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how to get 'local' TV while traveling


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We sold our AZ home in April, stored furniture, and took a long-planned trip to AK. Great trip. Now we're planning to go the east coast (NC?), buy a house and settle down. How can we get good TV across the country? What do real full-timers do? We do get stations, but no "local" news or programming.

We are with DirecTV, have an oval multi-satellite dish and triple-feed multi-satellite LNB. The receiver is a model D12MP-500. I can get DirecTV, but not ABC, CBS, etc. unless I'm <200 miles from my 'old' address of record. Is there a work around? I've talked with the CS reps, but it's confusing -- to me and to them.

I'm thinking of getting a portable automatic antenna, but want it to work with whatever TV service I end up with. Any help you can offer will be great!

Thanks!

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Hi,

Not sure how to reply. But here goes: U r in an rv and it probably came with a crank up TV antenna and some kind of junction box.

Can't u instead of selecting SAT on your junction box - - select ANT. Then you get over the air (local) networks IE news.

 

Tim

Home in our dome - -

Travel in our Allegro

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We sold our AZ home in April, stored furniture, and took a long-planned trip to AK. Great trip. Now we're planning to go the east coast (NC?), buy a house and settle down. How can we get good TV across the country? What do real full-timers do? We do get stations, but no "local" news or programming.

We are with DirecTV, have an oval multi-satellite dish and triple-feed multi-satellite LNB. The receiver is a model D12MP-500. I can get DirecTV, but not ABC, CBS, etc. unless I'm <200 miles from my 'old' address of record. Is there a work around? I've talked with the CS reps, but it's confusing -- to me and to them.

I'm thinking of getting a portable automatic antenna, but want it to work with whatever TV service I end up with. Any help you can offer will be great!

Thanks!

Call direcTV and change your service address to the address of the campground you are at then you will get the locals.

Steve and Joy

Amateur Radio Operator WZ1T . . .  Flex 6600 M,  Flex PGXL, Flex TGXL, 

2014 Itasca Suncruiser 38Q . . . Lincoln MKX Toad


The Kids . . . Yogi the Yorkie  passed 10/20/2018. . . Cookie the Chihuahua passed 11/30/2017 . . . Cooper the Aussie Doodle passed 3/10/2020

Abbie  and Abel  the Doodles . . . Brother and Sister Born 02/02/2020   . . . Lucy the Yorkie . . . and Axel  . . .The Bernie Doodle

 

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Many full-timers have what's called Distant Network Services (DNS) subscriptions with DirecTV that enable us to receive the NY or LA local channels (and, therefore, the major networks) all across the US. Most of us don't really care about "local news" in the towns we visit and, if we do, we can get that and local weather from the internet without any difficulty. DNS service costs us $15/mo.

Sandie & Joel

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Locals as you travel will only be available using an over the air antenna. As docj said, apply for DNS with DirecTV and you will get the New York national feeds for the major networks where ever you travel. This will give you ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox for prime time viewing. All other locals are "spot beam" and you will loose them as soon as you drive from under the spot beam. Chuck

58dd65872f8a7_ReducedRVandCar.jpg.cf7b626fb3b5b05ebc20cb05195193a2.jpg

Chuck and Susan      1999 Fleetwood Bounder 34            Triton V10 on Ford Chassis

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As docj said, apply for DNS with DirecTV and you will get the New York national feeds for the major networks where ever you travel.

 

Which coast you get depends on where your RV is registered. Pacific and Mountain time zones would get Los Angeles feeds; Central and Eastern time zones would get New York feeds.

 

Some people who are DirecTV customers have had success calling and changing their SERVICE address in order to pick up local channels.

LindaH
2014 Winnebago Aspect 27K
2011 Kia Soul

 

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Thanks, folks --

This is what I sort of expected. I mis-led y'all by referencing 'local' news. What I was looking for was access to primary networks like we had at home. I guess the best thing is to change the 'service' address, when we can.

Now, on to the situation of changing out the portable dish for an automatic setup.

Thanks again --

Jim

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Keep in mind that DirecTV and Dish both have limits on the number of times you can change the service address. If you often stay in one place for long periods of time, this might work OK. Chuck

58dd65872f8a7_ReducedRVandCar.jpg.cf7b626fb3b5b05ebc20cb05195193a2.jpg

Chuck and Susan      1999 Fleetwood Bounder 34            Triton V10 on Ford Chassis

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Keep in mind that DirecTV and Dish both have limits on the number of times you can change the service address. If you often stay in one place for long periods of time, this might work OK. Chuck

 

As far as I can tell, Dish has no limit on service address changes for mobile subscribers. We've changed our service address at least a couple of dozen times so far this year with no complaints from Dish. I think our record is 5 changes in 7 days, and I even changed twice in the same day on one occasion. I don't know what, if any, restrictions DTV might impose.

