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A
Last reply · posted in DIRECTV General Forum
Last week I setup my new DirecTV (DTV) Streaming, Gemini steaming device and StarLink internet service.

I had problems with the local channels switching to locations other than my billing address. (With DTV the local channels are supposed to be tied directly to your billing address)

It seems to be that with StarLink the satellites that are passing by your physical location will connect to the ground stations in various places. The ground stations may be located some number of miles away. Maybe as far as 200 miles away. (Our experience was that we had the Seattle (170 miles away) then later Medford, OR, (275 miles away) local channels. We are physically located 20 miles west of Portland, OR.)

More details:
-- I am physically located about 20 miles west of Portland, OR.
-- When I first configured the Gemini and connected to my StarLink WiFi, I was receiving Seattle, WA, local channels. (Could not record any programs, but more on that later.)
-- Spent 1.5 hours in chat session with DTV. They changed my billing address to the Portland area and also had me do a factory reset on Gemini, which of course required me to repeat the Gemini configuration. I was now receiving the Portland local channels. Also I now could record programs. Somewhere in this process I learned that DTV won't let you record if you internet location is different than your billing address.
-- The next evening when I powered my Gemini back on I found I lost the Portland local channels and was receiving the Medford, OR, local channels (about 275 miles away). Also I could not record programs.
-- The following morning I was still receiving Medford local channels.
-- I decided to try a few things. I powered off my StarLink and connected to my Verizon jetpac, which I figured was bound to have a Portland internet location rather than wherever the StarLink satellite might connect to.
-- Now connected to my jetpac I still received the Medford local channels.
-- I did a factory reset on the Gemini and went through the full configuration process. Still connected to my jetpac, I now was receiving Portland local channels. I believe doing a factory reset and reconfiguration on the Gemini forced DTV computers to verify my internet location. DTV seeing I was located in the Portland area they gave me the Portland locals. Also I could now record programs.
-- Next I powered off my jetpac and powered up StarLink and connected to StarLink WiFi and I still had the Portland local channels.

At this point I stopped testing and using DTV to think about my next step. My decision is that I would cancel my DTV and just go back to my Dish Network Satellite TV, that I had been using for about 13 years.

Conclusions:
-- While DTV insists that your local channels are tied directly to your billing address. That is not totally correct. At some time DTV will check your internet location and give you the local channels for that location. The computers will are programed to compare that to your billing address and block you from recording programs if the two don't match.
-- Using a service, like StarLink, where you may make a connection to a place other than near your physical address, you may experience receiving local channels different that from your physical location and stop you from recording programs.

I hope that others will find my experience helpful.
12 Replies · 4289 views
A
Thanks everyone for the most hopeful replies. Y'all pretty much confirmed what I was experiencing, as detailed in the original post in this thread.
At this point I have returned my DTV Gemini and canceled my DTV service because of the local channels issue. I will be staying with Dish Network and keeping StarLink for my internet.
We spend quite a bit of time each year in locations that have weak to poor and some with absolutely no cell coverage. Having StarLink for both phone over WiFi and fast internet access will be great. When we arrive in a location w/o cell service we still will be able to call Dish Network and change our local channels to our physical location.
J
Thanks everyone for the most hopeful replies. Y'all pretty much confirmed what I was experiencing, as detailed in the original post in this thread.
At this point I have returned my DTV Gemini and canceled my DTV service because of the local channels issue. I will be staying with Dish Network and keeping StarLink for my internet.
We spend quite a bit of time each year in locations that have weak to poor and some with absolutely no cell coverage. Having StarLink for both phone over WiFi and fast internet access will be great. When we arrive in a location w/o cell service we still will be able to call Dish Network and change our local channels to our physical location.
You could use a Fire Stick instead which doesnt use your location and uses your zip
A
You could use a Fire Stick instead which doesnt use your location and uses your zip
One thing that I really didn't emphasize was that we really want to be able to switch the local channels to whatever physical location we are in.
We spend quite a bit of time (total of probably 3 months of the year) at our daughter's house parked in her back yard in Dallas. Then we spend a 4-6 weeks in Oregon. With Dish Network the Portland spot beam covers just about the entire state of Oregon, about 60 miles into Calif and up to the Canadian border. Then we spend quite a bit of time at our home in San Antonio. We spend shorter amounts of time in other locations as well. In each place we really like to have access to the local TV programming.
B
We've had similar issues. We live in Michigan and winter in Alabama. When we are in Alabama, we use Starlink as our internet, and we do get the local channels for the area. Sometimes I have to reboot the Gemini a couple of times for them to show up. What we can't do is select new programs on the local stations to record, we only have the option to watch live. Interestingly, any programs/series set to record on our home locals still record and we can watch them in Alabama. My wife likes this as she can record our local home news and watch it while we are away.

