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knotheadcharters

knotheadcharters

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 31, 2011
Messages
338
Vessel Name
Amar la Vida
Vessel Make
1989 Carver Californian 48' MY
If you are, what type of satelitte TV/Cable systems are you running and what are the costs involved ie. equipment, provider and cost of installation.
 
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Been running Directv for about 12 years now at home and on the boat. Just using home type equipment. Haven't broken down yet and purchased a KV style tracking system. Generally only use the Sat. system when at the dock, so no issue with using a manual dish. Had a spare dish and bought a second receiver, I think it's like an extra $6 per month for the extra receiver service on my home Directv account.

Some day I suppose I'll break down and purchase a tracking system. But I really don't know why?? I guess it will look cool on the mast!! :blush:
Larry B
 
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I have a small kvh system When I bought it there was a $200 rebate Tolal cost was around $1800 Easy install myself got hooked up as an extra room from a friend of mine for $6 a monthe works well even in the bahamas
 
I have an older KVH Direct TV sattelite receiver system. It is an M2 and doesn't do HD and its sattelites may be phased out over time. Cost of equipment is a low of $2,000 upwards.

Installation is fairly straightforward. Mount the satellite dome in a good place and run the coax down to the receiver. Run a 12V power source to the receiver and plug it into a TV. On my boat I didn't do a permanent installation, I just take it up on deck and put it in a place that has a view to the south. Takes 2-3 minutes to set up.

David
 
We have direct TV mounted on a 4' X 4' plywood so its moveable for the last 14 years. Can not use while under way, but re aliening at the dock is easy. I been thinking about up grading to HD.
 
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the kvh system I installed is the small one and does work underway But I suspect in big seas it would have a hard time keeping up. A couple of times while travelling the ICW i could get no FM radio recepection Just tuned to one of many direct TV music channels I am a full time live aboard so I it well worth it to me
 
Been using either DirecTV or Dish for about 8 years It depends on which gives me a better deal when the contract renews. Your cost will depend on what programming and options you choose so visit their websites for pricing. On both of our boats we have used the Track-It system with a standard dish. We have HD with Direct right now. It works at the dock or at anchor but not under way. Who watches while under way? Have a look at this post on our blog, The Trawler Beach House: Work, Work, Work . Chuck
 
Thanks, I have been doing some research also and the KVH systems are pricey. I do like the track-it although it's not as clean of an installation vice a round dome but the price is right. I do not have a need for TV but the Admiral does and we know how that goes. Chuck I like the way you installed your unit on the rear upper deck.
 
There are lots of pics of the dish mounting on the blog. Here is one from the stern..

Beach House Panther Key.jpg
 
Sat TV is fine , but folks that just want to keep up might consider XM radio.

Many alternate views , left and right , and endless music can be fun.

One advantage of a TV set with only local coverage is the weather guesser is closer to your actual location , and perhaps will give a better forecast than a nation wide forecast.

"Why check the weather? were going anyway " is no longer the motto when boat cruising.
 
Many of us have satellite TV but we also have an air antenna aboard. Access to local channels for news and weather, etc. is just a matter of pushing a button. The local radar is a good resource and many local TV stations have a dedicated digital channel that just broadcasts weather info and radar. We use this all the time, but there are many times when you are too far away to pick up local stations. So it's not a question of either or. Most of us have both without expensive equipment. Chuck
 
I'm new to the forums but I couldn't help for the fun of it to post how we did it in the early days of DTV.
I bought an old Autohelm wheel pilot at the Big Pine Fleemarket for 15 bucks, mounted the dish on an old helm chair swivel and presto: Direct TV while on the hook in Boot Key Harbor, in 1998.... LOL...

DSS-theearlydays.jpg
 
When we bought our boat about two years ago, it came with an almost new Sea Tel satellite antenna. We have no use for TV on the boat (and not much at home either). We had some mast work done recently and removed the antenna.

(It's for sale at Second Wave in Seattle if anyone is interested.)
 
Capt Joe:

Rube Golberg would have been proud of you!!

David
 
I am fortunate to have good cell phone service in LaConner, WA. This allows me to use a 'slingbox' to get access to my home cable on my phone, which I connect to a 24" TV on my boat.

Cost $99.00 for the Slingbox. $29.00 for the App for my iPhone. No continual service fees.
 
I have a 360 VHF antenna mounted on my mast and a $30 digital converter box and a flat screen TV mounted from the ceiling in the main salon. I can pick up ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX as well as several other channels. I've picked up the local station in Jacksonville FL from as far away as Charleston SC. In marinas they usually give away the local stations if you have a cable to hook it up. But I guess you guys know that already.

My main entertainment investment has been in Sattelite Radio. I like to have Outlaw Country playing when I am driving for 10 hours straight.
 
For those that enjoy humor , cruising during local election times , local TV produces some adds that are FANTASTIC!!!
 
