King dome is setup for direct. We have dish and want to remove it and add the Winegard traveler like I did on my Liberty.
Has anyone mounted a traveler so far forward? I was curious about wind currents.
Mine is mounted pretty close to the front where the King Dome was. I can answer your question in a couple weeks when we start our summer travels. Coach hasn't moved since the install couple months ago.
Ernie, there will be a few locations trees are close that having the satellite dish all the way forward would be a benefit. If you were to want to add solar panels someday then considering that now while planning a roof equipment layout would be helpful. Full sized 72 cell panels are 39x79 and 66 cell panels are 39x66. Make cardboard templates and see how they fit best.
I think the satellite dish all the way forward would add some wind noise. I put ours behind the forward AC, some protection from the wind. It really doesn't make any noise. A good suggestion from Barry (of Barry and Cindy) many years ago when I did mine was to figure out where you wanted the dish to go, determine the location for roof framing nearby and fabricate an aluminum plate that spans the framing. Mount the dish to the flat plate and the plate to the roof framing using spacers or a continuous piece cut to the roof curve so that the plate and dish are level. Mine is about 8" off center.
I recommend 1/2 way from front to front air conditioner. Next to no wind noise.
Roger is right, it is an advantage if the park has trees. In a couple of cases, people have turned the coach around to get a clear shot.
Travelers are pretty stout as far as rattling.
As far as mounting, no worries hitting frame members. The footprint of the dish is so big, and the roof is so stout, it's not a concern.
If I'am concerned it's going to hit something while rotating (it lays down backwards pretty far during test), I set the dish up, and run it through the "test" function. Once I know it's ok, I stop it while it's getting ready to store in the vertical position.Then just draw a pencil mark around where it's at. Lay it on it's side, run a bead of silicone around inside pencil mark, set it down onto silicone, and screw it down. Finish by putting silicone on screw heads. You can use the Winegard hex screws, or just #8 sheet metal screws. No need to use giant screws, as the silicone glues it to the roof. The mechanism comes off the mount if you need to remove it to repair it.
Mounting in the center of the roof is no issue either. The Winegard plate will give to the slight curve.
Have installed more then 2000 RV satellites, 50 % on FT's.
Chris
Chris,
Good info as I will put the Traveler on in the future. My solar might influence where it can go.
Wish I was going to be here when your in the area, would love to install yours....
Chris
As with just about anything there are lots of ways to get the job done. When I did mine it was neither hard nor expensive to mount it on a plate that attaches to frame members and keeps the Traveler base flat and undistorted and the antenna level. It seemed like a good way to me to do mine so that's what I did. You get to choose how you do it on your coach.
The bottom of the Traveler base is flat, the roof is not. If you just screw it to the outer skin of the roof, a layer of fiberglass and a thin layer of plywood, it distorts the base of the Traveler to the curve of the roof. Maybe that is OK. There had to be a better way.
The Traveler base is 23" wide. The Winegard installation instructions say "WARNING Do not install the antenna in a location where a gap of 3/16" or more exists between the bottom of the antenna [mount] and the roof, as the antenna may damage the roof."
Guidance from Barry and Cindy, thanks.
Foretravel Motorhome TV: Direct TV HD Installation | All Things Foretravel (http://www.allthingsforetravel.com/2020/02/26/tv-direct-tv-hd-installation/)
Like you said, many ways to get the job done. Nothing wrong with the way you did yours.
Yours was your 1st install, so you chose the best way you thought at the time to do it.
After literally 1000's of all different brands of RV satellite installs at over 40+ yrs, one finds all of the tricks.
Never had a comeback, leak,failed sat system do to install, or unhappy customer, Even Michels Douglas when I installed his while filming "Basic Instinct" was tickled pink.
The picture is at the Bay Bridge. Camera's are back of truck, car being towed. This is the scene before his partner was killed in the elevator. Fun times. Was supposed to install one on Danny Devito's trailer, he has everything Michael has. But we could never get together.
Chris