Tailgater satelite dish good? Or bad?

Oh I see this too, I wanted to laugh when I saw a guy carried in a 32 inch with his ps3 one night at a terminal. I have a xbox but mine stays home, I do not want to have that sucking my time away when I stop, I get into playing something and then 5 hours later "oh crap I have to get up in 4 hours to get going again"

 

Ahhh, the typical opinionated super trucker response; full of self deprivation yet short on answers to the query. "Well you see I never have a single instance where I have to wait for my appointment time" "I never stage near my cons with a moment to spare" Give me a break! The dude asked how the Tailgater performed. yet you only mock him for asking. I set my Tailgater up a few times a week. It takes me all of four minutes to set it up and the unit takes about eight minutes to program itself. In that time I have completed my paperwork or made myself a sandwich. I watch a movie or catch The Weather Channel or maybe try to guess which house the couple will pick on HGTV. And no, I don't need to sleep ten hours yet the government has decided I need at least ten hours to rest. Fine, I will watch some boobtube using a TV sat box I already pay for from my house and enjoy some comforts while on the road. Nothing wrong with that. Answer the dude's question if you have any experience with the subject matter but you don't have to judge him because he's not of your mindset.

 

If you'll read up on the tailgater, you'll see that its not designed to be set up out side permanently. Plastic is not heavy duty enough to survive moving down the road. You'll need a vucube for that.

 

Ok. What is a vucube?

MS

 

Something as the tailgater but with out the handle.

 

take a real good look at both of em , then research who makes both of em. like one guy said , the handle makes the difference

 

Here is some more info:

VuQube / Tailgater / Flex: the manufacturer is King Controls out of Minnesota.

VuQube: made to be mounted on the back. Works with Dish, DirecTV, or Bell Express. Uses a remote control and you dial in the signal with the remote. It's not hard, but you have to understand the basics of where the satellites are in relation to where your truck is parked.
Tailgater: Like a VuQube but has a carry handle and 4 rubber feet instead of bolts on the bottom. Works with the Vip211K receiver from Dish Network only. Not made to be permanently mounted, but there are several temporary mounts made. Finds the signal on it's own when you turn it on.
Flex: Like a Tailgator, but made for DirectTV instead of Dish.

VuQube are "stationary" units (not for watching TV while the truck is moving.)

Durasat: manufacturer is Winegard company out of Iowa

Stationary: Mounted on back of truck and finds the signal on its own. Works with Dish or DirecTV.
In-Motion: Mounted on back of truck, finds the signal on its own, and can be used while in motion. (Dish or DirecTV)
Carryout: similar to Tailgater and Flex. Portable unit.

Other general notes: HD signal only works with Dish Network. VuQube is lighter and easier to install. Winegard is a little bigger and heavier, but more convenient because once it finds the signal on its own while also being permanently mounted. And offers in-motion version for teams or couples where one is not driving at the time. All satellite antennas are "line of sight" so must have clear view of the southern sky to watch.

 

The VuQube has a heavier plastic box around it and is better sealed. It's designed to be kept out doors. It also costs about twice as much for the basic unit. Tailgater has pretty flimsy plastic covering. Last time I checked, the VuQube came in 3 models.

Make sure that read what the Dieselboss said twice, about the tail gater. It must have that rcvr to work.

Also.... to use a VuQube, and maybe the Winegard, you MUST already have satelite at your house. They won't just do "mobil" units.

Think the tailgater has some other kind of deal going on, but not sure what it is. One of our drivers has it, and I know, that he doesn't have a house.

 

The Tailgater is an exclusive deal with Dish Network and needs the Vip211K receiver. So when you add the price of the Tailgater and the receiver, it is NOT half the price. It's $500 - $600 dollars depending on the dealer with that receiver.

For many years, it confused the pants off any Dish or DirecTV rep when you tried to explain that it was a mobile unit. But the RV people raised the demand to a point where both companies now have "mobile plans" and embrace the mobile crowd. Naturally it is easier (and cheaper) to just order up another receiver if you have one or the other service at home. However, both companies now have mobile plan options now such that you don't have to have it at home.

They still get confused when you tell them that it's a truck though. They understand "RV" better so I usually recommend just saying that its in your RV.