A "Know Nothing" needs help

[chartsmalm]

I have read thru a few posts that seem to be addressing my needs, but my limited knowledge prevents me from fully understanding what i am reading.

Here's my situation, need and limitations. I am a long time satisfied Dish Network customer in Garden Grove, CA. I currently have a VIP 622 DVR-HD receiver serving 2 TV's. The device info is 1K.2, 1K.2(1), 1K.2(2), 1K.2(3). The satellites are 119 and 110. I am retired and making do on very limited SSA benefits. We have a mobile home in a mobile park in Mesa, AZ that we visit about 4 months out of the year. I want to make our Dish service available there in the most economical way. I contacted Dish support and the person I talked to said that it would be permissible to take our receiver with us on our trips to AZ and connect thru an RV type antenna that I could install at the Mobile home site.

That sounds good - but periodic moving of the receiver with a hard drive (DVR) isn't my idea of a good thing to do. So I am at the summary of my quest for ideas from you folks.

1. Can I by a used DIsh receiver and have it activated on my account at Dish?

2. If yes, what would be a good model to search for?

3. Will Dish charge me another monthly service charge for the additional receiver?
(It doesn't seem fair and reasonable to do so, since I can only use one site at a time - but I can understand the logistic of a possible additional charge - which I cannot afford).

4. If the answer about the additional charge was "yes", is there any legitimate way to get around this?

5. What would be a reasonable antenna to purchase for the AZ use?
(I found one that sounds good on eBay Item #260716646688 - but have no way of knowing if it is appropriate for my location and need.)

I sincerely thank you in advance for any assistance that you can give this old codger.

Don.

 

[Laddyboy]

1. Yes.
2. 211k is what I'd get if you have one TV at the trailer. (from less than $100 to a little more brand new). It can be turned into a DVR by adding an external hard disk and paying a one time $40 fee.
3. You would deactivate the one at home and activate the one you buy to avoid additional receiver charges. When you leave you deactivate the one at the trailer and reactivate the one at home. Technically, for vacation homes to be on the same account as the home, subs are supposed to take their receivers with them back and forth. You call E* each move to change your service address when you arrive at the moving to destination. You just never tell them why you are activating and deactivating receivers. The CSR shouldn't care. I wouldn't worry about transporting the receiver back and forth. I've done it many times over a 2400 mile round trip just using the same box the receiver came in with all the 'foam packing.
4. see #3
5. Usually E* will do this as a Dishmover for you. Do you own the trailer in AZ? Is it in the same place all the time? Are there any restrictions on sat dishes at the park? Portable sat dishes are designed for RVers on the go. A trailer in a fixed location is the same as a house. You also need to make sure you have line of sight at the trailer location.

 

[boba]

Your cheapest solution is move the 622. When you unplug the 622 the hard drive is parked and less prone to damage.

 

[Lord_Vader]

Smartphone with hdmi out and sling? You would have to be careful about what data plan you pick, but it should work.

 

[Todd Nicholson]

Just take your 622 with you. There's no issue internally moving it around. That way you don't have any more out of pocket costs and you essentially take any recordings with you that you can then watch when you're in AZ.

 

[Lord_Vader]

Are you worried about damaging the DVR or just the tear down and setup?

 

[chartsmalm]

Damage

Are you worried about damaging the DVR or just the tear down and setup?

I was concerned about damage to the DVR. I'm a retired DP guy so tear-down and put- back are not a concern. I put all of my electronic things together with that in mind from the get-go.

Other responders have put my mind at ease about the damage aspect.

 

[chartsmalm]

Thanks all!!. So quick and thorough. I now know where I'm going and will enjoy it, thanks to all of you!

 

[Lord_Vader]

I was concerned about damage to the DVR. I'm a retired DP guy so tear-down and put- back are not a concern. I put all of my electronic things together with that in mind from the get-go.

Other responders have put my mind at ease about the damage aspect.

I wouldn't worry about it. You can always add the dhpp (protection plan) and just get another one. They only go about a year or so anyway before the hard drive goes bad.

 

[Bobby]

I wouldn't worry about it. You can always add the dhpp (protection plan) and just get another one. They only go about a year or so anyway before the hard drive goes bad.

I don't know about that, I'm on 2 1/2 now and still going strong.

 

[TonyT@DISH Network]

In this instance, you do qualify for a Snowbird account chartsmalm. I can help you set it up, and I PM'd you specifics. The only thing it would require when moving the box is a check switch upon arrival at either address, and updating account information as to physical address when at either address to correct locals and prevent "Out Of Area" messages. Any other questions regarding this, I can certainly address them here.

 

[Lord_Vader]

I don't know about that, I'm on 2 1/2 now and still going strong.

I was trying to average what I've seen here. I actually loose my Vip 7s every 6 months or so. Guess I am just lucky.

 

[KAB]

I was trying to average what I've seen here. I actually loose my Vip 7s every 6 months or so. Guess I am just lucky.

I'd say you either have got it where there is little of no air flow making it over heat, or an electrical grounding problem.

 

[Jim S.]

Unless Dish is buying crappy HDs, they should probably last longer being on continuously in the DVRs than being started and stopped all the time in a PC. I've had PC drives running continuously for 5 years or more.

 

[bhelms]

My second/current 622 runs 24/7 and has been doing so for nearly 5 years. So I can attest to HDD service life of at least 40,000 hours. (I did install additional, constant internal cooling in my 622, not sure if that had any influence on its HDD life. See my several posts in the ancient but popular "...Does yours run hot...?" thread.)

I had to replace my first 622 due to a case of the well-reported HDMI output failure (that port seemed to be DOA), and my current unit (a "D" version) now has the same problem, so I switched to the component output. I don't know if that problem was ever completely solved in the 622s, my point being that I caution the OP about using care when connecting/disconnecting the HDMI cable, which apparently he might be doing more often than the rest of us.

Question to TonyT - is there any way I can have my current 622 repaired and returned (I own it) or is a swap the only option? I'd like to not lose the current HDD contents (tho' I realize that could happen at any time anyway!) and I really don't want to pay another $40 plus cost of an EHD (already doing that with my 211) to save those contents until I get the receiver replaced. I do have DHPP if that makes any difference...

 

[Lord_Vader]

I'd say you either have got it where there is little of no air flow making it over heat, or an electrical grounding problem.

Both are on a shelf by themselves, and there other devices on the same circuit. Most have been HD failures, but I did have a tuner go bad.

 

[KAB]

and there other devices on the same circuit.

Still can be a factor...the others don't have hard drives.

 

[tom231]

I wouldn't worry about it. You can always add the dhpp (protection plan) and just get another one. They only go about a year or so anyway before the hard drive goes bad.

My VIP 622 is going on about 4 years now, trouble free!

 

[MattG@DISH]

Question to TonyT - is there any way I can have my current 622 repaired and returned (I own it) or is a swap the only option? I'd like to not lose the current HDD contents (tho' I realize that could happen at any time anyway!) and I really don't want to pay another $40 plus cost of an EHD (already doing that with my 211) to save those contents until I get the receiver replaced. I do have DHPP if that makes any difference...

I know I'm not Tony.... but it would be swapped.

 

[Lord_Vader]

Still can be a factor...the others don't have hard drives.

My xbox does, and my pc does. Dish uses crap for hard drives and the point was that the OP could get it fixed under DHPP if it went bad.