DISH & DirecTV Users -- Switching Local TV Stations?

[Zulu]

If you're using either DISH or DirecTV in your RV . . .

1. During a single camping trip, what was the most number of times you were able to get DISH or DirecTV to change your local TV stations to the area where you were currently camped?
2. About how far did you travel during this camping trip?
3. How many days, weeks, etc were you on the road during this trip?

Thanks!

[Smitty77_7]

Left on this trip late May. Have had Direct change our service address 6 times. But, we were in Colorado for about 7 weeks, and had our service address change to a Denver area location when we were leaving Beaver, UT. From Gand Junction to Denver to Estes Park/Rocky Mountain National Park and as far South as Colorado Springs - with man stops within those boundaries, we had coverage from the local Denver area beam. (Surprised me it went that far.)

 

We just had it changed to Moran, WY, as we will be in the Cody to Tetons to Yellowstone area for 3+ weeks. No local channel content coming to us here from Moran region. Maybe I should have chose Jackson Hole, as they may have local channels. So I've learned that before changing to a new service address, I should first check to see if they have local station feeds. Frankly, not sure how to do this with Direct, as no info that I can find shows by say zip code, what local channel content is available.

 

(Being on a West Coast feed, especially when in Central Time, we like the local area so we can see news, and see standard main shows at an earlier time.)

 

Will follow this thread, to see what other tips I can pick up. We're still pretty new to all this Direct TV stuff:)!

 

Best to all,

Smitty

[Mark and Dale Bruss]

We don't care about Local channels as to where they come from. We want the Broadcast feeds that come with Locals.

 

With that in mind, we change Locals only when we move out of spot beam and can't receive Locals. Right now we are in Bremen (Elkhart) IN and are using the Locals from Davenport IA.

 

I would say on an average on the East Coast we could make 3-4 moves (average 240 miles) on one Local Spot beam. In the western central, it seems to be 2-3 moves on a Local spot beam.

 

Not sure you were getting at with question 1. You should only have to switch you Locals once of a location.

[LindaH]

we change Locals only when we move out of spot beam and can't receive Locals.

 

We're Dish customers and do this, too, during our winter Snowbird travels.

 

For us, that means that we usually only have to change locals about two, maybe three times. The locals we receive when we're at our sticks and bricks house will take us quite a bit south. Once we get down to the Las Vegas area, where we usually spend a week or so, we can change to the Tucson locals (which we can actually receive as far north as Pioche, NV and Delta, UT, even though the spot beam map doesn't show it going that far north). That will last us through the winter until we start heading north again at which time we can usually switch to the locals we use at our sticks and bricks home.

 

We haven't had a problem getting Dish to change our locals. I do use the CHAT function on their website rather than call, but I've also called.

 

Here are the spot beam maps for Dish...I use them to determine which locals to ask for:

 

http://www.satelliteguys.us/thelist/index.php?page=dishnetworkmarkets⊂=true

 

I think the same Satellite Guys website probably has the DirecTV spot beams, too, but you'll have to search for them unless someone here can give you the URL.

[SWharton]

We travel for 6 months each year and use the national stations. If we want locals we will use the antennae.

[Biker56]

I have DirecTV E & W coast DNS. It doesn't confuse the Genie on what scheduled programs to record.

Any Locals my Batwing gets if they are within 60 miles.

 

Beats calling in and waiting, waiting, waiting to talk to a service person.

 

If I want the local weather. My iPhone gets it instantly in radar. And knows where I am.

[TXiceman]

The problem with getting Dish to change the to the local channels is that invariably change our billing address to match the service address. It doe snot matter if we call or do the chat function 9 times out of 10 they mess it up. Even when we note is all CAPS to DO NOT CHANGE THE BILLING ADDRESS.

 

Next time I am not going to change or correct their mistake and see how long it takes for them to see thay have a problem.

 

Ken

[chirakawa]

The problem with getting Dish to change the to the local channels is that invariably change our billing address to match the service address. It doe snot matter if we call or do the chat function 9 times out of 10 they mess it up. Even when we note is all CAPS to DO NOT CHANGE THE BILLING ADDRESS.

