Dish or direct ? - Page 2

bob caldwell · 10-15-2016, 12:53 PM

If HD makes that much difference while camping, why camp?

BusyRetirees · 10-15-2016, 01:11 PM

Does Dish or Direct have internet?

**Mr. Dan** · 10-15-2016, 01:12 PM

We have DIRECTV HD at home. We take our main receiver and 1 mini from home. We take a $60 HD antenna. We pay $0 (zero) extra per month/year. We don't see any need to spend extra money to watch only SD programming to make us feel as though we are truly camping.

jk510 · 10-15-2016, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BusyRetirees

Does Dish or Direct have internet?

Dish has internet available but it requires a separate and very different dish. I don't think they will set it up on an RV due to the difficulty in aiming it. It has to be aimed more precisely and they won't send a tech out every time you move.

jk510 · 10-15-2016, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bob caldwell

If HD makes that much difference while camping, why camp?

Not everyone on this forum is a weekend camper. We have snowbirds and full-timers that actually live in our RVs

bob caldwell · 10-15-2016, 01:22 PM

I just use a Verizon hot spot

bob caldwell · 10-15-2016, 01:23 PM

Does 5 months a year in Arizona qualify?

ScottBrownstein · 10-15-2016, 01:41 PM

DirecTV is going to eliminate standard SD in the next couple of years and go to all HD programming. The bonus is that will mean that a lot of RVs will begin to get HD programming on the standard 18" dish from DirecTV. Personally I use DirecTV SD even in my stick house and don't see the need to upgrade even there.

Satellite internet is another thing entirely. Not the best service. I would stick with smartphone hotspots.

bob caldwell · 10-15-2016, 01:44 PM

Our only salvation to get HD here would be a high wind storm or a chainsaw while the neighbors are away...

poppagary · 10-15-2016, 01:49 PM

I have used Dish for many years and like it; have never used DirectTV.
My RV is included in my home package using a Tailgater and 211 receiver. The quality is generally good as long as you have an unobstructed view to the south. The major issue I have with it is that you cannot received home local channels (FOX, NBC, ABC, PBS and CBS) and if you change locations for the RV, it changes your home settings as well. This causes difficulty in recording shows on your home set.

I have some considerations for you to consider:
1. Where in AZ are you going, it may have local channels for you to view without a satellite setup. Also, lots of RV sites have cable setups.
2. What do you use at home?
3. What do you want to watch and is satellite the only option?

Getting a satellite system is not cheap. The Dish Tailgater is about $349 and the 211 receiver is about $100. The pay-as-you-go package from Dish is $39.99 a month when used. That's in US dollars.

Good luck and enjoy your trip to Arizona.

bob caldwell · 10-15-2016, 02:06 PM

I, while on the road, just toggle to ant or satilight

ScottBrownstein · 10-15-2016, 02:07 PM

Just put a Winegard crank up on the roof. Works perfectly with a receiver from home and set it up in less than 1 minute.

bob caldwell · 10-15-2016, 02:08 PM

Stay away from trees!

BandJCarm · 10-15-2016, 03:07 PM

This is an ongoing issue with tons of folks. Took me a year or two to figure it out.

Some of us don't 'camp'. We "Travel in a rolling house". If you want to camp, that's great, I admire you. I'm too old and physically unable. I want tv, and I want HD. I won't live with anything less.

Even though I have Direct at home, I tried Dish just to get the automatic HD antenna (Pathway X2). Every time I TRIED to start/stop my service, DISH cancelled me entirely. I tried it 3 times over 2 years. They have no idea how to do a "Pay as you go" (Even though others clearly do it.....which makes me a dummy, I get it....but no matter, this dummy couldn't make it work). Also, if you don't find ALL 3 satellites it won't download or work most often. And where I camp, is almost always a LOT of trees.

SO, I got a good meter that finds Direct Satellites and a good tripod that is both level and stable, and now I can find Direct's satellites and take my HR-25 receiver from home (it's an extra) and get a signal just fine. Cost is nothing.......already paying for that receiver in wife's sewing room.

