Best satellite system for camping in the woods

Jhnbggs · 01-10-2016, 02:52 PM

Hi Everyone,
I'm trying to find out if anyone has been using the KING tailgater system in the woods for Dishnet and if they have had any problems with it. OR, what you may use that's an auto satellite finder systems portable. Will be working in the woods this summer and need a good dependable system.

etex211 · 01-10-2016, 03:34 PM

If you want HD and convenience, then the Dish Tailgater is your only choice.

As far as "in the woods" goes, you'll need an obstructed view into the southern sky.

Grumpy · 01-10-2016, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by etex211

I

As far as "in the woods" goes, you'll need an obstructed view into the southern sky.

Which is harder to do the further North you go since the verticle angle is lower.

robkelly · 01-10-2016, 03:40 PM

We had the Dish Tailgater for about a month before getting rid of it as we found it was nearly impossible to get the unobstructed view the unit required. I've heard that others have had good luck with it, just wasn't worth the cost and aggravation for us

**Mustang65** · 01-10-2016, 03:53 PM

We have had the dish tailgater for about 3 years now. We have been extremely lucky with the setup (clear view of the sky) so we enjoy it. The tailgater sits perfectly in the roof rails of the rear ladder. I bungee corded it to the ladder and put a bike-lock cable to secure it.

I would recommend it, as log as you have an unobstructed view of the southern sky.

Don

Parcany · 01-10-2016, 09:38 PM

We had a tailgater for 3 years and it worked out good. Then it started to loose tracking and we could never get it to work after that. We were going to buy another tailgater but we found a Wineguard pathway 2. We have had this one for over a year and it does get HD channels, and the only thing different is at the begining of the test there are 2 more questions that you have to fill out. It is bigger than the tailgater but everything is the same. I know of 5 different people that have had tailgaters and they all went bad after about 3 years.

CharlieD · 01-10-2016, 09:52 PM

I just bought and used the tailgater from dish systems. I mounted mine on a piece of composite sign material ( aluminum sided with plastic in the middle) I also mounted a compass on the board with velcro so I can know which way is south on setup so I know where to look for a clear spot. Even in rain it didn't fade out. Camper world has almost the same price as dish systems and you don't have to wait for it to be mailed to you.

Jace817 · 01-10-2016, 11:22 PM

Mine has worked well. Last weekend was the first time I couldn't get a signal, but we deep in the piney woods with trees 80' tall. I have been experimenting with cable lengths. So far I have luck with up to 100', but haven't gotten it to work when spicing two cables together. I have better adapters on the way, so we'll see if that helps. If you ask King, they say that it only works with up to 50', but I've done better than that. I wish they made a signal booster you could use when you have to place it really far away to get a clear view.

If you camp in open areas, it will work great. If you camp,deep in the woods, it will be hit or miss depending on your site. You need a clear view of the southern sky. There are some great phone apps for helping you find a suitable location.

edatlanta · 01-11-2016, 04:22 AM

I spent Christmas week this past year at Ft. Wilderness. My site was surrounded by trees. I use a tripod and a Slimline dish with DirecTV, but the same antenna location selection would work with any antenna. I use DishPointerPro on my smart phone to find a hole through the trees that my dish can "look through". I had a 99% signal looking through a small hole. Just make sure you have plenty of coax. I needed about 80' for this location and other campers came by to ask "how did you get a signal". You have to be creative on occasion, but how bad do you want satellite TV? In locations with obstructions you need to know exactly where in the southern sky you need to look.

Bassdogs · 01-11-2016, 09:03 AM

Pathwayx2 is by far the highest and most reliable portable mobile for Dish [only] and was recommended to me by a Dish installer. Tailgaters are the most frequently seen in CG's as they are smaller and easy to carry. Just got a Pathx2 and so far my experience has been limited to a test set up in my back yard. Was able to lock on both Eastern Arc and Western Arc dish sats with absolute no problems. The e arc and w arc feature is a big factor in increasing your set up options in areas with trees or other obstructions. It also will support 2 receivers. More $$'s than the tailgater but more capabilities and better constructed.

goducks · 01-11-2016, 10:41 AM

I have a Pathway X2 and love it. I camp in Oregon and have my fair share of trees. The X2 has a larger DIA dish than the Tailgator which helps it get and hold sats better. I also have an app for my phone that I use. It's called Dishpointer Pro. Cost me 19.99 for my Droid. IMO it's what anyone should have when using a portable sat is a wooded area. The last two times we went camping on the Oregon coast I had to move my X2 several times trying to find a clear view. You need all 3 sats to get HD across the whole channel line up. Two sats will give you a lot of HD channels but sometimes I want to watch a certain channel and need to search for the sat a little harder.
With Dish you can stop and start your service for free. I've never had an issue doing that.
I bought the tripod to go along with the X2. I probably could get by without it but it does keep the X2 off the ground for when it's raining.
Another nice thing about having an app on your phone for sat finding is you can do a walk thru of the CG and if you find a nice spot you like you can just pull the phone out and check for sat locations.
We did that before our last camping trip. We were staying at an RV park and decided to checkout a CG near there since it was one we've always wanted to stay at but never had the opportunity. As we were walking thru the CG I was stopping and checking some spots for sat signal. Another couple came up behind us and wanted to know if we were checking for sats. They were interested in what app I had as they had Dish sat service as well. They were excited to see the app work so well and ended up writing the app name down so when they got back to their MH they could install it on their phone.
FWIW we were long time (15 years) DirecTv customers before switching to Dish last year. Been mostly happy with it. We've had all 3 tv providers and they all have their quirks. We switched to Dish because we like to watch tv in HD and Directv doesn't offer programming for the portable sat systems.
If HD programming is not that big of a deal then any sat system will work. Just make sure to get an app for your phone if you're in wooded areas. It will save lots of time and confusion. Some are free as well.

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