Satellite TV.

I'm thinking about satellite TV. for the truck. Anyone have any suggestions on equipment, where to buy, install options, etc. Please help.

 

I have Direct TV. You can purchase the entire set-up (Dish, Mount and receiver) at a WallMart or BestBuy for less than $100. (probably FAR less). You will have to sign a "contract" with D-TV before you walk out with the UNIT. While many drivers mount their "DISH" on a piece of PVC pipe, I mounted the stock Dish mount directly onto the passenger side mirror using small "pipe clamps" (1 1/2 inch) and a small strip of 3/8 inch thick steel. It provides a secure mount to place the dish and you can easily make sure the "mount" is "plumb". You can also "point the dish" from the passenger seat with-out standing outside. Helpful in really HOT, COLD or WET weather. I would also suggest a "sat signal meter", a COMPASS and a ZIP CODE directory; all found at your local Radio Shack. Also a small "BULLET" level and 7/16 open end wrench for making sure your "mount" is straight up-and-down. This is an IMPORTANT step in pointing your dish in an effective manner.

As I said, I have D-TV. I have a friend that traded his D-TV for DISH because the programming was cheaper. But HE FOUND that the sats were LOWER in the sky than those used by D-TV and he had problems finding a good sat signal in the upper latitudes, especially on the UPPER East Coast.
His signal was often blocked by trucks passing in front of him, or parking next to him. Also, I read lately that DISH might be in some sort of "trouble" and soon may be losing about 1/2 of their programming.
With Practice, you will be able to always PARK so the front or driver's side is in the direction of the SATS and you will also learn how to point the dish and be watching your favorite programming in 5 minutes or less. FORGET the dual LNB, "OVAL" dishes and paying for your "LOCAL" channels, That is even more complicated and I have never been able to get an adequate signal to watch my Grand Rapids, MI stations.

 

Thanks for the advice i have dis at home, but if there have been problems with reception on the truck then i will look into D- TV. I was in Greensburg Pa. last night with no TV reception.

 

I was talking to a cell phone rep in Ta the other day. He was showing me a device that hooks up to my 2nd cable tv satelite box and sends my tv signal directly to my laptop. I have verizon,netgear at home and a sprint 59.00 a month card unlimited on the laptop on the road. He said that as long as no one at home was watching the 2nd tv,that I could watch any of my cable stations from there on the road as long as i was on the internet. Do these technical really work well. I saw it working at the Ta from his home to the laptop. It had a great picture on screen just like a tv screen at home,on the left of the screen on the laptop,it showed the remote that tunes it,looks just like my remote at home,you just click it with mouse. costs 249.00,seems reasonable. Let me know if any of you have tried one? thks.

 

Roadkill -- I'm not surprised you can't pick up the local GR stations with your dish -- I'm in GR and can't get them well here! LOL! These have to be the worst stations as far as reception, I have ever seen. I can get NBC in well, of the 2 ABC stations, I can get them about 80% (picture is a little fuzzy) and CBS is fuzzy and difficult to see but the sound is good. We don't have cable or a dish and this is with an amplified antenna. If the weather is bad, even NBC doesn't come in well. I just shrug my shoulders and figure it's a good way to avoid becoming a TV junkie. But with all of the problems I have getting reception here in Grand Rapids, it's no surprise that you have problems getting them with a dish.

Be safe out there!

 

The device you are probably talking about is " SLING MEDIA " it is suppose to work well.

 

if you have time to watch sattalite tv then your not making the money you need to make and are spending to much ttime sitting around.

 

And what do YOU do with your 10 hours off? Or your down time at shipper/receivers? I guess your truck never stops, huh? lol

 

i do 8/2 splits. in that time i nap, eat and shower. heck i don't sleep more than 5-6 hrs anyways even at home. if you run right downtime can be kept to a minimum.

 

I'm giving you a hard time, but even doing 8/2, that leaves plenty of free time to watch a little tv. I don't do OTR, but I 'd have to have a tv if I did. I bring dvds for my down time at pickups now.