Community Forums

bobmoore1954 · 07-10-2017, 03:04 PM

We're buying a motorhome which has a DIRECTV Trav'ler antenna. He says he can convert it to Dish for $500 and we could sign up for a Pay as You Go plan. DirecTV wants a 2 year commitment.

So my question is how well the Dish Pay as You Go Plan works. Good reception, easy to turn on and off, ok customer support?

Thanks!

More-Gas · 07-10-2017, 03:13 PM

We have pay as you go and it works great, a bit pricey but for us its the way to go.

Spk64 · 07-10-2017, 03:27 PM

We have had it 3 years. No problems switching service address for locals or stopping in inactive months.
To stop you have to tell them you are cancelling the service. They sometimes try to ask if you want to pause. You do not want to do that. Cancel is what works and then you just call to have it restarted when you are ready.

MtnTrek · 07-10-2017, 03:33 PM

We've been using D-PaYG for about the past 5 yrs. with a couple interruptions. No complaints. Works great with the Trav'ler over the last 1.5 yrs. Setup is a breeze. Easy to get local channels changed at different locals. We pretty much stay in western USA near both N&S boarders reception has been good.
Customer service is on par with most modern services,

hit and miss. You just need to be certain to contact "RV account" - "physical location change".
Call me crazy but it's still a superior value for a HD home theater experience VS "streaming" alternatives buffering on anything but a 5" screen, or a fixed point connection.

Be well.

mjeffrey · 07-11-2017, 07:14 AM

I am pay as you go and update locals frequently.

Sometimes they change my billing address instead of just my service address so the credit card fails at beginning of the next month.

Service stops immediately just as I would expect pay as you go to work. No pay, no go.

Traveler and Dish work great. If you are in the far northeast then the far western satellite (129) is quite low on the horizon so trees will block it occasionally/often depending on you RV spot.

bobmoore1954 · 07-11-2017, 03:33 PM

Thanks all. As I research this more, I have more questions.

Dish's Wally box has only 1 turner?

So I can record only one channel at a time?

Can I watch a show that is recording on time delay and can I skip through the commercials if I choose?

Can I watch a recorded show while another is recording?

Speaking of DVR, do I have to obey Dish's USB drive in to get DVR functionality or can I plug in my own USB drive?

dp7 · 07-11-2017, 11:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobmoore1954

Thanks all. As I research this more, I have more questions.

Dish's Wally box has only 1 turner? Yes

So I can record only one channel at a time? Yes

Can I watch a show that is recording on time delay and can I skip through the commercials if I choose? Yes

Can I watch a recorded show while another is recording? Yes

Speaking of DVR, do I have to obey Dish's USB drive in to get DVR functionality or can I plug in my own USB drive? You can use your own.

All good questions.

MtnTrek · 07-12-2017, 12:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobmoore1954

Thanks all. As I research this more, I have more questions.

Dish's Wally box has only 1 turner? Yes

So I can record only one channel at a time? Unless you have a second Wally.The Wally can record one program at a time. This means that if you're currently recording a program and want towatch live TV, you have to watch the program that's currently being recorded—you cannot record on one channel
while watching another.

Can I watch a show that is recording on time delay and can I skip through the commercials if I choose? Press SKIP FORWARD to jump forward 30 seconds in the program.Press this button repeatedly to continue jumping ahead 30 seconds at atime.

Can I watch a recorded show while another is recording? I'm not sure, Alternatively, you can watch a DVR or Netflix program while a program is being recorded.

Speaking of DVR, do I have to obey Dish's USB drive in to get DVR functionality or can I plug in my own USB drive?

You'll have to register the EHD device you use. Look for a coupon or promotion or ask them to wave the fee.

The Wally allows you to record one program at a time, only when a dedicated external hard drive (EHD) is
connected to a USB port on the back of your Wally. The EHD must:
•
Have a capacity between 500 GB and 2 TB
•
Use a USB 2.0 or 3.0 data connection
•
Be dedicated for use only with your Wally. The EHD cannot be used for any other purposes, such as the
backup and storage of computer files.
•
Be the only EHD connected to the Wally. Do not connect two EHDs to your Wally at the same time.
•
Using an EHD with an external power supply is recommended. Portable or pocket hard drives powered only by
a single USB cable may not work properly with your Wally.
Note: Programs or events recorded in high definition require as much as six times more storage space than
programs recorded in standard definition.

Perhaps that helps somewhat, DW uses the Wally more than I.

jondrew55 · 07-12-2017, 03:55 AM

I don't understand this. We simply tell them we're suspending the service, then reactivate on our next trip.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spk64

We have had it 3 years. No problems switching service address for locals or stopping in inactive months.
To stop you have to tell them you are cancelling the service. They sometimes try to ask if you want to pause. You do not want to do that. Cancel is what works and then you just call to have it restarted when you are ready.

Sgt472 · 07-12-2017, 05:27 AM

Actually very easy! Just go to chat on dish site to activate or deactivate, takes 5 min!

bruceisla · 07-12-2017, 05:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sgt472

Actually very easy! Just go to chat on dish site to activate or deactivate, takes 5 min!

Yup, you can just create a script for frequent use and drop it into the Chat window. A few days later I check my account online to make sure they only changed the physical address and not the billing address. If they changed the billing address I correct it. You can change the billing address online but you can't change the physical address .

Spk64 · 07-12-2017, 05:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jondrew

I don't understand this. We simply tell them we're suspending the service, then reactivate on our next trip.

They have a "pause" service which is $5 per month. There are times the CS will try to do this and you have to correct them. Pretty well documented here on IRV2.