Winegard PA-1000 DISH Playmaker HD Portable Satellite Antenna (RV Portable Satellite Dish, Tailgating Portable Satellite Antenna)

I recently moved into my RV full-time, and I had taken along my Dish receiver from my house. I had paused my Dish service. Travling around, I found that cable TV in RV parks was not very good most of the time. So I took Dish off pause and bought this antenna. It worked just fine with my Dish receiver. The only problem I had was with Dish, they had to resend a second signal to switch on my account. It was a software issue on their side, no big deal. The Playmaker is VERY easy to use. I am currently in central Texas and have excellent reception. A heads-up for RV owners: if you want to run the co-ax cable from the Playmaker through your RV system, you can. However, you will have to bypass your video boost box with a barrel connector. The co-ax coming from your Cable TV external outlet has to be disconnected from your video box. You will also have to disconnect the co-ax coming from the video box going through the coach to the TV set up with the Dish receiver. The connect these two cables together with the barrel connector. Easy to do and I am technically-challenged. I am very happy with the purchase. I ran a bike cable through the handle of the Playmaker for security, although if you turned the unit upside-down, you would see that you can unscrew the handle. But it looks secure, and that's helpful.

I bought this antenna dish and receiver to replace an older unit that did not receive high definition programming, and would recommend it to anyone planning to upgrade or try satellite television for the first time. It is an especially good system for recreational vehicles or anyone who changes locations often.First, the antenna sets up very quickly. If in an RV, connect the cable directly from the antenna to the Wally, bypassing all tv connections in the RV (you can see if these connections will work after the initial setup). As other reviewers have mentioned, you will get much quicker results finding satellites if you first point the antenna handle to the north.Once powered up and connected, the Wally will do everything but fetch you a beer while it sets up your system. A plus with the Wally vs. older receivers is that the RF remote works thru walls and cabinets, making it easier to switch channels from different locations. The entire setup from opening boxes, connecting cables, locating the antenna in an unobsructed view of the southern sky, letting the receiver complete the setup and activatng the receiver by following instructions on the box and onscreen took less than an hour. Northeasterners take note: you’ll probably need an antenna that receives satellites in the eastern arc; this receiver only finds western arc satellites.

After reading all the reviews on the Playmaker I ordered the bundle and received the it two days later. Initial setup was easy just followed the instructions and after an hour I was watching TV. Once we get to where ever we are going camping I set out the playmaker and start the setup and go about the rest of getting the camper setup and by the time I'm finished the TV is up and running. We love how simple and easy it is to use and what a great price.

Do NOT buy this product. It stopped working after 1 day. I finally got a replacement product from Winegard and that also does not work. I was on the phone with DISH for hours and they finally said that I had to speak with Winegard again. I called Winegard and was on hold for over 30 minutes when they transferred me to a message center. I left my name and number but no one has called me back in over a week. I have cancelled my DISH service and am wonding what I should do with this $300 boat anchor. DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT!!!

Works as advertised. Did have some setup issues. I discovered that if you buy the receiver from a third party, the software may be the default factory installed software, not the latest version needed to successfully finish the setup. Caused some problems and had to hook the receiver up directly to my home satellite network to update the software. It took three calls to support to discover the issue. After the proper software was installed, setup went well and has worked great.

After some initial trouble with the delivery (I don't know why Amazon uses the Post Office for prime members), I received my Playmaker 5 days after ordering it. I have dish at home and plan to use this while rv'ing. I tested it immediately in my backyard to make sure I would have no issues once I got to my destination. I have Wally receivers in my bedroom and living room at home. After switching the coaxial cable from my house mounted dish to the Playmaker, the "mobile antenna setup" screen immediately popped up on my TV. After making sure my Playmaker had a clear view of the southern sky, I selected southern California and "scan" and after about 5-10 minutes I was up and running after the scan completed. No need to call Dish or Winegard. That's the beauty, I can take one of my home Wally's with me. No need to pay another $7 a month for another receiver. No need to call anyone to start or stop service. At my destination I had to move it a couple times before it found all 3 satellites (use a satellite finding phone app and select Echostar satellite 119, make sure no trees are in your phone cameras' view when the phone is pointed directly at the satellite). This unit is so much easier than my old manual Winegard. That involved having my wife go inside and watch the screen and yell when the signal got stronger, you get the picture. With this unit you will here a faint grinding sound from the unit when you switch between channels that are broadcast off different satellites. This is normal and will also notice this same sound, for a longer period of time, as your dish searches for the satellites after your initial placement. One more great thing, between the satellite, receiver and my low power lcd TV, I am able to boondock and watch TV. No need to run my generator. My 300 watt inverter can handle the task easily for several hours without draining my batteries. All in all, with the prices of these automatic units coming way down, I am extremely happy with this purchase.