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rufwork

Last reply Sep 15, 2011 · posted in DISH Network Support Forum

Cheapest Way to Get Dish During NFL Season Only?

I'm interested in getting Dish with Red Zone for four months out of the year (for Monday Night Football, ESPN, and the Red Zone channel during the NFL season), then cancel, then re-activate eight months later when the season starts again.

Any advice on the cheapest way to have service four months a year?

(I'm an OTA antenna guy, so I'd probably have the local game on the HD TV and Dish on the old tube, so SD-only is probably fine.)

What I might have learned:
* I need 120+ to order Red Zone for $7 a month.
* There might be a cancellation fee even without a contract (like $6 or something).
* It might cost $20 each year to re-activate.
* I don't have to buy a dish; I can lease it and the receiver, but if I did so, I'd be stuck paying shipping to send the equipment back after the end of the season.
* If I purchase a used receiver, I need to check and make sure the card doesn't have a balance on it.
* It's very difficult to self-install HD, so I might want to consider SD only. (I did install DirecTV several times years ago, fwiw.)

What I'm not clear on:
* Do I really have to shell out for professional installation if I purchase a used receiver?
* Can I talk my way out of the $99 account startup charge? Is that mostly an installation charge?
* Can I talk my way out of the $20 re-activiation fee each year?
* Can I use my old DirecTV dish at all with a used Dish receiver? That is, can I use it as is? As is, but with a new LNB? Where would I get the LNB?
* If I buy a used receiver and the smart card in it is too old, can I talk Dish into sending me a new one for nothing? If not, what's the charge for the new smart card?

Any ways of saving cash I'm missing? I think Red Zone would keep me out of the sports bars during the season. The question is if I can save money doing it. The up front costs of Dish -- potentially a $50 receiver, $?? for the dish, and $99 for the install -- are far from trivial, if I've got the situation down right.

TIA!

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DishinDinner

Aug 1, 2010

I know the OP does not want a contract...but, Dish does have a way to suspend service for a period of time and then pick it back up, continuing the contract where you had left off. So if you had a two year contract and only used satellite four months a year, it'd take 6 years to run the contract out, I'm not sure of the fees to suspend service and restart it each time, but it may give you lower up front costs.

rufwork

Aug 1, 2010

DishinDinner said:
I know the OP does not want a contract...but, Dish does have a way to suspend service for a period of time and then pick it back up, continuing the contract where you had left off. So if you had a two year contract and only used satellite four months a year, it'd take 6 years to run the contract out, I'm not sure of the fees to suspend service and restart it each time, but it may give you lower up front costs.

From what I've been told, that runs $5 a month and can only be used for 6 (?) months at a time. And if you go longer than that, you're out and have to mail the leased equipment back, which isn't cheap.

I've also had a few sellers tell me that currently there's no charge to reinstate Flex after a break. I'm a little suspicious, but the worst I've seen is a max of $25 after 5 months off from Flex.

The 6 months on, 6 off might be a better deal, at least short run, though -- that is, it'll let me run the new customer deal. Interesting thought.

rufwork

Nov 27, 2010

Sum of the Great Red Zone Experiment of 2010

To wrap up on the Red Zone experiment…

I got Flex so that I didn't have to sign up for a two-year agreement. I purchased the equipment from Clint Wall at Affordable Entertainment Corp (http://ae-tx.com). He couldn't have been more helpful from start to finish, and fielded enough dumb questions via email that I doubt he made minimum wage on me.

Prices were as follows:
Description Unit price Qty Amount
-Dish 211K Receiver $99.00 1 $99.00
-Dish 1000.2 dish kit $50.00 1 $50.00
Subtotal $149.00
Shipping and handling $40.00
Total $189.00

After signing up for auto-pay, I received $75 back. So I was only out $114 for the hardware. I could also, I reasoned, make a good deal of that back selling it on eBay if I needed to bail.

Total Hardware Price: $114.

I had set up DirecTV myself years ago and tried to set up this dish. I don't know why, but I didn't get any signal. I spent a few hours one weekend setting things up on a post, then caved and finally got Brian at StarTec, a local Dish installer, to set up a quick install. I already had the cable running from the roof into the house down to the single room install. The fellow who installed did try to ask for more than was quoted, but gave me no troubles when I "reminded" him of our first price.

Hopefully most DIYers wouldn't need this cost.

Installation: $100 (optional)

Cost per month is full price for 120+ (the minimum needed for the Sports Package with Red Zone), which is $44.99. The Sports Package with Red Zone is an additional $7 a month. My taxes are running $3.12; I'm not sure if that includes a tax for the "free" HBO and Showtime for the first three months.

Monthly: $55.11

Things took a while to set up, so I missed the first month of the season, but let's pretend I got all four that I wanted.

