Tailgating TV/Media Setup Recommendations

[GetAwesome]

With the pandemic hanging around I have a few family members who will be tailgating this season, but aren't comfortable in close quarters inside the stadium. With that in mind, I want to rig up a TV so they can watch the game from our tailgating spot. What recommendations do y'all have?

• I have a few Samsung Smart TVs and speakers, that much is covered
• We don't have an RV
• Best power supply / "quiet" generator options?
• I've never had dish/satellite of any kind, any reliable device add-ons to get a boosted 4G/5G signal for streaming?
• What else am I forgetting? (wrong answers accepted)

I may be in over my head, but I'm not limiting this fact-finding mission to a budget, so let me hear it all.

 

[CycloneDaddy]

I doubt you will be able to stream any of the home games in September do to the # of people using the cell towers.

 

[06_CY]

I have a King Tailgater with 2 Dish receivers if you want it. I don't have much use anymore and don't use Dish Network. It always worked great for TV tailgating.

 

[CascadeClone]

I used to use my dish network back in the day. Don't buy the special pointer antenna or anything complicated. Just make a PVC pipe stand (plans online) and you will have what you need for like $10 and 30 minutes of effort. Just pulled my dish off it's pipe in the backyard, and then put it on the PVC stand in Ames. Easy peasy.

As far as generators - I have to vote Honda. It's quiet, and mine got us thru 12 days of derecho power outage with no complaints. It's 3x the cost, but it's like a Rolex, you are kind of buying it for your kids and grandkids because it will last forever.

 

[CycloneDaddy]

Our setup is the Winegard Carryout with the DirecTV H24 dvr. Problem with this setup is that it doesnt give a HD signal. Grabbed the neighbors old satellite the other day and might try using that for games this year to get games in HD.

 

[alarson]

Our setup that worked well when we used to have a bigger tailgate:

Winegard carryout (automatic satellite location was a big help)
Yamaha generator
Having tailgate tents with the side walls helps to keep sun off the TVs

 

[Sousaclone]

In terms of power supply a Honda EU2000 inverter style suitcase generator is pretty much the go to unit.

It's pricy, but only weighs about 50lbs, is about the size of backpack, is super quiet, and lasts a long time on a tank of gas. They are also very well built and last forever. They have a tendency to grow legs however.

I did see some power inverter type options that run off of battery packs, but not sure how well those work.

 

[alarson]

Our setup is the Winegard Carryout with the DirecTV H24 dvr. Problem with this setup is that it doesnt give a HD signal. Grabbed the neighbors old satellite the other day and might try using that for games this year to get games in HD.

Most winegard will do HD with Dish though.

 

[CoachHines3]

doesn't dish allow you to rent the box on a month to month basis?

you may have to buy the "tailgater" but you can rent the box for the 3 months and then cancel

 

[06_CY]

doesn't dish allow you to rent the box on a month to month basis?

you may have to buy the "tailgater" but you can rent the box for the 3 months and then cancel

You can add the service by the month and cancel.

 

[cycloneshort]

Any Verizon insiders know if 5G will be implemented in Ames by football season? That should solve the current cellular overload we deal with every week.

 

[Isualum13]

With the pandemic hanging around I have a few family members who will be tailgating this season, but aren't comfortable in close quarters inside the stadium. With that in mind, I want to rig up a TV so they can watch the game from our tailgating spot. What recommendations do y'all have?

• I have a few Samsung Smart TVs and speakers, that much is covered
• We don't have an RV
• Best power supply / "quiet" generator options?
• I've never had dish/satellite of any kind, any reliable device add-ons to get a boosted 4G/5G signal for streaming?
• What else am I forgetting? (wrong answers accepted)

I may be in over my head, but I'm not limiting this fact-finding mission to a budget, so let me hear it all.

The "best" option to power this would be some sort of solar generator but they are quite spendy. The Honda eu2200i is a relatively quiet gas generator. Albeit also spendy at just over $1000 but still much less than a quality solar generator.

Could also get an inverter that plugs into your vehicle and let your vehicle run.

For internet I have heard good this of spacex's satelite internet, starlink. But I think that's still in beta and not commercially available. But wouldn't hurt to apply for one.

