I bought the Dish Playmaker Duel , now we have two separate TV Dish cables and we can watch different channels at the same time. Cost a little more and dish charges a extra $7.00 per month to send two Satellite Signals, but worth the extra charge.
With the playmaker dual you CAN have two receivers on two RG6 cables independently and it works just same as your house? All I need to hit is Sat 119 for HD service I would like a second receiver in the bedroom.
Looks great! Is the Wingard X1 the best, most versatile, most durable and affordable unit out there? And it sure would be nice to watch 2 different channels from the same outfit. What's it take to have 2 televisions each with their own show on?? Don't tell me we need 2 separate dishes or outfits?? thx
You need two different receivers and a multi-receiver capable antenna. Some portable antennas have multiple coax outputs, but it's almost a moot point as you typically need a larger antenna. The portable ones like the King Tailgater cannot view all of the satellites at the same time. For example, your antenna at home is larger, and allows the reception of multiple satellites without having to move the antenna. The smaller RV antennas have a much smaller antenna and as you access different satellites, the antenna actually re-aligns itself slightly for each one. It's not uncommon to lose the signal for up to one minute each time you change channels. Obviously this will not work with multiple receivers accessing multiple satellites simultaneously as the antenna would be constantly in motion trying to home in on different satellites. For dish at least, some of the higher-end receivers actually have multiple receivers built into the box. For example, the Hopper 3 has 3 receivers. Then a home antenna fit to a tripod would be the best antenna - but you will then have to manually adjust it. There may be some automatically adjustable larger RV style roof-mount antennas, but I have not done a lot of research on those as they were beyond my needs.
RVProject Thank you. I'm not planning on ever mounting anything permanent on my TT roof. The less holes the better. I'm for portability. I'm thinking of getting two 100 watt Renogy solar panels and their appropriate controller. I prefer parking in shade and place the panels off whatever distance in the sun on the ground. Zamp is probably better than Renogy but twice as expensive. I was told by one guy to buy a 12 volt television because inverters draw too much power themselves, but someone else said most 12 volt televisions are junk and just have the inverter built into the tv anyway. I've got 2 Trojan T145 flooded 6volts. The UA-cam Love Your RV guy suggests a Samlex pure sine wave inverter and to keep my regular AC powered 24 inch Sansui LED television which draws 31 watts. I sprung for the 300 watt pure sine wave Samlex inverter. I hope it's not going to drain out my batteries after an hour of TV a day boondocking for a week or 2??
A modern-day solid state TV itself uses low voltage. They all have power supplies that convert 120VAC to the internal DC voltage they use. When I had my Class C, one of the TVs was powered by 12V. I looked for a 12V replacement TV because I wanted a better one, and my research revealed that many TVs use an external power supply "brick" that produces 14VDC and a plug into the rear of the TV. I could not really find a replacement 12V TV at that time. Could you simply put 12V into those 14VDC powered TVs? Hard to say. It's not likely 14V is the final system voltage, and there is almost certainly an internal regulator in the TV that produces an even lower voltage. However, the typical regulator requires a slight voltage difference between input and output to be able to regulate properly. Whether 12.6V to 12V (100% to 50% charge on a battery) is enough for the TV to work properly I never did try. No power conversion gadget, whether it be an inverter, converter, or power supply is 100% efficient and will introduce losses. So by running the RV off batteries, the potential loss path includes converting 12VDC from the battery to 120VAC by the inverter, then changing it again from 120VAC to whatever DC voltage is necessary via the TV's power supply. The converting of voltage from 12VDC to 120VAC and back again certainly loses capacity in the battery. The two Trojan T145 batteries are 260AH each, which theoretically produce 3120 Watt/Hours. However, you should never drain a lead-acid battery more than 50% for the longest life, so you will get (again a theoretical) 1560 Watt/Hours of capacity before potentially damaging the battery. By the way, you should have some kind of monitor on your batteries so you know where that 50% point is. I say theoretical because we are not accounting for losses. So for simplicity's sake, we can consider your TV having a 31 Watt requirement, if powered for 1 hour, it would require 31 Watt/Hours. Thus, you could power the TV for 50 hours. And the 31 Watt specification for your TV is a peak rating - it might be less most of the time. When this factor, as well as adding the losses in, of course the actual power consumption will differ of course. And since you are also solar recharging the batteries at the same time, it will extend the length of your boondocking trip.
