Yahoo Message Number: 96141 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/96141)
Hi All,
I know this has been asked an answered in the past but I wanted to check in with any new information. I have been a long time Direct TV customer both in our home and the CC. I was at a fair today and found the price for Dish to be almost half of what I am paying for Direct TV. According to the salespeople, I will also receive my home stations no matter where we are in the Continental US.
I would greatly appreciate any comments. How are they for service? Is there network reliable? Is there HD service excellent? Does their service work well with a Tracstar 360? Thanks for all the comments.
Have a great 4th of July and travel safely.
David and Paula
07 Allure 470
31554
Yahoo Message Number: 96152 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/96152)
I have and use dish at home and in coach. My home is Alaska, I also use a tracstar 360, and it has never failed me from Grand Prarie to San Antonio Tx. I have been on East coast of lower 48 to west coast and as long as trees don' obscure line of sight it works on 110 and 119 sat's. I have even been in Fairbanks Alaska on a clear nite in winter and locked on 119 to watch tv (stationary). I have a 211K receiver in my coach. Customer service has always been good for me since we will require a "hit" from them when system has been off line for a month or so. I have never been able to watch home channels from Alaska in lower 48 because they are carried on spot beam and I am so far out of area but national feeds on other transponders from LA, Atlanta, and Chicago are available even in Alaska . I highly recommend Dish service.
David White 99Allure #30349, livin the good life in the great north. Smitty, you still up here?
Yahoo Message Number: 96153 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/96153)
Forgot to address HD, I get HD using 211k but only on the HD that is on the 110 or 119 sats, The 129 is a dedicated HD sat and is not programmed into my old tracstar, it will auto switch between 110 and 119 but unless there is a software update out I have never been able to hit the 129. The 129 comes in fine at home though.
David White 99 Allure 30349, Wasilla Alaska
Yahoo Message Number: 96154 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/96154)
Hi David,
Thanks so much for the information.
Travel safely.
David and Paula
Coach 31554
Yahoo Message Number: 96155 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/96155)
I agree with David that Dish works fine. I also have the 211 which allows me to watch a different channel on both TV's. You will only get your local channels for about 120 miles from the house then you won't get any local channels anyplace.
Buddy 2006 Inspire 360 51887
also tracstar 360
Yahoo Message Number: 96156 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/96156)
I know you are gonna find a lot of forum members who have DIRECTTV and swear by it. But we signed up with Dish originally. At the time the coach I had didn't have satellite, and everyone was touting Motosat. I said NO WAY am I spending that kind of dough just to get TV and internet. So I bought a Tailgater (for Dish only at that time) for $350, a Dish receiver for a couple hundred and a Verizon jetpack for $59 for my internet. I was pleasantly surprised how fast 4G internet is... and the Tailgater worked great.
When we switched to our Country Coach, I took the Tailgater with me and I was able to update the Winegard Trav'ler roof mount to work with Dish, (check with the company to see if your Tracstar can go either way as well). But I also hooked up an A/B switch so I could use either my Trav'ler or my Tailgater with a long cable if our campsite was under a big tree or something. Turned out to be an ideal setup so much so that I kept the Tailgater and wired up the same A/B switch on our new Allegro Bus.
Very glad I did spend the big bucks on Motosat as it is all but dead now and even those still using it are stuck with Hughes net for internet which at least in the US, for most areas, is a dog when you compare it to Verizon 4G speeds. And the Verizon gives you full in-motion anywhere internet you can take with you in your car for side trips as well. It is the only way to fly imho
The new coach has a Kingdome for HD satellite now and like the Trav'ler is is all autoseeking at the touch of one button. As for local networks, well we don't watch a whole lot of ABC/NBC/CBS anyhow, but I do like PBS so all it takes it a phone call to Dish 800 number, you give them your location and they activate the local networks for your present location. Probably not ideal if you are constantly on the move, but we tend to stay in one place for extended periods to, so it is a very minor inconvenience for us. And Dish 1-800 tech service is excellent... whether reactivating your local networks, setting up or shutting down vacation hold, helping program the remote to a new TV or whatever. I have always found them excellent to deal with.
Hope this helps
Joseph Burkle
2010 Tiffin Allegro Bus 43QRP
43' quad slide tag axle ISL 425 HP pusher formerly:
2008 Country Coach Inspire 360 Founders Edition
www. Wind-seeker.com
Yahoo Message Number: 96158 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/96158)
We had Direct in our previous coach, and got tired of fighting with them and their price increases. We went with DISH in our present coach, and are satisfied. I don't think you can get local (home) channels outside of the footprint for local service. You can call and get local channels in the area you are in. We do that frequently. Don't know why Tracstar wouldn't work. We have a Motostat dish and controller. DavidW 06 Intrigue 11993 In Damariscotta ME on our way to Maritimes and Quebec
Yahoo Message Number: 96162 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/96162)
Dish is superior to Direct in every respect, especially in RV's. They are far more RV friendly. Dish is zooming past Direct in sales.
