If you buy a VuQube you can take your receiver from home. It is for ST or TT, if for a van I would just mount a pole to attach the dish.
The Dish Network's successor to the VuQube, the Tailgator.
The Tailgator is made by
King Controls, who also makes the VuQube. They only make the V-10/V-1000 VuCube, and the V-2500 (Tailgater). The V-10 (mountable) and V-1000 (portable with a handle and cute as a button little rubber feet) will work with DirectTV and Dish Network. The Tailgator will only work with Dish Network.
The VuQube V-10/V-1000 is a dish that requires you to locate the satellites yourself and then program their locations into the VuQube remote. You look on a map of the satellite's path, locate where you are on the map, and then raise or lower the dish to the proper degrees. Then you move it left and right until you find the satellite. Then program that position into the remote as Position 1. Then you do the same thing for a second satellite and program that as Position 2. Some channels are on one satellite and some are on the other. Once the 2 positions are programmed, when you change channels the dish will change positions automatically. Once you get the hang of it, you can perform this setup in 3-5 minutes on the average. It's not too bad. On Dish Network, the V-10 will only see satellites 110 and 119. It will not pick up 129, the HD satellite. It will, but it's tricky, and it'll still only be able to switch back and forth between 2 satellites. On DirectTV you
can not pick up any HD channels with a VuQube.
The Tailgater is the same as the old, discontinued V-20/V2000 model (with a few improvements) in that you tell the dish where you are (what state) and then it'll find the satellites automatically on its own. Takes a couple of minutes for it to do that. The big improvement is that the Tailgator can see all three satellites, 110, 119 and 129.
The Tailgator only works with Dish Network, and only with a VIP 211k solo HD receiver (that particular receiver has the software to control the Tailgator, which gets it's power from the receiver box, incidentally, so other than the coax cable there are no other power cords to run). The Tailgator at $350 is also considerably cheaper than a VuQube at $599. The VIP 211k will cost you $150 (if you don't already have one like I did). SO if you get the Tailgator and the 211k together, it's $500. Here's Dish Networks page on it:
Tailgater - Portable Satellite TV Antenna - Take TV Outdoors With DISH!
If you have satellite at the house, then all you need is to get a second receiver, which is like $5 or $10 extra a month, depending on the receiver, and get a VuQube or some other dish. It's basically
just that easy. I have Dish Network at the house, so I got the VIP 211k receiver as an extra receiver, and it costs me $7 a month (would be $5 for a SD receiver, and $10 for an HD DVR receiver, but the 211k is a solo, non-DVR HD receiver - you cannot watch one show wile recording another with a mobile satellite dish, since they can only "see" one satellite at a time).
I also added to that local networks (ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox) with broadcasts from both NY and San Francisco. You local locals are not available on satellite at all, at least not at the moment, so you have a choice of getting them from NY, San Francisco, or both. I got both. It's nice being able to miss a show at 8PM and then catch it on the west coast feed three hours later at 11PM. The locals are not from Dish Network, but from My Distant Networks at
ALLAMERICANDIRECT.COM, but they come down via the satellite just like all the regular satellite channels do. To get the My Distant Networks, you need to fill out an application and send them a copy of your RV registration, or a letter from your carrier (which, of course, you can write yourself, if you want - if anyone wants a copy of the letter I wrote, let me know) stating that you're a commercial trucker on the road, you're good to go. It's only available to RVs and truckers, not to people at home.
You will not get your normal local channels from home when out on the road, unless you are within about 200 miles of home. If you want the local locals where you are, then you'll need a second HD antenna and you can plug that right into the back of the 211k. You download the satellite program guide, and then have the receiver search the HD channels for OTA HD broadcasts, and any locals will be listed in the satellite's program guide like normal. I prefer the east coast and west coast feeds rather than locals from an HD antenna.
The My Distant Networks locals cost $12.99 for all 4 networks from one feed, or for all 4 networks from both coastal feeds is $14.99 a month.
Whew.
