Dish Network Tailgater problem on Reflection

[mermaidmusic]

I need help! I have spent so many hours on this that I'm about ready to take this dish and use it for target practice. I used my old SD dish for Direct for years with no issues.
Switched to DN because I thought Direct was going to end their SD service. I have never gotten this thing hooked up through the trailer. If I direct wire to the Wally through a window, it works. As soon as I put it through the trailer hookup, it says reception error and the dish sounds like it isn't getting enough power to move. I have the antenna booster off. I am using RG6 coax cables. I even went and bought a 25 foot one thinking there was too much wiring going through the trailer and it needed shorter cable. I don't know what else to do. I thought everything was direct wired in here and didn't run through a splitter of any kind. Short of taking the fireplace out and drilling a hole through the slideout floor to make a new connection, what can I do? The 7 bucks a month is way cheaper than paying for more data and our campgrounds don't have wifi. We have a 2015 Reflection 303RLS. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you! Christine

[Jerryr]

I need help! I have spent so many hours on this that I'm about ready to take this dish and use it for target practice. I used my old SD dish for Direct for years with no issues.
Switched to DN because I thought Direct was going to end their SD service. I have never gotten this thing hooked up through the trailer. If I direct wire to the Wally through a window, it works. As soon as I put it through the trailer hookup, it says reception error and the dish sounds like it isn't getting enough power to move. I have the antenna booster off. I am using RG6 coax cables. I even went and bought a 25 foot one thinking there was too much wiring going through the trailer and it needed shorter cable. I don't know what else to do. I thought everything was direct wired in here and didn't run through a splitter of any kind. Short of taking the fireplace out and drilling a hole through the slideout floor to make a new connection, what can I do? The 7 bucks a month is way cheaper than paying for more data and our campgrounds don't have wifi. We have a 2015 Reflection 303RLS. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you! Christine

I removed the fireplace and drilled a hole in the slide out floor. Then installed a weatherproof coax bulkhead in the floor of the slide out. Ran a short quad shielded coax from the bulkhead to the Wally which is in the overhead next to the radio.

I us a 50 ft Quad Shielded coax from the outside bulkhead connects to the antenna. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GBVYAZC/

It works perfectly. And $7/ month for the Wally prorated is a great deal. The $7 deal is only available if you have Dish at home, which we do.

We have dish at home and at our vacation cabin. We take our Hopper and a Joey2 box with us when we go back and forth between the main home and vacation home. Dish installed a Dish Antenna and wired the vacation home at no cost.

I only activate the Wally when on a trip by calling Dish Outdoor at 1-877-790-1540

[Second Chance]

This is a common problem (many threads on the groups and forums about it - the search function is your friend). The issue is the long runs of cheap coax and (when present) splice connectors. This causes a drop in both control voltage and signal strength with an automatic antenna. In both our previous Reflection and our new Solitude, I've had to install my own, shorter and more direct run of quad-shield coax with no splices to get good quality, reliable reception with our Pathway X2 antenna (and the Pathway X2 has the largest reflector and delivers the strongest signal of any of the Dish portable automatic antennas).

I recommend that you create a signature block with your RV and tow vehicle information (see mine below). That way you won't have to repeat that information whenever you post or ask a question - and others won't have to ask. You can create a signature by going to:

Forum Actions (on menu bar) -> Edit Profile -> Edit Signature (under My Settings on the left)

Rob

[traveldawg]

Doesn't the 303RLS have a dedicated satellite input on the outside of the RV (in the water bay?) that runs directly to a coax port cables satellite (or SAT) near where the TV is? Possibly right next to the antenna/cable switch in a cabinet above the TV?

If it does, then are you using that connection (Dish antenna to SAT input in the wet bay, and SAT coax port from above the TV to the Wally?

If so then investigate that "circuit" (the coax connection from the wet bay to above the TV.

If you are trying to use a cable input from the outside to the Wally then, as you discovered, it won't work. Both or either because it has to pass through the antenna/coax switch and likely a splitter. So if this is the case maybe just consider installing an input on the outside near the TV.

[mermaidmusic]

Yes, I'm using the dedicated one inside the water bay. I've used this for years with my directv dish and it worked just fine so I know I'm hooking them up correctly. I just wasn't sure if maybe someone knew exactly that there is a splitter or something blocking this particular satellite dish, something I've missed. Thanks!

