you would be better off taking the contract if you want a hopper 3 with 3 joeys that's gonna get expsenive!!! right there is 679.99!!! plus the install wich i heard can be from 200-300 bucks depending on the installer and if you bought it from them or not!!! plus the one month of service up front as your mileage will very on that... think of it this way no matter how you go your either paying for the contract up front by not getting any promotions and or freebies and paying full price for everything.. or you can take all of the freebies and promotions and sign a 2 year contract to stay with dish and get all of the bennies... i opted for the no contract because i really don't think that dish would install on a boat
Now that's very interesting... I live full-time in an RV (motorhome) and as such feel I'm largely on my own for install.
I just purchased a Hopper 3, a Joey 2.0 and solo hybrid hub with a 1000.2 antenna with a DPH LNBF sitting on a TV4RV heavy duty tripod with aiming gear. I'm pulling all the hardware together myself and am about ready to TRY to pull the trigger on software download, configuration and activation.
This thread is kinda scary to me as it sounds like DISH just assumes they will have me over a barrel now that I've spent about $800 on their proprietary hardware (from a retailer). Can I really expect no promotional deals? oAnd do I just call DISH directly and tell them I want to fire up a subscription? I don't care if I have to sign a two year contract if this stuff works largely as advertised (sounds VERY cool!).
Any more words of wisdom here kids? BTW, I'm also an ex-DirecTV customer because they were not mobile-friendly AT ALL. At least DISH was willing to sign me up with a VIP receiver in the RV, but 2 tuners and little or no DVR function was not going to be acceptable to my dear wife.
Thanks much for any input. Gene