Question about taking Dish on the road.

[shortspark]

I have had a 622 for over a couple years now that runs my projector in HD in the den and tv2 in the bedroom. I finally think I have to have HD in my bedroom too as I am wasting a very nice Toshiba HDTV in there. At the same time, I plan on using this new HD receiver (I'll probably get the 612) to take to another, remote location that I spend a lot of time at. A friend just gave me a "500" dish that I can use on the road and to the remote location. So, I have a few questions.

1. I called Dish and they said they could send someone out with a 612 for free but I have to "renew" for another two years, which does not bother me as I plan on staying with Dish for at least that long. It will cost me, according to them, $7 rental fee a month plus $5.98 a month DVR fee. My question is are they correct with these amounts? I know about the $7 but I thought that since I already pay a DVR fee for my 622 that is all I have to pay. Am I right or wrong?

2. Will this "500" dish work with a 612? When I travel with it I don't care about HD because the tv it will be playing on is not an HDTV.

3. Will the installer have to install a second dish on my roof for the 612 or can he use the same dish my 622 uses? If he can use the same dish for both, what extra wires will he have to install?

4. Although I live in Texas, the remote area I go to is in upstate NY. Will I have any difficulty using the 612 and this "500" to get satellites up there?

Thanks for any help to these questions.

 

[GregE]

I'm looking to do something similar at my lake house when it is done. I currently have a 722 and was looking at getting a 612 like you. Dish also quote me the 5.98 and 7.00. I'll be interested to hear the answer on the DVR fee since I am already paying it too.

As for the dishes at the lake house, they told me to do a DishMover and then they would install the dishes there for me. If I let them know when I am going to the lake house, they will change my account so I pick up the locals down there. Not sure if I want to do that or not.

 

[n0qcu]

With DISH you pay a DVR fee for EACH DVR on the account.

 

[KAB]

With DISH you pay a DVR fee for EACH DVR on the account.

Not on one if you have DVR Advantage....soon to be called "+DVR" or AEP, none at all.

 

[shortspark]

Not on one if you have DVR Advantage....soon to be called "+DVR" or AEP, none at all.

I never heard of "DVR Advantage" so I looked it up on the Dish website. It requires "classic" program package, locals and of course a DVR receiver. I have the everything pack with all the movie channels and all the HD stuff and my 622. I do not subscribe to locals and never even thought of it because I get them in HD via my OTA antenna. In my little market, we will be the last to ever get HD locals. But, locals probably only cost $5 a month so it would come out even because DVR Advantage waives additional dvr fees other than the dual receiver dvr (my 622). Looks like if I go this route, I'll just get locals for the heck of it and save a buck or so on the dvr fee at the same time.

Now, does anyone know about my equipment related questions?

 

[n0qcu]

AEP, none at all.

I guess you never had AEP.
The fee is listed on the bill as $0.00 (That still is a fee even if zero)

 

[shortspark]

I guess you never had AEP.
The fee is listed on the bill as $0.00 (That still is a fee even if zero)

Oh, oh. You got me there. I went back to the Dish website and searched under AEP and nothing came up. What is that?

 

[langlin]

Thanks for any help to these questions.

2. Will this "500" dish work with a 612? When I travel with it I don't care about HD because the tv it will be playing on is not an HDTV.

A: I had dish at my lake house in the Ozarks first so I used the free dish mover to get a free installation at my home in San Antonio. All the install was left at the lake house and I take the 612 back when I go. All I do is tell the 612 to do a check switch and it finds the installed dishes and works fine. I do not tell E* when I go even though they would change it for me and give me the locals there but I have Absolute and I heard of a guy who "moved" and lost Absloute when he came back. If you don't have Absolute, have dish move you and they will install the new dishes free.

3. Will the installer have to install a second dish on my roof for the 612 or can he use the same dish my 622 uses? If he can use the same dish for both, what extra wires will he have to install?

A: No both receivers can run from a single dish installation, but the installer will have to run a cable from the dish to the new receiver and the new 612 will hve to be within HDMI distance to your bedroom tv to have HD.

4. Although I live in Texas, the remote area I go to is in upstate NY. Will I have any difficulty using the 612 and this "500" to get satellites up there?

A: I would suggest that you use the dish mover to temporarily move to your lake house and have them put in a new installation there and then you'll have the best install possible. shouldn't cost you anything to do it, they didn't charge me.

 

[Andrewwski]

Dish 500 will work fine with the 612 but you won't get much HD. As you've indicated you don't need it anyway, it'll work fine.

Dish 500 will work fine in that area, you want to point at 110/119.

Out of curiosity, where is said "remote location?" I'll hazard a guess to either one of the finger lakes or the Adirondacks.

