Winegard Playmaker Portable Antenna
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$309.00
Winegard Playmaker Portable Antenna Price comparison
Winegard Playmaker Portable Antenna Price History
Price History for Winegard White Company PL-7000 Dish Playmaker Portable Antenna
Statistics
Current Price | $309.00 | September 7, 2024 |
Highest Price | $322.13 | September 2, 2024 |
Lowest Price | $280.93 | August 14, 2024 |
Last price changes
$309.00 | September 5, 2024 |
$322.13 | September 2, 2024 |
$310.34 | August 29, 2024 |
$309.00 | August 23, 2024 |
$281.22 | August 21, 2024 |
Winegard Playmaker Portable Antenna Description
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For those who love the freedom of the open road but don’t want to miss their favorite TV shows, the Winegard Playmaker Portable Antenna offers a robust and convenient solution. This innovative product, officially known as the “Winegard White Company PL-7000 Dish Playmaker Portable Antenna,” combines advanced technology with user-friendly features to ensure that your entertainment needs are met, even while traveling.
Unmatched Signal Strength
The DISH Playmaker portable satellite antenna features a larger high-strength military-grade aluminum alloy reflector. This enhancement ensures improved signal strength, so you can enjoy a seamless viewing experience. The sturdy build quality speaks to Winegard’s commitment to durability and performance.
Exclusive Compatibility
Designed to work exclusively with DISH HD solo satellite receiver technology, the Winegard Playmaker integrates effortlessly with DISH services. Whether you choose the flexible DISH Pay-As-You-Go option, where you pay only for the months you need, or add it to your home DISH satellite service, this portable antenna ensures that you stay connected to your favorite content.
Easy Setup and Portability
Setting up the Winegard Playmaker is a breeze. Powered by a single coax connection through the dish receiver, this portable antenna is straightforward to use and lightweight, making it perfect for RV enthusiasts. Its compact design, with product dimensions of 16 x 16 x 13 inches and a weight of just 7 pounds, ensures that it won’t take up much space in your vehicle.
Automatic Satellite Location
One of the standout features of the Winegard Playmaker is its ability to automatically find DISH HD satellite orbital locations. This feature removes the guesswork from setup, allowing you to quickly start watching your favorite TV shows. Whether you’re parked in a remote campsite or at a bustling RV park, the Playmaker’s reliable performance ensures you don’t miss a moment.
Optional Roof Mount Kit
For added convenience, the Winegard Playmaker offers an optional RK-4000 roof kit (not included). This kit allows you to mount the satellite antenna to your RV’s roof, ensuring it’s always ready to use and easy to store. This optional feature enhances the overall versatility of the Playmaker, catering to those who prefer a more permanent installation.
Product Specifications
- Brand Name: Winegard
- Item Weight: 7 pounds
- Product Dimensions: 16 x 16 x 13 inches
- Country of Origin: China
- Item model number: PL-7000
- Is Discontinued By Manufacturer: No
- Color Name: White
In summary, the Winegard Playmaker Portable Antenna is a top-tier choice for RV owners who want reliable access to satellite TV. Its combination of high-strength materials, easy setup, and automatic satellite location makes it a standout product in its category. Whether you’re a full-time traveler or a weekend warrior, the Playmaker ensures your favorite shows are always within reach.
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Winegard Playmaker Portable Antenna Specification
Specification: Winegard Playmaker Portable Antenna
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Winegard Playmaker Portable Antenna Reviews (10)
10 reviews for Winegard Playmaker Portable Antenna
Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.
Melinda B. –
Great product. Works great.