Dutch
2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A
F-53 Chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS
2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump
ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/brake system

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We never had any limitations with Dish either

Steve and Joy

Amateur Radio Operator WZ1T . . .  Flex 6600 M,  Flex PGXL, Flex TGXL, 

2014 Itasca Suncruiser 38Q . . . Lincoln MKX Toad


The Kids . . . Yogi the Yorkie  passed 10/20/2018. . . Cookie the Chihuahua passed 11/30/2017 . . . Cooper the Aussie Doodle passed 3/10/2020

Abbie  and Abel  the Doodles . . . Brother and Sister Born 02/02/2020   . . . Lucy the Yorkie . . . and Axel  . . .The Bernie Doodle

 

Where We Are Now

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We use a Dish Tailgator. As long as there is a sliver of southern sky we get a signal. All I do is call Dish, go thru the menu, give them my address, wait 4-5 minutes and reset my box. Presto! Local channels. I had 1 bad service situation at the beginning and they have must have flagged my fileor something. I always get an American English speaker that knows exactly what I'm asking for.. B)

Alie & Jim + 8 paws

2017 DRV Memphis 

BART- 1998 Volvo 610

Lil'ole 6cyl Cummins

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I have changed my physical location about 60 times this past year with Dish and no complaints from them.

 

I am not sure how Direct TV works, but you might need to reset satellites you are receiving if you are set for the west coast and move so far east. If you buy a new automatic satellite, you might want to make sure it works well in the parts of the country you are living in.

 

I discovered all of this when I tried to use my "western arc" satellite setup in New England. I had to have a very open site to get any channels at all. Had I decided to stay there for any length of time, I would have had to change setting on the roof.

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If you are traveling in the East. change your service address to NY. In the West Los Angeles.

See if that works out.

 

 

If you buy a new automatic satellite, you might want to make sure it works well in the parts of the country you are living in.

Unlike Dish Network, DirecTV using a roof mounted Winegard Trav'ler SWM dish will get DTV from the East to the West coast with no problem.

DTV uses the 99/101/103 satellites for its programs. All close together not like dishes wide spread 61.5/72.7/77/110/119/129 satellites.

DTV can even be able getting them under some tree areas with no problem.

Full Time since Oct. 1999
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I dont know that DirecTV has limits either. We changed our service address six times from the end of November last year till the end of March this year with no problems.

 

I created a thread about this here and on irv2. The upshot from DirecTV users seemed to be that there is a limit on the number of times (4 or 5) you can change DirecTV local stations. On the other hand DISH users generally found it easy to change locals frequently, but once in a while had to deal with a CSR who made it difficult.

 

Some DirecTV users get around the limit by getting a "good" CSR, but -- as reported by users -- the maximum number of times a DirecTV user could change locals was no where near nor as easy as a DISH user.

 

The "good" DirectTV CSR who would change local stations frequently seemed about as rare as the "bad" DISH CSR who made it difficult to change locals.

 

If you want the best chance of receiving local TV stations via satellite on the road, get DISH. If you want to rely on the kindness of strangers for local TV service, get DirecTV.

SKP #79313 / Full-Timing / 2001 National RV Sea View / 2008 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
www.rvSeniorMoments.com
DISH TV for RVs

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I created a thread about this here and on irv2. The upshot from DirecTV users seemed to be that there is a limit on the number of times (4 or 5) you can change DirecTV local stations. On the other hand DISH users generally found it easy to change locals frequently, but once in a while had to deal with a CSR who made it difficult.

 

Some DirecTV users get around the limit by getting a "good" CSR, but -- as reported by users -- the maximum number of times a DirecTV user could change locals was no where near nor as easy as a DISH user.

 

The "good" DirectTV CSR who would change local stations frequently seemed about as rare as the "bad" DISH CSR who made it difficult to change locals.

 

If you want the best chance of receiving local TV stations via satellite on the road, get DISH. If you want to rely on the kindness of strangers for local TV service, get DirecTV.

 

 

I dont think I was just lucky to get good CSRs. When we were staying in the desert near Anza Borrego California, the CSR even helped me find an addresss to use.

 

I cant imagine a CSR saying you cant change your service address.

2005 Winnebago Voyage 38J

 

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See the DirecTV post #7 in this irv2 thread.

 

Interesting. Thanks for the link.

 

Then there is post #8

 

Jackfish, my experience with DirecTV is not the same. I change addresses all the time and have never had a problem doing so. In fact, the last time I changed it back to my S&B address, there was a system problem and the change could not be effected. They sent a tech out to my home and he corrected the problem in about 10 minutes.

 

I have it in writing from their customer service that there is no limit to the number of times a person can change their service address.

2005 Winnebago Voyage 38J

 

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I don't undestand why anyone wants locals to the area you are traveling. We never would watch them

 

We like to watch the locals to see the local news and weather wherever we are. Plus our favorite network shows of course.

Dutch
2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A
F-53 Chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS
2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump
ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/brake system

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