Community Forums

suwanneefl · 02-11-2011, 06:29 PM

The problem I have found with Dish is it very hard to be able to watch the LR TV and the BR TV on different chanels. Getting same channel on both sets is easy. I was told Direct is better at watching two channels at same time. I am a newby and could be wrong...

dave

Waltnbecky · 02-11-2011, 07:13 PM

No one speaks ENGLISH at Directv. Thats enough for me.. Dish network is a far better service !!

Its Paid For · 02-11-2011, 07:59 PM

I have had both. Use Dish currently and won't ever use Direct again. Dish is much more customer oriented and easy to deal with. Their channel packages are better too. You can stop and start service anytime with no problems, Direct always made me have a contract. If I call Dish with a problem, they always come out the next morning and charge me $15 service call with the $6 a month service plan. I like it fast, easy, reliable, and friendly... Go with Dish

bigdog · 02-11-2011, 08:22 PM

We have Dish at home,so the problem of starting and stopping it are moot and we just told Dish that the third receiver is in the barn.We upgraded to the Traveler dish when we got the MH and so we can get all three Dish sats at once and are getting the Dish double/DVR/HD/TV box for the coach and so we can watch HD on the front screen and something else on the bedroom screen..We don't have HD/TV in the house as yet and will set up auto pay and get HD free.

RVhauler · 02-11-2011, 09:12 PM

Had Dish serveral years ago and seemed like was always some kind of a hassle. finally switched to Direct and have been satisfied with them. As for a phone line it really is not needed but i pay (believe $18) per year for a cell phone useage for ordering movies/etc. Works for me when traveling

NorCalCamper · 02-26-2011, 09:32 PM

Although we only have a pup for a trailer. I'm a direct tv guy. We've had it at home for 10 years now and love it.
When we go camping, sometimes we'll take the portable dish and set it up. We take a reciever from home, need the zip of the area we are in and point the dish in the right direction. Works like a charm

John_N_Terry · 02-28-2011, 06:13 AM

We use Dish Network also. The dish is really simple to point once you get used to it if you don't want to shell out the $$ for the onboard stuff.

doc · 02-28-2011, 08:00 AM

Unless there has been some recent changes, Dish uses two satellites for their programing. With a dome antennae, I believe you can only hit one bird at a time.
With Direct all the channels are on one satellite and you don't have to change satellites to change channels. Direct has not fee for not having a phone line attached. Direct tech told us to take the reciever from the house and use it in the MH, that Direct does not care where it is used.
We had Dish and swapped to Direct when they started that foolishness about a phone line hooked up all the time. We like Direct much better. Of course that is just MHO.

HD4Mark · 02-28-2011, 10:58 AM

We had Directv at home and the RV until we got FiOS TV & internet. Directv was happy to give us no contract service with a receiver we already had. Not high def but none of the TV's in the MH are HD anyway. Verizon was also happy to suspend FiOS while we were gone too so it worked out great. We simply switch back and forth.

We also had the East mobile channels until discovering that since we were in the same place in Fl for months changing our address saved about $15 a month. Now instead of NY city stations we get Miami.

As far as customer service it seems like it is a crap shoot who you get and how good they are. If you are having a problem with one of them find a polite way to end the conversation and call back to roll the dice again. I have not gotten anyone that could not speak English so far.

wa8yxm · 02-28-2011, 12:01 PM

Direct or Dish.. Well, a lot depends on things.
First do you want HDTV or is SD (Standard) good enough for you (It is for me)

Second: Do you want to be able to record my-lady's daytime drama shows while driving so she can watch them when parked (I do)

If the answer to the questions are same as mine.> DirecTV

If you only want reception when PARKED, or you want HD read on.

DirecTV uses (for most accounts) a single satellite, located at 101 degrees west (south of the US) it can be seen from just about all the conentional US, this sat can be seen by dome type antennas or dish type antennas.. If your antenna is a "DUAL" (Means it has two outputs, not two LNB's) then you can run 1,2,3,4, more Receivers or DVR.s (Switch needed for more than two at a time)

DirecHDTV (High Deff) uses 3 birds, on two different bands, Domes are thus out of the question for this, only dish types work.

DishNetwork uses 2 birds for SD and 3 for HD, all are in the same band so a dome can be made that will work with a SINGLE receiver and work quite well.. if you want to add a 2nd or 3rd receiver you are locked onto the same bird with a dome..

With a dish type antenna you get either a Twin or Triplet antenna (2 or 3 LNB's on one antenna) that can see both/all 3 at one time, but it's harder to point (Same is true of the DirecHDTV antenna) since you have 3 settings insted of 2.. However not that much harder.

Dish birds, normally are 110, 119 and 127 or 129 (not sure which) the last bird (HD) is hard to see from the atlantic coast so they have 3 others on the east side.