Reno_GMC –
After setting up and testing the system in my driveway multiple times I was very pleased with this purchase. With the first camping trip the satellite worked well for two days. On the third day it would not work at all… I kept getting an on screen message “cannot locate signal, check all connections and call Dish.” After several calls to Dish and checking all connections, re-booting several times I finally gave up and waited until returning home. I made several attempts to get through to Winegard and once I finally got through the tech person said to check the voltage at both the receiver and dish ends of the coax. I was showing a range of 13 to 19 volts and the system would work about half the time. I strongly suspect a bad receiver. The Winegard tech said I was covered under the two year warranty but since the problem was intermittent if I were to return the unit to the factory they may or may not be able to fix the problem unless they could duplicate the same issue I was having at home. After replacing my new coax cable with another new coax cable when I test the system I get the “cannot locate signal” message immediately followed by the dish working correctly then flashing back to the “cannot locate” message and then back to programming. Quite frankly, having spent $300 for a system that works intermittently and cannot get decent customer service from either Dish or Winegard I would not recommend buying this product with the Wally receiver. If you do buy, make sure everything is working correctly BEFORE the 30 day Amazon return window closes.
UPDATE 6-10-2018
Upgraded to three stars since my problems seem to be resolved. I called Dish Customer Service and finally connected with a very capable young man who spent 2 1/2 hours on the phone with me and checked what seemed to be almost every test in the book. The software was seriously out of date and one glitch is the button labelled “Upgrade my Software” doesn’t work and only tells you that whatever version you have is already current and up to date… Wrong!! As of 6-9-2018 the current software version is U438. There are 3 ways to update: 1.) if you are already a Dish customer take the receiver inside and hook it up to your home satellite wiring. The receiver will update at 1 AM or so automatically. 2.) Clear the memory by unplugging the receiver, disconnect the coax to the dish and plug the receiver back in to reboot through the whole process. Of course the dish won’t find anything because the coax is disconnected but the memory will be cleared. Then connect the coax back to the dish and reboot. After the reboot, and assuming you are receiving something, use the remote to turn off power to the receiver which puts it into standby mode where you will watch the dancing “tips” square. After a couple of minutes the receiver will begin a software download and install. 3.) As in step #1, if you are not a home Dish customer, leave the system plugged in overnight for the automatic update and download. To see what version software you have now, and to confirm if anything has changed, push the Home button on the remote three times and look for the software version in the middle of the page. If you have U438 (now U802 as of July 8, 2019) you will be current.
Since I am by no means an expert about any of this I urge you to call Dish technical support and have them walk you through everything. Don’t waste your time with Winegard. I upgraded to 3 stars because I am willing to give Dish technical support 5 stars but I am not 100% sure that the software is perfect and may still have future issues. Overall this process should be automatic but at least I have learned there are answers to our problems with the Wally. My confidence is restored.
UPDATE 9-4-2018
My system is slowly improving with time. The software has updated a little but still uses the U438 designation. The reboot takes about 10 minutes or less now however the guide doesn’t always download and I have to repeat the process occasionally. In the diagnostics area the “Upgrade my Software” button now actually works where the system will reboot on its own and try to find anything current. I am still having problems getting the complete loss of signal screen for one second followed by programming for one second then the signal loss screen then programming which flashes back and forth like a neon sign. I found that if I quickly use the channel up button to change channels when the screen flashes to the program for one second the receiver will change to that channel. When I then use the channel down button everything seems to work OK after that. As Dish will tell you on their website if you do not use the Wally receiver for two weeks or so the receiver goes into sleep mode and you will not receive programming until the receiver is reauthorized. One great improvement is to download the MY DISH app to your phone because you can now ‘wake up’ the receiver without having to make a phone call or go online to the website. In the app scroll to the bottom to find the Dish Outdoors tab, find and click the reauthorize button… works like magic!
UPDATE 10-20-2018
Three more week long trips and finally this system is working reliably. Works well using my generator or solar powered inverter and on-board batteries. I am still getting the flashing ‘no signal’ message followed by a working program but I simply push the channel up button to change channel and then come back to my original channel and all is working well. Start-up takes about 8 minutes or so. My only wish at this point is that Dish would include a memory for the receiver so once power is disconnected the receiver and dish would remember the last setting if nothing has changed in the interim. Another useful option would be to offer this system in 12 volt only so the inverter would not be necessary.