RVProject ok, thank you so much. The only battery monitoring system I've got is the typical 4 red dot monitor that comes standard in most less expensive RVs that combines all tank and battery level monitoring in one little black box mounted on the wall. I'm guessing when 2 dots are gone I'm at about 50% discharge? ? I try to run my nice quiet peaceful little Honda generator a couple hours everyday but some campgrounds don't even allow that. I'm hoping when I get the two 100 watt solar panels I will hardly ever have to start my generator. Can you please recommend any excellent battery monitoring systems easy to install and not too expensive, that would be great. I had to wire a 2 prong flat SAE plug for 12 volt power inside. I wired it to the power supply to my radio ( used the unswitched wires) then plug a SAE with a female cigarette plug at other end, and into that i plug a 3 socket cigarette adapter splitter/ USB charger by Eugizmo which has a battery voltage output readout on the plug. When im plugged into shore power it reads about 13.4 volts and when i unlpug the RV from AC power it reads 12.6 and slowly drops as time goes on. It says the display will blink red when the voltage reaches below 10.5 ,is this a pretty good way to monitor the batteries? I figure between the RV little black box with 4 red dots and this Eugizmo cigarette splitter output voltage display i may be ok?? This is the unit on amazon. www.amazon.com/gp/your-account/order-history/item/ref=oh_aui_i_d_old_o26?ie=UTF8&itemId=jkoknxitklqtwn&orderId=112-3733780-3357046&returnSummaryId=&shipmentId=DRH0q5jH4 I don't have the two 100 watt solar panels yet. I'm still trying to decide between the Renogy and the Zamp. My next investment will probably be the ASA Electronics Voyager 4 cameras enabled observation system because I hear this is the best for the money and I'm only getting it with one camera to start. I'm so happy about Bluetooth. Bluetooth has been around a while and I really cannot believe my little 2015 Keystone travel trailer didn't come with the radio/CD player already Bluetooth enabled. Fortunately I recently found this little affordable device on Amazon that plugs into my Jensen amfm cd player aux 3.5mm jack and receives Bluetooth from my Samsung smartphone. The device has a switch so it can either recieve or send. Got another one to plug into my Sansui LED television headphone output jack which sends Bluetooth signal so now can listen to television over the RV soundsystem. www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00YCWEBSY?ref_=mw_olp_product_details Also found this man's video about rv roof care interesting. I'll post soon. Here it is now. Have a look and let me know what you think. ua-cam.com/video/C7LIW1Mwpds/v-deo.html
Well, you could always build my Battery/Charger Monitor project! www.rv-project.com/projects/batterymonitor.php A simple voltmeter would do the trick. A lead-acid battery will read 12.2V at 50% charge. The only rub is the battery must be at rest (disconnected) to read. An alternative would be to minimize the loads on the battery as much as possible when you take the reading. The panel monitor will suffice if it is accurate. I would turn everything off the battery, then use a voltmeter to check the voltage, then check the panel and see if they agree. Here are the battery voltages for a disconnected lead-acid battery (disconnected for one hour to let it rest): 100% = 12.6V 75% = 12.4V 50% = 12.2V 25% = 12.0V 0% = 11.8V
The antenna would have to support 2 receivers. Most home antennas support 2 or 3 receivers, but due to their portability, many RV antennas do not. Some have two ports, such as the King VQ4500 (Tailgater 2), but some only have one, such as the King VQ4400 (Tailgater 3). However, even though these antennas support 2 receivers, both receivers must be tuned to the same satellite. Same thing for the Winegard X1 and X2. Here is why. Satellite TV reception uses multiple satellites. These satellites are in a geosynchronous orbit around the earth. From the antenna perspective, some satellites are to the left of the other, and some are to the right. So as you scan the channels in your satellite service, one or another satellite will be used. In your home system, the antenna is large enough that it is aimed in the center of the satellite cluster, which means each satellite's signal will differ - some stronger and some weaker. However, the average signal to the antenna is strong enough so that they all work. Ever notice when it rains hard that you may lose some channels but not others? That is because one signal is weaker than the other. In a RV situation, the portable antennas are too small for this to happen. They are small round antennas and they are motorized so they point to each satellite specifically for sufficient signal. In fact, as I use mine, I can always tell when I am accessing a different satellite as I will lose signal for a minute or two as the satellite aligns itself with the next satellite. So in reality, is it worth paying $7 more per month for a second receiver when you cannot always watch the two channels you want independently? Your options are to purchase a manually adjustable antenna on a tripod, such as a Winegard TR-6100, or an automatic roof mounted satellite such as a Winegard SK-1000. If you go with a manual antenna, you also need to purchase a signal-strength meter so you can align the antenna for maximum reception.
Thanks for posting this video very informative. I Plan on making this my project for the Winter. If I run into any Problems you may be Hearing from.. Thanks again Bob
I present my videos in such a way that those with different equipment combinations can understand their options. Since the Wally often comes packaged as a bundle with the antenna, it seems to me to be a good choice when presenting those options.
I bought the Dish Playmaker Duel , now we have two separate TV Dish cables and we can watch different channels at the same time. Cost a little more and dish charges a extra $7.00 per month to send two Satellite Signals, but worth the extra charge.
dennis phillips what is the overall cost per month for that system?
