Satellite
We have been waiting for this technology to arrive for quite some time now. I have been watching the development of satellite communication systems since before we went full-time. This past year or so it finally became feasible to acquire a satellite system that could be used while on the road that was in a practical price range for people who don't have a lot of money to burn. Yes, there are companies that have had satellite connection systems for mobile users for the last few years but they are the automatic permanent install set-ups that cost thousands of dollars. If you want to move every day and don't want to fiddle with the set up and take down of the satellite system, then a mobile tracking system would be the way to go. Now one can modify a ground based system to be used while stationary but can be moved from site to site as needed. This is new cutting edge stuff because it is being applied in a manner that the satellite companies are purporting they don't want you to do (yet). I think they want to try and wring out more money from the consumers by trying to limit application of the fixed based systems. It is understandable that they need funds in order to compete with cable high band width systems that are pervasive in the major metropolitan areas around the world. But, the time has finally arrived where access to the internet via a satellite link is within reach of the average consumer. Hooray for competition! For those of us that really wanted a practical affordable satellite internet system, the time has finally arrived!
Of course, many RV'ers will not want internet access via a satellite system yet, but as prices continue to come down and service increases, that will change. There are many RV'ers who just want satellite TV, which is just fine. As for us, we have decided that the TV content offered has not been worth the cost and decided to drop satellite TV subscription completely.
Satellite TV
Many RV'ers have added satellite TV systems to their setups. It's hard to find a group of RVs where there are not some satellite TV receivers set up. Right now there are primarily two major providers of digital satellite services in the US: Direct TV and Dish Network. I mention digital now because this is the new technology that enables us to have a small portable dish rather than a 10' one that some RVers have. The big analogue dishes are great for their purpose but much harder to afford and set up initially.
I'm not going to go into the details of each service as they will do that when you call them. Essentially they each offer similar channels all in clear digital format that is easy to connect to. In the last year or so Congress passed legislation that allowed the satellite providers to compete directly with cable providers. Prior, the satellite companies were restricted from giving you local network feeds but now they can do so without as much restriction.
Since I am not a Direct TV subscriber, I can only speak to what Dish Network offered but things are the same for the most part with each service. Dish Network requires that to receive local network feeds the RV'ers must submit an affidavit to the effect certifying that you are an RVer. DUH! I guess they are paranoid that the FCC will get upset or something. Anyway, it took about 3 months for them to get it straightened out and add the network feeds. Also, the network feeds are billed monthly only with Dish Network. I will be glad when more satellite providers are available to put more competition pressure on service. Neither satellite provider is noted for good customer service in my opinion because they know they are the only ones you can deal with.
OK. You've decided to get a satellite system. Now, what do you want and where do you put it? On an RV the choices are limited primarily to your imagination and budget. I've seen a number of RVs outfitted with the older large C-Band dishes on the roof, which are great, but add a lot of weight and take a lot of roof space. The smaller digital 18" to 36" dishes are a lot easier to handle and install.
Most all of us are interested in price. Basically, the fancier the
set up the more it will cost you. If you want a system that is all automatic
they are available for a price. These systems are usually mounted on the roof and connect to
a tracking device that will find the satellite(s) for you. These are great but cost
a lot more. For those of us who want the enjoyment of a satellite system with a
little more work and less cost, I will describe how I set up my system.
I chose to purchase a satellite system that I can set up away from the rig. It is not as convenient as a roof mounted dish but I have a lot more latitude in where I can set up the system. Ideally, if you have the money, it is desirable to have both a roof mount and portable dish set up. I also wanted a multi-satellite dish which is slightly larger than the standard 18" dish. It has two LNB's, one for each satellite.
The dish itself comes with mounting hardware for a house. Not the best for an RV. So, I looked around to see what other people were doing. Some had mounted the dish on the rear ladder others had used a piece of plywood as a base and attached the dish arm to that. Others used an antenna tripod. I choose the latter because it gave me the most versatility for adding on to later on. I figured out eventually that it was much more stable with a shorter mast. It is also easier to store. A big plus for RVers. I have noticed recently that RV retailers are marketing a folding dish for both the roof and ground set up. They look like they should be good but I haven't yet tried them myself. I wanted to also have the ability to move the dish away from the RV in situations where trees or other obstructions may block the signal. I added an extra 75' of coax cable to the 25' that it comes with. This has worked out well so far.
