Switching to Dish--OTA antenna question, other questions

gokamoto

SatelliteGuys Family
Original poster
Jan 9, 2006
75
0
I've been lurking in this Forum for quite some time and finally can put my order in for Dish tomorrow. First I had to wait for the 622 to come out (glad I didn't just get the 942), then for the deal to get better and for it to be stable enough, then for my wife and I to get through all the stuff we had on our cable PVR (the biggest delay, actually). I have a couple of questions and would appreciate any help that can be provided.

1. I know that San Diego has LiLs, but I want OTA locals for the quality and extra tuner. The roof on my house is above the tree line so I think we can see in any direction. What OTA antennas would be recommended (our zip: 92130)? My wife doesn't really want an antenna, but she will go along with it as long as it isn't too obnoxious. We plan to pay the $5 for sat locals for guide info and for tuner flexibility.

2. The previous owner of my house had Dish but we got cable because no MPEG-4 receivers were available then. Our install should be pretty standard because we have a HDTV in the living room and a SDTV in the master bedroom, so one 622 works. Should I do anything in particular to make the installer's job quicker/easier?

3. Do I need to remove the cable PVR from my entertainment cabinet? My wife doesn't touch any of our setup so if that has to be done for the install I will need to do it before I leave for work. Do I need to be home to hook things up to make sure things are fine or will the installer do that?

4. I was planning to order from Dishstore because of their support for this site (loved the $100 contest thread, I think that got more posts than the HDLite threads for awhile). However, other posts say I should get a local installer. Has anybody in the San Diego area had Dishstore do an install for them? My wife and I are planning to visit a local installer tomorrow, the one day of the week that I work from home.

5. I see that ClubDish avoids the $49 up front fee, but isn't that waived for the 18-month commitment? Does that mean that installing through ClubDish avoids the need for an 18-month commitment?

Having Time Warner Cable in San Diego has been a horrible experience. My SA 8000 had numerous problems, and my SA 8300 now isn't a lot better. I found out from AVS that San Diego appears to be the beta test site for Time Warner, and periodically my 8300 has severe problems. The worst is when the PVR reboots everytime you turn it on, which happens for up to 3 weeks, and kills whatever is being taped at the time. People who complain about stuttering with the 622 have not seen how badly we had it for a couple of weeks, where we couldn't watch anything recorded on our PVR because of the choppiness of audio and video. Time Warner customer service actually called us back when we reported that problem and said that it was a "known problem" and they would fix it...but we got no refund for the 3 weeks of lost programming.

Anyway, our 8300 is now cleared of everything except some Sesame Street episodes for my kids, so I can finally get rid of it. I'd appreciate any help with my questions before I place my order tomorrow.

By the way, we are considered a new customer through my wife, though we did have Dish for 4 years in the Bay Area until we moved 14 months ago. I loved my Dish PVR and the service we had, which was much better than the D* service I had for the 3 years before that.

Garret
 
gokamoto said:
1. I know that San Diego has LiLs, but I want OTA locals for the quality and extra tuner. The roof on my house is above the tree line so I think we can see in any direction. What OTA antennas would be recommended (our zip: 92130)? My wife doesn't really want an antenna, but she will go along with it as long as it isn't too obnoxious. We plan to pay the $5 for sat locals for guide info and for tuner flexibility.

I personally use the RCA ANT706 and get pretty good signals from our downtown station and I'm about 25 miles from there. The great thing about this one is that it is low profile. I have mine hanging under my eave and you can't see it unless you're righ up under it. The other great thing is that it is powered straight through the coax with this little adapter that is inside the house. It only cost me around $55 plus the cost of extra coax (the coax that comes with it is kind of cheap). Figure about $65 - $75 installed.
 
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jbman73175 said:
I personally use the RCA ANT706 and get pretty good signals from our downtown station and I'm about 25 miles from there. The great thing about this one is that it is low profile. I have mine hanging under my eave and you can't see it unless you're righ up under it. The other great thing is that it is powered straight through the coax with this little adapter that is inside the house. It only cost me around $55 plus the cost of extra coax (the coax that comes with it is kind of cheap). Figure about $65 - $75 installed.

Thank you for that advice! I'll look into that today.
 
To question 5, here's the latest Club Dish Promo:
THIS SPECIAL GIFT CERTIFICATE ENTITLES YOUR FRIEND TO DISH NETWORK SATELLITE TV FOR THE WHOLE HOUSE (UP TO 4 ROOMS) WITH DIGITAL HOME ADVANTAGE INCLUDING:


* FREE Activation (a $49.99 value)
* $100 back with America's Top 120 or higher programming
* STARZ Movie Pack FREE for the first 3 months



Important

* System must be installed and programming activated by:01/01/2007
* Requires valid major credit card, Social Security Number and qualifying programming purchase. Participation subject to credit approval.
* Qualifying programming purchase starts at just $34.99/month, including local channels (where available). If service is terminated or downgraded, equipment must be returned to DISH Network. Certain receivers must be continuously connected to a phone line or will be subject to an additional monthly fee.
* Programming offer requires participation in Digital Home Advantage. If you choose to change your programming, you must call at the end of the 3-month period to downgrade to other qualifying programming.
* DISH Network DVR Service fee varies based on programming subscription level.
* This ClubDISH certificate good for new, first-time residential DISH Network customers only.
* Additional restrictions apply for Alaska, Puerto Rico and Hawaii.
* Visit www.dishnetwork.com for programming options and disclaimers.
 
Thank you to the people who PM'ed me and posted here to help me with my questions. I found out when I tried to PM someone that the system wouldn't let me PM anyone without having 3 messages posted, so I didn't PM anyone for Dish codes.

My wife ordered Dish today via ClubDish and things went fairly well. My wife got very confused when the Dish rep insisted several times that we could record FOUR shows at once with the 622 since we have 2 tuners per TV. I had explained to my wife that we'd have 2 tuners for sat signal and 1 tuner for OTA signal, so she asked for an OTA antenna as part of the install so that we could record 3 shows at once. The Dish rep insisted that we could do 4 shows at once without an antenna and said we couldn't get an antenna with our Dish system.

The funny thing is that the rep put my wife on hold, so she talked with me and I told her that the record 4 shows at once were bogus and the over-the-air antenna would allow us to record 3 shows at once which was the max with the 622. The Dish rep came back on the phone with her and insisted that we could record 4 shows at once with the 622. Even worse, he insisted that over-the-air antennas were an experimental project and were only available in 2 states (Tennesee and some other state). I have no idea what he was talking about...

So, our install is next week and we can't wait to get Dish HD! Our ClubDish code was taken so hopefully a member here will get the credit.