We receive quite a few calls from customers who want to know if they can set up a high-definition satellite dish on a tripod.  In many cases, they have been using a standard-definition dish with their RV and want to upgrade.

I can understand their hesitation because often when you call customer service at DishNet or DirecTV and ask this question they tell you that it CAN'T BE DONE!  This misconception is common within the satellite provider industry as the companies do not keep up with the latest, after-market equipment available for RV installations.  So, in some respects, they are correct - most tripods on the market are not capable of properly supporting a high-definition dish.  (Our tripod is the exception.)

Let's explore the difference between a standard-definition and a high-definition dish.  Most standard definition dishes are about 18 - 20 inches wide and have either one or two LNB's at the end of the LNB arm.  They are fairly easy to set up and aim since you are only trying to hit either one or two satellites.  High-definition dishes are much larger - 26 to 33 inches wide and have three to five LNB's on the arm.  You need to hit and hold a lock on three satellites to receive high-definition TV. 

To achieve this, the tripod mount must have a plumb mast and be very stable in supporting the dish, otherwise loss of signal will result.  This is why the customer service people try to discourage users from putting these dishes on a tripod - - they don't want to be inundated with service calls from signal loss problems.

Our Heavy-Duty Tripod eliminates ALL of these concerns -  It provides a plumb mast as all three legs adjust individually to accommodate the roughest of setup situations.  The 3 %uFFFD" wide legs provide a very stable support for these larger dishes and the tie-down features of the tripod allow for numerous anchoring options.  The aiming features assure that you can easily aim and adjust the dish in minutes.

As we mentioned earlier, the high-definition dishes are much larger than the standard models and require more storage space when traveling in the RV.  We have solved this problem by developing several kits to allow the LNB arm of the dish to easily fold up so the dish uses 50% less storage space.  Check out these kits on our website here.

If you can set up a standard-definition dish there is NO REASON not to enjoy the improvements of high-definition TV.  Give it a try!