With the playmaker dual you CAN have two receivers on two RG6 cables independently and it works just same as your house? All I need to hit is Sat 119 for HD service I would like a second receiver in the bedroom.
Looks great! Is the Wingard X1 the best, most versatile, most durable and affordable unit out there? And it sure would be nice to watch 2 different channels from the same outfit. What's it take to have 2 televisions each with their own show on?? Don't tell me we need 2 separate dishes or outfits?? thx
You need two different receivers and a multi-receiver capable antenna.
Some portable antennas have multiple coax outputs, but it's almost a moot point as you typically need a larger antenna. The portable ones like the King Tailgater cannot view all of the satellites at the same time.
For example, your antenna at home is larger, and allows the reception of multiple satellites without having to move the antenna. The smaller RV antennas have a much smaller antenna and as you access different satellites, the antenna actually re-aligns itself slightly for each one. It's not uncommon to lose the signal for up to one minute each time you change channels.
Obviously this will not work with multiple receivers accessing multiple satellites simultaneously as the antenna would be constantly in motion trying to home in on different satellites.
For dish at least, some of the higher-end receivers actually have multiple receivers built into the box. For example, the Hopper 3 has 3 receivers.
Then a home antenna fit to a tripod would be the best antenna - but you will then have to manually adjust it. There may be some automatically adjustable larger RV style roof-mount antennas, but I have not done a lot of research on those as they were beyond my needs.
RVProject Thank you. I'm not planning on ever mounting anything permanent on my TT roof. The less holes the better. I'm for portability. I'm thinking of getting two 100 watt Renogy solar panels and their appropriate controller. I prefer parking in shade and place the panels off whatever distance in the sun on the ground. Zamp is probably better than Renogy but twice as expensive.
I was told by one guy to buy a 12 volt television because inverters draw too much power themselves, but someone else said most 12 volt televisions are junk and just have the inverter built into the tv anyway. I've got 2 Trojan T145 flooded 6volts. The UA-cam Love Your RV guy suggests a Samlex pure sine wave inverter and to keep my regular AC powered 24 inch Sansui LED television which draws 31 watts.
I sprung for the 300 watt pure sine wave Samlex inverter. I hope it's not going to drain out my batteries after an hour of TV a day boondocking for a week or 2??
A modern-day solid state TV itself uses low voltage. They all have power supplies that convert 120VAC to the internal DC voltage they use.
When I had my Class C, one of the TVs was powered by 12V. I looked for a 12V replacement TV because I wanted a better one, and my research revealed that many TVs use an external power supply "brick" that produces 14VDC and a plug into the rear of the TV. I could not really find a replacement 12V TV at that time.
Could you simply put 12V into those 14VDC powered TVs? Hard to say. It's not likely 14V is the final system voltage, and there is almost certainly an internal regulator in the TV that produces an even lower voltage.
However, the typical regulator requires a slight voltage difference between input and output to be able to regulate properly. Whether 12.6V to 12V (100% to 50% charge on a battery) is enough for the TV to work properly I never did try.
No power conversion gadget, whether it be an inverter, converter, or power supply is 100% efficient and will introduce losses. So by running the RV off batteries, the potential loss path includes converting 12VDC from the battery to 120VAC by the inverter, then changing it again from 120VAC to whatever DC voltage is necessary via the TV's power supply. The converting of voltage from 12VDC to 120VAC and back again certainly loses capacity in the battery.
The two Trojan T145 batteries are 260AH each, which theoretically produce 3120 Watt/Hours. However, you should never drain a lead-acid battery more than 50% for the longest life, so you will get (again a theoretical) 1560 Watt/Hours of capacity before potentially damaging the battery.
By the way, you should have some kind of monitor on your batteries so you know where that 50% point is.
I say theoretical because we are not accounting for losses. So for simplicity's sake, we can consider your TV having a 31 Watt requirement, if powered for 1 hour, it would require 31 Watt/Hours. Thus, you could power the TV for 50 hours. And the 31 Watt specification for your TV is a peak rating - it might be less most of the time.
When this factor, as well as adding the losses in, of course the actual power consumption will differ of course. And since you are also solar recharging the batteries at the same time, it will extend the length of your boondocking trip.
