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Old 12-25-2019, 05:15 PM   #1
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Wire dish tailgater pro to multiple TVs in Minnie/spirit 31g, it has four TVs

We have 2017-spirit 31G with four TVs. We will have a dish tailgater pro the we want to connect to two TVs.
How are you bringing cable into rv and wiring them.
Thanks
Phil
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Old 12-25-2019, 05:35 PM   #2
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There are all sorts of issues with your plan.

First, even though your Tailagater has multiple outputs, it's too small of a dish to connect to two satellites at the same time to allow watching different channels on different TVs if the two channels are not on the same physical satellite.

You can watch two different channels on two TV If and only IF the two channels are on the same SAT. For Dish, it's 110 and 119. If a channel you're watching is on 110 then the only channels the other TV can view are on 110.

Also, you realize that you need two SAT receivers as well.

You can bring in one SAT coax and connect it to your receiver and the output of your receiver to your cable TV input and watch the same channel on all of your TVs via coax just like cable TV.

I realize when you read all the details about these things that you can watch different content on different TVs you think great. I'll watch the game and my spouse will watch something more interesting to her. But it really doesn't work that way.

The true way to do what most people want is to use either a large SAT dish on a tripod outside or one of the large expensive "traveler" dishes on the roof. Those dishes have an enlarged dish and multiple LNBs that can distribute SAT to multiple receivers that can allow two tvs to watch different content at the same time.

The Tailgater Pro has a small dish on one LNB and it physically moves as you change channels to pick pick up different satellites. So, if the "master" main TV is on one SAT then the other TV cannot see the other SAT.

Here is the statement on the details of the Tailgater that state this "gotcha":

Supports multiple TV viewing (requires two receivers; programming must be on the same satellite)

You may not realize what that "one SAT" limitation does. If you watch a station on channel 140 then that's on one SAT, but if someone wants to see a channel on 139 that's most likely on the other SAT. The channels go back and forth between the SATs.
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Old 01-02-2020, 06:29 AM   #3
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tailgater

I went in through the coax outlet under the cabinet next to the dvd player and installed a signal combiner. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
That way the dish signal doesn't go through the amp for the antenna. I just use the input typically used for the cable in the power cord storage. I went through the space over the dvd player for the coax input for the dish receiver. I can only watch one channel at a time on all the interior tv's.
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Old 01-02-2020, 08:04 AM   #4
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Great post, creativepart. I want to add that I gave up on the 2 TV satellite thing after a long conversation with an upper level Dish tech. He said he could tell me if specific channels are on the same satellite, but Dish does not publicly post a list of which channels are on which sats. So if the second TV viewer has a 2nd or 3rd choice, there is no easy way to find out which is on the sat being used by the main receiver. Calling customer service to ask is not appealing. Another example of bad customer service. So I went ahead and signed up for Sling and used that for the other TV.
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Old 01-02-2020, 12:08 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pdwilkins View Post
I went in through the coax outlet under the cabinet next to the dvd player and installed a signal combiner. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
That way the dish signal doesn't go through the amp for the antenna. I just use the input typically used for the cable in the power cord storage. I went through the space over the dvd player for the coax input for the dish receiver. I can only watch one channel at a time on all the interior tv's.
Thank you for responses, I appreciate them.

I realize I don’t have perfect plans, but a little tv is fine with us.

We also will have verizon unlimited with hotspot and antennae and a Wifi amp when we have some signal. We have amazon fire also.

Following is confusing probabaly, sorry:
I plan to run coax from our existing coax on outside wall that is for another tv output addition, unhook other end of this coax inside communication cabinet above couch and use for sat in for Wally. This bypasses tv ota amp. I plan to add a few switchers (sat and dvd) to splitters and use existing hdmi cables already connected to all TVs. I see mixed reviews on various satellites, we plan to go with tailgater pro and work out issues. If tv was a big deal for us and money to spend we would add optimal system but as I look at pros and cons and $, this is what we plan to do. I will add another coax in for separate feed in future , outside or bedroom will be on it, I realize satellite primary secondary priorities issue, that’s ok. I am sure we will learn some things, if it doesn’t work I will add some coax jacks outside and wire directly to wallys. I am going to try to use some of our 2017-31G internal cabling , but bypass winegard antennae amp, I know it causes issues.

Appreciate y’all
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Old 01-02-2020, 04:33 PM   #6
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Just one comment on your plans - you can not split a SAT cable before the SAT receiver. If you used a VIP 211 SAT receiver you would have a RCA TV out on the back of the receiver and that could be split to multiple TVs. But if you connect the satellite dish output to any splitter you'll lose signal.
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Old 01-02-2020, 04:53 PM   #7
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I was afraid of this, I thought it was mainly coax tv antenna issue, I will have to wire direct, figured some trial and error.
Oh well
Thanks
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Old 01-02-2020, 04:54 PM   #8
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Quote:
The Tailgater Pro has a small dish on one LNB and it physically moves as you change channels to pick pick up different satellites. So, if the "master" main TV is on one SAT then the other TV cannot see the other SAT.