You will have very little success trying to use cellular data to stream during games.

 

[06_CY]

I've used a couple regular sized car batteries tied to an inverter. Works pretty slick.

 

[isu_oak]

We bought the 3500W Harbor Freight inverter generator after the derecho. Works well and about half the price of Honda equivalent. We plan on bringing it to the tailgate this year to give a little more juice than my buddy's 2000W Honda which has worked well, but can get overloaded.

Here is a review/comparison of the 2000W versions of you are thinking about purchasing a generator.
Can a Harbor Freight Generator Really Beat a Honda?

 

[Cycsk]

I used to use my dish network back in the day. Don't buy the special pointer antenna or anything complicated. Just make a PVC pipe stand (plans online) and you will have what you need for like $10 and 30 minutes of effort. Just pulled my dish off it's pipe in the backyard, and then put it on the PVC stand in Ames. Easy peasy.

Disagree. We hated trying to find the satellites. Our DISH Tailgater automatic dish was a game changer!

 

[GetAwesome]

Thank you all for the feedback, this is super helpful.

My anti-Dish streaming hopes have been dashed, but I expected as much (I’m a Verizon customer too and have always treated Gameday in Ames as being “off the grid”). I never knew these “tailgaters” were a thing, but they look promising after my first 10 minutes of research. Honestly I always hated on Dish with the perception of it being a bloated, expensive service with long-term commitments only. Who woulda thunk they have the solution for the seasonal tailgating experience.

 

[aauummm]

These guys are the experts and will set you up with an automatic satellite dish. Call a Winegard programming specialist at 866-593-0348 and Winegard will walk you through the entire process including signing you up for Dish programming, shipping you receivers, and helping you activate. A Dish subscription will get you HD.

An added bonus, Winegard is a longtime, family-owned Iowa Company and is one of the top communication technology companies in the country, if not the world. https://winegard.com/about-us/company-profile

https://winegard.com/plans/satellite-tv/dish#dish-antennas

 

[aauummm]

Thank you all for the feedback, this is super helpful.

My anti-Dish streaming hopes have been dashed, but I expected as much (I’m a Verizon customer too and have always treated Gameday in Ames as being “off the grid”). I never knew these “tailgaters” were a thing, but they look promising after my first 10 minutes of research. Honestly I always hated on Dish with the perception of it being a bloated, expensive service with long-term commitments only. Who woulda thunk they have the solution for the seasonal tailgating experience.

DISH caters to the RV and tailgating crowd. DISH is the first and only provider to offer Pay-As-You-Go TV for RV owners, tailgaters, truckers, campers, and outdoor enthusiasts. They have been providing Pay-As-You-Go TV subscriptions for quite a while.

We started using RV DISH TV in 2007 with a regular satellite dish. Then in 2011 we switched to a portable Winegard automatic satellite dish and DISH receiver. We use the setup extensively while traveling in the RV and also for tailgating. Never have had a problem with the equipment or service.

https://www.dish.com/outdoor-tv/satellite-tv-for-rv/

 

[thisISnextyear]

With the pandemic hanging around I have a few family members who will be tailgating this season, but aren't comfortable in close quarters inside the stadium. With that in mind, I want to rig up a TV so they can watch the game from our tailgating spot. What recommendations do y'all have?

• I have a few Samsung Smart TVs and speakers, that much is covered
• We don't have an RV
• Best power supply / "quiet" generator options?
• I've never had dish/satellite of any kind, any reliable device add-ons to get a boosted 4G/5G signal for streaming?
• What else am I forgetting? (wrong answers accepted)

I may be in over my head, but I'm not limiting this fact-finding mission to a budget, so let me hear it all.

Depending upon where you are at in the lots, I'm sure there are also plenty of people around they could join to watch the game without you needing to make the investment. I know we are constantly recruiting guests to watch the game at our tailgate so we don't have to take anything down.

 

[Cycsk]

Call the Satellite City guys. I did earlier this week because we needed to set up our own DISH-TV account (no longer just adding it to a friend's account). They were great. Told me exactly what to do. We already had all the hardware. Helped me figure out the right DISH package. Gave me the number to call with DISH to activate. We are up-and-running!