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Existing DirecTV customer - Want to Add to my Coach


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I am an existing DirecTV customer. My "sticks and bricks" home has one of the their Genie "whole home" DVR systems with 5 TV connected to it via the little Genie "wireless" boxes - complete with a full compliment of premium channel programming. Now, I want to add DirecTV to my motor home. The coach has a Wineguard Traveller satellite setup for DirecTV already installed. My belief is that all I need to do is add a DirecTV box (i.e. an HD DVR or a plain HD receiver) - and that with the "extra" DirecTV box added to my account - use the existing channel programming I already pay for from the coach.

 

Unfortunately - I've had no luck in contacting anybody at DirecTV who understands what it is that I'm trying to do. I keep finding myself talking to "order takers" who seem hell bent on setting a totally separate account - with what would basically be a second bill for channel programming.

 

Is everybody who has DirecTV in their "sticks and bricks" AND their motor coach paying twice for channel programming? Can anybody point me in the right direction!?

The Spacenorman

2012 Holiday Rambler Endeavor 43' DFT

2012 Jeep Liberty

Our Travel Website: www.penquinhead.com​

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SpaceNorman,

We have a partial system comparable to yours. We have only two S&Bs boxes. All we do is take both boxes with us. Then just set them up in the RV. It works great for us. We don't have the Travler setup we just use a portable dish. The wiring is set up for the system. Only problem I see if you do the same is that you would only be taking part of your WholeHouse system. Then when you set up the system in your RV you're going to get a message telling you that you can't use your WholeHouse setup since some boxes are missing. I believe you can just ignore this message and it will work anyway just no access to other boxes. Perhaps you can even reprogram it to work with the RV setup. We find this process to be the easiest way to deal. No additional accounts to set up and pay for. And DirecTV does not care where you are so no need to tell them. We have both East and West DNS stations. We also have Locals but we never change our locals when traveling. If we want local stations after we leave our LOCALS footprint we just use the over the air antenna. Good luck and don't make the process harder than it needs to be. Dennis

Trailer: Montana 5th wheel, model 3582Rl, model year 2012

 

Truck: Ford 450 PSD Super Duty, 2002 Crew Cab, Long bed, 4:88 rear end, last of the 7.3 engines, Automatic Transmission.

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We have the traveler and direct tv. Like Ham Rad we take 2 of our boxes with us for the 5th wheel. I did need to by a SWIMM box at a local dealer for the system to work. Put the box in the basement. Connected its power feed to 110. Connected the 2 leads from the antenna and 2 to the living room to the dvr and one to the bedroom box. Works great, at no extra cost.

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We have a receiver in our S&B and one in our MH. All we do is call up and have then turn on the receiver in the MH and turn off the receiver in the S&B. We also turn on the DNS stations but you are better off asking for the DNS group to do that. Most of the Customer Service reps you get don't know anything about DNS service.

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You've received some good responses but none gave you a crisp, clear set of directions for what you should do; so I'm going to try to do that.

 

My suggestion is to decide if you want a DVR or just a receiver for the MH and then to just purchase it from Amazon or Solid Signal or any other website of your choice. As far as DirecTV is concerned, the device will still be leased, but it keeps them out of the loop. Before placing the order you should determine if your Trav'ler is the newer SWM model or if it is the older SK3005 multiswitch model. This is important because DirecTV receivers and DVRs with model numbers of "25" and higher are "SWM only". An older Trav'ler can be converted to SWM but that's an additional step that you don't have to do.

 

Once you receive the new device, take it out to the MH and connect it up. If you have a SWM Trav'ler all devices will connect with a single coax; if yours is the older model a DVR will require two coaxes for full functionality. Once you have it connected let the Trav'ler find the satellites (it doesn't rely on the receiver for this) and then turn on the TV and begin the receiver setup. Go to Menu/Setup/Satellite Setup and select either the appropriate "switch type" (either SWM or Multiswitch for the older unit) and the antenna type (either SWM3 or Slimline5 for the older version) and then continue through the remaining steps. Once you have finished all the setup steps go to the DirecTV website and activate the device by entering the appropriate information into the Add A Device screens. If you've followed all the directions you should now be receiving DirecTV on that new device.

 

The channels you will get on your new receiver will be the same as you currently have in your home. Your local channels will be available until you drive ~150-200 miles away from home since they are spot-beamed. DO NOT take the advice to ask DirecTV about DNS (Distant Network Service) for your MH because it is illegal for them to knowingly provide that on the same account as a fixed installation. It you press on that too hard you will find yourself with an entirely separate account for the MH which will be a more expensive solution. If you do everything as listed above your additional costs for the MH receiver will be the ~$6/month "extra receiver" charge and an additional ~$10/mo if you chose to purchase a DVR rather than a regular receiver (I think you get charged this even though you already have a DVR in the house).

 

Good luck ; there are plenty of people here who can answer questions along the way if you have problems following the steps I've provided.

Sandie & Joel

2000 40' Beaver Patriot Thunder Princeton--425 HP/1550 ft-lbs CAT C-12
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You need to know if your Trav'ler is a SK-3005 or a newer SWM model.

If it is a SK-3005 then it will need converted to a SWM. Easy to do.

 

Don't confuse the DTV service people with using receiver in the RV.

Some of them will say you need another account for the RV.

 

Just call and say you want to order a HD DVR receiver for the home, not another wireless box.

Then Install it in the RV.

 

If you want the $15 DNS service then call no one at DTV about that.

Just Fill out this PDF form add a copy of RV registration and mail it in.

