Diplomat Don
Moorpark, Ca
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Joined: 04/09/2005
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I think an important issue here is that anyone who wants HD will not be able tm use the dome. I have a KVH dome that works well, but my retirement gift to me will be an automatic HD dish satelite, either Winegard or Motosat.
Don & Mary 
2005 Monaco Diplomat 36SKT
400 Cummins 
2007 Dodge Dakota 4WD
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jcamp123
Putnum County, New York
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Joined: 11/19/2005
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Had a crank up on my Class C and I could get a fix in one minute, just takes practice. On my Allegro I bought a tripod and A SWM-3 HD dish for Direct. Only one cable needed even with a DVR and can be used with a splitter. Takes about 15 minutes to get it all hooked up and working. I was going to get a Winegard Traveler but it is now actually obsolete. Direct only uses 3 satellites now and the Winegard is set up for 5, so if and when they change to the newer LNB I will think about getting one.
Joe
Joe+Fran
Tara our toy poodle
A teamster for 38 years
Retired and traveling
2006 Allegro 32 BA
1974 VW Super Beetle or
2001 Malibu
FMCA 50826
-----------------------------------
He who dies with the most toys wins !!
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eheading
Lakeland, FL
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Joined: 11/20/2000
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Some people have complained about the noise of the dome antenna when it searches all the time. What we do is after getting the satellite locked in, we just turn the dome off -- quiet as can be!! (Naturally this only works when parked, but that is the only time we use the TV anyway.)
Ed Headington
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don/lou
Brandon MB Canada
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Joined: 10/18/2006
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For those that have a problem with the wind up dish in windy conditions the Bungie cord fix in this really work -I did it this spring & no more problems
INFO ONLY
Hope it helps
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/22316317.cfm
Don & Louise
2000 Coachman Catalina 330 MSB /F53
Rear air bags, 4 Koni FSD Shocks & Davis Front TruTrac
2008 Impala- Remco Lube Pump , Blue OX tow bar & Brake Buddy
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bsprague
Milton, WA
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Joined: 11/14/2003
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As the OP, I am surprised how many reported having both dome and open dish antennas mounted on the roof! And most of the rest with domes carry a tripod and open dish for the parking spaces with shade trees. TV junkies live on!
Also, I seem to have created some confusion about "rain fade". Sometimes there are rain storms big enough that the signal can't penetrate the cloud. All satellite antennas can suffer from that when the storm is big enough. My post was aimed at pointing out the other rain issue of "wet dome" effect. I can get it from either rain or morning dew. The water beads up on the surface and the signal is weakened by the water on the dome itself. Wiping the dome with a rag, wind or sunshine will fix it.
Bill Sprague
2004 Beaver Monterey, 8.3 ISC 350 Cummins
2007 Ford Edge AWD
9 ft Quicksilver inflatable boat w/ 15 hp Suzuki
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rgatijnet1
Florida
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Joined: 06/22/2009
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bsprague wrote:As the OP, I am surprised how many reported having both dome and open dish antennas mounted on the roof! And most of the rest with domes carry a tripod and open dish for the parking spaces with shade trees. TV junkies live on!
Also, I seem to have created some confusion about "rain fade". Sometimes there are rain storms big enough that the signal can't penetrate the cloud. All satellite antennas can suffer from that when the storm is big enough. My post was aimed at pointing out the other rain issue of "wet dome" effect. I can get it from either rain or morning dew. The water beads up on the surface and the signal is weakened by the water on the dome itself. Wiping the dome with a rag, wind or sunshine will fix it.
As I mentioned in my post, Rain-X is NOT recommended for plastics, as it warns on the Rain-X label. Perhaps by you using it on your dome the plastic has already started to deteriorate to the point where it is affecting your signal strength. I am sure that the damage is not something that shows up immediately but it could be cumulative with use.
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wa8yxm
Wherever I happen to park
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Joined: 07/04/2006
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I agree with OP and then some
Dome: Smaller antenna, 1/2 of a dish, plus a smaller dish, plus the dome cover,when wet gets in the way.. DISH, larger dish = higher antenna gain, full dish = higher gain, no cover = less water damage to signal.
Now the plus:
Domes can see one and only one satellite at at time, so if you have a SINGLE receiver,, Be it DirecTV, Dishnetwork Dishnetwork HDTV.. You are good.
But if you have DirecHDTV,,, no HD only SD
And if you have two receivers, or a dual input DVR (Records 2 shows at one time) DirecTV, you are good, DirecHDTV, see above, Dish, (SD or HD) sooner or later you will be wanting to record two shows, one on 119 one on 110 (or some other combination of the 3HD birds) and.. NO joy on the 2nd show.
And one final PLUS
Many domes are "Single LNB" this means.. ONE receiver only
Most Dishes (Winegard's compact table top is an exception) are Dual or better (Dual can run 2,3,4,5,6 or more with the proper switch, 2 straight out of the box)
Dish-500 (Two LNB's on one head) is called a "TWIN" by the way
Nothin adds excitment like something that is none of your business
Kenwood TS-2000 housed in a 2005 Damon Intruder 377
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Spikester
Belfair WA
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Joined: 04/05/2008
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I replaced a Kingdome with a MotoSat open HD dish for 2 reasons, my Sat service provider is Dish Network, got tried of missing programing while dome shifted between satellites then acquired the signal, and because of rain fade, not that it ever rains in Western WA.
Spike
Spike
08 Newmar Ventana 3330
350HP ISBXT
Spartan NVS Chassis
Mini Cooper Toad
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rvten
Crossville,TN
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Joined: 11/30/2000
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Our Aspect came with a King Dome. Other wise I would have the regular dish on it.
The KD is a dual LNB. So we can use our DVR with 2 input feeds.
As for HD. Not inerested.
Tom & Bonnie
Crossville, TN.
Aspect 29H 2008
Class C past Class A owner
Pontiac G6
There is NO such Thing as a B+
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larry barnhart
wenatchee. wa usa
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Joined: 03/30/2001
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We have a kingdome. We have since 2001 but that dome sucked big time in just a few drops of rain. It was replaced in May of 02 and no rain has bothered the signal with that dome. We had a neighbor with the roof crank dish but it was windy and he was losing the picture. We like the kingdome.
chevman
chevman
2001 35 ft avalon alpenlite RK
2005 3500 2wd duramax CC dually
prodigy
easyrider/reese airhitch
trailair center point suspension
JT Strong Arm Stabilizers
KSH 55 inbed fuel tank
Garmin 2720
scanguage II
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Induction Overhaul Kit
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