's generational too.

8 minutes ago, Ivan K said:

Haha, where I grew up, we had 3 channels, 3 different antennas to 3 different countries in 3 different languages, one of them illegal to watch,  memories... aren't we spoiled with the crap they put on now and we still pay for it.

3 different countries, 1 was illegal, where was this?  Spoiled we are, a far cry from the crank phone we had when I was very young, and a party line at that.  Ever heard of a party line?

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We don't even have a TV in the MH. Unfortunately we are kind of hooked on the internet though. Starlink has worked well for us almost everywhere we been. Occasionally we will stream something on the laptop but do pretty well without TV when we're away from home.

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36 minutes ago, Ray Davis said:

Yeah,  the guys above sound like they are out quite a lot per month, and all the while I'm thinking of cutting back.  What with landlines, cell phones, and direct tv I feel like I'm propping up the industry.   Over-the-air free tv looks more tempting all the while.  I suppose it depends on ones perspective & maybe it's generational too.

3 different countries, 1 was illegal, where was this?  Spoiled we are, a far cry from the crank phone we had when I was very young, and a party line at that.  Ever heard of a party line?

About 100 miles north of Vienna, in today's Czech Republic. Austrian TV was considered western propaganda. Our TVs had to be hacked to even receive that channel. In my teenage years it provided for decent source of beer money, with some inherent risk. Different world back then.

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Guest Ray Davis
5 minutes ago, Tom Wallis said:

We don't even have a TV in the MH. Unfortunately we are kind of hooked on the internet though. Starlink has worked well for us almost everywhere we been. Occasionally we will stream something on the laptop but do pretty well without TV when we're away from home.

And we still have in motion tv, wife watches while I drive and listen.

 

3 minutes ago, Ivan K said:

About 100 miles north of Vienna, in today's Czech Republic. Austrian TV was considered western propaganda. Our TVs had to be hacked to even receive that channel. In my teenage years it provided for decent source of beer money, with some inherent risk. Different world back then.

Ivan, that is fascinating.   I bet you have some interesting stories.  Sounds like you have lived on both sides,  I'm glad you're here & on our side now. 

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8 hours ago, Ivan K said:

Haha, where I grew up, we had 3 channels, 3 different antennas to 3 different countries in 3 different languages, one of them illegal to watch,  memories... aren't we spoiled with the crap they put on now and we still pay for it.

3 channels? I remember only 2 channels in our town growing up and the test pattern was on most of the day back in the early 50's.  I was about 4 when we got a TV and that was a big deal.

When I was about 8, we finally got ABC as the 3rd channel.  Had to wait until I was about 15 for color TV. 

As for an antenna - it was rabbit ears and the vertical and horizontal hold always needed adjustment.  Remote control was my parents telling us to change the channel or adjust the picture or volume.

Today, analog TV and the TV repair man is all but gone.  It's all online streaming or OTA digital now.  Technology sure has advanced from the analog to digital age over the past 70 years.  Today it's digital live streaming TV as we drive down the road.

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16 hours ago, Denny Wagaman said:

It’s time to replace my Satellite. Winegard traveler or KVH or?

appreciate your comments
 

Hello Denny,

To get you the right solution, please answer the following questions:

- Who is satellite provider (Dish, DirecTV, Bell, etc.)

- Do you want in-motion satellite reception?

- How many televisions do you want to use simultaneously that can be tuned to different satellite channels?

- what satellite receiver(s) would you like to use and are you flexible with potentially changing your satellite receivers?

- What part of the USA or Canada do you primarily use your RV in? 
 

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Guest Ray Davis
2 hours ago, CAT Stephen said:

Do you want in-motion satellite reception?

Direct tv in-motion is standard definition only and it has fewer channels than HD.   Supposedly with Dish,  HD in motion is available.

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