Dish pay as you go service vs Dish Hopper

[hogdriver]

I use Dish pay as you go with a single VIP 211k receiver in my Entegra on the factory Winegard Roadtrip Mission dome. I am considering a Winegard a Travlr dish. I would like to buy. a Dish Hopper and a Joey and putting one in the living area and the Joey in the bedroom connected with RG-6 cabling. My question is I am an existing Dish Customer. I do not have satellite service at my house, or desire it due to heavy rainy periods in FL. Do I have to commit to some 12 or 24 month contract paying $69+ ea month to buy one? I was considering buying one from SolidSignal, SatelliteGuys, or even eBay. I'm not looking for the "free" upgrade, I will pay the $200 or whatever to buy the receiver. Can I just buy a newer Hopper and change my receiver data with Dish and pay the same cost during the months I want to use it? I currently own my VIP211k and I have paid the $40 lifetime fee to add a DVR hard drive. Is there an additional monthly cost per Joey?

[TechWriter]

I use a Hopper & 2 Joeys in my RV with a regular DISH contract since I full time.. I don't think Pay As You Go is available for a Hopper.

[Scarab0088]

I have the ViP-211k and no experience with the Hopper whole house, but found advice from Winegard about this exact question...does not support the Hopper.
Winegard DISH Compatible Receivers for the RV

Of course I can see why someone would want the multi-tuner and recorder, and multiple viewing points.

The Pay-as-you-go account reportedly requires one of Dish's "portable" receivers...this might be negotiable...but that's what Dish says.

Maybe it would be easier and less cost to get 2 RV receivers and a dish that supports 2 receivers(?).

Best luck

[TechWriter]

Originally Posted by Scarab0088

I have the ViP-211k and no experience with the Hopper whole house, but found advice from Winegard about this exact question...does not support the Hopper.
Winegard DISH Compatible Receivers for the RV

Not the best link for Hopper, or for that matter, DISH advice.

Winegard just lists the equipment it sells. For example, the DISH 1000.4 portable (which Winegard does not sell) works just fine with the Hopper, 211, and all other current DISH receivers.

Note that the "SK-1000" listed on the Winegard link page is the Winegard Travler which works with a Hopper. (I've been using it over a year with my Hopper & 2 Joeys.)

What's "incompatible" is DISH's Pay-As-You-Go plan. You'll have to sign up for a regular DISH account to use a Hopper in your RV.

Originally Posted by Scarab0088

Maybe it would be easier and less cost to get 2 RV receivers and a dish that supports 2 receivers(?).

The Travler (along with the 500, 1000, 1000.2, 1000.4) all support multiple receivers.

However, not all domes and carryouts (like the Tailgater) support multiple receivers.

[TechWriter]

Originally Posted by hogdriver

Can I just buy a newer Hopper and change my receiver data with Dish and pay the same cost during the months I want to use it? I currently own my VIP211k and I have paid the $40 lifetime fee to add a DVR hard drive. Is there an additional monthly cost per Joey?

I bought my Hopper and Joeys, but would not do it again because you don't save any money.

A Hopper requires a $10/month DVR fee and each Joey costs $7/month.

[MarksFam]

the Dish website for RV packages: DISHForMyRV: DISH Mobile Satellite Systems & Pay-As-You-Go TV for RV, Tailgating, & the Great Outdoors lists the campers dream package. This includes one VIP211z receiver and a Winegard carryout auto dish which can be permanently mounted. I priced this out adding a second receiver for another TV and it came to just under $900. All of Dish's portable antenna's only support 2 receivers at the most. The site does have live chat customer service also.

hope this helps.

[TechWriter]

Originally Posted by MarksFam

the Dish website for RV packages: DISHForMyRV: DISH Mobile Satellite Systems & Pay-As-You-Go TV for RV, Tailgating, & the Great Outdoors lists the campers dream package. This includes one VIP211z receiver and a Winegard carryout auto dish which can be permanently mounted. I priced this out adding a second receiver for another TV and it came to just under $900.

Again, not the best link for using DISH in an RV.

This is DISH's answer for KISS RV installations -- a 211 and a Tailgater. A great setup.

However, OP and others want more -- HD on all TVs and the ability to view/record different programs on each TV + a centralized DVR (i.e., the Hopper) + easier coax wiring than VIP receivers.