Total this year for programming: $55.11x4 = $220.44

So all in all, I'm out:
Hardware: $114.00
Install: $100.00
Programming: $220.44
=========================
$434.44

That's not factoring in that I could sell the hardware and recoup much of the cost, nor that if I was competent, I could have installed the Dish myself. ;^)

Without install: $334.44

So, just for fun (and to make myself feel better), I'll compare prices for four months of 120+ with Red Zone against a 2-year agreement. For 12 months, you'd get programming for $29.99 and Sports for $7 = 36.99 + tax. I'll call that about $39. After month 12, you're paying what I pay. Note that I'm not adding costs like second room installs (sheesh, pricely) or DVR fees. I am taking the $7 sports package off after the NFL season for the 2-year. I'm not lowering their subscription rate from 120+. I guess you could conceivably do that? Not sure how the 2-year agreement works, whether you have to stay at the level you signed up for initially or not. I'm guessing you do.

If I've set up Excel correctly, here are the important dates…

After Month 4:
Me: 434.44
DIYer: 334.44
2 year: 156.00

After Month 10 (DIYer is ahead):
Me: 434.44
DIYer: 334.44
2-year: 348.00

After Month 12 (I'm still slightly behind):
Me: 434.44
DIYer: 334.44
2-year: 412.00

Turning Flex back on currently runs $20, so you have to put that in for me and DIY before going into month 1 of year 2.

After Month 1 Year 2 (2-year is at full price now):
Me: 509.55
DIYer: 409.55
2-year: 467.11

After Month 5 Year 2 (I'm finally ahead to stay)
Me: 674.88
DIYer: 574.88
2-year: 680.55

After Month 12 Year 2:
Me: 674.88
DIYer: 574.88
2-year: 1017.32 (!!)

From there on out, we're sort of all in the same situation, but if I want to turn my service off, I don't have to mail my stuff back in like the 2-year guy does, who was just leasing. I'm not sure how difficult it is to get your receiver and dish back once your two years are up if you send them back in. Perhaps you essentially have to keep paying or start all the way back over. If the situation for the 2-year guy in year 3 is like year 2, above, then after year 3 I'm so far ahead I'll confidently feel like I made the right choice!

You can rightly say I'm comparing apples to oranges. I don't get HD for "free". I don't get programming 8 months out of the year. But, most importantly, I like apples.

Neat things I found out:
1.) The 211k will control your VCR. You find the code, enter it, then set up timers from within the Dish guide and *poof*, it turns your VCR on and off. No programming required for the VCR. Nothing like watching Avatar in VHS in EP, baby. Who needs a DVR?

2.) Local channels and preview channels are in HD even though I'm not paying for HD. Red Zone has been in HD, though I'm not sure if that's because the NFL Network has been a preview. We'll find out a week from Sunday.

Craptastic stuff:
1.) Every time I see the Dish Network president/CEO/whatever say that TV should be free like it was when he was a kid -- so HD is free for all Dish Network folk -- I get a little bitter. Not so fast, buddy.

2.) Dish SD on an HDTV isn't great. Not bad, and nobody's complaining, but not as good as SD multicasts from OTA.

3.) The first Dish rep tried to charge me $5 or so just to add the Sports Package, saying that I was changing my programming and that resulted in a charge. I said that I wasn't even receiving programming yet, so there really wasn't any way I was changing anything! Following the standard advice around here, I called back later and didn't get charged by the next rep. I'm not sure if ae-tx should have signed me up for Sports initially or what.

4.) The Red Zone is more speculative highlights than a true Poor Man's Sunday Ticket. Sometimes there are, what, eight to ten or so early games, and you barely see enough of them to matter. The narrative of the game's all gone. I've found myself flipping from games I don't even care about on local networks to the Red Zone and back just to get the feel for *a* game. The late games are much more enjoyable to watch on Red Zone, when it seems there are six or less going. This is the best site I've seen for checking what's on where and when: http://the506.com/sports/?p=458

I think that about sums it up. Thanks for the help, guys! :up

rufwork

Sep 14, 2011

Can we please edit our posts a little longer after posting them? NFL Channel is in HD this morning. I'm not sure why it wasn't coming in with HD yesterday. HD wasn't on the info bar, so I don't think I'm imagining this.

Okay dude, cheapest with the implication of doing it legally. Or at least in true HD.

Not sure this counts for much...

stopfinger atm said:
MySQL server error report:
Error:Unknown database 'mr-digital-online_ecmall'
Errno:1049
Contact Administrator find the solutions to this error.