When we purchased our boat it had a "Follow Me TV" dish setup. Being a cheap bastard, I am not a fan of monthly fees. We removed the dish equipment and installed a Shakespeare Seawatch digital TV antenna. The setup cost $160. I get 5 stations 40 mile south of Baltimore. When I am within 20 miles I pick up 55 stations all crystal clear. It supports my needs on the Chesapeake.

Dave
 
We get two channels over the air on the boat (PBS and CBS). We don't watch CBS. Don't have satellite. This season we didn't even turn on the boat TV. When we are on the boat we want to get away from TV and Internet. Geez, I sound like Marin?
 
dwhatty said:
We get two channels over the air on the boat (PBS and CBS). We don't watch CBS. Don't have satellite. This season we didn't even turn on the boat TV. When we are on the boat we want to get away from TV and Internet. Geez, I sound like Marin?
Click to expand...

I agree, to Heck with TV. But I do like to see what the local news and weather man say at 11:00, if I'm still awake. I happened to be watching TV in Titusville FL and found out that the Mars Discovery was taking off from the Cape the next morning at 10:02AM, and we saw it take off. It was a good thing, but I agree that getting away from all the BS on TV is a good idea and is a big part of why we boat.
 
We have a KVH on our boat and use Direct TV. On a trip from Puget Sound to Alaska we watched TV whenever we wanted unless we we in a small bay with very high mountains, which was only two times in five months.
 
Russell Clifton said:
We have a KVH on our boat and use Direct TV. On a trip from Puget Sound to Alaska we watched TV whenever we wanted unless we we in a small bay with very high mountains, which was only two times in five months.
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How exactly were you able to avoid small bays with high mountains? :socool: I thought that described 90% of the anchorages along the inside passage. When I was running Scorpius back and forth, a big consideration for the nights anchorages was the availability of sat service for the Admiral, and quite a few were eliminated. Here in Juneau, we get several over the air HD channels, and also have a huge dish mounted on the piling. Underway, it's sat radio....Arctic Traveller
 
One thing to be aware of that was brought to our attention by our marine electronics shop a few months ago..... There are a couple of kinds of tracking (KVH-type) systems available. One is relatively inexpensive, the other one is not. In this area and farther north, the inexpensive version cannot pick up very many satellites and the farther north you go the worse it gets. The expensive system, on the other hand, can pick up the necessary satellites even up north.

Our inquiry was casual so I don't recall the specific brands involved. He carries two of them, one being KVH itself. It is the other one, which is considerably less expensive, that has the reception problem in northern areas.
 
Marin said:
In this area and farther north, the inexpensive version cannot pick up very many satellites and the farther north you go the worse it gets. The expensive system, on the other hand, can pick up the necessary satellites even up north.
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As you get further North, the satellites are lower on the horizon and are further away, requiring an antenna (dish) that's physically larger and has higher gain (more expensive). The largest KVH antenna is usually required for reliable operation in Alaska, although I've had reasonable reception with a mid sized one. At the dock, we have a huge dish mounted on the pilings, much larger than what you see down South............Arctic Traveller
 
Marin said:
There are a couple of kinds of tracking (KVH-type) systems available. One is relatively inexpensive, the other one is not.

Marin could you elaborate on that? What is the less expensive one?

Thanks
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I don't remember. As I recall the less expensive system that is not very effective up the coast cost about $2,000 . The system that does work up the coast (KVH) costs twice that or more. We're at the boat this weekend and if I remember I'll look into Jerry's front office where he had the systems displayed. Perhaps that will jog my memory.
 
For under a grand there are sat following systems that will follow the satelite azmuth , while at anchor and swinging about..

For 2x to 4x the bucks the better setups will follow the sat elevation and azmuth , fast enough to operate underway .
 
If you subscribe to a Sat provider at home, your boat is the cost of the dish/receiver/cables/tv + $5 or $6 per month as a second room. I use Shaw Direct, which does HD and, for a Canadian, permits international travel. The receiver/dish was $99. for the second set. I haven't actually set it up on the boat yet, as the dish looks far too big to actually fit comfortably, out of the way, inconspicuously, and we didn't get organized in time for the Olympics anyway, so it will go to the Motorhome for the winter, and may just stay there.
 
Our boat came with an 18 inch Sea Tel satellite system with Dish TV. It is mounted high on our mast, above our radar. While we seldom use it, except for sports and Seattle weather when we are in the San Juans or to catch up on news when in the wilderness of the BC coast for awhile, it has worked reliably from Bellingham to Juneau, at anchor and underway. It always amazes us, getting reception along the BC coast and in Alaska.

The two exceptions are when we are anchored close to a high mountain to the south (as in Culpepper Lagoon in Fjordlands, BC) or when we are docked and the mast blocks the signal to the South. When docked to the North, it needs to be at least 10 degrees off of the angle between the mast and the satellite. Just our experiences, perhaps not those of everyone.

Cheers,

Don
 
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