Just moved into our RV.  It is set up with a Winegard 1000 satellite dish for "Dish TV".  I want to go with a home account rather than a RV account.  Reason is, you can get the Hopper and Joeys with a home account and not with an RV account "according to the tech". Have no need for Pay As You Go because we will use it all the time.

Has anyone done this or am I all wet.

Gary

We did the same thing with Direct tv and the genie.  It works very for us.  We get our bills emailed, but we have our home address listed

First let me say opinions are like belly buttons Everyone has one.  My opinion is that for RVING, Direct tv is an excellent choice. The genie receiver with the dual off air tuner and their updated search routine for recordings is excellent.  The off air tuner integrates the local off air channel into the guide so you are not switching and their new search and record feature will search all channels looking for a match in the program name.  As we move from area to area it will automatically scan local broadcast channels for the network programming we want to record.

We use to do the same thing with Dish TV but not as easily.

Ed

Yes, you plan will work.  But keep in mind that there are some places you will not be able to receive over-the-air stations - the big 4 networks CBS – ABC – FOX – NBC - and I will advise all this will get harder in the future with the FCCs requirement for many over the air TV stations to change channel.  (Another topic)

Assuming you are full time you can get the 4 networks – and PBS and the CW – via satellite. It’s called DNS and you do have to submit a form giving them your VIN number off the trailer / Motor Home due to FCC (government) regulations. This is just easier off-satellite once it’s set up.  Lots less fiddling when you move and set up.

We do both – off-air and off-satellite for the networks.  Off satellite is just easier and we’ve been doing this for quite a number of years.  Naturally if you don’t move much or are near the broadcast towers of the larger cities none of this matters.  We just travel quite a bit.

For various technical reasons for RV use I would recommend DirecTV over “Dish.”  The Genie works well in an RV and getting the DirecTV satellites can be easier due to their physical location in space.  - Think mountains - but mostly trees.

All that said, yes, you can do as you are suggesting.

We use Dish Network, but just have the plain old DVR (a 722 VIP I think) so don't know about the Hopper & Joey).  By the way we do have a sticks & bricks so when we travel we just grab the DVR from the house and put it in the RV. 

We are very happy using the local channels from Dish where ever we are located. When we move from one area of the country to another I go online to Dish.com, establish a "chat line" to customer service and have them change our service address, but to be sure to keep our billing address the same.

It is good to understand you don't need to change your service address every time you move. You only need to change your service address when you move outside the local channel spot beam.

Here is a link to where you can see the coverage of the spot beams: http://www.satelliteguys.us/thelist/index.php?page=dishnetworkmarkets&sub From the first page, select the state, then the city and then click on the "spot beam" for that city and you will view the coverage.

As an example, the Portland, OR spot beam covers just about all of Oregon and a huge amount of WA. The spot beam goes all the way up into Vancouver, British Columbia and about 90 air miles into northern CA. You can spend months touring the Pacific Northwest without ever needing to change your local channels.

Here is the text I use with the chat line when I need to change local channels:

"We have moved our RV to a new location and would like to change my Service Address please. My Billing Address will stay the same.

Also, would you please change my local channels to the new Service Address which is:
13500 Central Ave SW #124C
Albuquerque, NM 87121"

Note that the above address is not necessarily where we are physically located, but just the address of an RV Park in the city we want the local channels for.  I try to use a campsite number which is not likely to match any actual campsite in the RV park. 

However, if you ever need to have service from Dish Network, such as having them replace a broken DVR you will need to have your service address match your actual physical location. 

Some people don't want the hassle of changing local channels so they use the DNS (Distant Network Service), but we much prefer having the local channels. 

Excellent replies everyone, keep them coming.  I need to learn all I can and do more homework.

Thanks

G&L

Once again, thanks for the replies and info.

Gary

I'm another new one to satellite tv as we have always had cable tv at our house and totally unfamiliar with Joey's, Hoppers and the different receivers.  We are picking up our new  coach this fall and it will have an Winegard automatic open face satellite dish for the Dish network.  We have two tvs in the coach so the way I understand it, I will need a separate receiver for each tv if I want to watch different channels at the same time.  Am I correct in understanding that I cannot watch one channel while recording another on the receiver?  Seems to me that should be a basic function.  I went to the Dish website and it shows the V211Z as the receiver that I would need to purchase.  I assume this is the latest and greatest?

If all of the above is true, is there a workaround to add more flexibility to the setup.

Thanks for the help,

Steve

JayKim-no regrets wrote:

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Hi Steve, We have only one Dish receiver but watch 2 tv's from it, I can record on both tv's and watch a show on the DVR that I have recorded earlier, or I can record something on one tv and watch a different channel on the other tv. Hope that helps.

huggies Kim x

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 Thanks.  It does help.  As long as I can do what you do with your setup everything should be fine. I will just have to familiarize myself with a different setup.

Steve