That's why I never bank on streaming anything.

osu1991

Sep 14, 2011

You didnt have HD yesterday due to Dish having problems with the 129 sat and losing all the HD nationwide for about 10 hours last night

Sent from my Galaxy S using SatelliteGuys

rufwork

Sep 14, 2011

osu1991 said:
You didnt have HD yesterday due to Dish having problems with the 129 sat and losing all the HD nationwide for about 10 hours last night

Thanks. I saw the outage reported on the font page, but thought it was for the Western Arc or whatever, not that I know what that means exactly.

That makes more sense.

RaymondG@Dish Network

Sep 15, 2011

rufwork said:
From what I've been told, that runs $5 a month and can only be used for 6 (?) months at a time.

It is only $5 per month. Pause can only be used 6 months at a time in a rolling 12 month period. The Pause service is only available to qualifying accounts. Also if you are receiving any promotional credits or free previews, placing your account on pause will forfit those promotional items. The only exception to that would be HD Free for Life.

Claude Greiner

Sep 15, 2011

rufwork said:
To wrap up on the Red Zone experiment…

I got Flex so that I didn't have to sign up for a two-year agreement. I purchased the equipment from Clint Wall at Affordable Entertainment Corp (http://ae-tx.com). He couldn't have been more helpful from start to finish, and fielded enough dumb questions via email that I doubt he made minimum wage on me.

Prices were as follows:
Description Unit price Qty Amount
-Dish 211K Receiver $99.00 1 $99.00
-Dish 1000.2 dish kit $50.00 1 $50.00
Subtotal $149.00
Shipping and handling $40.00
Total $189.00

After signing up for auto-pay, I received $75 back. So I was only out $114 for the hardware. I could also, I reasoned, make a good deal of that back selling it on eBay if I needed to bail.

Total Hardware Price: $114.

I had set up DirecTV myself years ago and tried to set up this dish. I don't know why, but I didn't get any signal. I spent a few hours one weekend setting things up on a post, then caved and finally got Brian at StarTec, a local Dish installer, to set up a quick install. I already had the cable running from the roof into the house down to the single room install. The fellow who installed did try to ask for more than was quoted, but gave me no troubles when I "reminded" him of our first price.

Hopefully most DIYers wouldn't need this cost.

Installation: $100 (optional)

Cost per month is full price for 120+ (the minimum needed for the Sports Package with Red Zone), which is $44.99. The Sports Package with Red Zone is an additional $7 a month. My taxes are running $3.12; I'm not sure if that includes a tax for the "free" HBO and Showtime for the first three months.

Monthly: $55.11

Things took a while to set up, so I missed the first month of the season, but let's pretend I got all four that I wanted.

Total this year for programming: $55.11x4 = $220.44

So all in all, I'm out:
Hardware: $114.00
Install: $100.00
Programming: $220.44
=========================
$434.44

That's not factoring in that I could sell the hardware and recoup much of the cost, nor that if I was competent, I could have installed the Dish myself. ;^)

Without install: $334.44

So, just for fun (and to make myself feel better), I'll compare prices for four months of 120+ with Red Zone against a 2-year agreement. For 12 months, you'd get programming for $29.99 and Sports for $7 = 36.99 + tax. I'll call that about $39. After month 12, you're paying what I pay. Note that I'm not adding costs like second room installs (sheesh, pricely) or DVR fees. I am taking the $7 sports package off after the NFL season for the 2-year. I'm not lowering their subscription rate from 120+. I guess you could conceivably do that? Not sure how the 2-year agreement works, whether you have to stay at the level you signed up for initially or not. I'm guessing you do.

If I've set up Excel correctly, here are the important dates…

After Month 4:
Me: 434.44
DIYer: 334.44
2 year: 156.00

After Month 10 (DIYer is ahead):
Me: 434.44
DIYer: 334.44
2-year: 348.00

After Month 12 (I'm still slightly behind):
Me: 434.44
DIYer: 334.44
2-year: 412.00

Turning Flex back on currently runs $20, so you have to put that in for me and DIY before going into month 1 of year 2.

After Month 1 Year 2 (2-year is at full price now):
Me: 509.55
DIYer: 409.55
2-year: 467.11

After Month 5 Year 2 (I'm finally ahead to stay)
Me: 674.88
DIYer: 574.88
2-year: 680.55

After Month 12 Year 2:
Me: 674.88
DIYer: 574.88
2-year: 1017.32 (!!)

From there on out, we're sort of all in the same situation, but if I want to turn my service off, I don't have to mail my stuff back in like the 2-year guy does, who was just leasing. I'm not sure how difficult it is to get your receiver and dish back once your two years are up if you send them back in. Perhaps you essentially have to keep paying or start all the way back over. If the situation for the 2-year guy in year 3 is like year 2, above, then after year 3 I'm so far ahead I'll confidently feel like I made the right choice!

