Installing a Manual Dish
My wife and I have been members of Good Sam as owners of a fifth wheel and later a Monaco Class A diesel motorhome. We recently rejoined when we purchased a 2000 Coachmen Class C. This unit has the old bat-wing crank-up TV antenna, and I’m considering adding the Winegard RMDM46 manual Crank-up Digital Satellite TV dish with Digital Magic Elevation Sensor.
Have you received any feedback about this system and its advertised ease of operation? Also, is it something that I, being fairly handy with the wrench and screwdriver, could install myself?
Norm Hamilton
Olympia, Washington
Bob: The easiest way to approach this is to remove the old antenna and use the same access point for the satellite antenna, providing that the location meets the clearance requirements. You also can opt for one that has a broadcast antenna built onto the dish for picking up local channels. The installation is fairly straightforward, but you need to be handy with more than a screwdriver. Remember, you need to measure twice and drill only once. And you have to make sure you seal the roof properly.
The crank-up dish is much easier to position using the elevation sensor; you should be able to line up the dish in a few minutes after you become acclimated to the hardware and establish a heading.
I used this system for years before upgrading to the dome. I prefer the dome, because it’s not susceptible to the elements and looks nicer. If you’re addicted to TV, you’ll need to bring a portable system along for setup when parking under trees, regardless of the system.
