Direct or Dish? - RV-Dreams Community Forum

desertnurse · RV-Dreams Family Member

Direct or Dish?

53 Merc · RV-Dreams Family Member

desertnurse wrote:

Getting ready to outfit our new home with satelite (horrible experiences with Comcast Cable over the last year).

Does anyone feel strongly either way about Direct or Dish?

I do, but it is all about the representative you speak to on the phone.

We had Dish, and when I called to ask where I could get another dish to take in my RV, they first said you fill out the form, send us a copy of your RV registration, a photo of the RV and then you go to a local dealer and get the dishn after you are approved for the RV. OK, where is one of your dealers? Well, you go to the dealer. Where is one? Well, I don't know.

Called Direct. Said I want to have Direct come install in my home. Also want to acquire a spare dish to take in my RV. OK, when do you want installer to come. We set a time, and I asked again, where do I get a spare dish. Oh, the installer will bring it to you, but it will be in a box, you have to provide a mount and put it together. HUH? That's it? Well, you will need to take one of your receivers from the house to put in the RV. HUH? That's all? Well, you have to pay every month, and if you are away from your home zip code, you won't get local channels.

Of course, there may be another shoe to drop, but I have been happy for over 3 years.

NorCal Dan · RV-Dreams Family Member

Direct offers DNS (distant network services) so you can always get NY/LA networks (cbs,nbc,abc,fox).

Both offer local channels but my experience with Direct trying to get locals changed is hit 'n' miss. If I call and the phone rep doesn't understand what I am wanting to do I hang up and call back and hope for a rep that knows what they are doing. Repeat as necessary until you get someone who knows what you're talking about.

From what I have read Dish has more options for antenna's and HD, ie. they have dome systems that do HD. Direct HD antenna choice is the Slimline, no dome works with Direct HD.

I like the guide with Direct, it allows you to still see the channel you were watching while you cruise the guide.

Racerguy · RV-Dreams Family Member

This is kinda like the Chevy,Ford, Dodge debate in my opinion.Those with Dish will extroll the advantages of Dish and those with Direct will do the same.I prefere Dish because with the DVR you only need 1 reciever to run 2 tv's and only have to connect 1 cable to the RV.You can also get DNS with Dish but have to use a seperate company which is a little unhandy but doable.You can also watch your program while cruising the Guide.Probably the biggest reason I prefer them is because I have been with them for almost 15 years and am used to it.

jimdee · RV-Dreams Family Member

We're full timers and we have DISH. I called a local installer rather than go through their 800-number. They set me up with a portable dish and an HD receiver that operates both TV's in our rig. Also, our receiver is able to scan for local channels through our rooftop antenna and add them to the sat channel line up. The locals appear on the guide and we're able to record them on the DVR, even though they're being picked up on the roof antenna. Nice capability because, even though we get locals as part of our package, getting the locals on the roof antenna allows us to get the sub-channels (5.1, 5.2, 5.3, etc.). Customer service has been good so far. We've called once to change our locals. We just told them we've changed our "physical" address, gave our zip code, and 10 mins later the new locals came on. Technology and picture quality are probably equal between DISH and DirecTV. Monthly price may be a little lower for DISH. If you like sports, DirecTV is probably better. They have a ton of sports packages. If you like movies, I think DISH has more movie choices. One thing that you should consider is how easy it is to set up the portable dish. If you only want standard def (no HD), DirecTV's dish uses only one LNB (the little round thing on the front of the dish) because all their SD channels are on one satellite. DISH uses two satellites for their SD so their dish has 2 LNB's. This is more of a challenge to set up because, along with setting azimuth (direction) and elevation, you have to set skew (tilt angle of the two LNB's) so the dish aligns with the two satellites. A good meter is almost a necessity for this. And if you add HD, you add another LNB to each, making two for DirecTV and 3 for DISH, which compounds the challenge. But overall we're very happy with DISH. I invested in a Birdog meter (a couple hundred bucks on eBay) and I can get the whole thing set up in 10 minutes. Hope this helps.

Delaine and Lindy · RV-Dreams Family Member

We in the past had Dish but swithched to Direct when we went full timing. Direct is much easier setting up if your using the Tri-Pod. We used the Tri-pod in the past and had the Slim Line Dish and had two HDTV's If your using the Tri-Pod when you travel make sure you have a adjustable Tri-Pod not a cheapy, the key to the set up is having the Tri-Pod level. I have a Birdog meter but never use it just did the manual set up, in about 15 to 20 minutes. However we now have the roof mount Travler 3 by winguard which is Automatic, just make sure you have a eye to the Southern Sky. We also have Direct-TV at home, in all we have 4 HD reveivers. Good Luck with your choice. GBY....