RVProject ok, thank you so much. The only battery monitoring system I've got is the typical 4 red dot monitor that comes standard in most less expensive RVs that combines all tank and battery level monitoring in one little black box mounted on the wall. I'm guessing when 2 dots are gone I'm at about 50% discharge? ? I try to run my nice quiet peaceful little Honda generator a couple hours everyday but some campgrounds don't even allow that. I'm hoping when I get the two 100 watt solar panels I will hardly ever have to start my generator. Can you please recommend any excellent battery monitoring systems easy to install and not too expensive, that would be great. I had to wire a 2 prong flat SAE plug for 12 volt power inside. I wired it to the power supply to my radio ( used the unswitched wires) then plug a SAE with a female cigarette plug at other end, and into that i plug a 3 socket cigarette adapter splitter/ USB charger by Eugizmo which has a battery voltage output readout on the plug. When im plugged into shore power it reads about 13.4 volts and when i unlpug the RV from AC power it reads 12.6 and slowly drops as time goes on. It says the display will blink red when the voltage reaches below 10.5 ,is this a pretty good way to monitor the batteries? I figure between the RV little black box with 4 red dots and this Eugizmo cigarette splitter output voltage display i may be ok?? This is the unit on amazon. www.amazon.com/gp/your-account/order-history/item/ref=oh_aui_i_d_old_o26?ie=UTF8&itemId=jkoknxitklqtwn&orderId=112-3733780-3357046&returnSummaryId=&shipmentId=DRH0q5jH4 I don't have the two 100 watt solar panels yet. I'm still trying to decide between the Renogy and the Zamp. My next investment will probably be the ASA Electronics Voyager 4 cameras enabled observation system because I hear this is the best for the money and I'm only getting it with one camera to start. I'm so happy about Bluetooth. Bluetooth has been around a while and I really cannot believe my little 2015 Keystone travel trailer didn't come with the radio/CD player already Bluetooth enabled. Fortunately I recently found this little affordable device on Amazon that plugs into my Jensen amfm cd player aux 3.5mm jack and receives Bluetooth from my Samsung smartphone. The device has a switch so it can either recieve or send. Got another one to plug into my Sansui LED television headphone output jack which sends Bluetooth signal so now can listen to television over the RV soundsystem. www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00YCWEBSY?ref_=mw_olp_product_details
Also found this man's video about rv roof care interesting. I'll post soon. Here it is now. Have a look and let me know what you think.
ua-cam.com/video/C7LIW1Mwpds/v-deo.html
Well, you could always build my Battery/Charger Monitor project!
www.rv-project.com/projects/batterymonitor.php
A simple voltmeter would do the trick. A lead-acid battery will read 12.2V at 50% charge. The only rub is the battery must be at rest (disconnected) to read. An alternative would be to minimize the loads on the battery as much as possible when you take the reading.
The panel monitor will suffice if it is accurate. I would turn everything off the battery, then use a voltmeter to check the voltage, then check the panel and see if they agree.
Here are the battery voltages for a disconnected lead-acid battery (disconnected for one hour to let it rest):
100% = 12.6V
75% = 12.4V
50% = 12.2V
25% = 12.0V
0% = 11.8V
I'm guessing you can't use 1 satellite antenna with 2 receivers at the same time?
The antenna would have to support 2 receivers. Most home antennas support 2 or 3 receivers, but due to their portability, many RV antennas do not. Some have two ports, such as the King VQ4500 (Tailgater 2), but some only have one, such as the King VQ4400 (Tailgater 3).
However, even though these antennas support 2 receivers, both receivers must be tuned to the same satellite. Same thing for the Winegard X1 and X2.
Here is why.
Satellite TV reception uses multiple satellites. These satellites are in a geosynchronous orbit around the earth. From the antenna perspective, some satellites are to the left of the other, and some are to the right. So as you scan the channels in your satellite service, one or another satellite will be used.
In your home system, the antenna is large enough that it is aimed in the center of the satellite cluster, which means each satellite's signal will differ - some stronger and some weaker. However, the average signal to the antenna is strong enough so that they all work. Ever notice when it rains hard that you may lose some channels but not others? That is because one signal is weaker than the other.
In a RV situation, the portable antennas are too small for this to happen. They are small round antennas and they are motorized so they point to each satellite specifically for sufficient signal. In fact, as I use mine, I can always tell when I am accessing a different satellite as I will lose signal for a minute or two as the satellite aligns itself with the next satellite.
So in reality, is it worth paying $7 more per month for a second receiver when you cannot always watch the two channels you want independently?
Your options are to purchase a manually adjustable antenna on a tripod, such as a Winegard TR-6100, or an automatic roof mounted satellite such as a Winegard SK-1000.
If you go with a manual antenna, you also need to purchase a signal-strength meter so you can align the antenna for maximum reception.
This discussion has me thinking of another video. Thanks for the dialog.
Guess there's no easy solution but some would say you're camping and satellite tv is a no-no :)
Thanks for posting this video very informative. I Plan on making this my project for the Winter. If I run into any Problems you may be Hearing from..
Thanks again Bob
Thank you for supporting the channel.
👍🏻
vp 211k reciever has second tv out no need for all this.
I present my videos in such a way that those with different equipment combinations can understand their options. Since the Wally often comes packaged as a bundle with the antenna, it seems to me to be a good choice when presenting those options.