Rich 2002 Magna
Yahoo Message Number: 96171 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/96171)
Hi Buddy
Thanks for the info. Confirming you have a Tracstar 360 and it works with Dish?
David and Paula
31554
Yahoo Message Number: 96175 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/96175)
Rich, I have had DTV for almost 4 years, on the coach and in 2 homes. I have never had Dish, but I have been very pleased with DTV, for customer support, technical support, equipment and programming.
Can you provide some information to support your statement that Dish is superior in every respect?
Myron
2004 Allure 31040
Yahoo Message Number: 96176 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/96176)
I've had both and currently use Dish. I liked the idea of Dish Networks pay-as-you-go plan + the tailgater unit was a good solution to when the rooftop antenna is blocked by trees. Neither one is "painless" to deal with. The hassle factor is about the same with either one.
Yahoo Message Number: 96178 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/96178)
I have had DTV for over 20 years. Never had Dish but I read a lot about it. A few things that DTV has appear to be superior:
1. Distant Nework Service (DNS) that can tune the national networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS) anywhere in the country. My understanding is that you cannot get this with Dish. It allows me to always get networks with no need to change anything or call anybody each time I move. I can set my DVR and it records each network show with no intevention, anywhere I have satellite coverage.
2. With my Winegard Travler antenna I can watch and record any shows on either of two reciever/DVR's simultaneously. I read that you can't do this with DISH as it cannot see all the satelites at one time, so the second unit can only watch or record the shows that are on the satellite that the main unit is watching. Maybe theTravlr fixes this with Dish. Does it?
3. Dish does not support using their best technology (the Hopper) in RV's. They make you use the 211 reciever which is far less capable. With DTV you can use any of their equipment incuding the Genie which is their answer to the Hopper.
For these reasons DTV appears superior to me. As I say I have never had Dish and only know what I read aboit it. Please let me know if I have this wrong.
Yahoo Message Number: 96182 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/96182)
We've had DTV since the beginning (almost), I worked for Hughes. Still have it in both a house and MH. Not going to say one is better than the other because there are a bunch of valid opinions out there on both sides. I considered changing about a year ago. Not sure if this has been covered in the responses (probably should have read them all). One good thing about Dish is that the lower cost automatic antennas support HD on Dish, we have the carryout on the MH and only get SD. All of the Sats on Dish are Ku band while the HD on DTV are Ka band, not supported by the single gun dishes. For us to go the HD on the MH will need to invest in and $1800 antenna system. There are also some other issues with keeping the SD in the MH but won't go into them at this time!
Judy n Joe
98 Intrigue 10578
Yahoo Message Number: 96185 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/96185)
We really like watching TV in High Definition and have tried a lot of combinations of equipment and providers. It's a moving target as the technology changes but here is the best combination I've found recently:
Dish Network
Wingard Trav'ler 1000 dish. It can receive 3 Dish Network sat signals at once including the dedicated HD signal. It uses military grade servos to automatically aim the dish. Four years without a hitch.
Dish Network Hopper DVR for the main TV. 2000 hours of memory and can record 5 channels at once. You do have to wire it so you can easily cut the power to the DVR when in motion so the hard drive disc will park. The jostling around while in motion will ruin the disc.
Dish Network 'Joey' for each additional TV. You connect the Joey to the DVR with the existing coax or wireless and you can view in HD.
The footprint for the local channels varies depending on location from 100 miles up to 400 miles but you can change it with one phone call.
Jim Coshow
2005 Inspire 51501
Yahoo Message Number: 96200 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/96200)
I use DirecTV. When I travel in the motorhome, I take 2 of my receivers from home, plug them in the coach, and with the use of my Winegard Traveler, have full HD TV. When I arrive at my destination, I call DTV and change my service address to the park where I am staying. I then get local stations, wherever I go. No need to pay for DNS.
Can't speak to Dish, but DTV works great for me. I am currently converting my system to SWM, DTV's latest network topology.
Phil Webb, '06 Inspire 51836
Yahoo Message Number: 96205 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/96205)
The biggest point missing from this discussion is that DTV has NFL football,
Dan 2006 Allure 31348
Yahoo Message Number: 96207 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/96207)
And that's a problem because? :)
Yahoo Message Number: 96268 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/96268)
Phil,
We had Directv for 15 years, but they wouldn't let us do what you are doing. They made us have 2 accounts, one for the coach, one for the house. What a mess everytime we would change from home to RV and then from RV to home. Gave up on them and now have DISH. Their programming is much better than Directv. We really like their "Prime Time Live", which records all the major networks each day during prime time.
Brad Ward
2000 Magna 5916
Yahoo Message Number: 96273 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/96273)
At first I had 2 accounts also. When going on the road, I would suspend the home account and activate the coach account. Vise versa when arriving at home. DirecTV asked me to consolidate to one account, and advised that I could change service address as often as needed. I am very happy with this arrangement.
Phil Webb, '06 Inspire 51836
Yahoo Message Number: 96277 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/96277)
We have a single account for our house and the Coach and if you are a sports fan their is no comparison.
