Upgrade from Crank-up to RoadTrip - South Africa

[Manie Maritz]

I live in South Africa and I own a motorhome (RV). I am a pensioner and I tour for extended periods. I currently have a Crank-up Model RM-DM61 which works wonderfully, but it is a problem in really bad weather and strong winds. In poor weather, one is stuck inside the motorhome and it is then when one wants to watch TV. Problem is that the strong winds affect the reception and I am allways scared of damage to the antenna.
I am considering upgrading to the RoadTrip or the RoadTrip Minimax and I have a few questions:
1. Will it indeed be an upgrade or will the problems with the automatic signal finder negate the benefits
2. Will the RoadTrip range function in South Africa with our DSTV network
3. Which one of the RoadTrip or the Minimax should I choose. The parks in South Africa are more suited to caravans and the shade trees are normally too low for me with the higher motorhome. Height is therefore a problem for me.
4. If the antenna is only going to be used when the motorhome is stationery, is it still necessary to mount it on the centre line of the vehicle.
5. I have never levelled the motorhome and I prefer it to slope slightly downwards towards the front. Is this going to be a critical problem for the automatic signal finder.

[Winegard-Mobiletech]

At this time, Winegard does not offer an automatic system that will work in South Africa.

However, it should be possible to improve the function of your current system.

The first thing to do is have someone check to see how much and where the unit is moving.

There should be:
less than 1 1/2 inches of front to back motion at the top of the reflector.
and
less than 1/8th inch of rotation in the reflector.

Please let me know if either of these are moving more than they should.

[Manie Maritz]

Thank you for your response. It is a pity that you do not have a system that will work in South Africa. What are the chances that you will develop such a system in the near future? I am a bit of a brand name freak and because I currently have one of your crank-up dishes, I would have liked to remain with your brand. A friend of mine has a KVH system and it works well for him here in South Africa.

I will have my current system checked for excessive movement as you suggest and I will report back as soon as I have done so. Thanks again