Direct TV satellite dish

[rynosback]

Thanks for listing to my rants. But when I get into learning something new that interests me. I try to learn everything about it. I'll contact the local dealer. Thanks for listening.

It's just sad that they do not know the answers to there own products. Maybe they should just outsource that to India, jk.

[Dutch_12078]

Thanks for listing to my rants. But when I get into learning something new that interests me. I try to learn everything about it. I'll contact the local dealer. Thanks for listening.

It's just sad that they do not know the answers to there own products. Maybe they should just outsource that to India, jk.

 

I've found that I typically get the most accurate Dish answers from the "DIRT" (Dish Internet Response Team) members on one of the Dish oriented forums, including Dish's own support forum. These are US based higher level CSR's than what you get on the phone, and they do know their products.

[Biker56]

 

Dish has better options for RVers than DirecTV.

Hummmm!

Do they have a better DNS service then DirecTV?

A receiver like the Genie that can record 5 programs at once?

Or maybe more premium sports packages?

Do they have the same satellites that can be used on both coast like DirecTV? Or do you need to have 2 different LNB's?

Are their satellites within 4 degrees of each other to be better to find them in tree areas like DirecTV's 99/101/103?

 

Not many Full Timers I know need a pay as you go service.

 

Curious! What are the better options Dish has?

 

Satisfied DirecTV customer for over 20 Years. Full Time for over 15 of them.

[Mark and Dale Bruss]

The sad thing is that, even with the small representation, Dish used to have a specific RV support unit. It was great.

 

The reason that the RV unit is no longer present is that Dish had to reassign those people to handle illegal movers, people who claim to be somewhere else that their residence. This an issue raised by the broadcasters and they make life hard for Dish. The reason why broadcasters care is that if enough people moved, (EX; live in Baltimore and say you are in DC),the viewing numbers would be skewed and that affect license dollars and the advertising fees. Free TV isn't free, the cost is just not obvious.

[Mark and Dale Bruss]

Hummmm!

Do they have a better DNS service then DirecTV?

A receiver like the Genie that can record 5 programs at once?

Or maybe more premium sports packages?

Do they have the same satellites that can be used on both coast like DirecTV? Or do you need to have 2 different LNB's?

Are their satellites within 4 degrees of each other to be better to find them in tree areas like DirecTV's 99/101/103?

 

Not many Full Timers I know need a pay as you go service.

 

Curious! What are the better options Dish has?

 

Satisfied DirecTV customer for over 20 Years. Full Time for over 15 of them.

Dish doesn't have DNS because Dish has Locals in all markets. DirecTV doesn't have that coverage yet.

 

Genie 5, Hopper 6, Hopper + Super Joey 8, two coupled Hoppers 9

 

Sports packages depends on what sports you fancy

 

Dish uses to sets of Satellites to give Sticks&Bricks more options for satellite view. DirecTV satellite are more US centered. Of course there is that little problem that DirecTV HD programming use a different LNBF that no Automatic roof dome has. Hence domes are SD only for DirectTV. Dish uses the same LNBF for all the satellites so all the RV dome dishes are usable for HD.

 

Tight satellite positioning is an advantage for DirecTV.

 

Full-timers do not need Pay-As-You-Go but the are a whole lot of part-timers and there is no such plan with DirecTV.

 

Though it is hard to get a one-for-one equipment/channel package comparison, Dish is less expensive.

 

Was a DirecTV user 9-1/2 years ago for 5 years. Dish user since.

[Twotoes]

Rynosback. You are making this way too confusing for yourself. Concentrating on Dish and leaving out DirectTV for the moment look at the available equipment options, specifically the dome or dish itself and the available receivers. First decide if you want a rooftop or portable dome. Then decide if you want to set up (aim) the dome or have one that automatically sets itself up. Once you have picked out what dome fits your needs look at which receivers work with the dome you choose. I personally wanted a portable dome so I wouldn't be hindered by trees. I also wanted an automatic setting one. I purchased the Pathfinder X2. I use a VIP 211k for my receiver. Unlike the 211z the k has a coax out that I use for a second TV. I also have a external hard drive for my DVR. The reason I stated above to concentrate on Dish is that you can not get HD with Direct using a portable dome. If you go with a rooftop then Direct may be a choice for you. Or if you don't care about HD and are ok with SD than Direct will be ok even with a portable dome. I have been told that the hopper will not work with the PathfinderX2 but I have heard of others with this set up so hopefully they will chime in. The official Dish people will tell you the the Pathfinder only works with the 211k, 211z or the 411. Also it doesn't matter if you are in an RV or a house. The equipment doesn't know. The hopper is very sensitive to vibration so if you get one in the RV you should disconnect and protect it when traveling. As far as pay as you go vs 2 yr contract. I went with a Dish authorized provider. Got a 2 year contract. This qualified me for a free receiver and half off the first years monthly cost for the programming. All I had to purchase was the Pathway.

[LindaH]

The reason I stated above to concentrate on Dish is that you can not get HD with Direct using a portable dome. If you go with a rooftop then Direct may be a choice for you.

