DISH Network introduces portable HDTV tailgating system in time for the season
By this time a lot of us already have ways to watch games via satellite at our tailgates. If you don’t, or if you’re tired of aiming a dish and want a way to simplify your setup, DISH Network has a new product aimed at us: the Tailgater Portable HDTV System.
(Note: this isn’t an ad or a review. I’m not being compensated for this post, I’m not a DISH subscriber, and I don’t have this product.)
For $499, you get an HD receiver and the “Portable Antenna” which is basically a satellite dish mounted inside a plastic weather-resistant bubble. You set the antenna on the ground as much as 50 ft from the receiver, and it will automatically lock in on the satellite.
You’ll still need a TV and a power source – either an inverter or generator will do. You’ll also have to pay for programming of course. Current DISH subscribers can piggy-back on their current subscription. If you have a certain model of DISH receiver, the portable antenna itself is $350. If you’re not a DISH subscriber, they do a very cool thing and allow month-to-month subscriptions. You can activate it from September-December and then cut it off until the next football season comes around.
Comments
Dawg Media
RSS 2.0
2 Responses to 'DISH Network introduces portable HDTV tailgating system in time for the season'
Subscribe to comments with RSS
Elias
September 3rd, 2011
3:15 pm
Thought your readers might want a review from someone who’s used the product. I also want to point out that I do work at the DISH call-center, in fact I found about this product months ago and couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. It’s light, easy to set up, and the picture is amazing, just like at home. It finds the satellites automatically, so sometimes if you change from one channel to another that comes off a different satellite you’ll get a couple seconds lag time while it finds the new satellite, but it’s not bad, and it beats turning the dish manually by a MILE. Also note right now it’ll ONLY work with a 211k receiver, and if you’re hooking it up to an older model of the 211k you’ll want to go through a software update before you leave the house. I love this thing. It’s improved my tailgating experience 100%!
Greg Cline
September 7th, 2011
10:10 am
Here’s a short review by someone who recently purchased the Tailgater and the 211K receiver in a package deal that included 50 feet of coax. I am in no way connected to DISH as an employee, but have been a long time customer.
It was my experience that this product is so new that you will find it somewhat difficult to talk to anyone at DISH who has knowledge of this product or know what the Tailgater is all about. Your best bet is to go to dishnetwork.com/tailgater for information and find a retailer in your area to actually purchase the equipment. The purchase price should be a nice surprise when compared with the competition, VuCube and Winegard Traveler. The set up is simple using the 211K receiver and the performance was a WOW. I noticed very little lag time when switching from channel to channel and there was absolutely no noise as it changed from satellite to satellite. This system does everything that the competition does at much less cost.