Another thing you will find out real fast is that there is a learning curve when it comes up to setting up the dish each time. If you purchase a system from a typical place that does fixed installations they may not be much help in teaching you how to set a system up for mobile installations. But, if you are determined, persistence and logic will win out and setting up the dish will become much easier each time. The easiest thing to do is ask a friend who has done this and have them show you the ropes.
You are going to need a few things to help you set up to start with. A compass, a few tools to adjust the tripod bolts such as pliers, adjustable wrench or socket driver, weights for the tripod and a way to secure them and spikes to fix the feet of the tripod to the ground or board. You will also need a level to set the mast straight up and down.
It is real important, especially in the beginning, to pay
attention to trying to level the antenna mast in all directions. This will make setting
the declination (angle), azimuth (direction in degrees on a compass) and skew (
the angle of twist between the two satellites in a multi-satellite setup) much
easier. Look to see that you have a clear view of the southern sky. It doesn't
have to be perfectly clear but a view at the direct azimuth is important. Use
your compass before you get the system in a fixed position or you will have
to move it.
Be sure to anchor the tripod well. I use several 1 gallon jugs
of water hanging on bungee cords and long ground spikes in the feet. 
This will
hold in most situations when it's windy. I learned the hard way after having to
pick up the dish a few times after a strong wind. If this happens you should be
OK. The dish is pretty tough and a dent or twist isn't too critical as long as
you can sight the dish directions still. Be sure to try and use an antenna mast
that fits the dish mount. 
If the pipe is too small, like mine, you will have to
add some spacing material (old cut garden hose) to fill the gaps evenly to make
the dish sit straight with the mast, otherwise your azimuth and skew will be
off. It is better if you match the diameter of the pipe exactly. That will
make it easier in finding the satellite(s).
Once the base and mast are secure and the dish is attached, go ahead and set the angle, skew and direction according to the chart that comes with the dish instructions. This is usually determined by the current zip code you are in. If you have moved more than a hundred miles or so chances are you will have to reset the satellite positions. If you have a helper it makes it a lot easier to know if you are in the ball park with your initial satellite position. I use a pair of FRS walkie-talkies and it is a lot easier than yelling out the door or turning up the TV volume so loud that your neighbors can't hear each other talk. If you have leveled your antenna mast fairly well and set the azimuth, declination and skew correctly, you should pick up a satellite signal tone on your TV with vary little movement of the dish. A satellite finder makes this process much easier but is not essential. Be for warned though, that it takes only very small movements on each axis to pass up the satellite. If I don't hit the satellite right away I usually try moving the azimuth (direction in degrees) 1st and then try the declination (angle in degrees) next. I start at a point the right, south - southwest, and move very slowly to the left, south - southeast in small increments. I rarely change the skew but have had to on occasion when moving the other two didn't work. If I have tried without success and begin to get frustrated, I usually stop for a break and then begin again from the beginning resetting each parameter as closely as I can. So far, persistence has paid off and I have hit the satellite(s) every time.
Now, if that was too much for you then I recommend getting some help from someone who can show you how. It always helps to have some experienced hands to show you the ropes. After you've gain some experience you can throw up the dish fairly quickly without as much hassle. Looking around at your neighbor's dish direction can go a long way in speeding up the process. Just remember patience will be rewarded. The old pros can just throw up the dish and point it in the general direction their neighbors have pointed and hit it every time.
Satellite Internet Dish Set-up
Here are a couple shots of a prototype ladder mount I am working on. New FCC
requirements are such that they want all 2 way dishes to be a least 6 feet off
the ground. I suppose that this is to prevent someone from walking in front of
the transmitter beam. I think that is bogus though because the transmitter
produces about a 1 watt low power signal. This is not going to hurt anyone. It
is just another hoop your friendly government wants people to jump through.
Realize though, that as with TV satellite set ups, you will need a relatively
clear view of the southern sky. With a ladder mount, that means that you will
have to park your rig with the mount in a southerly direction.