Originally Posted by MarksFam

All of Dish's portable antenna's only support 2 receivers at the most.

Nope. "Portable" can mean a tripod dish or a "carryout" like a Tailgater:

DISH Tripods (1000, 1000.2, 1000,4) -- support multiple (more than 2) receivers. These are the tripods used for home installs and they work just the same in an RV. No diff.

Tailgater carryout -- supports 1 receiver (a 211k or 211z).

Pathway X2 carryout -- supports 2 receivers (211z).

Winegard GM-1518 carryout -- supports 2 receivers.

Winegard Carryout Anser -- supports 2 receivers

[Scarab0088]

So, everyone is in agreement that Pay-as-you-go is not available for the Hopper - and the Hopper requires a service agreement...right(?)

BTW - If anyone reading this didn't catch the switch that Dish made to the ViP-211z vs. ViP-211k...THERE'S a BIG DIFFERENCE. The "z" has lost the built-in OTA tuner (must be added as a "dongle") and The "z" has ONLY HDMI & RCA connectors (NO RF/Coax output Connection)

BE WARNED - That second point (no RF/coax output) would be a REAL pain for many RV's that use a typical "BOMB" for video distribution to TV's in other rooms. Requires a much higher quality BOMB with multiple HDMI outputs and/or composite (3 wires w/ RCA plug) cables - plus all the upgraded wire types in the walls.

You can still buy the ViP-211k, but you have to know there is a difference.

Safe travels

[MarksFam]

Concur with Scarab. While there may be other more complex options that include wiring up a dish and service such as you would use at home, the options presented by Dish on the site I linked to will provide you with mobile hd tv viewing options that are simple and easy to set up.

I like to keep it simple and easy. Thats why I rv in the first place.

[TechWriter]

Originally Posted by MarksFam

Concur with Scarab. While there may be other more complex options that include wiring up a dish and service such as you would use at home, the options presented by Dish on the site I linked to will provide you with mobile hd tv viewing options that are simple and easy to set up.

I like to keep it simple and easy. Thats why I rv in the first place.

This isn't about you and Scarab or why you got into RVing, it's about what the OP wants.

Since OP is thinking about getting a Winegard Travler, he has a couple of options -- one of which is a Hopper system.

If OP wants to stay with DISH's Pay-As-You-Go, then the only two receivers he can use are a 211 or 411. However, you can get two VIP211 receivers on a Pay As You Go account. Since a Travler has two, separate coax outputs, you could run two VIP211s independently (one on each coax) -- a pretty good solution.

If OP wants a Hopper (or 722), then he has to sign up for a regular DISH account, not Pay As You Go.

[Scarab0088]

[ Moderator Edit ]

There's lots if good points made by all in this thread...Hope the OP has the information needed to make a decision.

Next would be discussing which portable dish would work best, given that any rooftop will be blocked by trees sooner or later.

Safe travels and best luck to the OP

[luvlabs]

I've used a Hopper/Joey combo in both my house and motorhome. It is an excellent solution for having a DVR in your coach. I started with mine in the house and dragged it to the motorhome when we travelled. When went fulltime this July, it went to the motorhome and stayed.

We got ours "free" for a two year deal but we wanted to get rid of Comcast at the house so it was a money saver for us.

Setting it up in the motorhome is quite simple. You will need a Winegard Trav'ler 1000 sat antenna, a Solo Node, a switched plug strip, and the Hopper and at least 1 Joey. The two coax cables from the Trav'ler go to the Solo node and two short RG6 cables go to the Hopper and Joey. HDMI out from the Hopper and Joey to your TVs. The Hopper and Joey should be plugged into a switched plug strip so you can completely de-power the system before you travel. The Hopper's big HD is sensitive to movement but it is fine when de-powered.

The Hopper/Joey is not "recommended" for RVs by Winegard and Dish but it works well. PM me if you have any install questions. It really is simple.

[Falcon190]

I have the Hopper at the S&B'S with two Joies

[Falcon190]

Sorry. iPhone. Pushed the frick'n send button by mistake. Anyway, for $7 a month I have Dish in the MoHo. I use the tailgater (which was free with the sign up) and am happy with the whole deal.