-
DISH SATELLITE RECEPTION
We have trashed Directv. I tried to get the TracStar to lock onto a Dish satellite. The house is on 61.5 and the TracStar has a clear view of the sky for that one. It would not lock on.
I also tried 110, 119 and 148, all Dish satellites, no joy on any of them. I calibrated the TracStar, I have it set to my region and it will not lock on anything.
If I switch back to Directv satellite 101 it locks in in a minute or two with a good signal strength.
Anyone out there in Prevost land using a TracStar for Dish and any problems locking on. I want in motion which is why I am sticking with TracStar.
-
35 Replies
-
Jon,
How old is your trackstar? Dish changed the modulation of their downlink back in 2016 (if I recall right). When they did that they obsolesced a lot of hardware. Including mine which was installed by the previous owner in 2009.
As trackstar when out of the RV sat business, I don’t think they ever made a version for the new signal. I could be wrong about that but I know there is not a software upgrade available, I’m told this is a hardware issue.
Anything earlier than 2009 I’m sure will never lock on again.
-
I heard basically the same thing. There is no real support available. My newest coach came with a Winegard in motion dish as well as the HD stationary one. It still works fine for DirecTv.
-
Jon…
Ours did the same thing way back when you first had trouble with yours… I contacted a Geek here that downloaded some special hardware to the Tracstar and it worked flawlessly again for a year or so then started losing the signal again.. It gave me the “shits” enough to change out to the latest Winegard in motion dish which is way better than the Tracstar and well worth the money.
We love it !! I think you will too.
Cheers, Diane
-
TracStar was the best in the business all those many years ago. Today they are out of the satellite TV business (but still in business) and the antenna is now a dinosaur. The changes DISH made so many years back has left the antenna a great DTV antenna but not much else. If you are in FL you might try to contact Dave Ellis at Precise Satellite or in TX contact Dave N. at Sats2go. They were both dealers in those old days and might have something to help. I think Elkhart Satellite (Indiana) was also a dealer and might have some kind of software update as well. This would be a complete crapshoot, however so don’t waste a lot of time or money on that setup. A new in-motion Winegard dome is likely in your future.
-
Winegard requires me to run a power supply to the antenna, something I would like to avoid. Anyone using a KVH that only uses a single coax like TracStar?
-
Do not go with KVH. There is no support for the product anywhere! I think you will find that getting 12V power to the roof will be quite simple and it will be worth the effort. Let me know if you need a dealer and where you are located and I might be able to get you to someone who really knows their stuff.
-
If, you have to run wiring anyway, consider what I did.
run a coax from your sat receiver to outside the bus. I can then attach a coax and use any dish I want. If I’m going to tailgate at a ballgame and want to watch games I sometimes carry a tripod mounted dish. It only takes a few minutes to set it up and fine tune the signal.
That is fine for a multi-day stay but I don’t do it for an overnight. Alternatively I could just carry a tailgater and let it do the alignment. As tech changes so often I’m waiting to purchase until I retire.
the big advantage is I can carry 100 ft of coax and get out from under the trees etc.
in my case running the coax from the bedroom closet to cover plate where my cable input (and defunct telephone) connections already was only took a few minutes. Depending on where your sat receiver is this may be harder than running the 12v dc.
I searched for some time for anyone that was doing an upgrade to the track star. If you find a solution let us know.
-
It appears the Winegard Roadtrip has a single coax or dual if running multiple receivers.
-
I had a serious problem getting reliability and support when I had a KVH, but the single wire installation seems like a benefit so I do not have to punch up through the roof to run the required power cable Winegard requires.
But the $1200 price difference in favor of Winegard is making punching a hole and running power to the roof seem like a good deal.
Why does everything have to be so complicated?
-
Winegard in motion requires a separate power feed to antenna on roof, where the kvh in motion does not…..
-
If look on eBay you can find some of new winegard for 8500 at times I bought two
-
I bit the bullet and ordered a KVH Tracvision.
For anyone looking for a dish for Directv my TracStar is available. Make me an offer and come and get it.
I hope Jeff is right about the KVH being better than their previous ones.
-
Jeff may or may not be right but it’s quite likely that Jeff is the only dealer left that can work on it if you have problems. I wish you luck! I sold, installed and serviced this stuff for 12 years and then worked as an RV dealer trainer for another 2 1/2 years. None of the dealers would work on a KVH.
-
OK Jon, I will take the old one off your hands. Give me a hundred bucks and I will drop by and pick it up.
aaaaaaannnnnnnnnd here comes the “Bite Me!”
-
I have the old Tracvision and it’s flawless.
Log in to reply.