Painting a TracVision Dome.

[AmeriStar]

Does anyone have any experiance with painting a tracvision dome.
I have heard that is suggested to leave it in the origional color, but I have seen some that have been painted.
We have just upgraded all of the AC units and want to tie-in the colors of the motorcoach, and with the tracvision dome being the standard white, it will look bad.
Any comments would be appreciated!

[AprilWhine]

I maintained satellite syetems for a number of years. Painting was forbidden, as most paints will attenuate signals.

Best bet, contact the manufacturer to get a paint recommendation.

Jim

[AmeriStar]

Tracvision says ok to paint as long as it is non metalic and as thin as possible. Just wondering if anyone has had any experiance with signal loss or weak signal.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

A number of converters paint the domes to match the coach base color. The advice about non-metallic paints is valid, however any of us who have and use our satellite receivers know even a heavy dew on the dome will affect the signal.

I would opt for utility over pretty. Having said that, if the use is for a seated coach for entertainment when it is in motion the air flow will eliminate the affects of moisture on the dome and might be more tolerable to a paint job. For a motorhome where its use will be mostly when the coach is stationary I think the unpainted dome would be preferable.

[LarryB]

AmeriStar, we have the TracVision dome and it is painted [done in Marathon's paint shop] and we experience great pix quality. We don't have the "heavy dew" problem Jon refers to as we keep the dome clean and treated with a product that moisture will not collect on. We do experience 'rain fade' in heavy rains just like the open dish we have at home.
We use Direct, not sure if Dish is the same. My two cents.

[Alek&Lucia]

AmeriStar,

We had KVH TracVision before, and now we have TracStar. KVH arrived painted from the convertor, and the TracStar was painted by my local body shop with good automotive acrylic paint NON-METALIC. No problems in both cases,

Alek

[garyde]

I painted my dome a couple of years ago. Don't use a primer with zink. Use an epoxy paint for the dome finish color.

[ToyMan]

My TracStar is painted gold. I get great reception all the time unless there is a major storm between my dome and the satellite.

[AmeriStar]

Thanks for all of the answers. We now have 3 newly painted ac unit covers and 1 newly painted tracvision dome.
We used a product by SEM called Sure-Coat that prepares plastic or fiberglass for paint.
I'll let you know about the satellite reception tomorrow.

[truk4u]

AmeriStar,

Please add a signature and include the year and Conversion of your bus to help if mechanical issues come up.

[AmeriStar]

AC covers and dome painted and installed. There was no difference to the satellite reception (maybe slight improvement, but we cleaned the dish and LNB wile the cover was removed),
in-motion worked great.

And now on to the really important stuff - Remove the tool box from the passenger #3 bay and reinstall in the driver #3 bay. - Remove the undersized grill from the passenger #2 bay and install new 'man sized grill' in the passenger #3 bay. Install new 53" LCD TV on swing out bracket, in passenger #2 bay.
I have pics, but not really understanding how to attach them.

[Pete]

Kevin, what type of paint did you use? I need to do my dish, but can't find a non metalic that is even near the color of my coach (in a rattle can). Did you have paint mixed?
Thanks, Pete

[garyde]

Pete. I just found a auto painter. It's a small mix so a small shop painter is more likely to do it. They can mix any epoxy color you want.

[AmeriStar]

Pete,
We used a Dupont paint, mixed to the color of a stripe on the coach. We had the shop come out with their paint reader and color match what we wanted.
It was interesting to find out that most 'metalic' paints, no longer contain metal, but are an 'acrylic metalic'. New paints are really incredible.

[Pete]

Thanks Kevin, most paint shops now use a base coat/clear coat system and my concern was the thickness of the paint when complete. Did you do base coat/clear coat or just one coat of paint?

[AmeriStar]

We used a single application.
We have used a base/clear in the past on our motorcoach fleet. We have returned to a single step paint, especially on flexible plastic parts. Clear will chip off and leave a pitted look. Single step has a much more durable finish.

[Pete]

Thanks Kevin...that answers my question.
Pete