I wonder if this is true or assumed from reading?

This is not what I see on my Tailgater as it does not have to acquire a new satellite as I may go "channel checking" through 30-40 different channels before finding nothing!
It would take hours to let it move as I go through the whole list. On setup, letting it settle on the correct pointing is a pretty slow affair and I would not want to do it each time I changed channels, for sure! However, there have been times/places where I was not able to get a full view of the Southern sky and was only able to acquire one of the groups of channels.
It is true that each TV does require a different box to view different channels, much the same as cable requires.
On the physical end of the wiring question, it depends on what is there to start and what you want to end with using. I had a connection in the wet bay meant for cable and did not want to lose that function for those times when we might have cable available. I also wanted to keep the OTA function as well. But the simple option in our case was connecting the Tailgater at the cable connection but adding a switch to select whether the feed comes from the OTA or the cable (now sat.)
Working it means flipping some switches but not having to unscrew or change and cables.
OTA--Turn on amp, rotate the antenna and change TV to that input
Sat.---Set dish, acquire signal, change the TV for that input, while turning off the amp for antenna.
Cable--connect to it and set TV for that input.

For new TV that won't let us see what a channel looks like until it does it's electronics thing, it is really slow and irritating to find which is the best way to point the antenna for OTA but using an app called "DTV Antennas" gives me a map of which direction and how far each transmitter is located.
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Old 01-02-2020, 05:06 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Morich View Post
I wonder if this is true or assumed from reading?

This is not what I see on my Tailgater as it does not have to acquire a new satellite as I may go "channel checking" through 30-40 different channels before finding nothing!
I've owned multiple Tailgater Dishes with small dishes and one LNB and they all do this.

If you have a dish with a larger dish and multiple (preferably 3 for HD Dish Network) LNBs then this is not the case.

It finds 110, 119 and 128 during the initial setup at each RV location. This is memorized and as you scroll through channels the dish moves between SATs slightly and automatically. You can hear the step motor moving the dish. If it's on your roof you really hear it.

If during setup it can't find and lock on to each SAT the receiver will report the error and notify you that fewer SATs were found than on the previous setup.
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Old 01-02-2020, 07:06 PM   #10
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I have a 2019 Minnie Winnie 31G. I connected a Diplexor to the cable input in the power cable compartment and one in the cabinet like pdwilkins. I connect my sat dish to the SAT input on the diplexor outside and campground cable if available to the CATV input. I can view campground cable on all TV's or satellite TV on the bedroom and galley TV's. I did move the HDMI splitter outside the cabinet to storage shelf above exit door and mounted the satellite receiver below this shelf. I move the HDMI cable that was plugged into the DVD player between the satellite receiver and DVD player. This goes into the HDMI splitter and out to galley TV and bedroom TV. I also have an HDMI cable behind the jackknife couch coming from the outside TV that I plug into satellite receiver when watching it. I use an old 1000.2 Dish on a tripod and have both a eastern and western arc LNB. I just bought a Wally receiver replacing a VIP211Z.
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Old 01-02-2020, 08:41 PM   #11
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Good, I plan a hdmi switch between dvd and Wally hdmi and then to the hdmi splinters already in 31G. If signal poor I will simplify.

It would be great to discuss our experiences with 31G. Ours is 2017 ford E450 v10. We plan to get a tailgater pro, two wallys.

Thanks for feedback, enjoy your rv.
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Old 01-02-2020, 09:28 PM   #12
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Do you have rough sketch.

I had planned to connect sat coax directly to Wally and hook hdmi to dvd hdmi to TVs already in 31G, so it isn’t connected thru the OTA antennae amp.

Where are you hooking int coax to Wally

How is your picture quality?

Thanks
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Old 01-03-2020, 04:19 PM   #13
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I mounted the second diplexer inside the power cable compartment. So both cable from dish and cable from campground connect inside compartment. Here is a video explaining the two diplexor set up.



This is what I did inside the cabinet above DVD player. You may have to pull antennae booster plate down to access red tape coax, I don't remember.

1.Connect the coax with the red tape to the in/out port of the diplexor.
2.Put a coax jumper from the TV port of the diplexor to where the coax with red tape was connected to your antennae booster.
3.Connect another jumper to your satellite receiver.

This set up lets you use satellite, cable from campground or antennae. I looked into a 2x3 HDMI switch, but couldn't find one. We have only used the DVD player once or twice. I just manually unplug sat HDMI and plug in DVD HDMI when I want to use DVD player.
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Old 01-03-2020, 07:09 PM   #14
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Thanks, I had watched this before.

Since I plan to run ST direct to dish receiver, use hdmi out to TVs and leave all other OTA and carb unchanged I hope I don’t need Diplexer, but am a little uncertain.

I don’t work much with satellite coax.

Thank you, hope we can discuss our 31G experience, text or message on FB anytime

Phil Foster
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