You can rightly say I'm comparing apples to oranges. I don't get HD for "free". I don't get programming 8 months out of the year. But, most importantly, I like apples.

Neat things I found out:
1.) The 211k will control your VCR. You find the code, enter it, then set up timers from within the Dish guide and *poof*, it turns your VCR on and off. No programming required for the VCR. Nothing like watching Avatar in VHS in EP, baby. Who needs a DVR?

2.) Local channels and preview channels are in HD even though I'm not paying for HD. Red Zone has been in HD, though I'm not sure if that's because the NFL Network has been a preview. We'll find out a week from Sunday.

Craptastic stuff:
1.) Every time I see the Dish Network president/CEO/whatever say that TV should be free like it was when he was a kid -- so HD is free for all Dish Network folk -- I get a little bitter. Not so fast, buddy.

2.) Dish SD on an HDTV isn't great. Not bad, and nobody's complaining, but not as good as SD multicasts from OTA.

3.) The first Dish rep tried to charge me $5 or so just to add the Sports Package, saying that I was changing my programming and that resulted in a charge. I said that I wasn't even receiving programming yet, so there really wasn't any way I was changing anything! Following the standard advice around here, I called back later and didn't get charged by the next rep. I'm not sure if ae-tx should have signed me up for Sports initially or what.

4.) The Red Zone is more speculative highlights than a true Poor Man's Sunday Ticket. Sometimes there are, what, eight to ten or so early games, and you barely see enough of them to matter. The narrative of the game's all gone. I've found myself flipping from games I don't even care about on local networks to the Red Zone and back just to get the feel for *a* game. The late games are much more enjoyable to watch on Red Zone, when it seems there are six or less going. This is the best site I've seen for checking what's on where and when: NFL Map Index and National Schedule: 2010 - Everything you need to know about sports on television - the506.com

I think that about sums it up. Thanks for the help, guys! :up

They gave you $75 back?

They are loosing money on that deal if they gave you $75 back.

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dishstaller

Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter

6 minutes ago · posted in The Chit Chat Club

Is it click bait or is it real

Pretty cool.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18iLQXklJuU

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Ramy

Supporting Founder

Last reply 36 minutes ago · posted in The Sports Section

2026-27 NCAA College Football

Really excited for this season with Kentucky having a new coach and some really exciting recruits. Probably won't last long, but here's hoping this season is great.

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Yespage

Today at 3:04 PM

You mean other than Miami being in the final last year... and Indiana being the only bye team to win a game?

Jimbo

Today at 9:19 PM

Yespage said:
You mean other than Miami being in the final last year... and Indiana being the only bye team to win a game?

No, I was actually referring to outside of the Top 8, but should have been Top 12 ...

I guess I should have looked at the bracket from last year first ...

I'm more thinking about them trying to expect a 15 to beat a 5 seed or there abouts .

Jimbo

Today at 9:22 PM

AI Overview

College Football Playoff bracket, schedule, scores, rankings ...

The 2025–26 College Football Playoff concluded with the Indiana Hoosiers winning the national championship by defeating the Miami Hurricanes 27–21. [1, 2, 3]

Playoff Results Summary
The 12-team playoff bracket featured the following key results across each round: [1]

- First Round: Alabama defeated Oklahoma (34–24), Miami (Fla.) beat Texas A&M (10–3), Ole Miss topped Tulane (41–10), and Oregon defeated James Madison (51–34) at higher-seeded campus sites.
- Quarterfinals: Miami (Fla.) upset Ohio State (24–14), Oregon shut out Texas Tech (23–0), top-ranked Indiana rolled past Alabama (38–3), and Ole Miss edged Georgia (39–34) across the New Year's Six bowls.
- Semifinals: Miami (Fla.) advanced past Ole Miss (31–27) in the Peach Bowl, while Indiana dominant-defeated Oregon (56–22) in the Fiesta Bowl.
- National Championship: Indiana secured the title with a 27–21 victory over Miami (Fla.) at Hard Rock Stadium. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Unfortunately, there was not rankings listed in this summary

AZ.

56 minutes ago

And no teams deserve a bye! Injuries are the largest part of the game that you cant practice for them. Any team can suffer the worst injury at any position on any play. No favorites.

Jimbo

45 minutes ago

AZ. said:
And no teams deserve a bye! Injuries are the largest part of the game that you cant practice for them. Any team can suffer the worst injury at any position on any play. No favorites.

I think they are actually discussing the Top 8 get a Bye this time, if they go to 24.
Then again, I heard something about Play in games for the 16-24 teams ...

Nothing is official yet, so lots of moving parts ...

Can't wait, lets do 24, 3 years later they will want 32 :sick

Yespage

36 minutes ago

AZ. said:
And no teams deserve a bye! Injuries are the largest part of the game that you cant practice for them. Any team can suffer the worst injury at any position on any play. No favorites.

