'02 Winnie Journey Satellite...

Jim_HiTek · 02-12-2016, 06:04 PM

Have been full timing for 12 years now and with my recent purchase of the rig in my sig, I'm wondering about having satellite.

There is an apparently nice one horn auto-deploy satellite dish on top of this new to me RV that has a Winegard Traveler controller. The controller comes on for a few seconds but then goes right off. It does not deploy the dish.

So my question is, can someone give me the low-down on this system? The possibility for conversion to something?

I admit I'm a novice when it comes to satellite, but not to electronics or equipment. I think I'm missing some parts...

grtharris · 02-13-2016, 04:53 AM

Jim_HiTek, you have to hold the power button in for a couple of second for the unit to start the power up sequence.

Jim_HiTek · 02-13-2016, 10:51 AM

THANKS!

I tried pressing and holding a couple times before and it didn't work. This time, of course, it worked fine. It was probably because of the awkward position I was in when trying it. This time I pulled the box out of the cabinet.

It's unfolded the antenna and spent like 5 minutes searching the sky, and now has settled on one direction. The dish has DirecTV logo and the Winegard shows 3 satellites I think, the display shows *101 *99 *103.

Figuring this out will be fun. I'll have to read the darn manual though I think.

bsamole · 02-13-2016, 12:25 PM

You probably already know this but since the dish has a DirecTV logo you will need to purchase a DirecTV package from DIRECTV.

Jim_HiTek · 02-13-2016, 03:35 PM

I thought so.

Another problem, there's no receiver. So I'll have to work with Winegard to get a receiver I guess. I see used units on Amazon for lower cost, but I'm wondering if it's just better to go with a company that'll walk me through everything. But is it worth $70 just for that? For something I could eventually dig out of the billions of written articles on satellite setup?

No booklets left by the previous owner either.

smlranger · 02-13-2016, 04:08 PM

Your traveler will support HD programming from Direct TV and, yes, you have to subscribe to Direct so you will need to contact them to select a programming package.

You can buy Direct TV receivers off Amazon (they usually come from Solid Signal or other similar vendors). I just purchased a Direct HR54 HD DVR genie receiver for our coach. All I had to do was hook it up and call Direct to activate it.

It is not hard to do. If you already have the traveler and it works, all you need is a receiver. You also need to locate the coax that is coming from the Traveler down into the AV compartment in the coach. You will also need a HDMI cable to connect the receiver to the TV.

I owned the identical coach for 8 years and had Direct receivers in both the front and rear. If you want me to walk you through the set up, send me a private message.

ernieh · 02-14-2016, 02:04 PM

More good news. If your display shows the 99, 101, and 103 sats, you have the newest SWM version of the Travler. That means that you can use any of the newest DTV receivers.

Jim_HiTek · 02-15-2016, 07:03 AM

That is good news.

There's some bad news though. I tested the TV (31" Vizio) HDMI inputs and they only work intermittently.

Meanwhile, I think I've found a halfway decent box for $70 on Craigslist. A HR24-200 DVR. What I haven't found yet is a simple picture of the back of the HR-24 showing it's outputs. I need a cable type output or at least RGB to run the Vizio with since I can't use HDMI.

ernieh · 02-15-2016, 10:09 PM

No DTV HD receiver has a coax output. All are capable of component, composite, and HDMI

You can find pics on the DTV and Solid Signal websites.

bsamole · 02-15-2016, 10:46 PM

I also had intermittent HDMI issues. I replace the HDMI cable and my problem went away.

Jim_HiTek · 02-16-2016, 10:06 PM

Spent several hours, often fighting dizzy spells, (ain't getting old fun?), playing around with things on the TV and have a good handle on it now.

The receiver deal fell through and I still don't have one yet. I'll keep searching and watching Craig's list.

The HDMI issues I had have corrected themselves probably because of the cleaning action inserting HDMI connectors multiple times has. I watched the SuperBowl on HDMI-1 without a glitch and the ProBowl on HDMI-side without a glitch too. Tested the same cables I'd used before as well. So the HDMI issue is resolved without too much pain.

The sound issues...where there should have been sound from the TV through the dash radio's amp but there wasn't...I've corrected by connecting to the TV's audio RCA jack as it turns out this TV doesn't have a stereo headphone jack. Whoever installed it, plugged the mono audio jack into the audio INPUT that goes with the VGA input. That's not going to work.

The original equipment included a interface box inside the TV cabinet Velcro'ed to the sidewall but it's mono so I won't be using it. What I did was connect RCA cables to the audio out ports the Vizio provides. That cable is connected to a standard stereo headphone jack and that plugs into the dash JVC radio...which has two AUX inputs. One on the front panel and one on the rear panel. Someday when I'm not lazy, I'll connect the TV up permanently to the rear jack.