When I talked to DVT about this they told me similar to what they did the OP, that the local service was tied to your billing address but the only way to change it was to use a credit card with the same zip as the area you are in. They told me there is no such thing as a service address with Stream like there is with Satellite.
B
We've had similar issues. We live in Michigan and winter in Alabama. When we are in Alabama, we use Starlink as our internet, and we do get the local channels for the area. Sometimes I have to reboot the Gemini a couple of times for them to show up. What we can't do is select new programs on the local stations to record, we only have the option to watch live. Interestingly, any programs/series set to record on our home locals still record and we can watch them in Alabama. My wife likes this as she can record our local home news and watch it while we are away.

When I talked to DVT about this they told me similar to what they did the OP, that the local service was tied to your billing address but the only way to change it was to use a credit card with the same zip as the area you are in. They told me there is no such thing as a service address with Stream like there is with Satellite.
Former member 209992
Last reply · posted in SatelliteGuys Support Center
For some reason, the satelliteguys.us site is loading a lot slower than usual on both Chrome on my Asus laptop and Safari on my iPhone.
I'm also seeing longer appearances of the blue bar at the top and the "3 blue bars" loading symbol.
Is anyone else also having the same problem? Thanks in advance.
524 Replies · 17827 views
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Foxbat
Yeah. It's probably something going on with the MacBook as my iPhone has been pretty snappy.
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Scott Greczkowski
I have been optimizing the site the past few days... and got us here now. :) We are rocking now!

Screenshot 2026-10-15 144737.webp
Foxbat
Yeah. It's probably something going on with the MacBook as my iPhone has been pretty snappy.
I rebooted my MacBook Air and it's zipping right along. Sorry, but it was taking over 20 seconds to load pages, with the pulsing blue bars so it was munching on something.
Scott Greczkowski
Remember folks... just like DNS... its always Foxbat. :D
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Foxbat
Remember folks... just like DNS... its always Foxbat. :D
WTF… …What the Foxbat!😱
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dishstaller
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in Internet Television (IPTV) Discussion Forum
Wasn't exactly sure where to post this. Just had a customer come in inquiring about internet. He has HughesNet and had heard good things about mine. He asked if we provided email addresses and it kinda caught me off guard. I said he should be able to keep whatever email he had been using....my sister in law is still using a BellSouth email addy and they haven't been around here for many years. He said he had gotten a letter from HughesNet stating that they had until Nov 16th to save, move, forward, whatever, their Hughesnet emails because they would lose them after that date.

I have never heard of a company simply mass-deleting email accounts (the customer still has his HughesNet service). From what I understand, in the past, the company who was ditching their email service simply sold the customer base to a company like Google.

Anyone else getting this letter. He said he would show it to me tomorrow when I go out there and set up his internet.
4 Replies · 58 views
Foxbat
Doing a Google of the HughesNet Email notice, it seems that HughesNet has been trying to eliminate hosting emails since 2019. And with HughesNet filing Chapter 11 back in August, it would be a smart move to switch to a more stable Email provider. Even AT&T farmed out their Email to Yahoo! years ago.

SpaceX's Starlink and the Cellular 5G Home Internet solutions have pretty much relegated HughesNet and its high latency, low bandwidth Internet service to History. If Earth had shorter days, maybe a Geostationary Internet Solution might have stood a fighting chance…
dishstaller
Well, I helped him set up a gmail acct....I actually wanted to see what the new process is for setting up a gmail acct since it had been years since I set mine up. Anyway, I showed him how to forward the emails he wanted to keep over.
navychop
If Earth had shorter days,

Wouldn't we then die of old age sooner?

🙄
Foxbat
Wouldn't we then die of old age sooner?

🙄
Still the same number of years, just more Sunsets…😉
dishstaller
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
Can't help but wonder if a worker overlooked checking the harness. I rarely ride a roller coaster anymore but when I do I check the harness myself pretty aggressively.
Can't imagine what the son is going through.

22 Replies · 174 views
Jimbo
Back on the Goliath Roller Coaster ... I'm interested to find more details as well ...
Like where on the track did this happen (somewhere I read that it was on the climb up the top), which is impossible ...

