JRS & B
Florida/Michigan
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Joined: 05/09/2010
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FYI - When I went to the TV4RV site, they showed the Heavy Duty tripod kit, complete with level, compass, satellite finder and carrying bad, all for $154.95. That sounds like a fair deal for what apparently is an excellant product.
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edatlanta
Panama City Beach, FL
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Joined: 08/13/2008
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I think it is a good deal also, UNLESS:
You can find a dish from a friend that may have moved and left their dish. DirecTV says to leave the dish when you move. When I moved out of my s&b I took the dish and use it with my tripod.
The sat finder is useless if you use DirecTV's SWM system.
All of the other parts of the tripod "kit" are great. With this tripod and compass and leveling bubble you can get your dish within 1 degree or two almost every time. I have actually set mine up and had a 95% signal with zero tweaking. It can be that accurate.
Ed
2006 GMC 2500HD CCSB 4x4 Duramax/Allison, Titan 52 gallon fuel tank, TTT/Schefenacker Towing Mirrors, Prodigy Controller, B&W Companion Hitch, Progressive Industries EMS-PT50C, TST Systems 507 TPMS
2010 Jayco Designer 35RLTS,Cummins/Onan RV QG 5500 EVAP
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hershey
Albuquerque,(fulltime) NM, USA
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Joined: 06/04/2003
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Have a couple 1/2" pieces of rod welded to the bottom of a piece of exhaust pipe tubing (about 14" long). Looks like a large fork. Stick the rod end into the ground and sit you dish on the exhaust pipe. Stores in the smallest space and doesn't blow over in the wind. No need for 20' of PVC pipe in various sizes or huge tripods for something so simple.
hershey - albuquerque, nm
Someday Finally Got Here
My wife does all the driving - I just get to hold the steering wheel.
Superman was an illegal alien.
Expedition - Suzuki Grand Viagra
NASCAR 14 - 99
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wny_pat
Western NYS
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Joined: 08/11/2007
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PVC pipe and filled it with some play sand. About $25. easy to store and works great.
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2oldman
Winchester WA
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Joined: 04/15/2001
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edatlanta wrote:I think it is a good deal also, UNLESS:
You can find a dish from a friend If you're referring to the tv4rv tripod package, that does not include the dish.
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Cimriver
Colorado
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Joined: 01/05/2002
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I put together a tripod stand using a surveyors transit tripod very similar to TV4RV's. The tripod cost me about $60.00 as I recall. I used a chainlink fence pole and had a friend weld it to a flat metal plate to mount on the tripod. I have used it for years.
I use one of these to tie down the dish. We've been in some pretty hard winds and never a problem.
Gordon & Patti
2008 F-350, 6.4L. Power Stroke, CrewCab
2012 Dutchmen Komfort 3130FRL Fifth-Wheel
Be Safe!!!!!
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Jonesz
Minnedosa
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Joined: 03/25/2010
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Hey John am looking to make a setup like yours but can't tell from the pic just how the bolts at the corners (which I assume are used for leveling) operate. Care to clue me in? Thanx
Jonesz
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Johno02
Lexington, TN USA
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Joined: 10/15/2004
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I used four "T-Nuts" in holes I drilled, then used a Dremel tool to cut scredriver slots in the ends of the bolts. T-Nuts are threaded inserts which look kinda like a T. They have a top that looks kinda like a washer with prongs, and all you do in insert them into a hole so that the prongs go into the wood and hole the nut in the hole. Your local hardware store should have them to fit the carriage bolts. I use a cheap power screwdriver, battery powered to screw the bolts in or out to level, and if needed you can swing the legs a bit to fit the terrain. I have never had this one blow over, although wind did rotate the dish out of line one time. The dish fits the pole tight enough to hold it in most cases. using my compass, I try to aline the center board in the currect direction, then just tweak the dish to find the bird. Most times, the dish will line up exactly with the center board, but it doesn't make any difference at all. Just however it fits the terrain.
Noel and Betty Johnson
2005 GulfStream Ultra Supreme, 1 wife, 1 Poodle
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Jonesz
Minnedosa
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Noel thanx for that-will look for some T nuts.
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gijoday
Unicoi, Tennessee
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Joined: 10/28/2007
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I have the TR-3535, it is usable and cheap, to mount my DTV Slimline triple lna antenna, I had to attach a larger mast to the mount. The Heavy dury H&G Enterprises mount is impressive and appears to be more stable in winds than mine but also pricy. You get what you pay for.
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