 

[KAB]

I guess you never had AEP.
The fee is listed on the bill as $0.00 (That still is a fee even if zero)

 

[shortspark]

Dish 500 will work fine with the 612 but you won't get much HD. As you've indicated you don't need it anyway, it'll work fine.

Dish 500 will work fine in that area, you want to point at 110/119.

Out of curiosity, where is said "remote location?" I'll hazard a guess to either one of the finger lakes or the Adirondacks.

Yep, it is the Finger Lakes. It is in the land between the lakes of Seneca to the East and Keuka to the west. We have no electricity, water or anything like that and the stations of Rochester and Syracuse would require a deep fringe antenna on a tower. Also, the tv we have at the camp is run by generator (as is everything else) and is analog. So, the dish box would work for us. At another forum it was recommended that I look into the 211 so that may be another option.

 

[shortspark]

Langlin, I never thought of the dish mover. Yet another good option to have things set up right. You say within HDMI range but my tv does not have HDMI, only component. Will it still work?

 

[Andrewwski]

Yep, it is the Finger Lakes. It is in the land between the lakes of Seneca to the East and Keuka to the west. We have no electricity, water or anything like that and the stations of Rochester and Syracuse would require a deep fringe antenna on a tower. Also, the tv we have at the camp is run by generator (as is everything else) and is analog. So, the dish box would work for us. At another forum it was recommended that I look into the 211 so that may be another option.

211 would also work - essentially the same as the 612 but no DVR.

I know the area you're talking about - we spend quite a bit of time out there - but we stay right on the lakes. Keuka is the best (best for boating/swimming) but we also spend a fair amount of time on Seneca. But we're only 3 hours away.

You're probably between Milo and Dundee somewhere?

Rochester stations are tough from there, never tried the digital but the analog were tough enough. Syracuse surprisingly were stronger than Rochester but still not great. Elmira might be the closest but doesn't have all the networks, plus has lower power. Cable in that area gives you locals from all three areas.

Your other concern is then going to be locals if you want them - if you get Texas locals on your account, you're probably outside the spotbeam for your area.

 

[shortspark]

211 would also work - essentially the same as the 612 but no DVR.

I know the area you're talking about - we spend quite a bit of time out there - but we stay right on the lakes. Keuka is the best (best for boating/swimming) but we also spend a fair amount of time on Seneca. But we're only 3 hours away.

You're probably between Milo and Dundee somewhere?

Rochester stations are tough from there, never tried the digital but the analog were tough enough. Syracuse surprisingly were stronger than Rochester but still not great. Elmira might be the closest but doesn't have all the networks, plus has lower power. Cable in that area gives you locals from all three areas.

Your other concern is then going to be locals if you want them - if you get Texas locals on your account, you're probably outside the spotbeam for your area.

You're right Andrew. It is not far from the Dundee area on the Yates/Schyler county lines. We are close to another, smaller lake called Waneta. And you are also right about not getting very good signals out there from Rochester or Syracuse. We did have a multi-directional antenna on our hunting trailer in the good old analog days and we did get a couple stations, but not very well. I looked at the 211 but I don't see where I can use it as a dvr even with an external hard drive. I wonder how that works?

 

[Andrewwski]

211 can be used as a DVR if you add an external hard drive ($40 fee to enable it, plus whatever the drive costs you).

Disadvantage to that is that the 211 only has one tuner, so you can't watch one channel while recording another. 612 has 2 tuners, so you can.

 

[shortspark]

211 can be used as a DVR if you add an external hard drive ($40 fee to enable it, plus whatever the drive costs you).

Disadvantage to that is that the 211 only has one tuner, so you can't watch one channel while recording another. 612 has 2 tuners, so you can.

That's a big disadvantage to the 211. Anyway, if I do this at all, I will probably go with the 612 because they will give it to me free (plus $7 a month). I would have to pay that for the 211 also.

 

[DishSubLA]

Not on one if you have DVR Advantage....soon to be called "+DVR" or AEP, none at all.

I believe the "Lease Fee" is waived on the first DVR/STB. However, the DVR fee is still charged, even on the first box, and must be paid.

AEP waives all DVR fees on ALL DVR's on the account.

 

[langlin]

Langlin, I never thought of the dish mover. Yet another good option to have things set up right. You say within HDMI range but my tv does not have HDMI, only component. Will it still work?

Yes

 

[shortspark]

I believe the "Lease Fee" is waived on the first DVR/STB. However, the DVR fee is still charged, even on the first box, and must be paid.

AEP waives all DVR fees on ALL DVR's on the account.

Great. But I still don't know what AEP means? I punch AEP in the search box at the Dish website but it finds nothing of the sort.

 

[tracyt]

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