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Howard
Super Nomad
Posts: 2353
Registered: 11-13-2007
Location: Loreto/Manhattan Beach/Kona
Member Is Offline
Mood: I'd rather regret the things I've done than regret the things I haven't done.
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Waht is the best satelite dish and system to use?
I am bringing my RV to Loreto where it will spend part of the year there and further south and part of the year in the Southern California area. What
is the best satellite dish (size, mfg, etc.) that will work well in both locations? What system will work best? (Dish or ?)
Thanks for your help,
Howard
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Pescador
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3587
Registered: 10-17-2002
Location: Baja California Sur
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I think you are asking about television reception but we also use dishes for internet. Which are you asking about?
If internet, then Hughesnet. is the best and the same sat dish will work in both areas.
If Television, then you get into a whole other ball game. Some of use Free To Air because Dish Network does not actually allow usage in Mexico.
In order to receive the signal you need at least a 1.8 meter dish in Loreto which is very large to have on the top of your motorhome. If you are in a
semi-permanent setup, you can mount a dish on a concrete pad and then it works fairly well.
Do a search here for television and satellite and you will get a lot of information that has been covered.
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Howard
Super Nomad
Posts: 2353
Registered: 11-13-2007
Location: Loreto/Manhattan Beach/Kona
Member Is Offline
Mood: I'd rather regret the things I've done than regret the things I haven't done.
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I did suspect that the dish would have to be very large for a TV. I would not entertain the idea of mounting that size dish on the RV and I am about
1 year away from having a semi- perminent location for a pad. I guess thats why they make DVD's to watch instead. A far as the Internet dish, what
is the basic inofrmation on that such as costs and contracts to sign?
Really appreciate your help,
Howard
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Bajabus
Senior Nomad
Posts: 892
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: Elias Calles B.C.S. or NC USA
Member Is Offline
Mood: My friends..it's good.
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Pescador..why is HN the best for internet?
"Preventive war was an invention of Hitler. Frankly I would not even listen to anyone seriously that came and talked of such a thing."
Dwight David Eisenhower
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gnukid
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4411
Registered: 7-2-2006
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I guess i many cases its the guide that makes the service best. Do users have TIVO DVR in Baja? Do you like it? Which FTA guide do you like?
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Martyman
Super Nomad
Posts: 1904
Registered: 9-10-2004
Member Is Offline
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Jeez. TV???
Make your own movie!
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vandenberg
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5118
Registered: 6-21-2005
Location: Nopolo
Member Is Offline
Mood: mellow
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Martyman
Jeez. TV???
Make your own movie! |
Yeah !!!
But how do you get the girls to participate. 
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Don Alley
Super Nomad
Posts: 1997
Registered: 12-4-2003
Location: Loreto
Member Is Offline
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Tivo will not work in Mexico, except with one participating cable company. The machines come DISABLED out of the box; you must connect them to a phone
line and get them activated.
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mulege marv
Senior Nomad
Posts: 652
Registered: 10-8-2004
Location: san carlos / grass valley, calif.
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Mood: relaxed
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tv
starchoice (canadian) is about the most practicle, as the reception is excellent and it doesnt require a huge dish. lots of people in mulege went to
it when DTV went south, or should i say north.
Want what you have
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losfrailes
Senior Nomad
Posts: 577
Registered: 11-16-2004
Location: Ejido San Lucas near Santa Rosalia
Member Is Offline
Mood: Good!
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Only problem with Starchoice is that you must have a Canadian address to be able to pay the subscription. For some thats no problem.
For others, FTA (Free To Air) is a solution. Its DishNetwork and relatively easy to get and for those posting here, with obvious internet connection,
real easy to maintain. And the price is right!
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losfrailes
Senior Nomad
Posts: 577
Registered: 11-16-2004
Location: Ejido San Lucas near Santa Rosalia
Member Is Offline
Mood: Good!
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajabus
Pescador..why is HN the best for internet? |
Were you trolling for a comment?
Apparently Hughes Network is the best if guaged by the number of users in Baja as opposed to that of the other system.
Also there are certified installers in Baja to solve the needs of installation and service when and if needed.
