No roof room for satellite dome - help

B Living · 05-16-2018, 04:36 PM

I'm taking delivery on a Roadtrek CS Adventurous XL with 470W of solar panels. It has arrived at the dealer and they tell me there is not enough room on the roof for a Winegard Roadtrip T4 dome (or any satellite TV dome for that matter.) I'd rather not use a carryout (interior space consumer, may walk off, may drive off and forget etc.) Does anyone have any creative ideas for mounting the T4?

There is no ladder and the semi truck mounts I have seen all use the vertical flat space on the back of the cab - I don't have any vertical flat spaces high enough other than the back doors (window actually) and the vehicle sides (probably not a good idea.) I'd hang it off the back over the backup camera if I could find a mount that worked but haven't found anything yet.

Hoping someone else has solved this problem??

Any help appreciated.

netscorer · 05-16-2018, 06:24 PM

Does your RV come with roof mounted TV antenna? You can remove it and place satellite instead. If your entire roof is taken by solar, maybe you would need to remove one of the panels to free up space.

B Living · 05-16-2018, 09:47 PM

Good thought. I may need to go that route. I asked Roadtrek support and they suggested I move the rear solar panel to the top of the AC unit and then use the space that freed up at the back of the RV for the dome. I'm checking with the dealer to see if they can make that happen.

Has anyone had experience with a solar panel on top of their AC unit?

BBQ · 05-16-2018, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by B Living

Good thought. I may need to go that route. I asked Roadtrek support and they suggested I move the rear solar panel to the top of the AC unit and then use the space that freed up at the back of the RV for the dome. I'm checking with the dealer to see if they can make that happen.

Has anyone had experience with a solar panel on top of their AC unit?

RT has done that on their Agile RV, which is based on the short wheelbase Sprinter. When a customer requests additional solar panels, there is no room except on top of the AC unit.

avanti · 05-16-2018, 09:58 PM

Not that you asked, but:
Satellite dishes are so 20th century. Unless you routinely camp where there is no cellular service, you might want to consider investing in a good MiMo LTE antenna connected to a MiFI hotspot. Virtually everything you can get on satellite can now be streamed using your existing satellite subscription. A good antenna setup can get good service even in very marginal signal zones.

warpig · 05-16-2018, 10:18 PM

I agree with Avanti. I'd also invest in an unlimited data plan and use the phone to stream the video to the TV.

RUFFNIT · 05-21-2018, 09:11 PM

Please no smart remarks, but have you thought of mounting it off the 2" bumper hitch? All you would have to do is weld an L shaped piece of 2" tubing, then whatever would be needed to mount the dish at the top.

warpig · 05-21-2018, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RUFFNIT

Please no smart remarks, but have you thought of mounting it off the 2" bumper hitch? All you would have to do is weld an L shaped piece of 2" tubing, then whatever would be needed to mount the dish at the top.

My guess is the body of the van would block the signal of the satellite.

warpig · 05-21-2018, 10:43 PM

This is from the Roadtrek & Hymer Owners Group FB group. It is closed so I took a screenshot. This is a cool idea similar to what RUFFNIT suggested.

RUFFNIT · 05-21-2018, 11:39 PM

My thought was to make the vertical part as high as the roof line. You could make the vertical part telescoping so that it could be removed and stored during transport.

gregmchugh · 05-22-2018, 01:51 AM

Winegard sells a permanent bracket you can attach to the vehicle to mount the antenna to the vehicle when parked. Put the bracket just below the roof line and the dome will be above the roof and should be able to acquire the signal. Uses the same mounting as the window mount shown above, I believe.

JohnnyFry · 05-23-2018, 03:38 PM

How about mounting the dome on top of the A/C unit? It might need a bit of reinforcement.

BBQ · 05-23-2018, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnnyFry

How about mounting the dome on top of the A/C unit? It might need a bit of reinforcement.

I don't know why,
somehow i found that funny.

No offense.

RT.SS · 05-23-2018, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BBQ

I don't know why,
somehow i found that funny.

No offense.

Not going to look pretty IMHO. I think a portable unit might be a better choice if storage is not a factor, you can move it around to acquire a better sat. signal.

Boxster1971 · 05-23-2018, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BBQ

I don't know why,

somehow i found that funny.

No offense.

Yes - a dome on top of the A/C would look unusual and be very high. I mounted a flat TV antenna on top of the A/C unit to make room for more solar panels. Here is photo.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

BBQ · 05-23-2018, 09:46 PM

.

You have a reversed MaxxAir

Bud · 05-23-2018, 10:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BBQ

.

You have a reversed MaxxAir

thus MaxxAir

Bud

Boxster1971 · 05-23-2018, 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BBQ

.

You have a reversed MaxxAir

Yes I do. Needed room for solar panels. Not recommended by MaxxAir. Been that way since 2014 and over 60,000 miles. Can't leave it open when driving and did have it pop open one time last year because the gear mechanism was well worn. Replaced the gear box and added a sunroof wind faring shown as in attached photo to reduce wind load on fan cover.

- - Mike
2012 Sprinter 3500 Extended converted B-Van by Airstream

B Living · 05-23-2018, 11:37 PM

Thanks. All good thoughts. I think initially were going to try cell modems (AT&T and Verizon) and available wifi (if places have it) and see how that works. If we find ourselves missing too many Cubs games (the real reason we need satellite) we'll probably either use a carryout (if we have space to store it) or may opt to move the solar panel on the AC unit and use that space for a more permanent mount.

avanti · 05-24-2018, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by B Living

Thanks. All good thoughts. I think initially were going to try cell modems (AT&T and Verizon) and available wifi (if places have it) and see how that works. If we find ourselves missing too many Cubs games (the real reason we need satellite) we'll probably either use a carryout (if we have space to store it) or may opt to move the solar panel on the AC unit and use that space for a more permanent mount.

As I said, do not underestimate how much of an improvement you would get from a proper MiMo antenna on the roof. Much, much easier than a sat dish.

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