In both cases.. IF you use any kind of rooftop antenna put cheap A/B swtiches in the LNB (Antenna) line near the receiver, A goes to the roof top antenna up A-bove, be goes to a connector down B-elow (B-ulkheat or B-asement) where you can hook up a tripod mount dish.. that is so you can get around the evil signal eating tree you parked under in case you wonder. (If my choice of words made you laugh.. (evil signal---tree) Good)

If you go with a ground mount (Tripod) antnna only.. then you can forget all that since it will match no matter what.

NEXT: Your account:

Many folks ahve DTV or DISH for their house and want to use the spare receiver in their RV, Many get away with it however this is illegal and neither DirecTV nor All American Direct Communications LLC (Dish's 3rd party provicer of this service) are supposed to sell Distant Network Service to a home account that can get Local stations (Local stations are spot beamed,, Think of a spotlight shining on your neighborhood, when you camp out of the spot, you are in the dark)

So, get an RV account.. the only diference between an RV account and a house account is the RV account qualifies for DNS.. You then get a 2nd antenna off Craig's list (or use the RV's antenna) at home with your "Spare" receivers. NOW: Direc/Dish is not supposed to give an RV accunt "local" channels, but often does so you get your locals if close to home and Distant (NYC/Atlanta or LA) when out and about. Best of all worlds.

NOTE: This too is not legal.. but I won't tell if you don't.

Pairajays · 03-01-2011, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wa8yxm

So, get an RV account.. the only diference between an RV account and a house account is the RV account qualifies for DNS.. You then get a 2nd antenna off Craig's list (or use the RV's antenna) at home with your "Spare" receivers. NOW: Direc/Dish is not supposed to give an RV accunt "local" channels, but often does so you get your locals if close to home and Distant (NYC/Atlanta or LA) when out and about. Best of all worlds.

NOTE: This too is not legal.. but I won't tell if you don't.

A clarification, with DirecTV and a mobile account, you can get local stations and DNS at the same time at no additional cost, no matter where you are.

Jim E

HD4Mark · 03-02-2011, 08:55 AM

I was under the impression that it was only illegal to get the distant service at a home base due to syntax regulations. This was to prevent you from viewing another local channel while businesses paid for advertising in your area that you could not see. While when out of your spot beam area you would receive no locals so you saw no local advertising.

Directv never seemed to have a problem with us using one of the receivers from home in the RV but wanted to put the ones we were not using with DNS "on vacation" if the third was used with DNS. We never bothered to go through the trouble for a few weeks of vacation and just did without locals but could sometimes get them on the antenna anyway. I even named the one RV/bar.

Please correct this if I am wrong or they just never noticed.

Max Hubrich · 03-03-2011, 06:57 PM

I'm an 'ole Directv guy.
I went from SD to HDTV about 3 1/2 years ago- in both the stick and the MH. My account is a home account with DS (distant signal reception) that gives us East Coast Network feeds. We often have a lot of fun when I call for service in "Timbuktu", or wherever. We get through it tho.
I have 5 HD receivers- two in the MH. I used to move them from the house to the MH but that was a pain and for ten bucks a month it wasn't worth it to me. One receiver in the MH is a DVR. I use the "Bat Wing" MH crank up antenna for local channels as we travel. I have the Winegard Traveler 5 LNB dish on the MH.
I have the best TV one can get anywhere in the lower 48- We just love it.
I have been cautioned by Directv that I might have a fraudulent account the way I do it but they like the money I send them every month and then they thank me for my many years of service.
I threw out the 'ole Sony selector box and I use an A/B switch, as mentioned above, for an external dish antenna when parked in Maine in the woods for the summer. I added a Bluray DVD player up front along with the 32" HD Sony Bravia. The 26" HD TV in the back has a built in DVD player.

If I can make one suggestion for you folks looking at doing something like I did- buy quality TV's- pay an extra couple hundred bucks for each tv you buy, for the best set you can find. You'll never regret it.

Phew, it was a project but I decided I was going to have quality TV from the git-go. I figure you only go around one time- and I'm on the "downhill side" now.

Good luck on whatever your choices might be,

Pairajays · 03-03-2011, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wa8yxm

So, get an RV account.. the only diference between an RV account and a house account is the RV account qualifies for DNS.. You then get a 2nd antenna off Craig's list (or use the RV's antenna) at home with your "Spare" receivers. NOW: Direc/Dish is not supposed to give an RV accunt "local" channels, but often does so you get your locals if close to home and Distant (NYC/Atlanta or LA) when out and about. Best of all worlds.

With DirecTV you can get local channels, if you have a mobile account, no matter where you are at no extra charge. For example, if you are parked around Seattle WA, you can receive Seattle TV channels. If you are in Phoenix AZ, you can receive Phoenix channels. This is in addition to DNS.

Jim E