 

A dome is not capable of receiving DirecTV's HD programming. Period. It doesn't matter whether or not it's a portable dome or a roof-mounted dome.

[Ronbo]

It takes me more time to get my Direct TV dish put and run my cable than it does to do the actual aiming.

[pjstough]

It takes me more time to get my Direct TV dish put and run my cable than it does to do the actual aiming.

 

X2

[Mark and Dale Bruss]

 

The official Dish people will tell you the the Pathfinder only works with the 211k, 211z or the 411.

That is true for the Tailgater, not the Pathfinder.

 

The hopper is very sensitive to vibration so if you get one in the RV you should disconnect and protect it when traveling.

Not anymore than a PC. It is sensitive to heat. Make sure the compartment it is in is well ventilated. I added some muffin fans to mine because it is in a slide the the roof insulation is less.

 

I have been told that the hopper will not work with the PathfinderX2 but I have heard of others with this set up so hopefully they will chime in.

Here is the issue with a dome (any kind) and any multiple tuner DVR. The Check Switch function will have satellite positioning commands fired from all the tuners at the same time as each tuner is validating what satellite it can see. The dome will go crazy trying to satisfy all the seek commands.

 

I tried this one with a Star Dome and we went through over 40 Switch Checks before we got through. But we probably halved the life of the servo mechanism.

 

Multi-tuner DVRs (including Hopper) need a multi-LNBF dish which is a ground tripod or a Winegard Trav'ler.

 

As far as pay as you go vs 2 yr contract.

Pay-As-You-Go requires purchased receivers because Dish has no timeline to write-off the equipment.

 

There is no sense to buying equipment unless you expect to use Pay-As-You-Go. There is no financial advantage to purchasing equipment. Years ago there was a trade-off of the purchase price versus the lease payment. There is no longer a lease payment, there is an equipment fee which you pay whether the equipment is purchase to from Dish.

 

You will see some people who want to have purchased equipment so there is no two year lease. That may be okay for a person who lives in a Sticks&Bricks house who switched between Dish, DirecTV, Comcast, Verizon, etc. But the cancellation fess are not a great as the purchase price.

 

Besides, an RVer will have an investment in a vendor outside of the receivers. Either is is a tripod and tools or an automatic roof dish. An RVer is more tied to the satellite vendor so you might as well and get as much free stuff from the vendor as you can.

[BooneDocks]

 

Note that you can't get a Hopper with DISH Pay As You Go.

 

 

Even though one is buying a box for the Pay-As-You-Go plan, the purchased box can't be a Hopper?

[Mark and Dale Bruss]

 

Note that you can't get a Hopper with DISH Pay As You Go.

 

Even though one is buying a box for the Pay-As-You-Go plan, the purchased box can't be a Hopper?

 

Another one of those CSR myths. Typically the PAYG package is a VIP211Z and a Taigater. Neither is part of PAYG. The only requirement is a purchased receiver.

[Zulu]

Another one of those CSR myths. Typically the PAYG package is a VIP211Z and a Taigater. Neither is part of PAYG. The only requirement is a purchased receiver.

 

Good to know!

[Zulu]

Thanks for listing to my rants. But when I get into learning something new that interests me. I try to learn everything about it. I'll contact the local dealer.

 

No problemo. This stuff is too complicated and needs a Steve Jobs touch -- like iDISH or iDirecTV, but then again it would be at least twice as expensive.

 

Anyway, your idea to contact a local sat installer is the way to go.

[ganto]

 

Note that you can't get a Hopper with DISH Pay As You Go.

 

 

 

That's just the way it developed. For example, the Eastern Arc sats are newer and use MPEG4 video encoding, the Western Arc use the older MPEG2 encoding.

 

 

 

No. You select a few menu items and do a "Check Switch" which verifies what satellites the receiver can pick up.

yes you can get the hopper on a pay as you go account mine was 350.00 plus 150.00 for the joey and if you needed an install to your SB house it was another 199 activation fee plus the first month of programming. I told em it was going in my RV and they waived the 199 activation fee and just billed me my first month of programming since all they had to do was send a signal down

[Dutch_12078]

yes you can get the hopper on a pay as you go account mine was 350.00 plus 150.00 for the joey and if you needed an install to your SB house it was another 199 activation fee plus the first month of programming. I told em it was going in my RV and they waived the 199 activation fee and just billed me my first month of programming since all they had to do was send a signal down

 

New Hoppers w/Sling and Joeys are regularly available from reputable sellers on eBay for less than half that price. Well worth checking out before buying direct from Dish. I had no problems activating ours

[ganto]

 

New Hoppers w/Sling and Joeys are regularly available from reputable sellers on eBay for less than half that price. Well worth checking out before buying direct from Dish. I had no problems activating ours

thanks for the info dutch i'll have to look into ebay next time. though I checked ebay before and wasn't sure if it ment a contract or not. I am dead set against being married to any company for an extended period of time

[Dutch_12078]

thanks for the info dutch i'll have to look into ebay next time. though I checked ebay before and wasn't sure if it ment a contract or not. I am dead set against being married to any company for an extended period of time

 

When you purchase the receiver, you can activate it on the Dish "Flex" pay as you go plan, with no contract. We currently have a Hopper w/Sling, a Joey, and a VIP211k, all on the Flex plan. We can drop the service at any time and restart it at will, with no penalties.