While the bye can help the top four teams and those the Cartels would like to protect in the playoff, I think the bye is also about making the Cartel championships mean something. One problem with a playoff is it does diminish the conference title a bit.

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osu1991

Pub Member / Supporter

Last reply Today at 9:02 PM · posted in The Chit Chat Club

Walter Koenig, Chekov on Original ‘Star Trek,’ Dies at 90

Walter Koenig, Chekov on Original ‘Star Trek,’ Dies at 90

Walter Koenig, who memorably played Chekov in the original "Star Trek" series and seven "Star Trek" feature films, died Sunday in Los Angeles.

variety.com

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Bobby

Today at 2:03 PM

Rest in peace. Together again with Spock, Doc, Uhura, and Scotty...

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long_time_Dish

Today at 3:32 PM

Rest in peace, Checkov, and Bester too...

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FTA4PA

Today at 3:37 PM

Rest In Peace

Foxbat

Today at 9:02 PM

Rest in Peace…

JSheridan

Lifetime Supporter

Last reply Today at 9:01 PM · posted in DISH Network Support Forum

All DMA's now Western Arc

I know HipKat said that they were working on conversions but we got the official news yesterday right from Dish that starting next month all DMA's will be on the western arc, and all customers will be assigned to that. That's gonna mean a lot of customers around here aren't gonna get Dish unless there are exceptions. Too many mountains and trees.

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MikeD-C05

Sep 26, 2026

I don't know why DISH doesn't just start a streaming version of DISH and then if you can't see the western arc you go with streaming versions and then they could keep customers if they had good internet speeds. I mean Sling TV could be changed to Streaming DISH TV if they wanted since both companies are under Echostar. Then you would still be able to use your ota antenna with Air TV devices like I do with Air TV Anywhere with 4 ota tuners.

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Scott Greczkowski

Sep 26, 2026

MikeD-C05 said:
I don't know why DISH doesn't just start a streaming version of DISH

I have the same wish.

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bnewt

Today at 3:30 PM

Scott Greczkowski said:
I have the same wish.

Why?
A lot of people do not have fast internet.
That is why they use satellite

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Scott Greczkowski

Today at 4:56 PM

bnewt said:
Why?
A lot of people do not have fast internet.
That is why they use satellite

They keep the satellite service too. But have. Full streaming version of dish. As sling tv sucks eggs.

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Almighty1

Today at 6:28 PM

bnewt said:
Why?
A lot of people do not have fast internet.
That is why they use satellite

And the same reason why DISH removing satellite 118 for international channels is a bad idea as at least in my case, TVB Jade World costs $29.99/month and depends on a internet connection for the signal transport to the DISH Hopper 3 + Hopper Plus to stream the channel which makes it unavailable on DISH Anywhere and also I am providing the transport pipe at my own expense when it was supposed to be a dedicated connection via satellite between DISH and the DISH equipment.

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navychop

Today at 7:37 PM

Scott Greczkowski said:
As sling tv sucks eggs.

PHONE CALL FOR MISTER SCOTT G! PHONE CALL FOR MISTER SCOTT G! FROM A MISTER C ERGEN!……

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NYDutch

Today at 7:40 PM

bnewt said:
Why?
A lot of people do not have fast internet.
That is why they use satellite

DISH will happily sell them a Starlink system and service.

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telstar_1

Today at 8:12 PM

Why didn't Charlie end up launching starlink

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Foxbat

Today at 9:01 PM

telstar_1 said:
Why didn't Charlie end up launching starlink

Because he didn't have a fleet of reusable rockets. Starlink works because SpaceX is able to launch hundreds (thousands?) of their Starlink satellites for what a single geostationary Internet satellite costs to build and launch on a disposable launcher.

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TWiT Tech Podcast Network

Today at 5:52 PM · posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network

Preorders Open for the Brax Wink De-Googled Phone #shorts

Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!

View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/SqPMCS9OOSY

Direct YouTube Link - Preorders Open for the Brax Wink De-Googled Phone #shorts
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed

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Bobby

Supporting Founder Lifetime Supporter

Last reply Today at 5:13 PM · posted in DISH Network Support Forum

Dish 4K Event Listings (No Discussion)

This is a thread that will keep you apprised of 4K events that will be showing on Dish channel 540. Keep looking here for information.

As of today, 9-27-17, there are no scheduled events posted for the next 2 weeks. That is subject to change on a daily basis.

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Bobby

Friday at 2:54 PM

MLB, Rays at Brewers, Friday 10-23, 5PM PDT, Channel 148-01.