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CortezBlue
Super Nomad
Posts: 2213
Registered: 11-14-2006
Location: Fenix/San Phelipe
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I think it depends are where you are??
I am from Phx and have a DirecTV dish in San Felipe without any issues. However a bit of a primer. Dish Network and DirecTV are using spot beaming
to deliver "Local" channels. So for me it is not a problem as I get my local Phx channels and I would assume San Diego and LA would get locals ok.
However, if you are from, lets say, Salt Lake, you will probably be out of the beam path to get locals.
FTA is a great option for legal free programing. However, if you are modifying the firmware to receive DishNetwork, dont be suprised if it is not
around very long. As soon as Dish goes to MPG4 for all programs, FTA will be only useful for Free programing that is available.
I hope this message finds you watching great Sat programing.
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larryC
Super Nomad
Posts: 1495
Registered: 8-11-2008
Location: BoLA
Member Is Offline
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In BoLA I use a 30" dish with Directv and a DVR with absolutly no problems. Going farther south would most likely require a larger dish. As far as the
locals are concerned CortezBlue is 100% correct.
As for internet use, I like Starband, mainly because if you have a technical problem you don't have to talk to someone in Pakistan, Starbands techs
are in Virginia and speak very good english.
Hope this helps,
Larry
[Edited on 9-18-2008 by larryC]
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Bajabus
Senior Nomad
Posts: 892
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: Elias Calles B.C.S. or NC USA
Member Is Offline
Mood: My friends..it's good.
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you rarely need tech assistance with SB and it's easy enough to install your self. We guide hundreds of customers through self installs.
The beauty is you can then trouble shoot the system and repair it yourself. Baja individualism at it's best. We don't need no pinchie techs if we
don't want them....LOL
Plus much better FAP thresholds and management along with a nice FAP free happy hour from midnight to 7 AM EST.
Are you saying I am trolling for comments? been on this board longer than anyone but David k....member #11...i don't do trolling...It's a simple
question, just wondering the basis for pescaderos claim.
| Quote: | | Apparently Hughes Network is the best if guaged by the number of users in Baja as opposed to that of the other system. |
If the number of users were the gauge of best then ford focuses must be better cars than BMWs.....I think you see my point.
"Preventive war was an invention of Hitler. Frankly I would not even listen to anyone seriously that came and talked of such a thing."
Dwight David Eisenhower
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BCSTech
Senior Nomad
Posts: 584
Registered: 4-16-2006
Location: Todos Santos, BCS / Placerville, CA.
Member Is Offline
Mood: Carpe Manana
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OK, I'll throw in here...
1. Dish Network works in BCS, DirecTV does not.
2. It's not that Dish Network doesn't allow usage in Mexico, it's just that they are prohibited from offering the service to residents outside of the
US. Everyone with a legal subscription to Dish Network has an address in the US. Dish Network can and will grant RV waivers, and they have no idea
whether the RV drives into Mexico or Canada nor do they really care.
3. You can get ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX in BCS but only from the NY, SF and Atlanta stations.
4. You can definitely get by with something smaller than a 1.8 to receive Dish Network. A 1.2 is the recommended minimum in our area for a permanent
setup. Anything smaller might have a few weak channels especially in the morning hours. But that's here at the end of BCS. Your mileage may vary in
Loreto.
I use a 1 meter Winegard dish for Dish Network at my house in Todos Santos. But I'm a hacker at heart and can put up with a little tweaking to get it
dead on.
5. Patriot, Winegard and Andrew make excellent TV dishes. The Andrews are a little heavy but really solid.
6. You can get a DVR already built into a Dish Network receiver and it WILL work without a phone line.
7. Satellite Internet. Depends on what you're doing. HughesNet can get away with a 3/4 meter dish outside the US whereas StarBand uses a larger 1.2
meter. So if you're traveling, an HN dish is a little easier to stow and setup. But it takes some extra fine adjustment to setup if you're traveling.
Otherwise, the system will shut down completely.
Most of the HN satellites can't be used down here. You have to work with an outfit that knows what they're doing so they can get you assigned to the
right one.