RonaldNC · RV-Dreams Family Member

Having just gone through this, I would say that neither is very impressive. I've been a long-time user of DirectTV at home, so natural thought that I would go with them. However, they were very difficult. First, they suggested that I take my receiver from my house when I want to use in the RV... but that would mean unplugging my unit and taking it to the RV and plugging it in. As for local channels, I would have to call (I'm okay with this)... but then they saw that my DVR/receiver was leased... which will not allow me to remove it from my house!!! Okay, so I have to buy it... I could get over it. Then I find out that you can only get HD with a very limited number of dishes (my isn't one of them... very technical, so I won't get into it).

I just started to get frustrated... so I called a Dish contractor. They set-up a new account for my RV, they showed up at my storage location, I get high definition, can get the local channels with a phone call. My only complaint... I have to pay $30/month just for my RV.

Both have a way to get DNS... DirecTV for an extra fee and DISH through another company for an extra fee.

Bottom line... I hate them both!!! LOL It is a Ford vs. Chevy thing... except they are both clunkers!

I just hope in 3 years (when I go FT) that there is a better solution.

Ron

two travelers · RV-Dreams Family Member

I have dish in our house so I went with Dish for the camper.. I went with a local installer.. the people at the 800 # had no idea what I was asking for..so I just asked for the phine numbers of the local installers. He came out and in less than an hour had me set up with a portable dish and ready to go...Since we are still living in our house it was just considered a 2nd reciever and I only have a $7.00 increase to my monthly bill... They tell me I can take the portable dish whereever my camper goes...We will see but it is working fine at the campsite we are parked at for this summer..patti

K & E · RV-Dreams Family Member

We just went through this a couple of months ago when we bacame fulltimers. Calling DirecTV or Dish directly was useless. We were told we couldn't get a portable dish on a tripod from either company. We had DirecTV in our house so we thought we'd use them in our RV. After reading some posts on this forum, we called a DirecTV installer directly. They shipped us the 2 receivers and the dish with the tripod for $130. Then they came to the campground we were at and set it up at no charge. Camping World wanted over $1,000 for the same set up. We have moved a few times and were able to set it up again. Each time got easier. Make sure you have the installer show you how to do it and take notes!

We have only moved in Wisconsin so haven't tried to get local channels elsewhere. We'll see how that goes. They assured us all we had to do is call and tell them we have changed our reception address, not the billing address. We'll see.

It took me a month to get the billing straigtened out. The RV had to be a new account for some reason. They tried to charge us $120 to cancel our house account even though we had been long-time customers and were continuing to be a customer. After numerous phone calls, they finally got it all straigtened out. The customer service reps are awful! Be persistent! It can be done.

We have one DVR and one regular receiver in the bedroom. There is one cable that comes into the camper. We have ours running through a window. We're not sure if it can be connected somehow so that it is not coming through the window. But at least we have service. Good luck!

53 Merc · RV-Dreams Family Member

K & E wrote:
We have one DVR and one regular receiver in the bedroom. There is one cable that comes into the camper. We have ours running through a window. We're not sure if it can be connected somehow so that it is not coming through the window. But at least we have service. Good luck!

Jayco website says you have satellite hookup built in. Look for a coaxial male plug looking out. It should be in the "utility" hookup area. Bet there is a label that says Satellite. Don't try to hook up to the "cable" fixture and then turn off the antenna booster. I did, it won't work. Learn from my dumbness.

Hamshog · RV-Dreams Family Member

We had Direct TV at our S&B. I bought a new Slimline 3 from a private installer for $50.00 and made a low-profile PVC stand for it. We used this for a year before fulltiming. When we moved into the coach we just took our receivers with us and changed our address to our annual site. Works great!! No problems...

We came down off the mountain for a couple weeks on Saturday. I put the dish and stand out, hooked up the cables, got my compass and walkie-talkies and the DW fired up the signal screen to set up. Pointed the dish and in less than a minute we had a 95% signal. Good enough for me!! Let's watch HD TV!!!

I like Direct RV...

Regards, Hamshog

Racerguy · RV-Dreams Family Member

Hamshog is correct even though I have Dish HD I can be set up and have TV within 15 minutes.Takes more time to get tri-pod plumb than anything else.I use the web for my elevation and skew then find a dish in the park like mine and point it in that same general direction.I just call Linda's cell phone and lay it by the tv so I can hear the signal then fine tune for the strongest signal.The trick with Dish is to hone in on 119 and the rest will be there.Twice now I have set it up, pointed it and had TV by the time I got inside( dumb luck both times).Like anything else you get better as time goes on.

