Advice Needed For Equipment

[pmcpherson]

Good Morning and Happy New Year,

I am new to the forum and I need a few questions answered before I purchase equipment. I am a traveling contractor from Maine. I am currently working in Alabama at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant. This is my first experience with a fifth wheel. I am a current customer of Dish Network and I am looking to set up a dish for my camper. I was looking at the Tailgater for the ease of set-up, but I am hesitating because the receiver will not DVR without an added hard drive. For the cost of those items, I could buy one of the Winegard units. So, it looks like I will do a tripod type set up. My question is two-fold:

1. I have a choice of either an Eastern or Western Arc. What is the difference?

2. I have Americas 200 programming with HD. The units that I find are for the Dish Turbo 1000. Is this the correct dish for me?

Thank you in advance for the help.

 

[Dirtydan]

Welcome to the forum. Hang loose someone will come out of their stuper (hangover) and give you more info then I can.
Dan

 

[MattG@DISH]

1) They are different sets of satellites, and it depends on what satellite(s) your local channels come off. In Maine, you'll probably want eastern arc just because 129 satellite on western arc is hard to pick up. Also, I believe all the HD locals in Maine come off satellite 61.5 (which is eastern arc).

2) You'll want to get a 1000.4 for eastern arc. "Turbo HD" is just a logo on the dish, and does not represent what the dish actually is

Welcome to the forums!

 

[pmcpherson]

Matthew,

Thank you for the response. I will be setting up my new equipment in Alabama. So, should I still get the Eastern Arc? And would the Tailgater be a viable option?

 

[MattG@DISH]

the tailgater is western arc only, but absolutely is an option. What's the zip code where you are staying? Will this be the zip code on the account as well?

 

[pmcpherson]

My home zip in Maine is 04444 my family is still there and that is the zip on the account. I am in Alabama until sometime in mid May. Zip there is 35652.

 

[MattG@DISH]

Having service in two locations at the same time under 1 account does violate terms of our service. Also, you'll be outside of the spotbeam for the Maine locals on the account, so you won't get them. If you get an "activation only" account for your service in Alabama (a second account), you would get Huntsville, AL locals which are available in HD off 119 (western arc) so the tailgater would work.

 

[pmcpherson]

Certainly, I do not want to violate any agreement for my service. In speaking to some of the reps at Dish, I was under the impression that my account would follow me and my RV as I travelled . Does that mean I need to establish a seperate account? And would this requirement need to be addressed everytime I move to another assignment? Enquiring minds want to know.

 

[MattG@DISH]

Yes, you would need to get a separate account. By having, and using service in a RV, you can sign up to get distant networks, which would give you the same locals (LA and NY) wherever you go. This does require that documentation be sent in

 

[navychop]

Keep in mind that with the Tailgater you must use the ViP211K only. I think with an EHD you'll be perfectly happy. You may want to look into a Dish pay as you go plan.

 

[pmcpherson]

Matthew,

Here is where I got the Idea that my account would follow me. This is from the FAQ on the tailgater.
[h=5]I'm already a DISH Network customer at my home residence. Do I need a 2nd account for the Tailgater?[/h]No! You can enjoy the same programming from home while on the road, and you'll only need one television subscription.

So I am still a little confused. Do I need a second account just for locals? Or is this statement assuming that when I travel, no one will be at home to use the primary account. Sorry for being a little confused, just want to be sure I do the right thing.

Thanks

 

[MattG@DISH]

No need to apologize, I know it can be confusing. You are correct that the tailgater would work on the account that you currently have, however with your situation you would need a second account. If you were going out for a weekend or something, it would be OK to do, but with your extended stays, we would want you to have a second account.

 

[pmcpherson]

10-4, transmission understood.

Paul