Tailgater satelite dish good? Or bad?

Thanks, I didn't know that they had changed their policies.

 

It's all about the $$$. They wised up and created "mobile plans" and charge a premium so that you can get your network stations (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, etc) no matter where you are in the country. But the advantage to the mobile plans is that you can shut them on and off because they were designed for RV'ers who only use them during the summer months.

Details page for DISH is ---> HERE

Details page for DirecTV is ---> HERE

Disclaimer: Although I am a VuQube and Winegard dealer and installer, I have no dog in the hunt whatsoever with either Dish Network or DirecTV.

 

Do either one of these companies offer a TV AND Internet package deal through the tailgater?I would like to find a plan that's around 20-30 gigs a month with the TV running through it as well if that's possible.

 

No. Mobile satellite internet requires a huge dish and it is quite expensive ($10,000 - $14,000 plus monthly plan fees.) For those curious what that looks like, you can see an example here: https://www.groundcontrol.com/flyaway-mobile.htm. Hughes makes a more compact unit, like this: http://www.northernaxcess.com/vehic...a-vehicular/?gclid=CMOLxcP3-7wCFaFAMgodLVcAcQ


Cellular internet is much cheaper, faster in most areas, and WAY more practical to install.

So technically, if you have unlimited funds, you COULD do mobile internet via satellite and never have to worry about cell signal. But, Satellite TV antennas do not have internet capability at this time.

 

i bought a tailgater on sept 19 it quit working 2 weeks ago, got the biggest run around you ever seen from dish, you have to go through king controlls on the warranty and thats another joke, they right away blam you for it not working and want to charge 150.00 to fix it when they have never seen it to evaluate why its not working??? what a bunch of crap!!iv got 400.00 in this piece of junk and they want to lift another 150 bucks from me?? what a load of crap!! 400 bucks for les than 90 days of use, it worked fine until i hit a 17 deg day THERE JUNK!!! dont waste your money unless you like to gamble

 

I'm new to the trucking life, Can you have a dish is you work for a company or can you only have one if you are a O/O

 

It's up to your company. If they own the truck, then they will have company policies in effect pertaining to what items you can install (inverters, tv antennas, other electronics.) I have installed satellite TV on many company trucks, but usually they prefer "no drill" methods.

So, again - this is a question for your company.

 

FWIW, I ran a Tailgator mounted on a VueCube mount on the back of two different trucks for over two years without a single hiccup. All I did was take the rubber pads off, run a bottoming tap in the holes covered by the rubber pads and screw it to the mount. I ran it in temps from 110+ to -20 and the only issue I had was on my T-680 I couldn't mount it as high as I wanted so when I was north of I-80 I had to park in a northern facing direction to get a signal but otherwise it was flawless for 2 years mounted on the truck. Now that my company has installed EpicView in all the trucks I have retired my Tailgator to our 5th wheel and it still performs perfectly. YMMV as I have heard plenty of people whom have had problems but I got my monies worth many times over.

Jury is still out on this EpicView stuff, if you forget and leave the dome powered while running down the road it will burn itself out trying to lock on to a signal, or at least that's what the rep is telling the company. Signal has been great regardless of where I'm at but I've only had it for a couple weeks so time will tell. I rewired my power switch for mine with a relay that shuts the power off when I turn the key on which was easy since there's already a ignition wire coming to the control panel in the bunk for the Espar heater. I just traced it, tapped into it and wired a relay inline to the power switch for the dome.

 

Guys I know this thread is about a year old but rather than start a new one I used the search feature. Anyway, the wife got tired of hearing me complain about poor OTA signals and said a satellite could be my Christmas gift. Now I have been looking into the tailgaters and I was referred to kvh, who told me theirs was the best and that's why it costs 2195. I really can't afford that, but; I already have directv at the house and am eligible for an upgrade which would give me an extra receiver. The permanent mount dish sounds good but price. I have seen guys in stops with home dishes mounted up on the mirrors . Having worked for Directv years ago, I know if I go the latter route with a home dish, I get the same channels as I would at home (i.e. Iocals) compared to just 101 satellite channels. How easy is it to set one of the home dishes up and lock it in? Obviously, unless I am on a 34, the position will change. Any suggestions?

 

I have not done so, but I recommend doing a thorough web search and find who is making and/or distributing the satellite dish receivers that a lot of the larger carriers are installing lately. These must be very durable (much more durable then those designed for the casual RV users such as Vu-Cube). This would be the ideal product if it can be bought by individuals and properly installed with the right month-to-month program plan.

I can not justify a Vu-Cube or similar unless it can be permanently mounted OUT OF THE CAB, so as not to take up valuable in-cab space.

Maybe it's these that I'm trying to recommend ...
http://www.dieselboss.com/satellite_tv_for_truck_winegard.htm