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Bobby

Friday at 2:55 PM

MLB, Rays at Brewers, Saturday 10-24, 5PM PDT, Channel 148-01.

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Bobby

Friday at 2:57 PM

MLB, Brewers at Rays, Monday 10-26, 5PM PDT, Channel 148-01.

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Bobby

Friday at 2:59 PM

MLB, Brewers at Rays, Tuesday 10-27, 5PM PDT, Channel 148-01.

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Bobby

Today at 5:13 PM

CFB, Florida vs Georgia, Saturday 10-31, 12:30PM PDT, Channel 148-03.

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TheForce

Supporting Founder Pub Member / Supporter

Last reply Today at 4:36 PM · posted in The Phone & Tablet Zone

Apple Event September 2026

Apple Fall Hardware Event takes place today, September 9, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET. It marks the debut of new CEO John Ternus and the expected reveal of Apple's first foldable phone.

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comfortably_numb

Oct 10, 2026

Can't remember if I've posted this yet..

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfL5seXJyWU

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Foxbat

Saturday at 11:47 AM

If you ponied up for an iPhone Duo, keep it away from anything other than your soft, fleshy fingertips. No fingernails, no dust, sand, dirt, or other particulate matter. And don't bend it more than it needs to. Zack has destroyed $2,000 of Apple hardware to get those views, which should cover his expenses.

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comfortably_numb

Saturday at 11:56 AM

Foxbat said:
No fingernails, no dust, sand, dirt, or other particulate matter

And definitely no medieval chain armor!

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harshness

Yesterday at 12:18 PM

comfortably_numb said:
medieval chain armor

Aka "mail" or "maille".

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Foxbat

Yesterday at 7:05 PM

IFixIt has published their Teardown and they had some positive things to say about the iPhone Duo. It still showed some dust ingress into the hinge assembly but seemed otherwise well-sealed.

But with a considerable number of reports of the main screen dying with similar failures, AppleCare+ should be a no-brainer for this phone.

slow_poke_pete

Yesterday at 8:31 PM

comfortably_numb said:
Can't remember if I've posted this yet..

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfL5seXJyWU

most carriers do. that's why they send updates that slow phones down!! i buy unlocked phones no effect to me

slow_poke_pete

Yesterday at 8:32 PM

Foxbat said:
IFixIt has published their Teardown and they had some positive things to say about the iPhone Duo. It still showed some dust ingress into the hinge assembly but seemed otherwise well-sealed.

But with a considerable number of reports of the main screen dying with similar failures, AppleCare+ should be a no-brainer for this phone.

hope you have apple care a screen job is 1000.00

. can we say over priced garbage!!!

slow_poke_pete

Today at 4:36 PM

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iv0BssMerjA

Reactions: comfortably_numb

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vlad_

Last reply Today at 4:10 PM · posted in DIRECTV General Forum

Thinking of switching to DirecTV

I'm thinking of switching to DirecTV and wanted to know what equipment I should be asking for.

I'm wanting wired satellite due to that fact that I live in the sticks and there is no reliable, decent speed internet for streaming available.

What would be the correct equipment for three 4K tvs in the house?

59 Replies · 1079 views

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navychop

Sep 28, 2026

I'm having trouble with the posit that StarLink is not available. You do not appear to be in an oversubscribed area

Why do you think you can't get StarLink?

vlad_

Sep 29, 2026

navychop said:
I'm having trouble with the posit that StarLink is not available. You do not appear to be in an oversubscribed area

Why do you think you can't get StarLink?

I never said that Starlink is not available. The Starlink app shows obstructions for every category, so I have not researched it further.

slow_poke_pete

Sep 29, 2026

vlad_ said:
I never said that Starlink is not available. The Starlink app shows obstructions for every category, so I have not researched it further.

The HR-54 is the hardwired genie 5 tuners 1TB HDD the HS--17 the 7 tuner 2TB hdd is only a wireless setup now. dtv csr's are crap also

Tom Speer

Sep 29, 2026

slow_poke_pete said:
The HR-54 is the hardwired genie 5 tuners 1TB HDD the HS--17 the 7 tuner 2TB hdd is only a wireless setup now. dtv csr's are crap also

If they are requiring all clients on a new HS17 install to be wireless, that is not a technical requirement. It saves their techs from having to pull coax all over the house. It makes installations cheaper.

Reactions: slow_poke_pete, Mr Tony and Jimbo

Jimbo

Oct 2, 2026

JSheridan said:
The DirecTV order entry work flow doesn't allow wired clients with an HS17. Does that clear it up for you?

Yet the C61k (4k unit) was wired only ?
That was the only unit available for the HS17 if you wanted 4K

How does that work ?

