Directv channels

[tippster]

I've heard of some folks getting directv local channels while on the road. Has any body on this forum had experience with this? If so, how do you get the ball rolling with directv? Thanks.

[golden]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tippster I've heard of some folks getting directv local channels while on the road. Has any body on this forum had experience with this? If so, how do you get the ball rolling with directv? Thanks.

I'm sure you've been told, but just in case you haven't.... DirecTv spot beams their broadcasts so that you can get them within a 150-250 mile radius from your home. I've seen a map somewhere (might be on their site but I doubt it) of all their spot beams around the country. Anyway, you won't get your home channels on DirecTv once you've driven a certain distance.

[gripper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by golden Anyway, you won't get your home channels on DirecTv once you've driven a certain distance.

That has been my experience, while traveling with DT. You won't even be able to get the local channels in the city that you are camping. However, sometimes, you can get local channels thru your "Batwing", If you are close enough to the tower. I was told by DT, to "just switch between the two".

[Bill Adams]

While Dish Network customers seem to be able to call in a new location and receive the nearby local Network programming this does not really seem to be the case with DirecTV. "In theory", you should be able to call in and tell customer service that you have moved and you would like to have the locals appropriate to your new location. I believe you can do this but most DTV subscribers have posted that making this happen can be difficult if not impossible. In my mind, since I do all of my billing on-line, I don't see any reason that you could not simply call and tell DTV that you have moved to a new location where you already have the proper antenna installed. Let them use your home, shipping, billing (whatever) address since nothing will be sent there anyway (online, remember?). With all of that said, I don't know why anyone who moves frequently would want to go through this hassle. Sign up for the DTV distant network services and you will get NY or LA Networks everywhere you travel in the US everyday and everywhere. If you have and use a DVR you will always be resetting your network recording preferences each time you move or, with DNS, you just set it and forget it! Why in the world would you want to do anything else?

[hamguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gripper That has been my experience, while traveling with DT. You won't even be able to get the local channels in the city that you are camping. However, sometimes, you can get local channels thru your "Batwing", If you are close enough to the tower. I was told by DT, to "just switch between the two".

That's what I do. I do get the western network feeds also.

[num1dgh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Adams While Dish Network customers seem to be able to call in a new location and receive the nearby local Network programming this does not really seem to be the case with DirecTV. "In theory", you should be able to call in and tell customer service that you have moved and you would like to have the locals appropriate to your new location. I believe you can do this but most DTV subscribers have posted that making this happen can be difficult if not impossible. In my mind, since I do all of my billing on-line, I don't see any reason that you could not simply call and tell DTV that you have moved to a new location where you already have the proper antenna installed. Let them use your home, shipping, billing (whatever) address since nothing will be sent there anyway (online, remember?). With all of that said, I don't know why anyone who moves frequently would want to go through this hassle. Sign up for the DTV distant network services and you will get NY or LA Networks everywhere you travel in the US everyday and everywhere. If you have and use a DVR you will always be resetting your network recording preferences each time you move or, with DNS, you just set it and forget it! Why in the world would you want to do anything else?

Dish TV users can't get local channels either, once they've gone out of their "home" area. There was some lawsuit a few years ago because local vendors didn't want satellite TV users to be able to get a local feed from somewhere else. Their theory was that it would prevent local viewers from seeing local ads, and therefore (wierd logic here) they would lose business.

[Bill Adams]

Quote:

Originally Posted by num1dgh Dish TV users can't get local channels either, once they've gone out of their "home" area. There was some lawsuit a few years ago because local vendors didn't want satellite TV users to be able to get a local feed from somewhere else. Their theory was that it would prevent local viewers from seeing local ads, and therefore (wierd logic here) they would lose business.

Both Dish and DirecTV customers "can" get locals where ever they are located. What they can't do is get locals from home when they are away from home. This was a law issue and now is a technology issue due to the local network signals being spot-beamed. Dish Network customers have been very successful (albeit a real pain compared to DNS) at calling DN and having them change the service address allowing reception of local locals. If you move rarely this could be a workable option and save you some money. In theory, you can do the same thing with DirecTV but they are much less receptive unless you are just moving between your Summer and Winter homes.

[wa8yxm]

Bill Adams is the expert here on this but I will give you the run down.

One: If you are camped, say 50 miles from your house there is an excelent chance you will get your local stations.. NOTE the word chance.

Two: If you happen to live in NYC or LA, it MIGHT happen. even if you are visiting the other of those cities (several thousand miles) I'm not sure, used to be, but they may have fixed that.

Finally ther eis something called DISTANT NETWORK SERVICE. DNS for short.. If you have local stations on your home account then your home account does not qualify for DNS and though some have managed to get it approved when they drag their "Spare" receiver to the RV, that is a violation of law and can (Should) get DirecTV (not the subscriber) in trouble.. Why it has not I do not know but I do know about blind eyes.

IF, on the other hand you have an RV account, then you download a form from DirecTV's web site, print it out, sign it, fax it along with the documents requested on the form and a few days later.. NETWORK television (From NYC or LA) will be yours, for a slight additional fee of course.

[RickO]

Just a couple of points to add:

The range of the spot beams used by DirecTv can vary widely. For example, when our stick home was in Sacramento we could receive our locals as far south as the Grapevine and as far north as Vancouver Wa.

A couple of times we did call Direct and request a change in our service address to our current location and it worked... but I'm sure it's a crap shoot dependant on who answers the phone.

I believe it's correct that, if you have active local channels on your home account DNS cannot be activated. However, DTV doesn't manage this well and we have both east and west DNS in addition to our home base locals.

If you plan to move a good bit then DNS is your best be and this forum has the forms you'll need to get started. If you plan to stay in one location for a longer period of time it might make sense to work through DTV to get your service address changed each time. The DNS service costs about $20/mo.

Good luck...

Rick

[JohnQ]

For all things Satellite TV, an excellent website www.dbstalk.com

Very Good Satellite aiming program for all providers either by US Zip codes or Long/Lat coordinates, i.e., when vacationing in Canada.

[StStg1]

We get our locals while we'e out camping. Albiet, we rarley go more than 200 mile from home. Just a side note: it's great to have Bill Adams back on IRV2 again. Keep up the good work.

[Bill Adams]

I had not noticed the "Thanks" button. What's up with that? Do I get Brownie points or a get out of jail free card? If I get enough do I get a hat or something?