[Second Chance]

[QUOTE=traveldawg;378429]Doesn't the 303RLS have a dedicated satellite input on the outside of the RV (in the water bay?) that runs directly to a coax port cables satellite (or SAT) near where the TV is? /QUOTE]

It does - but the coax and splicer quality is often too poor, resulting in voltage drops for the automatic antennas.

Rob

[traveldawg]

Yes, I'm using the dedicated one inside the water bay. I've used this for years with my directv dish and it worked just fine so I know I'm hooking them up correctly. I just wasn't sure if maybe someone knew exactly that there is a splitter or something blocking this particular satellite dish, something I've missed. Thanks!

Look closely at both ends of that cable run. The one from the wet bay to above the TV. You’ll have to remove the wall plate inside and get behind the wet bay. Maybe replace both those ends. I had to replace the barrel connector in my wet bay recently when my Wally & Playmaker.

There should not be any splitters involved in that run from the wet bay to the TV area.

Check your patch coax cables too.

[mermaidmusic]

Hey, Larry, so are talking about the stock connectors that are on the wall plate? Is there a specific kind of specification I should be looking for? I agree that there should be no splitters since everything is direct wired to each individual outlet. I just wired it directly to the receiver through the window and I get signal, it is low which I'm not thrilled about, but is there so it has to be inside the trailer. I can't go much shorter than a 25 foot cable also. Thanks for your help!

[DECelt]

I need help! I have spent so many hours on this that I'm about ready to take this dish and use it for target practice. I used my old SD dish for Direct for years with no issues.
Switched to DN because I thought Direct was going to end their SD service. I have never gotten this thing hooked up through the trailer. If I direct wire to the Wally through a window, it works. As soon as I put it through the trailer hookup, it says reception error and the dish sounds like it isn't getting enough power to move. I have the antenna booster off. I am using RG6 coax cables. I even went and bought a 25 foot one thinking there was too much wiring going through the trailer and it needed shorter cable. I don't know what else to do. I thought everything was direct wired in here and didn't run through a splitter of any kind. Short of taking the fireplace out and drilling a hole through the slideout floor to make a new connection, what can I do? The 7 bucks a month is way cheaper than paying for more data and our campgrounds don't have wifi. We have a 2015 Reflection 303RLS. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you! Christine

I have struggled with mine for years. I suspect that the tailgater has a very small antenna. Having said that...the best solution is to drill that hole and add a connection port with a direct run to the receiver. Tailgater advises not to use more than 50' of cable between the receiver and the antenna. Use quad shield cable...or consider RG 11 cable which is designed for long runs. Try not to have splitters or connecters. If you have to use a barrel-type connecter, use the ones with the blue-colored insulator. They are designed for satellite tv applications. Also, I have found that the tailgater cable run is very sensitive to contact with power cables. I will lose signal if the cable touches the RV 50 amp cable. I have almost never been able to consistently keep all three dish satellites. I would go back to old school dishes if the HD version wasn't so large. My tailgater is the older cube type. I wish it would break...

[mermaidmusic]

I have struggled with mine for years. I suspect that the tailgater has a very small antenna. Having said that...the best solution is to drill that hole and add a connection port with a direct run to the receiver. Tailgater advises not to use more than 50' of cable between the receiver and the antenna. Use quad shield cable...or consider RG 11 cable which is designed for long runs. Try not to have splitters or connecters. If you have to use a barrel-type connecter, use the ones with the blue-colored insulator. They are designed for satellite tv applications. Also, I have found that the tailgater cable run is very sensitive to contact with power cables. I will lose signal if the cable touches the RV 50 amp cable. I have almost never been able to consistently keep all three dish satellites. I would go back to old school dishes if the HD version wasn't so large. My tailgater is the older cube type. I wish it would break...

I haven't been thrilled with the low signals I'm getting just direct wired to the receiver. I'm about ready to go back to my old DirecTV standard dish until they retire the satellite. Getting one satellite was far easier than having to get three. They were going to end SD service and now I haven't heard anything about it for two years. I can't imagine that trying to align the HD DirecTV dish would be that easy either. I don't want to get an online subscription cuz I pay enough as it is for satellite and I'd have to use data and a hotspot too cuz our campgrounds don't have wifi and it costs less than 10 bucks a month to do it the way I have been. Thank you for the suggestions! I thought this thing would make my life easier and it clearly is not!!!