Or do I havwe that flip flopped ?
It's been awhile for me now.

slow_poke_pete

Oct 3, 2026

Jimbo said:
Yet the C61k (4k unit) was wired only ?
That was the only unit available for the HS17 if you wanted 4K

How does that work ?

Or do I havwe that flip flopped ?
It's been awhile for me now.

the hs 17 only gets the wireless geminis no more hardwiring.. i think dtv is trying to ween people offf of the teat satellite

JSheridan

Oct 3, 2026

slow_poke_pete said:
the hs 17 only gets the wireless geminis no more hardwiring.. i think dtv is trying to ween people offf of the teat satellite

I think Dish might be the only service that still wires houses. The cable company has gone wireless, Verizon is switching all their copper line customers to wireless, DirecTV Stream, even most surveillance and alarm systems are going wireless.

slow_poke_pete

Oct 4, 2026

JSheridan said:
I think Dish might be the only service that still wires houses. The cable company has gone wireless, Verizon is switching all their copper line customers to wireless, DirecTV Stream, even most surveillance and alarm systems are going wireless.

our hopper and joey 4's are all hard wired

b4pjoe

Oct 5, 2026

slow_poke_pete said:
our hopper and joey 4's are all hard wired

So is my 2 Gemini's and my 4 HR24's.

Reactions: "MysteryMan" and slow_poke_pete

JSheridan

Oct 5, 2026

b4pjoe said:
So is my 2 Gemini's and my 4 HR24's.

And I'm guessing they've been that way for quite a while. The future of DirecTV is no wires. Actually, the future of DirecTV is probably a merger with Dish, and IMHO if Charlie is smart he'll use the DirecTV brand.

Reactions: slow_poke_pete

slow_poke_pete

Oct 5, 2026

JSheridan said:
And I'm guessing they've been that way for quite a while. The future of DirecTV is no wires. Actually, the future of DirecTV is probably a merger with Dish, and IMHO if Charlie is smart he'll use the DirecTV brand.

why not just do a rebranding of the two :what

JSheridan

Oct 5, 2026

slow_poke_pete said:
why not just do a rebranding of the two

As they pivot away from using dishes and more toward streaming, the DirecTV brand would make much more sense.

Reactions: slow_poke_pete, Mr Tony and Jimbo

b4pjoe

Oct 5, 2026

JSheridan said:
And I'm guessing they've been that way for quite a while. The future of DirecTV is no wires. Actually, the future of DirecTV is probably a merger with Dish, and IMHO if Charlie is smart he'll use the DirecTV brand.

Yes mine was wired years ago. However you can still order satellite service with wired receivers on the DIRECTV website. I guess you cannot if you call to order the service.

Jimbo

Oct 6, 2026

I would take an HR54 over a HS17 ANY day of the week ... The HR54 Looks like a recvr, works in your set up fine ...
The HS17 is a large triangle that looks stupid in your equipment, often they try to Hie in behind something ... just a poor design over all.

If you got an HS17 they Forced you to give up you Stand alone Recvrs ... just a poor idea ...
I had my HR54 to the end, along with my HR24's ...

At least I could still enjoy D* when traveling in the Motor home when I kept the HR54 set up at home, as well as at the lake.

Reactions: Mr Tony

Nominal

Oct 6, 2026

Jimbo said:
I would take an HR54 over a HS17 ANY day of the week ... The HR54 Looks like a recvr, works inn tour set up fine ...
The HS17 is a large triangle that looks stupid in your equipment, often they try to Hie in behind something ... just a poor design over all.

It's not a poor design when you factor in that it has a Wireless Video Bridge built-in. It's shaped like a router or gateway for a reason.

JSheridan

Oct 6, 2026

b4pjoe said:
Yes mine was wired years ago. However you can still order satellite service with wired receivers on the DIRECTV website. I guess you cannot if you call to order the service.

We're a DirecTV retailer and there is no where in the order entry flow to have wired clients with an HS17. I heard that when it's ordered on the website the installer shows up with only HS17's and wireless clients. I don't know how reliable that info is as it came from a dubious source but it makes sense.

b4pjoe

Oct 6, 2026

JSheridan said:
We're a DirecTV retailer and there is no where in the order entry flow to have wired clients with an HS17. I heard that when it's ordered on the website the installer shows up with only HS17's and wireless clients. I don't know how reliable that info is as it came from a dubious source but it makes sense.

Yeah that would not surprise me but they do have the option on the website for wired installs. I would guess when they show up with wireless clients most people won't object. I would but a lot of people probably would not.

