I just got this email newsletter from Camping World and thought you all might get a kick out of it, it’s general camping related not specifically related to New Jersey Camping.

The Latest News from Camping World

Technically Speaking

Traveling with Satellite TV
By Mark J. Polk

Are we there yet? Does this question sound familiar? If you have children and you travel I’m sure you’ve heard it more than once. It’s not quite as bad when you’re traveling in an RV, but with children you still get asked this question. We’ve tried several different ways to keep the boys entertained while getting from point A to point B, but after they have seen all the movies and played all the games they start asking if we’re there yet, again.

After doing some research I was convinced that I found a solution to this problem, an in- motion satellite system. I explained to my wife that this would keep the kids entertained and she could keep up with the shows that she likes to watch when we’re traveling in the RV. I didn’t mention that it would be just in time for football season too!

So the decision was made and now we just needed to figure out which in-motion system to get. I wanted a highly reliable system that was low profile and compatible with DIRECTV. What I found was the Winegard Roadtrip LP-1000 in-motion satellite system. It is one of the most advanced and lowest profile satellite antennas available. It can be used with DIRECTV and DISH Network satellite providers. The Roadtrip LP-1000 uses global positioning system (GPS) and digital video broadcasting (DVB) technology. The GPS is used to determine the present location of the RV antenna and the DVB verifies that the antenna located the correct satellite. The DVB circuitry and GPS technology provides the fastest and most reliable signal acquisition available.

I decided to do the installation myself. It wasn’t difficult to install; the hardest part was getting it on the roof. If you’re leery about drilling through the roof of your RV, routing the coax and wiring, or connecting to the 12 volt system of your RV you may want to let a Camping World store near you install it.

If you do install it yourself carefully plan the entire installation before you start. Make sure the satellite antenna is properly located on the roof, with enough distance from other items, and verify that there will be enough coax and wiring to reach where you want it to go inside the RV. There are a couple of specialty tools you will need like coax stripping and crimping tools and make sure you follow the installation instructions precisely. Always keep safety in mind and be careful whenever you are working on the roof of your RV. You can go here to view the Installation Manual.

With the Roadtrip LP-1000 there are no hand cranks to deal with or trying to position the antenna to pick up a signal. Actually, there is no user input required at all. You just turn on a switch and it is fully automatic. My wife, who is not very technical, was shocked to discover that even she could make the satellite system work. The Roadtrip antenna is capable of advanced on-road television tracking. It has a continuous 360 degree rotation to keep it locked on the satellite and it works great when you’re stationary too.

Once the installation was completed it was time to try it out. We loaded up the RV and headed out for a weekend excursion. The kids thought it was really “tight” (I guess “tight” is the word they’re using for “cool” now days). With hundreds of television channels available there won’t be anymore nights spent rotating the TV antenna searching for one decent channel to watch. There was no more asking if we were there yet, but there was a lot of, hey it’s my turn to watch what I want. That Sunday afternoon I was relaxing, watching a football game and thinking it doesn’t get any better than this. Then my wife came over to me and said “I thought you said I would be able to keep up with the shows I like to watch.” I looked at her and said “I thought you liked football.”

Happy Camping! Mark J. Polk

Mark Polk is the owner of RV Education 101. He also hosts the RV Savvy segments for RVTV, which airs on the Outdoor Channel. RV Education 101 is a North Carolina-based company that produces professional training videos, DVDs and e-books on how to use and maintain your RV so all of your RV experiences are safe, fun and stress-free.
Mark’s videos and DVDs are now available at any Camping World Supercenters and at CampingWorld.com. Click here for VHS videos or here for DVDs.