They really need to take that ride and add at the very least, seatbelts ...

The Park is opening back up on Friday, the ride will Not be opening ... personally, I would keep it closed until different type of restraints can be designed and installed (over the winter).

I find it hard to believe that this ride is even allowed to be running with the restraints that exist at the moment, there are other rides that use the same type and they have been shut down across the country.

You got to believe that every ride has at least 2 types of restraint systems in place.

I wonder what and when we will hear from the Manufacturer ... and whatever governing bodies control these ...

Just think, this is a Major Amusement Park .... I would not have any problem getting on the Roller Coasters I have rode ...

Imagine what these County Fairs and others like them, I would not be caught Dead on one of them ... they get put up and tore down every other week, where is the safety for those rides ... No Thank You.
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Jimbo
navychop
I would not be caught Dead on one of them

Yet IF you were on one, you might be caught dead.
dishstaller
Had no idea there were that many redundancies built into those restraints.
Jimbo
Had no idea there were that many redundancies built into those restraints.
It makes sense, however, I would want more types of restraints, so if one doesn't work, the other does ... the restraints coming over the shoulder I would have expected ... with a Seat belt as last resort.

Fwiw, I inquired with what they use on Coasters at Cedar Point, various Coasters, different restraints according to what the car and track requires ...

NONE of the Coasters at CP use THAT particular system :)
I'm glad to see ...
dishstaller
with a Seat belt as last resort.
According to the article, when you see a seat belt on a ride like this, it is basically used as a way of making sure the rider isn't too large/fat to safely ride the ride.
H
Last reply · posted in FTA Receiver / Equipment Support
I just received 6 receiver 2 port mini Multiswitch and it work great, no external power need it, and you can connect 6 receiver instead of 4 on most Mini Multiswitches... If anyone is interested in where they can get one PM me....
IMG_1786.webp
2 Replies · 44 views
Titanium
Have you tested using external power? Over the years, have found unpowered polarity switching to be unreliable. Especially problematic when used with DiSEqC motors or switch stacking.
H
No I have not. I just got it the other day and it is connected to six receivers working just fine. What I do is non power mini multi-switches work best with LNBF's and with LNB's
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
· posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network
0 Replies · 7 views
TheRatPatrol
Last reply · posted in TV Shows
Anyone else watch this show? Any guesses as to what was in the box Gibbs gave to Abby that was on her desk? It look liked it was glowing.

I also heard that someone was leaving the show at the end of this season. Any guesses as to who thats going to be?
2129 Replies · 214621 views
TheRatPatrol
Wait, Tony is the director now? Apologies, I stopped watching a while ago.
  • Wow
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Jimbo
Wait, Tony is the director now? Apologies, I stopped watching a while ago.
Was Gibbs still there when you quit watching ?
If so, A Lot has happened ....

It's been pretty good all along , once you get use to Gibbs being gone.
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Jimbo

Howard ...
You don't like Tony, or Tony as the Director (he's only been there for 30 seconds now) or you don't like NCIS ?
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Howard Simmons
Howard ...
You don't like Tony, or Tony as the Director (he's only been there for 30 seconds now) or you don't like NCIS ?
Tony as the director.🙄
Jimbo
Tony as the director.🙄
Would you rather have LaRoche ???
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
· posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network
0 Replies · 9 views
dishstaller
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
I bought the fixed color version of these bulbs for my store several years ago...work great and no more replacing ballast. Finally had one go out and when I went back to Amazon I saw that now they come in selectable versions so no more guess work as to what color light would do best in a certain area. They are now double OR single ended...used to be strictly one way or the other. If any of you are looking at replacing the old style 4 or 8 ft bulbs, you might want to give these a try. The 8 footers are BRIGHT. I put 5 in my shooting/target shed and you can get a decent tan if you are in there long enough.

1 Replies · 27 views
Foxbat
When we re-lamped my in-Laws' house for sale last year, we were able to get all the Edison bulbs and a few fixtures with switch-selectable Color Temperature. We tried a few and settled on 3000°K as the best fit for the house. Matching the lighting in all the rooms made for an inviting experience. The Shop was the only place that we went with 4000°K for the LED 4' fixtures.

The house was sold within a month of going on the market, so we must have done something right.

The other advantage is if the new owners decide that they prefer a warmer light, they can unscrew the bulbs (I think it was close to 70 bulbs) and set them to the 2500K/2700K settings.

I'll have to check these out. Thanks!
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