> The best thing about having a dish that can be operated from
> inside is putting it up in rain/wind/snow/etc and watching the others with
> their tripods braving the elements or going without their dish
>
. With an
> inside dish, aiming is a one person inside job since you can see the TV
> while aiming.
We primitive types who had DSS before all these modern conveniences had to
make do. My 1st gen RCA DSS runs on LP, a huge improvement over the previous
one powered by the water wheel. Whatever you do though, keep buying them so
the value of my investment goes up.
> One thing I have noticed with the RCA receivers is that the older
> ones seem
> much easier to aim than the newer ones. We have an older version and the
> signal is reported instantly on the TV if you find it. A friend has a
> newer version, and you have to wait for the next beep before the signal
> comes up on the TV. This takes much more time.
This is very true! If you don't have a DSS already, get to a place where you
can see them in person -- side by side. Ask to see a demo of the setup
screens. The new RCAs aren't as friendly to setup in my opinion. The Dish
Network ones are very easy, they have a bar graph display and an audible
tone but...
The lower end 'slave' receiver, (typically model 1000) can be controlled
only by the InfraRed remote control. It has no buttons to push on the
receiver itself. That a can make things frustrating if you don't have enough
"AAA" batteries.
Also, the upper end Dish Network units have a radio based remote control. If
your camping neighbor has the same type, at the campground, he will control
what you watch. You can get around this problem by changing the address on
the unit to something other than the default. We put an entire system (about
150 units) of these in a condo complex. The problems we had... I'm still on
medication for those nightmares.
One final thought, if you frequently stay at the more upscale campgrounds,
be sure to consider making a provision for a cable TV hook up. Those are
quite common nowadays.
Zak's points about not having to mess with the tripod are good ideas, but
then when you've got steel wheels and... you're going camping, and you're
outside setting up your satellite tripod... I call that roughing it. Just
some thoughts.
Mark
mgrady
> inside is putting it up in rain/wind/snow/etc and watching the others with
> their tripods braving the elements or going without their dish
>
. With an> inside dish, aiming is a one person inside job since you can see the TV
> while aiming.
We primitive types who had DSS before all these modern conveniences had to
make do. My 1st gen RCA DSS runs on LP, a huge improvement over the previous
one powered by the water wheel. Whatever you do though, keep buying them so
the value of my investment goes up.
> One thing I have noticed with the RCA receivers is that the older
> ones seem
> much easier to aim than the newer ones. We have an older version and the
> signal is reported instantly on the TV if you find it. A friend has a
> newer version, and you have to wait for the next beep before the signal
> comes up on the TV. This takes much more time.
This is very true! If you don't have a DSS already, get to a place where you
can see them in person -- side by side. Ask to see a demo of the setup
screens. The new RCAs aren't as friendly to setup in my opinion. The Dish
Network ones are very easy, they have a bar graph display and an audible
tone but...
The lower end 'slave' receiver, (typically model 1000) can be controlled
only by the InfraRed remote control. It has no buttons to push on the
receiver itself. That a can make things frustrating if you don't have enough
"AAA" batteries.
Also, the upper end Dish Network units have a radio based remote control. If
your camping neighbor has the same type, at the campground, he will control
what you watch. You can get around this problem by changing the address on
the unit to something other than the default. We put an entire system (about
150 units) of these in a condo complex. The problems we had... I'm still on
medication for those nightmares.
One final thought, if you frequently stay at the more upscale campgrounds,
be sure to consider making a provision for a cable TV hook up. Those are
quite common nowadays.
Zak's points about not having to mess with the tripod are good ideas, but
then when you've got steel wheels and... you're going camping, and you're
outside setting up your satellite tripod... I call that roughing it. Just
some thoughts.
Mark
mgrady
