Public Interest Channels Only?

Mister B

SatelliteGuys Pro
Original poster
Pub Member / Supporter
Jun 3, 2008
432
209
El Paso County Texas
Since I had the equipment, a model 311 receiver and two 18 inch dishes with legacy lnb's and a SW21 switch, I set it all up mostly in order to obtain the public interest channels. Being a retired teacher I like the Florida Panhandle Education channel on the 61.5 satellite as well as University of Northern Arizona and California on the 119 satellite.
I also took WSBK ala carte and of course pay the $6.00 per month access fee due to having no complete package.
There is not much of interest on WSBK, the same Judge shows and who-is-the Daddy that I could watch locally. I just called and was told that I could not drop WSBK and just pay the $6.00 access fee and still get all of the public interest channels. The guy in India said I have to take at least one ala carte channel.
Is this true? If so, that is fine, but I thought I had read on some forum a long time ago that they allowed one to pay just the access fee and have the public interest channels and access to the pay per view.
 
you need to sub to SOMETHING...regardless of what it is

Outdoor Channel for 1.99
Networks for 6 bucks
Superstation for 1.50

then you can keep the PI channels too ;)
 
Good to Know

Thanks, I will leave my account as it is then. Actually the one show of interest to me on WSBK is their rebroadcast of the local Boston news from WBZ.
 
Also available would be Bloomberg for $1.50 a month and RFD-TV for $1.99. Didn't they once offer EuroNews a-la carte? Can't find anything on the website showing that they still offer it. Of course, It's also hard to find anything on the website about the Encore add-on pack.

(edit) just found both, euronews is $1.99/month and encore pack for $4.99
 
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For 9.99 you can get the basic welcome pack and for 14.99 locals added to it. It has about 20 random channels that are from all programming packs. My aunt has it and there is no 6.00 fee for not subbing to something. Like lifeline cable but better.
 
Thought deactivated receivers still get Public Interest channels (like NASA), as long as they were once activated.

Or does this not apply to the newer receivers?
 
The last time I had a deactivated receiver, about 2000 or so, it only got NASA, Angel One, and one or two barker channels. There may have been less PI channels then, but NASA and the barker channels are unencrypted, and I think Angel One was too.
 
it only gets the unencrypted channels which is what Jim S noted. My 811 that has been unactivated gets 101, 103, 240, 213, 262, 480, 500, 9900
 
Thanks, I will leave my account as it is then. Actually the one show of interest to me on WSBK is their rebroadcast of the local Boston news from WBZ.

They show "Cheers" reruns at midnight; "Frasier"at 10-11. Other than that, its not worth much, but its an alternative to CW and MyNetwork if you already receive those with locals. I tend to keep "King of the Hill" on Cartoon Network on at 10-11, if nothing else is on, so in my case, usually there is little need for paying for supers as something on cable/local tv is usually on, though I still sub to WSBK and WWOR, as its just $3 extra, and I don't want to deal with a possible hassle of a downgrade fee of $5 for $3..

It'd be nice if Dish remapped the supers to Ch. 70-75, so it'd appear right after the locals.

You can also get Encore (for $4.99).
 
WSBK and PI

Yes, I discovered "Cheers" at 10:00 PM for me here in the Mountain Time Zone on WSBK. They also may have some good movies on the weekend.
I already got billed for a $5.00 lateral switch fee as first I had the second dish pointed at the 110 location and choose Bloomberg ala carte. I did not care much for the public interest channels on 110. The Research Channel is mostly medical and even though I consider myself a liberal some of those Free Speech and Link channels are a bit over the edge. When a little on line research showed that the 61.5 location had Florida Panhandle Education and the ARTS network, I turned the second dish and had to choose a new ala carte off of the 119 satellite.
It is all just a bit of a diversion for a little more variety to compliment the antenna at just $7.50 per month ($1.50 ala carte plus $6.00 access fee)
 
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