I’ve written about my satellite TV setup before, mostly in reference to the Winegard Carryout I used for a few years. You can read those posts here.
As I mentioned in the later reviews, I finally decided I was happier using a regular dish rather than the Carryout. The reasons are in the final review so I won’t rehash them in this post. All this to say that for the past few years I’ve used the home style dish and intend to keep on using it.
One of the weak links in this setup, though, was my tripod. I inherited a small very basic one that is rather flimsy. If the ground is unlevel, I put something under one leg to attempt to level it. I also stake it out with guy wires to hold it steady in the wind. It works but is far from an elegant solution.
I looked at the TV4RV tripod for some time. However, it is pricy and I had a hard time pulling the trigger on it. Finally, though, I went for it and I’m glad I did.
The tripod is actually a modified surveyor’s tripod; each leg can be adjusted independently. A compass is supplied that fits right into the top of the tripod, and you are supposed to aim the direction before you ever mount the dish onto the tripod. One key is getting it perfectly level, something that is easy enough to do using a simple bubble level and the individually adjustable legs. The other key is getting it tall enough to “look over” any trees, etc. that are in the line of sight to the satellites. In some locations the sky is clear and I just leave it low to the ground. In a few places, though, I need all the height I could get.
Generally, the whole setup is less than 15 minutes. I describe the process here.
You can anchor the tripod using a screw in doggie stake or, if the ground is rocky I just use a five gallon bucket of water. I think this is the Cadillac of portable dish tripods, and in spite of the cost, it’s a good investment for those of us who need to set up a home-style dish on a regular basis.
Our 2017 Adventure had both ups and downs. It was a year with several unexpected expenses that included a broken windshield and various camper repair projects. Later on we decided it was time to put new tires on the camper. At four and a half years they still looked good but camper tires are notorious for failing at about that age. We also ended up putting new tires on the truck, but, sorry to say, that came after a major tire failure that did damage to the truck. Not long after that the truck ended up in the shop for a bigger repair. After working through the issue with the warranty company, the repair ended up costing us hundreds rather than thousands of dollars. Still, it was an expense that hit the bank account pretty hard. The lesson learned wasn’t a new one, but still hit us in the wallet: when it rains it pours.
During 2017 we towed the camper nearly 5000 miles, visited 17 states, and stayed in 34 different places. This year, when we arrived in South Dakota we completed visiting all 50 states (although not all in the RV). We started and finished the year volunteering on Battleship Texas. This marks our fourth season of wintering in this unique location on the Houston Ship Channel. We are still working on our 2018 Adventure and expect to continue our journeys in this New Year.
Here’s an inexpensive add on that might save some money by detecting water leaks early. We put one of these alarms in the bay of the 5th wheel. The other is under the kitchen sink. Hopefully, they are unnecessary and will never be used. However, just one event in which we are given early warning will make these water alarms worth every penny. We got them at Lowes.
Instead, we left our winter volunteering position at San Jacinto Battlefield and Battleship Texas and drove less than 100 miles to Conroe – and then right back to the Houston area, having 
Moving on to a less lofty discussion, I’ll mention that not having campground fees or big diesel costs this year allowed us to spend money on several extras. Some were unwelcome, like a major repair to the car; and some were purely an extravagance, like the cruise we booked. We spent money on the 5th wheel, 
I see people on forums debating whether or not to have a washer/dryer in their RV. The answer is actually pretty easy: if you had a washer/dryer in your house you’ll probably want one in your RV. If you enjoyed going to a laundromat before, you’ll probably want to keep going to one. Admittedly, this approach has its limits – for instance, while dish washers are available, they aren’t all that common so you might have to surrender to dish washing in the RV even though you always used a dish washer in your old life.