I plan to trim down the wood mount so it is feasible to still use the ladder. I am also going to look into using other materials that will mount securely to the ladder such as aluminum tubing or fiberglass form molded mounts. I will post that here at a later date. As you can see with this set up, it is quick and easy with cheap readily available materials. I plan to paint the wood to seal out weather and improve the aesthetic appearance. Again, I will post the results here as I complete them. I will add more pictures as I get more experience with setting up the system. So, check back in often!
It is very important to get the mount vertical to start with so
you can get as close as possible to the correct azimuth, elevation and polarization
(skew) settings. Because you will be sending a weak signal up to the satellite
22,500 miles away, it is critical that you get the alignment just right or the
satellite will not accept your signal because it may interfere with other
signals coming in. Once you have established a connection, then it will stay on as
long as you keep power to the transmitter/receiver modems without too much
trouble. This applies whether or not you use a ladder mount or ground mount. 
I have added a double tripod arrangement to enable me to set up the dish away from
the RV in situations where a convenient view of the southern sky isn't feasible
from the immediate RV site. I just have to be sure that the LNB is a least 6
feet off the ground in case the FCC police are driving by!
Of course when you are power conscious, such as us boondocking all the time, it is important to be able to turn the system on and off as we need it. This does not seem to be any problem because when you power it back up it immediately reconnects by itself. (That is, as long as you don't move the dish!) We did discover that you can lose your initial fix when changing locations. This can be overcome though by using the included software to re-initialize your system with the satellite. This is where careful aiming and tweaking come into play. For us, it meant making very minor adjustments to the polarization settings. Once the signal strength met the satellite signal strength requirements, it allowed us back on with no trouble. The installers were very helpful and available to help us with this process. It is important that before you leave with your system that you go through this process on your own while you have the installers there to help you trouble shoot. The dealer we went through was very interested in helping us get the system up and running to suit our needs.
Now, you may wonder, if I travel with the dish mounted on the ladder. No. I guess it is possible to do so but I don't think that it would be wise because the wind forces on the ladder mount would exceed its design parameters. You can try it and let me know how it works out.
I have seen photos of other systems mounted on pads directly in the RV roof. It is a good way to get it off the ladder and elevated out of the way but for my purposes it isn't practical. I need the roof real estate for more solar panels. You still have the need to be able to make minor elevation adjustments by hand. That means you need room to move around it to turn the bolts. That takes up too much roof room for me. I think that some sort of tripod arrangement will prove to be the best way to go. I am researching various methods and will post the results later.
Of course, you can certainly get all the satellite TV
subscription service you want with the same internet satellite system by the
addition of a small receiver LNB that bolts to the dish ( referred to as
"bird on a wire" ) and the usual unscrambler receiver inside.
If you already have one, all the better. It is just a matter of plugging it in.
The coax cables are essentially the same only that with the internet system you
will have two more cables to contend with. Some newer RVs already have a cable
and satellite in connection built in which will work as long as they are
directly hooked to the transmitter/receiver modems but you will need a third
connection to connect the TV in signal to your TV descramber. I just by-passed
the built in junction box entirely and ran cables directly into the RV. 
I made
my own exterior connection point at the rear bottom of the RV. That way the
connection point is not directly open to water intrusion in wet climes.
The receiver/transmitter modems are external and straight forward which plugs into a USB port in your computer. One sits on top of the other on or near your computer in a ventilated area. I guess that's because they are on all the time and the transmitter tends to get warm. So, they want to be sure you don't cook anything. The minimum computer requirements are a computer with a Pentium processor 333 mHz or higher, 128 MB RAM, 20 MB hard drive space, CD-ROM drive, Windows 98SE, or ME, or 2000,or XP, and an available USB port. The initial set-up requires a land connected phone line and you will need your operating system software to set up drivers.
Direcway now is marketing the DW6000 unit that does not require a separate computer to run the system. It is also compatible with Macintosh computer as well. Starband offers a very similar set up. The market is heating up! Jump on the band wagon and get a system for yourself. It is the way to go for true mobile satellite internet!