July 1996, Dish 2000 IR receiver for $699 and 1 free year of AT40. I did the installation myself (as I've done with the rest of my system since then). The first night I had the 2000 and the Dish300 set up in the back yard in an open spot in the trees and A/B between CNN on cable and Dish. Cable = snow; Dish = crystal clear. I cancelled cable right after I activated with Dish and have not looked back.