Bill and Linda · RV-Dreams Family Member

There was a comment earlier about Direct TV / Dish and HD – and “Dome” antennas -

Wingard makes an automatic dish (not a dome) that does Direct TV HD and meets the dish size specifications of Direct-TV "HD." (Size matters.) It mounts on the roof and doesn’t need a dome as it is not designed for “in motion” (driving down the road) viewing.

The “domes” can’t do Direct TV HD because the antennas inside are too small. That’s a “laws of physics” thing. It has nothing to do with marketing.

We have the Winegard 3005 automatic dish. It will work for Direct TV or Dish – HD or standard. Doesn’t matter – either one – either flavor.

We’ve used Direct TV for 15 years and in that time I haven’t found a reason to change.

Bill

Bill and Linda · RV-Dreams Family Member

53 Merc wrote:
That's it? Well, you will need to take one of your receivers from the house to put in the RV. HUH? That's all? Well, you have to pay every month, and if you are away from your home zip code, you won't get local channels.
Of course, there may be another shoe to drop, but I have been happy for over 3 years.

Nope, no shoe to drop. That’s it. Take the receiver, or the DVR, to the rig from the house and enjoy. You’ll get the locals for some distance from your S&B’s. It depends. ‘Sometimes 100 miles – sometimes 250. It just depends and I won’t bother you with the teckie reasons. The rep is required to tell you about the “zip code” limitation for the locals. But the “foot print” signal with the locals from the satellite doesn’t know a thing about zip codes – or the Canadian border for that matter.

But yep, that’s it. Enjoy.

Bill

rjenkins · RV-Dreams Family Member

whether Dish or Direct, getting the locals maybe a moot point. with all tv broadcasts now being done digital, you need a digital tv and corresponding antenna and you pick up HD tv local channels no matter where you are and without a need for satellite tv. personally i watch no local channels, i like a&e, discovery, natgeo, travel, etc so this would not even be an issue but the point is, don't get tied down with what satellite provider you want to go with just based on ease of getting local, there are options now and they are free after you have the right tv.
with digital tv no more fuzzy screen, you either have the picture or you don't.

-- Edited by rjenkins on Wednesday 28th of July 2010 12:02:41 PM

Delaine and Lindy · RV-Dreams Family Member

As stated above we have Direct-TV and have since 2005. We used a Tri-pod until we got the new 2010 Mobile Suites. We had a option of getting a Winguard Traveler 3 which is HD and its fully artomatic, when setting up and the shore power is up and working just push a button and by time or before you hook up the the water/sewer the Dish will have locked onto the correct satellites. We don't take the receivers out of the stick house, have two in the stick house and two in the 5th wheel. As long as we stay inside a 250 mile radius of home base we have locals. We also have DNC. We are very pleased with our system. I still carry the Tri-pod and a Slim Line dish. Just in case there are trees (trees are a Hazzard) we can still have HDTV. GBY...

The Bear II · RV-Dreams Family Member

We've only had Dish and have had good service for 15 years. We also use it at our stick & brick instead of Comcast cable.

We have the HD setup at home and the Dish 500 in the RV.

Next upgrade will be to go with a Winegard Traveller 1000 autometic antenna on the RV.

Haven't tried Direct TV and hated the poor quality signal we got from the cable companies.

-- Edited by The Bear II on Wednesday 28th of July 2010 04:37:02 PM

Postalpair · RV-Dreams Family Member

We went with Direct....put the Travel'er dish on the roof. Push a button when we arrive and within minutes it is locked on the satellite and ready to go. We also carry a portable dish with us....but again, very simple and easy to set up. We have been very satisifed with Direct's customer service....we use the LA/NY feeds and don't bother with local channels. If we need local weather, we use internet.
Just our 2 cents worth....Good Luck!!! smile

-- Edited by Postalpair on Wednesday 28th of July 2010 07:47:04 PM

jb · RV-Dreams Family Member

We love Direct TV. We have had it for over 10 years. They have always given us great service and we are big football fans and could not live a full life without the NFL ticket

lwfox002 · RV-Dreams Family Member

I went our local installer, a high school friend and he sold me a tripod and used dish with a dual LNB for a little over $100, plus some cable and lots of information and advice. I also ordered a sat signal meter to help when I set up. We have Dish and just skip the support phone calls unless absolutely necessary.

desertnurse · RV-Dreams Family Member

Well, we went with Dish, being installed tomarrow-let you know what we think in a while!
(At this point I am just fantasizing about calling Comcast and telling them they won't get any more of my money for their terrible service!!).

-- Edited by desertnurse on Wednesday 4th of August 2010 02:12:10 AM