 

Next time I am not going to change or correct their mistake and see how long it takes for them to see thay have a problem.

 

Ken

 

If they do change your billing address, you can go online to your account and change it right back without their assistance.

[Mark and Dale Bruss]

 

The problem with getting Dish to change the to the local channels is that invariably change our billing address to match the service address. It doe snot matter if we call or do the chat function 9 times out of 10 they mess it up. Even when we note is all CAPS to DO NOT CHANGE THE BILLING ADDRESS.

Are you Chatting with Customer Service or Technical Support. Never chat with Customer Service because they only think of Billing Addresses. Since I have gone exclusively with Technical Support and include the statements " I need to change my Service Address (only) to" and "Leave the Billing Address as it is." in my pre-typed entry, I have had no problem with the Billing Address.

[D&J]

We have Dish with a Tailgater and change locals every time we get out of our last spot beam location, we are on the road for 7 to 8 months a year.

 

Denny

[Dennis M]

We also have Dish and have never hd an issue changing just the "service" address. Usually we will change to locals if we are staying in one place for a week or more. In Nov we stop in Denver for two weeks and change the service address, when we get to Tucson we do it gain and stay that way all winter. In the spring we change to Denver on the way home and then back to the sticks & bricks.

 

The billing address does not mean much anyway since everything is done on line anyway.

[Dutch_12078]

We have Dish and have changed our service location as often as daily for 5 or 6 days in a row, and even changed it twice in one day once. Dish has never questioned our changes, and only a few times have they incorrectly changed our billing address as well. That's easily fixed on our MyDish account though. I use the Dish chat system and a prewritten script to make the changes.

[Hollardawg]

Just finished a 26 state, 7 month trip. Changed our Dish locals at least 30-40 times during the trip. The secret to getting it done correctly is to call in person, and tell them, (1.) Do not change billing address, and (2.) remind the Dish reprsentative to clear out the old locals, otherwise, you will have to call back.

[TXiceman]

I am going through Tech Support and they still change the Billing Address. I get tired of going into my account to straighten out their mistakes.

 

What happened to the Dish fellow that came on the sight and was going to do wonders for customer service?

 

Ken

[chirakawa]

I am going through Tech Support and they still change the Billing Address. I get tired of going into my account to straighten out their mistakes.

 

 

Ken

 

You sure tire easily. Perhaps more cardio.

[LindaH]

The problem with getting Dish to change the to the local channels is that invariably change our billing address to match the service address.

 

Interesting. That's never happened to us, although I guess it wouldn't make much of a difference if they did since we don't receive a paper bill from them.

[BooneDocks]

We changed our Directv locals about 15 to 20 times over a 3 1/2 year period. The quickest change was maybe a month.

 

Smitty, we used the spot beam maps from this site for our planning our changes http://www.dbstalk.com/topic/184044-interactive-beam-footprint-library-update-6222015/

[Smitty77_7]

We changed our Directv locals about 15 to 20 times over a 3 1/2 year period. The quickest change was maybe a month.

 

Smitty, we used the spot beam maps from this site for our planning our changes http://www.dbstalk.com/topic/184044-interactive-beam-footprint-library-update-6222015/

 

 

Many thanks! Surprised I did not find this when i searched about 4 months ago:)!

 

Best,

Smitty

[BooneDocks]

 

 

Many thanks! Surprised I did not find this when i searched about 4 months ago:)!

 

Best,

Smitty

Note, there generally will be two spot beam maps for each market -- one for locals in SD and one for the locals in HD -- you will figure out which is which. In fringe locations, there were times when we would have some or all the locals in one def when we didn't have them in the other.

[richfaa]

We have done it many times with Directv with no problem they just change our service address .We rarely do it anymore as we want the local area channels wherever we are. The network channels ABC,NBC,CBS,FOX, Etc are the same everywhere and we want the local weather and news where ever we are .We use the Bat wing.

 

Works for us and has for 10 years.