i have had dish for 2 months now and want to save 5.99 a month and get a ota antenna installed on roof. with this i can get bmore and d.c. digital stations. i have a 211k and a 622. My question is when i install the new ota antenna do i need to run the cable from the antenna to each receiver or is there a way i can combine the ota signal with the dish signal. i dont want to buy a lot of cable but if i need to i will. One tv is in basement the other one is in bedroom and we will get another one in living room soon. also any antenna recommendations zip code 20720 i know i need a vhf and uhf but i want to be able to get bmore and d.c. with one antenna

I have one OTA antenna running into a distribution amp with 4 outputs, and those outputs are all fed into diplexers along with the satellite switch outputs. From the diplexers, 1 cable goes to each of my receivers where the process is reversed.

That said, you may not want to save the locals money (if that's even possible these days) because then your 9 day guide goes away. You could still manually set timers if you want to DVR something. But without that guide, you're tuning in stations blind.

will i get guide data for Baltimore to or just d.c.

If you subscribe to your locals, you will get guide info. If you do not subscribe, you will not get guide info.

will i get guide data for Baltimore to or just d.c.

Neither, that is the point....you do not get guide data for OTA unless you sub to the Dish locals package.

If you subscribe to your locals, you will get guide info. If you do not subscribe, you will not get guide info.

really??
i never knew that.


but to answer the origional question :
DIPLEXERS!

I thought Feb 1st the locals became part of your subscription package instead of an option.

will i get guide data for Baltimore to or just d.c.

If you sub to dish locals you will receive data for any OTA station you can receive as long as dish offers the same station via Sat. Even stations not in your DMA.

I thought Feb 1st the locals became part of your subscription package instead of an option.

That's correct. You can only get a reduction if locals are not available in your DMA, so to the OP, it's a mute point.

Elsewhere it's been posted that the "free" or automatic locals is only for new subs.

I checked, I don't get the locals, even after a checkswitch. I have an OTA I'm happy with, but if I'm now in effect paying for locals, I'd might as well get them. Besides, it looks like Dish will provide a MD station I have trouble receiving.

So which is it? Time to play CSR roulette again? Need to call soon for EA anyway....

That's correct. You can only get a reduction if locals are not available in your DMA, so to the OP, it's a mute point.

I thought Feb 1st the locals became part of your subscription package instead of an option.

No that is not correct. What happened was dish forbid any one from advertising a price with out locals. that means that as a retailer the price that I have to advertise is the $24.99 pricepoint with locals not the $19.99 pricepoint without locals. Which is fine with me because 99% of customers who order dish from me order locals. You can still unbundle the locals from the dish. I know that this is still true because I just set up a customer this morning without locals.

Thank you for clearing that up.