 

In my MH I have a Genie, HR23(bedroom) and H25(outside compartment) receivers for 5 TV's. I have no wireless boxes.

I am grandfathered into both coast of DNS.

 

The extra receiver will be $6.50 a month(same as your wireless boxes) and no extra charge for the DVR service as it is $10 month if you have 1 or 5 DVR's.

Your Genie has a $3 a month extra whole Home charge and no $6.50 charge.

Full Time since Oct. 1999
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You need to know if your Trav'ler is a SK-3005 or a newer SWM model.

If it is a SK-3005 then it will need converted to a SWM. Easy to do.

 

 

 

With all due respect, there's no reason to convert the Trav'ler to SWM if the OP uses one of the many receivers still compatible with multiswitch. I agree that converting to SWM isn't all that complicated, but if the OP isn't all that comfortable with that sort of thing he doesn't have to do it.

Sandie & Joel

2000 40' Beaver Patriot Thunder Princeton--425 HP/1550 ft-lbs CAT C-12
2014 Honda CR-V AWD EX-L with ReadyBrute tow bar/brake system
WiFiRanger Ambassador
Follow our adventures on Facebook at Weiss Travels

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With all due respect, there's no reason to convert the Trav'ler to SWM if the OP uses one of the many receivers still compatible with multiswitch.

And you think if he orders one from DTV they will send him a non SWM receiver?

Or maybe he may want to move the Genie out to the RV to see recorded movies/programs on it some time.

 

But he could luck out and get a non SWM receiver.

A conversion kit to change to a SWM that can use many different receivers is around $50 off eBay. And then any of the below receivers will work with his dish.

 

There are several receivers that are compatible with the SWM options on the market. They are the HR20-100 through HR20-700, HR21-100 through HR21-700, HR21 Pro (in all models/configurations), HR22-100 through HR22-700, HR23-100 through HR23-700, HR24, H20-100 through H20-700, H21-100 through H21-700, H22-100 through H22-700, H23-100 through H23-700, H24, R16-100 through R16-700, R22-100 through R22-700, R23-100 through R23-700, D12-100 through D12-700, and D13-100 through D13-100, H25, HR34, HR44, HR54, Genie Mini and all future models made receivers.

 

I had a working H21 shut off a few months ago. And all DTV wanted back was the card in it. The H21 went into the trash bin.

 

All this posting may make no difference if he has a SWM dish. But looks like the OP hasn't been back since he posted.

Full Time since Oct. 1999
99 Discovery 34Q DP | ISB
Datastorm | VMSpc | Co-Pilot Live | Pressure Pro
2014 MKS Twin Turbo V6 365 HP Toad
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And you think if he orders one from DTV they will send him a non SWM receiver?

 

 

As I suggested, I purchase the receivers I want and don't bother to get them from DirecTV. That way it would be easy to get an older model capable of both multi-switch and SWM.

Sandie & Joel

2000 40' Beaver Patriot Thunder Princeton--425 HP/1550 ft-lbs CAT C-12
2014 Honda CR-V AWD EX-L with ReadyBrute tow bar/brake system
WiFiRanger Ambassador
Follow our adventures on Facebook at Weiss Travels

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If anyone gets a used one off eBay. Make sure to check with DTV if it is can be used. A lot of them won't.

A new one with new card off eBay has a 99% chance of being good to use.

Full Time since Oct. 1999
99 Discovery 34Q DP | ISB
Datastorm | VMSpc | Co-Pilot Live | Pressure Pro
2014 MKS Twin Turbo V6 365 HP Toad
369070033.jpg

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Will any of this change now that AT&T owns Direct TV? I have a very old Direct box that was from the time when you could own your own box?

 

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  • 11 months later...

I just had the DIRECTV guy "install" two DVR's in my home ... didn't try to fool anyone, I told him they were for my RV, so he activated them, and put them back in the box so I could easily transport them to the RV. I then took those two newly activated DVR's to my 5th wheel which was already set up with the Wingard Travl'r. Works great.

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A question for those using two or more stand along receivers. Currently I just take my HDDVR receiver with me and hook it up in the Motorhome. However I do miss the ability to record local stations during the time I am traveling. I had considered adding a second stand alone receiver to keep at home to record those programs while I am away with the original receiver. I could then just switch to that receiver to view the recorded programs when I get home. My TV supports multiple input sources.

 

Does adding a second recorder/receiver mean that I would have to manually duplicate my favorite channels list and recording list in the second receiver ? Or is there some way to interconnect the two recorder/receivers to have access from one receiver to recorded programs on the second ?

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We are doing this right now. We have duplicated our list and modified the RV one it to represent the DNS stations we receive on the road. Ha made our life a lot easier for a few $$. I also like the ability to schedule new programs onto my home receiver as we see them on the ad for them on the road.

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I have in home a dvr receiver and genies. On my horse trailer is a traveler mission dome that is only standard definition. I ordered a standard definition receiver and activated it from my home satellite. I just put that receiver in the horse trailer and turn on the traveler satellite.

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  • 1 month later...

Posting this here since it sort of relates to this thread subject. We had 2 accounts: house and motorhome, both HD Genie. Closed the house account because we're full time. DirecTV said return the Genie stuff but I could keep the older HD DVR (I think HR 21 but may be later version...it is in the storage room). But I had to send them the card for it.

 

Now I would like to activate it on the RV account and keep it at a different house that we are remodeling but visit there some. I can do what DocJ says and activate it "for the RV" but it has no card. How do I handle that? Thanks.

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