[ganto]

 

When you purchase the receiver, you can activate it on the Dish "Flex" pay as you go plan, with no contract. We currently have a Hopper w/Sling, a Joey, and a VIP211k, all on the Flex plan. We can drop the service at any time and restart it at will, with no penalties.

yup my hopper and my joey are on the flex plan and like you said you can drop the service anytime with no penalties and restart it!! the only thing the guy got a little confused when I didn't want to buy the home stationary dish . so I told him it's going in my RV and i'm using the winegaurd travlr and then he understood

[ganto]

OK I was all set to get a Winegard Pathway 2 dish http://www.winegard.com/pathway/pathway-x2/ . It has 2 port for 2 TV's plus I was going to get a DVR, Hopper. I called Dish and X. These are the list of why nots and issues.

 

1. This dish will only allow 25 feet of cable from the dish to the DRV/box.

I could have that in the 5ver it's self before even hooking the dish up.

 

2. Have to use the 211z box and I would need to buy an external hard dive. Can not remember if she said the was a monthly for that service also.

 

3.This box is only a 1 channel box. So I can not watch a show and record a show.

 

4. She said that I would need to buy a Tailgater ($1500, part alone) and mount to the roof. But them if I'm under a tree, no TV. This is why I wanted to go portable automatic dish.

 

 

I have spent weeks looking into this and reading as much as I can on here and the web. And she shoot all of my planning out the window to step one again. She said that if I went with a King Tailgater two channel dish, http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/KING-Tailgater-Automatic-Satellite-for-DISH/84187/&?&affiliateid=5193&gclid=CJP4t_LfrsUCFQkRHwodl0AA5A. That I could have up to 50 feet of cable. And none of these are HD dishes. I could see $400 - $800 worth of equipment being bought and not being happy with the picture and service.

 

Shocked that it is that hard to figure out. I mean it is not like it is a new thing.

 

Thanks for letting me rant.

http://www.winegard.com/travler

 

that's the bad boy you need if you want a hopper and joey system. the 211z is not full HD max resolution is 1080i and not 1080p like the hopper and joey. and dish has just released a 4k joey wich should be interesting. and the joey comes with a single node for installation!!

[ganto]

http://www.dish.com/technology/tv-outdoors/

[edatlanta]

It takes me more time to get my Direct TV dish put and run my cable than it does to do the actual aiming.

 

X2 Ron.

[ganto]

The answers are very clear.

 

You need to learn a lot about the Hopper. Yes the Hopper connects to the Internet. That is how it reports Pay-Per-Views. Also, the Hopper may download movies for Video-On-Demand.

 

Prime-Time-Any-Time (PTAT) is a feature of the Hopper that records all four broadcast channels (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC) during the Prime Time Hours by using just one tuner because the four channels are on a common transponder. The Hopper receives the four video streams to disk and lets you view them from the disk. The Internet is not used in anyway for PTAT.

 

Using one tuner for PTAT leaves two tuners for receiving other channels, giving the 6-channel-at-once capability.

 

Getting stream Video from the Internet is just not a rational option for an RVer. If using an aircard, the data charges will make a satellite bill look like child's play.

 

It you stream all your TV from the Internet using Park WiFi, somebody is going to knock on you door telling you why you are being cutoff. Park WiFi doesn't the bandwidth for people to stream their TV from the Internet.

 

Satellite TV is the most cost effective way to deliver video for an RVer.

the only way he will be able to order a pay per view event if he's on a flex pay account. is to give dish there CC info first even when ordering online

[ganto]

Thanks for the information. Just a couple of questions. So I would need two dishes if I wanted the hopper? Or could I just get a 1000.4 dish, http://www.amazon.com/Dish-Network-1000-4-Eastern-61-5/dp/B001IQF6AO? And will this dish work while I'm in Washington state or even Alaska? I could always catch local new OTA. The whole reason with just going to a portable was because of the trees. As a nice shade spot would mean a bad to no signal on a roof top dish. What complete set ups would you recommend? Dish, stand, receiver, ect.... Are they hard to set up, aim the dish to the right spot?

Thanks for your input.

 

Or is this a dish,Direct TV Slimline Dish with SWM3 that I would be looking at?

if your getting a hopper you would be looking at as well as the travlr. most use a portable dish setup to for when there under trees wich does jobs on roof mounted dishes

 

http://www.installeroasis.com/dish-network-1000-2-turbo-hdtv-rv-satellite-tripod-kit/?gclid=CLPykNWu28UCFQeDfgodkJcAZA

 

and if your thinking that you can record 8 channels with the hopper that only works if you have 4 t.v.s hooked up

[ganto]

 

New Hoppers w/Sling and Joeys are regularly available from reputable sellers on eBay for less than half that price. Well worth checking out before buying direct from Dish. I had no problems activating ours

seen hoppers on e-bay today for 190.00 . dish wants 299.00 for a hopper and 99.00 for a standard joey