UPDATE: July 8, 2019
After being in storage for six months I reactivated my Wally receiver on the Dish website and turned on the system. Once the boot had completed the first thing I did was go into the diagnostic/tools area and hit the button labeled “Upgrade my Software”. It promptly told me my current version of U448 from last December was up-to-date and would not reboot and look for anything newer. To clear the memory I then unplugged the receiver, disconnected the coax and plugged the receiver back in. As expected the process only went as far as giving me a message to “check all connections”. USING THE REMOTE I then turned off the Wally receiver, re-connected the coax to the dish and waited while watching the ‘dancing tips’ square… After about 5 minutes the receiver started a new download since the memory had been cleared. In all it took about 20 – 30 minutes and upgraded everything. Do NOT turn off the power or unplug while upgrading. When the screen returned back to the dancing ‘tips’ square I then turned the system back on and checked the software version number: it is now current at U802.
9/14/2019
Repeated the exact same procedure as listed above, current software version is U806. Dish works perfect.
UPDATE January 2023
Continues to work well with no issues. I have added a hard drive which enables the DVR function and a wireless adaptor to bring in Netflix & on-demand features.
AO in Edmonton –
Was not compatible with Bell,thought it was,returned it.
Kevin S. –
This is a review of the bundle that included the Winegard PL-7000R DISH Playmaker, with Wally HD Satellite Receiver (and Winegard TR-1518 Satellite Tripod Mount) from Amazon.
One of the big reasons I went with a DISH subscription in our house was because I wanted the option of having a portable satellite dish for camping. Let me say, this is Awesome!
The instructions were pretty good and set up was mostly painless. Before traveling with it I decided to unbox it for a trial run in the back yard, and I would suggest everyone does this. You will need to contact DISH once you have everything connected, so doing it from the convenience of my back yard was a good idea. I used the Winegard app on my phone to locate the satellites and set up the dish with an unobstructed view. I hooked the dish to the receiver with the provided 25′ cable and the receiver to the TV with the provided HDMI cable. I started the setup and called DISH’s 1-800 number to activate. They talked me through the set up and activation, which included a ~20 minute software upgrade for the Wally receiver. Once set up, I had all the satellite and local channels that I have in the house.
Since I already had a DISH TV subscription, the cost of using the Playmaker is similar to having an additional receiver, which is $7 per month. With the pay-as-you-go plan, I can turn it on and off (by calling DISH’s 1-800 number, and only pay $.23 per day for the days that I use it.
Kevin S. –
Nice unit for dish
Polly –
Arrived promptly. Reasonably priced
Steve Matthiesen –
The satellite dish is very sensitive and rarely able to connect to the satellite In a campsite. We had a clear view of the southern sky with no trees and we still could not get a signal. One time we had a signal when I placed the dish on a picnic table .On another outing a long ways from any cellular service in the Rocky Mountains We had a clear view of the southern sky with no trees and we still could not get a signal. We drove 20 miles to go to cellular signal to speak with the technician and still not able to correct the situation
We bought a tripod and that actually allowed us to get satellite signal for two hours. The next morning we turned on the receiver and it was broken. It said it needed to reboot. We talk to technical services and had it re-booting for four hours on one occasion and 6 hrs on another and still would not work.
Our Wally receiver no longer works after 3 times out camping. It worked 3 days out of a dozen
I spent more time talking to the dish technical service than I did watching TV. I plan to return the Wally. Hopefully, a new receiver will work for our next summer of camping.
Most reviews are very good about the Wally receiver — I must have a lemon.
DGW007 –
Using it for the first time on a trip to Florida. Sometimes lose signal for local channels over 100 always come In.
ttommy55 –
This was an extreamly easy hookup. We had a spare dish receiver from where we unhooked a TV upstairs that we weren’t using. We did not opt for the RV package, but are very happy with the results. All of ‘our’ channels on the road, in less than 5 minutes. Our only complaint is the length of cable (included) is usually not long enough to get signal, as we are mostly in wooded areas when camping. An ‘on the go’ system should include 50-75 feet of cable so that you can get the satellite reception anywhere needed. We spent an additional $30 for a longer cable.
Kerry Gwin –
Extremely fast delivery deserves 5 stars, so does the ease of installation (installed on the top of an RV roof). Whether it works and how user friendly it is, I cannot judge as there is, as fully expected, no DISH signal in central Alberta, Canada. The antenna will be put to use, and as such tested, in mid-November when traveling in the US.