8. Better tech support at SB, no doubt. But then, the bar is pretty low to be able to offer better support than HN.
9. HN will not officially support Voice Over IP so don't plan on calling them if you have trouble trying to use Vonage or Skype. I suspect the same is
true with SB. Some folks can get VOIP to work but don't count on it.
If you need solid Voice Over Internet then "commercial gear" like iDirect is the way to go. Pricey but works because there are fewer users per channel
and the technology supports voice.
[Edited on 9-18-2008 by BCSTech]
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Hooker33
Junior Nomad
Posts: 65
Registered: 6-23-2008
Location: Camano Is. WA
Member Is Offline
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We are returning to Los Cabos in a couple of weeks. Last year we brought our DirectV box with us and we were able to receive 13 channels. Has this
changed? I can get along with limited TV but need to get some news channels. I have time to change to Dishnet if that is a preferred system for
Cabo. Would I need another dish, we have a 4' now. Thanks for any help and advice.
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BCSTech
Senior Nomad
Posts: 584
Registered: 4-16-2006
Location: Todos Santos, BCS / Placerville, CA.
Member Is Offline
Mood: Carpe Manana
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Hooker33
We are returning to Los Cabos in a couple of weeks. Last year we brought our DirectV box with us and we were able to receive 13 channels. Has this
changed? I can get along with limited TV but need to get some news channels. I have time to change to Dishnet if that is a preferred system for
Cabo. Would I need another dish, we have a 4' now. Thanks for any help and advice. |
There may be a couple
of channels left on DirecTV. I don't know because we no longer check it. Maybe someone from CSL or SJDC who's still using it can post what's left?
You should be fine with a 4' dish as long as it's well made, and the cables and LNB are good.
I forgot to include a comment about FTA receivers. You'll need some level of computer expertise since these receivers require regular computer
downloads and installations of "updates" (AKA "Cracks") to keep them working to receive programming you're not subscribed for. Sometimes these cracks
are not immediately available and you'll have to wait until someone figures it out and posts the new crack online.
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Bajabus
Senior Nomad
Posts: 892
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: Elias Calles B.C.S. or NC USA
Member Is Offline
Mood: My friends..it's good.
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| Quote: | Originally posted by BCSTech
If you need solid Voice Over Internet then "commercial gear" like iDirect is the way to go. Pricey but works because there are fewer users per channel
and the technology supports voice.
[Edited on 9-18-2008 by BCSTech] |
Spacenet, Starbands parent company also offers carrier grade quality telephone service. In fact the Gilat VSAT equipment they use provides 90% of
the worlds satellite delivered telephony services in rural areas.
You are looking at about $1500 in equipment and $399 per month for 512 X 1024 with guaranteed service level agreements for commercial satellite
services but it also includes carrier grade telephony with unlimited calling all over the world. Call quality is superb and you can also self install
the system after taking a short free online course.
"Preventive war was an invention of Hitler. Frankly I would not even listen to anyone seriously that came and talked of such a thing."
Dwight David Eisenhower
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Bajabus
Senior Nomad
Posts: 892
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: Elias Calles B.C.S. or NC USA
Member Is Offline
Mood: My friends..it's good.
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I forgot to add that if you are already using gilats new Skyedge modem for your starband service and you are out of contract or close to being out of
contract and you already use a 1.2 meter antenna, you can upgrade to Spacenets commercial offerings with no additional hardware costs. Just repoint
to AMC-6, reconfigure your modem with the new info we give you and you can get the service. You will need a SIP capable phone like a cisco IP phone
or a quintum digital to analog converter box to use legacy telephone equipment ( standard phones you can buy anywhere is what that means).
Thats another nice advantage. The upgrade path from SB consumer level to SN commercial services with SLA's, minimum assured speeds and carrier grade
telephony is pretty seamless.
"Preventive war was an invention of Hitler. Frankly I would not even listen to anyone seriously that came and talked of such a thing."
Dwight David Eisenhower
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BCSTech
Senior Nomad
Posts: 584
Registered: 4-16-2006
Location: Todos Santos, BCS / Placerville, CA.
Member Is Offline
Mood: Carpe Manana
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Hola Bajabus, check your U2Us.
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