Reactions: JSheridan

slow_poke_pete

Oct 7, 2026

Nominal said:
It's not a poor design when you factor in that it has a Wireless Video Bridge built-in. It's shaped like a router or gateway for a reason.

i do agree with jimbo on wanting to hide the HS-17 :biggrin

been there

slow_poke_pete

Oct 7, 2026

JSheridan said:
As they pivot away from using dishes and more toward streaming, the DirecTV brand would make much more sense.

agree to a certain point!!! is charlies pockets gonna get tight and will he cancel channels because he don't want to pay for them??? a hopper 3 on dtv channel lineup would be amazing and every mans dream come true lol :what

robjlevin

Oct 7, 2026

Jimbo said:
I would take an HR54 over a HS17 ANY day of the week ... The HR54 Looks like a recvr, works in your set up fine ...
The HS17 is a large triangle that looks stupid in your equipment, often they try to Hie in behind something ... just a poor design over all.

If you got an HS17 they Forced you to give up you Stand alone Recvrs ... just a poor idea ...
I had my HR54 to the end, along with my HR24's ...

At least I could still enjoy D* when traveling in the Motor home when I kept the HR54 set up at home, as well as at the lake.

Well, different strokes and all that. I've had that HS17 sitting quietly doing its job for almost a decade. As I mentioned earlier, at one point I had two wired and two wireless receivers. Now, just one C61K.

Even before that I had a HR44 with an HR24 and two wireless minis. Back then, which was years ago, I would have agreed with the need for individual receivers, but at this point, I stream almost everything, including shows I used to record.

It'll be moot soon enough anyway. Wired receivers/DVRs are going the way of the POTS landline. You can't stop progress.

Reactions: Jimbo

slow_poke_pete

Today at 4:10 PM

Tom Speer said:
If they are requiring all clients on a new HS17 install to be wireless, that is not a technical requirement. It saves their techs from having to pull coax all over the house. It makes installations cheaper.

they still won't do it if there's coax from dish in the home!!

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Comptech

Last reply Today at 4:07 PM · posted in SiriusXM Satellite Radio

Base antenna for SiriousXM

Squirrels have eaten my antenna wire on my home unit that is a car radio running of the 12 volt side of my solar system. I need a new antenna and would like to add something to one of my existing masts. The reason I am looking at this that I am also covered in trees which has not been a problem, but something mast mounted would future proof me. Thanks in advance.

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cp2k

Jul 5, 2026

The Pixel Radio Pro-500 and Pro-600 are the best home antennas for that type of setup. I sent you a PM, as I actually have one I was planning to list in the Classifieds when this heat wave subsides in the South.

Reactions: Howard Simmons

comfortably_numb

Jul 5, 2026

Reactions: Howard Simmons, Bobby and Foxbat

Arctic_fox

Jul 6, 2026

cpalmer2k said:
The Pixel Radio Pro-500 and Pro-600 are the best home antennas for that type of setup. I sent you a PM, as I actually have one I was planning to list in the Classifieds when this heat wave subsides in the South.

We have the pro-500 and it's a beast pulling in the signal!!! always full bars no matter how much it rains. it's worth every penny

Reactions: Foxbat, comfortably_numb, cp2k and 1 other person

Comptech

Jul 6, 2026

comfortably_numb said:
I am a animal lover, but this year I gave up gardening. Even moved it to potted plants on the second story deck last year. Can't tell you how much use my Ruger 10-22 got, but it was a losing battle for me. Never got any food. So now they eat coax instead! 20 acres of dense woods behind me and my stuff tastes better, either veggies or wires!

Reactions: Howard Simmons and comfortably_numb

Comptech

Jul 7, 2026

Last year they ate through my times microwave LMR400 for my CB! had to cut it back and put male and female connectors on it. So much for having a pristine run of LMR400.

Reactions: Arctic_fox

Arctic_fox

Jul 16, 2026

i might think about running cables through some conduit to prevent the Squirrels from chewing em all to hell

Reactions: Foxbat and Howard Simmons

slow_poke_pete

Today at 4:07 PM

these are good for travel

Scott Greczkowski

Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge

Last reply Today at 3:30 PM · posted in The Chit Chat Club

Song Name Game Part 3!

Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!

So let the game continue!

The last song was added by Bobby who posted...

One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters

CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!

Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game

Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.

Example:

Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow

Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio

Another example:

Ride the Lightning -- Metallica

Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne

Get it?

An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....

68619 Replies · 2678317 views

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dishstaller

Today at 12:33 PM

Long Hot Summer - Keith Urban

gms49ers

Today at 12:44 PM

Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress) - The Hollies

Reactions: long_time_Dish, sdfntx, Bobby and 2 others

sdfntx

Today at 2:09 PM

Cool Jerk - The Mindbenders

dishstaller

Today at 2:53 PM

Cool Change - Little River Band

Reactions: FTA4PA and long_time_Dish

long_time_Dish

Today at 3:30 PM

Change Of The Guard - Steely Dan

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