Tracking Satellite System

[Dthomas9572]

Hello,
I am wanting to install a tracking satellite system in my coach. Visiting with my RV installer he recommends the KVH system. His reasoning is it was developed for the Marine Industry and has the best recording of keeping up with signal.
This system is $2100 ish versus a Weingard at $1100.00 ish. Does anyone have thoughts on this?
He also said Dish is the way to go as Direct TV does not have High Def Signals and Direct TV when it changes over to High Def all the existing units will have to be replaced.
Thoughts?
David Thomas
1998 Featherlight XL​

[freds]

I would wait another year for Starlink to be more widely deployed and have everything in one unit.

To watch TV on the go use an iPad and pre-download a NetFlix movie in the meantime.

[Gil_J]

Yes, KVH is a much better built and more reliable product and it's reflected in its price. There's no way I'd spend that money on a system designed for DirecTV. Both because of the lack of HD support and the uncertainty as to what AT&T is going to do when it shuts down its SD broadcast. DirecTV's customer service is, well, let me just say it is not customer service. Make sure it can be used on DISH if you go DirecTV. If you can get a KVH RV1 for $2,100 you are doing good. The terminal, not installed, is closer to $2,400 - $2,600.

[BGLogistics]

David I have a TV you can borrow :-)http://forum.prevostownersgroup.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=16996&stc=1

[Dthomas9572]

Billy,

I love all the shows on ME TV. Your loaner will be perfect....I will feel like I did when I was a kid..

[BadFitter]

Another thing to consider is going to streaming. It is a little complicated to get a setup that includes an external antenna, router, and bus WiFi but once that is done it is very simple to use streaming devices like a FireStick or smart TV apps to receive all your programming. Streaming is seen as the way things are going, replacing traditional broadcast TV. While some will see this as an "early adopter" method, it is in reality very established.

Check to see if there is a "technology store" in your area that can advise you on an acceptable installation. There are dedicated websites that will keep you abreast of current providers and methods that will reduce your monthly costs.

Frequently we will not even carry our Dish Hopper and Joey with us, leaving them connected at home. We then can use the Dish Anywhere app in the bus to get all our home Dish channels. For music while on the road, Prime Music is really good. Netflix and Amazon Prime get a lot of use. We rarely travel in an area that does not have decent streaming coverage, but in full disclosure, we have a robust, multi-provider Cradlepoint router and roof mounted, high gain, cell antenna.

[Hoffman]

I would also suggest you consider a streaming solution. That's all we use any longer, abandoning the high initial and monthly costs for dish based systems and a much broader source of content. Each TV has an AppleTV attached that all log into the same Apple account, so content, apps, cost are all for a single account. No More vendor lockin, watch anything you want. Tennis Channel for my wife? There's an App for that. etc, etc.
As for the bus, Wireless throughout (except connecting the AppleTV to the TV itself is HDMI for ~2ft.) So I've been free to rip out all the old COAX cabling and mess, what a relief. There's probably 100+lbs of unneeded cabling and connectors leftover from an old bygone architecture.
Of course you don't need to use AppleTV; FireStick, Smart TVs, etc also work, but I chose AppleTV due to the richer content and app selection, and the ease to share my laptop screen to any TV in the 'house', a great tool for work and family zoom sessions.

As for Starlink, a great idea, but a bit early and can't be used without setting up the antenna, which would need to be stowed(currently) while driving. I'm optimistic the RV industry will have a solution for that soon, but way too early for that still. The Starlink dish tracks using phased array technology so no need to physically move the dish to track, this will be awesome for being a good solution while driving down the road. I'll definitely be getting one of these when it's a viable solution for an RV. Elon are you listening?

[Pete]

David, I am miles away from this new streaming, or whatever. I can though recommend the Winegard T4 in motion receiver. I am presently on my second T4, as I sold the bus with the 1st one and use Dish network. It gets HD, you can call Dish and not be charged for it while not in use.
If I were able to use the coach more time than I am home, I might look deeper into some of the more current gadgets. If you just want a good in motion receiver, I recommend the T4 and Dish network.

[Joe Camper]

Id love to hire someone to show me whats out there and teach me how to use them.

Until they get to ZERO buffering with this new stuff ill be sticking with what I have.

When is Direct going to change over?

[Dthomas9572]

Hello,

Regarding streaming, I have 100% gone that route at home. It is great at home as we have unlimited high speed internet to support that. The issue with streaming on the road is really impossible if you are gone for a long period of time. Campground wifi are useless for streaming. Not enough bandwidth. I currently have two different phone services (Verizon for my wife and Sprint for me). This is very helpful as one may have good service in an area and other weak, then down the road they flip.

