installing a Direct TV DVR

[charlie drake]

Hi BAC members:
Has anyone install a DVR? what needs to be done with a KingDome satellite? we have direct TV. thanks Charlie Drake :-/

[Tom Rogers]

I hope you get some good answers because I would like to know myself. I have a direct dish but have not hooked up to direct although I subscribe at my stick home. I've looked at direct receivers at Best Buy and understand the difference in the various models. There's also a Kingdome dish on the rv roof .... previous owner did not like it because he did not receive a good picture when it rained.

[Richard And Babs Ames]

The "domes" do not get HD. You can get a wipe at CW that helps cut down with rain fade at camping world along with keeping the dish clean. We find the rain fade about the same as at home. Remember the signal is line of sight so the antenna must have a clear view of the Southern sky. We have an in motion KVH and find it not much of a problem by moving a few feet on the camp site or use our portable Vue Cube with 50ft of cable


 You can mirror "from" your home to the RV for $4.95 per receiver per month. You can feed two receivers as the LNB usually has two hook ups. . Local channels are broadcast on a specific area (foot print) and normally a different satellite so not pratical for a dome to pick up as you are usually too far from your home and it is not practical to switch from one SAT to another as the domes have one LNB.  

If you have the RV "off line" you may have to get it reauthorized but you can usually do it in a few minites with a call or on line and never have to talk to anyone at Direct TV.

As far as I know the electric, plug and in from Sat and out to TV and optional sound are the only hook ups on the DVR/Sat receiver. Check the owners manual prior to purchase. We have used 4 different receivers since 1997 with no problems.

HD antennas are becoming available but are not domed so for stationary viewing only.

[Mike And Mary Engen]

We just had our KVH TracVision tied into Direct TV this spring. The installation of the receiver was easy, but it would not see the satellite(s). I called KVH and they gave me the name of one of their shops (Tony's RV in Lexington, SC in case you are near this area-great job) that checked to see why it would not see the satellite. The previous owner had Dish Network and had the dish programmed for that.

Tony's hooked up a computer and programmed it for Direct TV's satellite(s). He then called Direct TV to activate it and it started working almost immediately. Final cost was around $100 for tech time, plus the receiver which I picked up at Radio Shack. Monthly charge is about $5 as it is a second receiver, our stick built house being the first.

Hooking up the receiver was easy, just need to put it in series on the antenna wire from your receiver and your multiplexer line for SAT tv and plug it into 110 volts. Read the manual and it will tell you the rest.

[LEAH DRAPER]

I have a 2008 Contessa where the Direct TV box is located in the front Cap cabinetry.  I decided to change the receiver from HD to HD/DVR.  I had a Wineguard dish installed at purchase time rather than the dome upon the Bend Beaver shop recommendation as it presents "less" problems than the domes and can receive HD.  There are two feeds coming in from the dish (factory pre-wiring) so I decided to change out  to the HDDVR.  PROBLEM is that despite my adding two layers of additional insulation in the cabinet, the HD/DVR gets too HOT because it has a hard drive inside and when it does so it goes "out to lunch" or locks up in a self protective mode I guess until the temperature reduces to allow it to return to "normal".  Over the long run what damage this may do is not known, but I can't believe i will be good.  I have (while stationary) used a fan mounted on the raised door to help keep it cool.  There is an A/C vent in the cabinet, but if the A/C isn't running or needed then it doesn't help.  
Space is limited in the cabinet and I have not been able to find a fan small enough to keep it cool that will fit inside the cabinet.  Also most fans I have found are 12v rather than 120, so one has to extend/drape the cord up from the 12v plugs in the dash.  

If it weren't for the location of cabinet/receiver etc in the front cap it might not be a problem.  
Even parked at home (not using the MH) and plugged in with landline the receiver comes on by itself because of the heat and then locks up as mentioned earlier.  I have just about decided to go back to HD non DVR and move the HD/DVR into my home and forget it in the MH.  

Over all, unless you can find some way to keep this "puppy" cool I would not recommend it, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

[MarcRodstein]

I don't understand your comment about adding insulation. It seems to me that insulation would only serve to keep the heat IN the equipment cabinet. What you want is to get it OUT.

I had my equipment cabinet door modified to a louvered door to allow the hot air to escape. I also had a louver placed on the bottom of the cabinet so that air could flow from the bottom to the louvers in the modified door. I don't have a measurement but am sure it reduces the temps considerably.

[Gerald Farris]

I have had a Tivo Direct TV (non HD DVR) in the overhead cabinet (above dash) for 4 years with no problems. I do not have a fan on the unit, however it does have a internal cooling fan itself and the door is left open so that the remote will work.  

One thing that I did was to run the unit from a switchable power strip in the ajoining cabinet that is always turned off when the coach is moving. The reason for this is that the harddrive in the unit is from a desk-top computer and if it turns on when underway it would not survive a big chuck-hole.

Gerald

[Mike Humble]

We have had a Direct DVR (nonHD) for over a year in our 2008 Contessa with no problems.  It was installed in Bend and no modifications were made that we know of.  Thanks for the info about turning it off when driving as we don't always, but still no problem.
Mike Humble

[LEAH DRAPER]

Regarding the BAC members comment:
 "I don't understand your comment about adding insulation. It seems to me that insulation would only serve to keep the heat IN the equipment cabinet. What you want is to get it OUT."

You don't understand how much heat is INCOMING from the dark brown top of the front cap! I am trying to keep that from getting IN.  

The door is left open so that heat can get out, but that STILL does not compensate for the heat coming in.  Insulation can work both ways.

[Steve Lercel]

[size=14][/size]I have had previous problems with my Sat Dish originally installed on my 2000 Beaver Patriot. I had a new MotoSat HD dish installed and find it to be superior to anything I ever had. Reception is great no matter where we are and it's easy to operate. Turn on the power and hit seach, thats all it takes and it locks onto 3 satelights. I highly recommed this, as you problems will be over. All Directv components work great!!

[Bruce Benson]

You have probably worked this out by now but thought I would add my solution to the mix anyway.  

We have the old Daytron dome on our 2001 Marquis.  It came with 2 Direct TV receivers, one in the front and one in the rear.  The Daytron has a tap for two coax cables, so one goes to the front and one to the rear.  The Daytron allows a very narrow selection of receivers and is not supported by the factory any more.  

The front Direct TV receiver is the one that slaves the dome so we just left the old Direct TV receiver in the front in place.  We connected the DVR to the rear coax and it works fine.  The front receiver does not have a subscription but that does not keep it from finding the satellites.  Its only purpose in life now is to aim the dish.  

We use the antenna coax that runs from the switch selector panel over the drivers seat to the rear to bring the DVR signal from the rear to the front TV.  We are just using it in reverse by disconnecting it from the selector panel and connecting it to the TV in the front and disconnecting it from the VCR and connecting it to the output of the DVR in the rear.  

Perhaps the King dome will accept the new DVR fine, but this is a work around in case it does not and is good for those who are still able to keep the old Daytrons working.  

Bruce  

[Max M. Hoffman]

Just a note to all of you that have Direct TV at home, "and" or want it in the coach.  If you subscribe to Direct TV with an "RV waiver, use your coach as the primary receiver, (you can still use your home address for billing) you then can have the East AND West coast feeds because it is an RV.  Then "add" a 2nd or 3rd receiver for home and have those feeds too.
($4.95 a month for each receiver)  Really nice to watch programming at different time zones.
ALSO??  Help, does anyone know where I can get the "controller/locator box for my Datron DBS3000, and/or a roof antenna unit?
Thanks, Max