Switching from AT200 to AT250 Requires a Wing dish?

BeowulfShaeffer

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Original poster
Jan 25, 2007
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I just spoke to a CSR (and I have to do that, since I'm an ATT customer, so I can't use the Web) about switching from my current AT200 + HD Ultimate package to an AT250 + HD Essentials, and I was told I needed an "antenna upgrade", and asked to sign a 24 month contract. I was surprised, but she couldn't tell me what specifically required a wing dish for 61.5. Was she correct?

I currently have a 1000.2, and get my locals OTA. I live in Austin, TX, and I know that the Austin HD locals require the 61.5 wing dish, but I didn't ask for those. I told the CSR that I'm fine using my OTA antenna (I live all of 4 miles line-of-sight from the tower farm on Mt. Barker). What channels in this package requires a 61.5 wing dish? The reason I ask is that I don't have good line of sight to 61.5--my dish mounts are on the west side of my house, and a) my roof blocks the view of 61.5, and b) I'm not interested in signing any 2 year contract.

To make matters worse, I'm really interested in only 2 channels in the AT250 package: ESPNU and Versus. They're on 119 and 110, respectively. Am I just out of luck--must I have the 61.5 wing dish?
 
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Yes you do need the 61.5 if you want all the HD channels available in the HD essentials pack. Why would you want to use the 129?


Because I already have a 1000.2, and I don't want a wing dish. I have no good line-of-sight to 61.5, but my view west is completely unobstructed. Right now, with AT200 and HD Ultimate, I don't need a 61.5 dish. So which particular channels require 61.5? The "new" ones would be:

  • Tennis HD
  • Bio HD
  • Hallmark HD
  • Golf/Versus HD
  • Science HD
  • National Geo HD
The only one of those above I care about is Versus HD, and then only for Big XII football in the fall.
 
Replying to my own post, according to this link: http://www.satelliteguys.us/thelist/index.php?search=dn129?=true

All of the "new" HD for the HD Essentials is available on 129:

  • Tennis: Ch: 9442 (400) 129 TP 13
  • Golf/VS: Ch: 9468 (398) 129 TP 19
  • HMC: Ch: 9444 (187) 129 TP 13
  • Bio: Ch: 9443 (119) 129 TP 13
  • Science: Ch: 9490 (193) 129 TP 19
  • Nat Geo: Ch 9429 (186) 129 TP 30
So everything "new" HD is available on 129. Is there something on the standard def channels that would cause such a "blip"? Does anyone here have AT250 + HDEssentials using just a 1000.2 dish?
 
You do not need an antenna upgrade, and there is no reason for you to sign a commitment. Nor pay a dime toward some non existent antenna upgrade.
 
I just spoke to a CSR (and I have to do that, since I'm an ATT customer, so I can't use the Web) about switching from my current AT200 + HD Ultimate package to an AT250 + HD Essentials, and I was told I needed an "antenna upgrade", and asked to sign a 24 month contract. I was surprised, but she couldn't tell me what specifically required a wing dish for 61.5. Was she correct?

I currently have a 1000.2, and get my locals OTA. I live in Austin, TX, and I know that the Austin HD locals require the 61.5 wing dish, but I didn't ask for those. I told the CSR that I'm fine using my OTA antenna (I live all of 4 miles line-of-sight from the tower farm on Mt. Barker). What channels in this package requires a 61.5 wing dish? The reason I ask is that I don't have good line of sight to 61.5--my dish mounts are on the west side of my house, and a) my roof blocks the view of 61.5, and b) I'm not interested in signing any 2 year contract.

To make matters worse, I'm really interested in only 2 channels in the AT250 package: ESPNU and Versus. They're on 119 and 110, respectively. Am I just out of luck--must I have the 61.5 wing dish?

That's your problem right there AT&T CSR. Call again, get a different one who knows what they're talking about. The AT&T CSRs are very poorly trained, and say some of the strangest things. You don't need another dish.
 
That's your problem right there AT&T CSR. Call again, get a different one who knows what they're talking about. The AT&T CSRs are very poorly trained, and say some of the strangest things. You don't need another dish.

The CSRs are all the same pool--regular Dish CSRs just answer w/ AT&T based on what they see on their customer account screen. That said, a new CSR did confess that it was the now-available Austin HD locals (on 61.5) that was causing the "antenna upgrade required" message to come up on my change order. I told her that right now I was happy continuing to use my OTA to receive them, and she said that she had to do a "trick" to bypass the "forced" upgrade. She said that many CSRs just don't know how to bypass that.

Thanks for all the replies!
 
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