Mr_D · 02-16-2016, 10:26 PM

Aren't these AV systems fun? Especially when you buy a used rig and don't know what has been reconnected where and they didn't give you the books for the new equipment?!
New front TV in our rig, different brand than original, no idea what model and it's solidly mounted so I can't just look behind it. Did just get a remote inspection camera so I might be able see the back with it (I hope)!

Jim_HiTek · 02-17-2016, 04:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr_D

Aren't these AV systems fun? Especially when you buy a used rig and don't know what has been reconnected where and they didn't give you the books for the new equipment?!
New front TV in our rig, different brand than original, no idea what model and it's solidly mounted so I can't just look behind it. Did just get a remote inspection camera so I might be able see the back with it (I hope)!

Yeah, and as an electronics guy, figuring out all the electrical stuff is fun for me. This Vizio TV has an on screen display of all the connectors on the back...which I found was pretty handy to have. And I found the model number as part of one of the setup screens too so when I have the time, I'll find a users guide online somewhere.

I too thought I'd have to get an inspection camera with this setup, but these nice folks here on iRV2 helped me figure out how to access the back.

Thanks, everyone!

smlranger · 02-17-2016, 07:32 AM

The DL came with a faux surround sound amp which IIRC is mounted near the floor on the driver's side under the foot rest. One of the sub woofers is also mounted there. My coach had a second sub woofer mounted under the fridge. The original speakers were mounted under cabinets in the living area and a center speaker was hanging down under the TV cabinet....I don't see that speaker in your pics.

Jim_HiTek · 02-17-2016, 09:33 AM

There is a 12V powered audio circuit inside the TV cabinet velcro'ed to a side wall. There was a mono phone plug labeled 'input' from that plugged into the PC VGA audio input of the TV. I think the installer thought this was suppose to be an output but this model Vizio doesn't have a headphone jack. Both the jack on the TV and the phone cord from the box, labeled 'Amp-3', are inputs.

Haven't found any subwoofer. There are no audio boxes or speakers on the back of the foot rest. Or on the firewall either that I can find. And I seem to be missing that center speaker. I can't hear very well so if there's a subwoofer under the dash, I would probably feel it before I hear it...

To test, I connected the output audio from the TV to that AMP-3 input, switched the 'Speaker Source' switch to 'TV' and I do get the TV audio routed to the front two speakers AND the two mid living room speakers. It's a pretty weak circuit though as I have to set the TV volume up into the 80's to hear it. And it's only mono. I'll either redesign and build a better system to replace that, or I'll just keep using the radio's amp with built in stereo & equalizer. Might dress it up by rerouting an audio cable to the backside of the JVC where there's another headphone stereo input. Looks to me like I can hide an audio cable behind the windows centerpost cover.

Since you mentioned a subwoofer under the refer, I checked and there is an opening there which looks to be the right size, but it's got a wood cover so it's an option the OP never ordered. The wires might be back there though.

The adventure continues...but I do have a simple method of getting surround sound from the TV now, though it is unsightly with the audio cable dropping down from the satellite cabinet to plug into the front of the JVC dash radio.

Jim_HiTek · 02-26-2016, 02:38 PM

For those that have a satellite setup, and are a full timer, a few questions...

I was able to buy a receiver today, a HR24-200. So I tried calling DirecTv. Nobody seemed to know who to call for DNS (Distant Network Service). Ended up calling three different phone numbers for DTV, and the 3rd one finally gave me a # for DNS after leaving me on hold for 5 minutes, so it seems that DTV doesn't really know much about their own DNS.

Turned out that was Winegard...they won't allow me to use my own receiver (just bought it today!).

I know there's a trick to getting satellite at a reasonable cost in an RV, can anyone give me a link to instructions???

I should mention I'm a full timer and don't really have a home base, but I suppose I could use my brothers address if I need to.

Thanks.

bsamole · 02-27-2016, 07:16 AM

The third party DNS service that I was using for my DISH setup went out of business a few years ago.

smlranger · 02-27-2016, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim_HiTek

For those that have a satellite setup, and are a full timer, a few questions...

I was able to buy a receiver today, a HR24-200. So I tried calling DirecTv. Nobody seemed to know who to call for DNS (Distant Network Service). Ended up calling three different phone numbers for DTV, and the 3rd one finally gave me a # for DNS after leaving me on hold for 5 minutes, so it seems that DTV doesn't really know much about their own DNS.

Turned out that was Winegard...they won't allow me to use my own receiver (just bought it today!).

I know there's a trick to getting satellite at a reasonable cost in an RV, can anyone give me a link to instructions???

I should mention I'm a full timer and don't really have a home base, but I suppose I could use my brothers address if I need to.

Thanks.

It is my understanding you must have a fixed address for your Direct TV service. That address determines which local channels you can get. Once you give them an address, they will let you subscribe and you can use receivers that you own. I just purchased a HR54 for my coach but it is added to my service with a fixed address in Virginia.

For locals, we just use the OTA antenna on the coach and are usually able to get locals with network programming.