I have hotspots for each phone, but limited to 15 to 20 gig of high speed bandwidth. When streaming at the higher speed things are great, but once the limit is used it is throttled back to a point where buffering is soooooo irritating. Yes, when not in high traffic areas and in the off season when campground is empty, you MAY not be throttled back. My hotspots are fine when we travel a few days per month, but we are planning on some 30 to 45 day trips and hotspots will not work.

Thus the the KVH 1 is going to be my choice for the next few years, Gil thanks for the recommendations and everyone I visit with says it is the way to go, although twice the cost. Regarding tracking down the road to those who asked.....NO I won't be watching, but my wife loves her reality shows and will have plenty to watch.

I do look forward in the next few years to Starlink or other companies having a good internet options. Then I will be dumping DISH forever.....glad I don't use DISH at home anymore.

Thanks
David Thomas
1998 Featherlight XL

[wjohnson720]

https://www.mobilemusthave.com/

if you want reliable cellular internet for your bus contact link above. They are experts in mobile internet and will provide tech support. it will require an antenna on the bus roof. equipment is $700 for bundle. they can also provide an unlimited data plan with no throttle. once you have good internet, sign up for whatever streaming apps yon want/need. this is really a solution targeted at those who are on the road allot.

[Gil_J]

David,

You don't have to watch TV to take advantage of your satellite system. Many that have them use them for music and newscasts.

Starlink is certainly not the first to attempt internet via low earth orbit satellites. This service has been available for a long time. They launched their satellites from a plane, dramatically reducing their launch costs. Satellites and sapce launches aren't for the faint of heart. We use to build the large scale communications satellites quite a few years ago. The company I worked for also managed a space launch facility.

[PrevostNewbie]

I have been a cord cutter for about 7 years now. At home I use Youtube TV, seems nicer when you have less hardware to worry about. In this Bus when i get to the inside work, i am going to put a Roku and a chromecast to stream from my devices.

[Gil_J]

We've been streaming at our house for about 4 years, but not because we want to. Our PoS cable company and largest in the nation has never been able to make a cable box work since they went all digital. Now we put up with buffering and total outages. And the killer we are still paying for cable service. The biggest bitch I have is that local broadcasts aren't carried on any app for free even though they have been carried over the much more costly airwaves for free since the beginning of broadcast TV. I don't doubt we will have ubiquitous and reliable high speed internet everywhere some day, that day just isn't in the foreseeable future. Sadly, the Government has never deemed internet services as necessity like they did with phone service. Until then, the cost of supporting low density remote customers is not cost effective for any service provider.

[Ck2hans]

Gil:
If there is anything good to come out of Covid-19, internet providers are being forced to step up their game because of all the people working @ home.

[Gil_J]

Chuck, there could be. The school systems, major employers, and government agencies are paying for more access to support the work and learn at how initiatives. I wouldn't be surprised to see government grants to support the build out of broadband for all initiatives. But maybe not. Cisco Systems didn't make their sales projections.

[Ck2hans]

Gil:
It's 2020. nothing is normal :eek:
Chuck

[Hoffman]

Joe, The future is all wireless and using a priority based shared user packet architecture. AKA: IP. As a result, buffering is inevitable, although should be minimized for time sensitive content such as a voice call. Believe it or not, all our voice calls, even on land lines are now transmitted via this new packet architecture. Even your cell phone buffers once in a while. Ever hear the other persons voice go away or sound briefly like Mickey Mouse? That's buffering.
So while I know it's irritating for us old farts who grew up with a solid phone line, the future is going to go further away from dedicated bandwidth and more towards a shared model. Which inevitably means buffering. Sigh....
When you're out here in the west next spring, I can go over more of this with you and recommend some options.
I'd be honored to teach the master something he doesn't know.

[Gil_J]

Joe, although I've been away from the telecommunications industry for a while I'd be surprised to find the Telcos carrying landline voice over IP. Sure wireless and cable providers do. I would expect the unions to stop such a move given the data side of the Telcos was never union.

[BadFitter]

Are landlines still a thing? I guess commercial facilities with a receptionist and "switchboard" still use it.

[Hoffman]

Les, Actually most commercial users have switched to VOIP architectures due to cost savings. There might still be a receptionist (although most of them are gone as well), but with IP based routing, that receptionist can sit anywhere (india?) and still answer the incoming lines and redirect as needed. For example, when you call an airlines (not that many of us are doing that much anymore), most of those agents are now working from home, all from soft phones operated from their laptops, including full control to transfer the call to other queues as needed. The only place you find the old POTS twisted pair copper is in the residential market.

[BadFitter]

Sounds good, Joe. There are very few homes being built in our development wired for landlines... and we are mostly older folk! Being RV'ers, landlines have little use.