Dan 2006 Allure 31348
Yahoo Message Number: 96283 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/96283)
I've had DirecTV since the late 90's and have had countless battles with them. They suggested two accounts (clearly a revenue enhancement for them!). I complied and had to "suspend"?/" unsuspend"? according to their ridiculous rules. A couple of years ago, one of their US based, English speaking Customer Retention Group agents ( I refuse to talk to the call center in the Phillapines) suggested that I go back to one account and keep the RV receiver "active"? at all times in order to maintain the FCC waiver that is needed to get the distant network channels when moving around the country. This would cost $6/month which made a lot more sense than paying for two accounts at the times when I was out of compliance with their "suspend/unsuspend"? rules.
So, they closed an account down and moved the receiver to the other account. Unfortunately the idiots closed the account with the FCC waiver attached (my oldest chronological account). Bingo...when I left on the present trip and asked to have the distant networks activated, the response was "you'll have to file an FCC waiver and this takes 45 days"?. I spent the better part of 4 hours arguing with them by cell phone trying to convince them that I HAD an FCC waiver and that they had cancelled the wrong account. They finally relented and gave me the distant networks, but are requiring me to file another FCC waiver when I return home.
Just part of the constant, never ending hassle of DirecTV. I hate them, but I still pay them...go figure. I'm going from Oregon to Gettysburg in the fall and hope we get it fixed by then!
Dave Glen
'06 Magna 6591
Yahoo Message Number: 96290 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/96290)
IMO.... IF you even think for a second that Direct is a PAIN, (which we all have at one time or another) don't switch to Dish.
I got so sideways with Direct that I cancelled and switched to Dish, (House, Garage Shop & Coach) and got locked into a 2 year deal..... I couldn't wait for the 2 years to end, as soon as it did we switched back.
Biggest thing was right from the start, when they hooked it up and we could all see the difference in picture quality or lack of, I should of cancelled it right then, but I didn't as the installer told me it would get better if I bought a better HDMI cable then what we had. By the time I changed the HDMI (with NO difference) and called into DISH to find out why there HD wasn't even close to the same as what I had with Direct they told me I should buy a new TV? Still got the same 60" Plasma and since going back to Direct the picture quality is good as I expect.
Just my 2 cents.....
Yahoo Message Number: 96293 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/96293)
With only 2 choices how can things go so bad? I'm one of those disturbed person who have both. I have Direct in the coach and Dish in the stick home. I pay a little more for the Direct then Dish and I feel little more disturbed at Direct right now. As luck would have it one of the boxes I had, went bad the day before we were leaving on a trip. I called them and they could not have a tech to me for 3 days, long after I left. they could not even give me a week away appointment even I knew where I would be. They kept telling me that I need to call when I got there. I had some older HD receiver and they could not replace them, because they are no longer made. I was finally able to find a tech that could change out the boxes to the next level up. Since I owned the boxes, I purchased a new box. WRONG per Direct. they extend my contact to a new 2 year time limit. Saying I upgraded, no matter what I said "Telling them you don't make or supply the box that went bad, how is that upgrading." I have 10 months left on this contract and I'm unsure which way to go. I will watch the thread with interest. MY .02 cents
Dave
07 Country Coach Allure 430 #31495
2 Jeep GC Toad
Mountains of So Cal
Yahoo Message Number: 96294 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/96294)
Easy fix.
Cancel DNS, and at each stop in the motorhome, change your service address to the RV park you are staying in. You get local channels, which given local news and weather, is better than DNS in my opinion. Also cost$ NOTHING.
Phil Webb, '06 Inspire #51836
Yahoo Message Number: 96299 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/96299)
That's not easy for me. I move every few days, and it would drive me crazy to keep calling them that often. With DNS, I have to do NOTHING when I move to another location. THAT's easy. Well worth $180 a year to me.
Marc
Wellington, FL
2013 Entegra Anthem
Yahoo Message Number: 96308 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/96308)
WE found out another way around the distant networks with direct. We used a RV park address in LA as our address, with the billing address my office in Las Vegas. This gives us the LA networks without paying for them as distant networks but as home networks. This is free....We have been in over 30 states, and 6 years receiving the LA channels anywhere in the lower 48 without any hassle. Would guess you could do the same with New York, the only other choice for distant networks.
Michael/Anne Spinetti
Las Vegas, NV
Indio, Ca
Jackson, Ca
702-592-1250
2008 Allure #31619
M82249S@... (M82249S@...)
Yahoo Message Number: 96324 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/96324)
The only problem with calling to give DirecTV one's location is getting them to answer the damn phone! I have voice problems from some surgery and their voice recognition program is useless. So, when I tap "0"? enough times to get a human on the phone, I end up on hold for 15-20 minutes. And, that is if I happen to have cell service where I am located...I am currently in a location without cell service for a month. When I finally get the call center in the Philippines, they usually haven't a clue about what I want to accomplish, especially if it isn't on their screen! Pretty frustrating
Dave Glen
'06 Magna 6591