But if I had DISH at home, it'd be different and easier. But DISH is too hard to find an open sky site because their 3 satellites are so far apart, and Direct's 3 satellites are right next to each other. DISH has to move the physical dish to change channels if that channel is on another transponder. Plus, I will never use DISH's service again, they were more frustrating than any company I ever dealt with. With Direct, I always get technical help from an english speaking person. It helps tremendously that I have their 'protection' plan (which has already replaced a new flat screen tv, bammo), they seem to help me faster and better because of it.

and I bet I've typed all that about 9 times to different but same topics where this keeps coming back up. Figuring out how to solve this problem is easy. But no one will start up a company that makes an automatic HD PORTABLE Direct TV dish........for some reason.

WayneLee · 10-15-2016, 03:28 PM

I had Direct for 10 years in my RV and it was great. I used it in conjunction with my Hughes Net internet dish. But, Direct would not provide mobile users with HD, only SD. Then the Direct bill started getting bigger and bigger and satellite mobile internet access starting dropping off due to the introduction of the MiFi.

When my home cable system's service became unbearable, I switched to Dish. Now I have Dish at home and on the road.

One of the biggest differences between Direct and Dish is how they handle local channels. In both cases, local channels are spot beamed. So, once you leave your spot beam, you lose local channels. Direct's solution is to sell you DNS (Distance Network Service) which will give you either the NY locals or the LA locals for a rather large price. With Dish, you can call them and request a change in location, give them the zip code you are in, and they will easily change you to the spot beam where you are located.

I do have a concern about Direct, now owned by AT&T, which is the rumor on the street is that AT&T is trying to find a buyer for Direct. If that's true, who knows what their service will be like.

BandJCarm · 10-15-2016, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WayneLee

I had Direct for 10 years in my RV and it was great. I used it in conjunction with my Hughes Net internet dish. But, Direct would not provide mobile users with HD, only SD. Then the Direct bill started getting bigger and bigger and satellite mobile internet access starting dropping off due to the introduction of the MiFi.

When my home cable system's service became unbearable, I switched to Dish. Now I have Dish at home and on the road.

One of the biggest differences between Direct and Dish is how they handle local channels. In both cases, local channels are spot beamed. So, once you leave your spot beam, you lose local channels. Direct's solution is to sell you DNS (Distance Network Service) which will give you either the NY locals or the LA locals for a rather large price. With Dish, you can call them and request a change in location, give them the zip code you are in, and they will easily change you to the spot beam where you are located.

I do have a concern about Direct, now owned by AT&T, which is the rumor on the street is that AT&T is trying to find a buyer for Direct. If that's true, who knows what their service will be like.

HAHAHA. (Sorry to laugh). Who knows what the service will be like WITH AT&T????

And local channels is not why I have a portable satellite service. Only reason for local channels is tornado warnings which are only given by name of county, which I have NO CLUE what county I'm in, and to see local news which I have no use for.

bob caldwell · 10-15-2016, 03:35 PM

If I select to have local channels where ever I'm at, the stick and bricks won't.....so, if there's a program on network, I just go onto antenna

nomad297 · 10-15-2016, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScottBrownstein

The bonus is that will mean that a lot of RVs will begin to get HD programming on the standard 18" dish from DirecTV.

What makes you think this? They will just stop using 101 and keep using 99 and 103, still requiring an oval dish.

Bruce

ScottBrownstein · 10-15-2016, 04:40 PM

Done a lot of research on this. First off, 101 is the basis of their system and carries a ton of non-programming data. They have the current bird and two in reserve at 101. The move away from SD will allow them to drop a ton of transponders that are today dedicated to SD and local channels. Sure they will support SD, but from the newer MP4 receivers. They won't abandon the 18" market, just upgrade the receivers. The whole SD/HD local channel debacle will clean up and reduce their overhead tremendously.

Telstar · 10-15-2016, 04:44 PM

Two things; When calling DISH ask to speak to the RV group, they should know how to suspend your account.Secondly, there are good apps to assist with manually setting up a satellite antenna. DISH for my RV is great for DISH customers, Dish Align makes it easy to setup any service. You choose your satellite configuration and it tells you what to set the angle at and you just move your phone or tablet around until the signal indicator turns green. You can get it locked in, in about two minutes.

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