# Directv



## Sluggo54 (Jun 15, 2005)

I've read paragraph after paragraph on satellite tv and rv's - but where the heck do you go to get the service? Suppose I buy a dish and receiver, say from eBay, where do I go to get the service? Would I be better off buying new stuff from a store? All I seem to be able to get from those who sell the service is offers for free installation of four rooms worth, even after explaining the situation - etc - and $50 a month for programming.

I prefer the $20/mo programming - and I'll bring my own gear - I think....

Sluggo


----------



## huntr70 (Jul 8, 2005)

Sluggo54 said:


> I've read paragraph after paragraph on satellite tv and rv's - but where the heck do you go to get the service? Suppose I buy a dish and receiver, say from eBay, where do I go to get the service? Would I be better off buying new stuff from a store? All I seem to be able to get from those who sell the service is offers for free installation of four rooms worth, even after explaining the situation - etc - and $50 a month for programming.
> 
> I prefer the $20/mo programming - and I'll bring my own gear - I think....
> 
> Sluggo


You can get service directly from them. Seven years ag, I did the same thing for our old house. I bought the equipment online, and then called DirecTv for the service.

There is an 800 number, 1-800-directv, that I use if there any issues.

You can also find more on Directv.com.

And don't let them tell you that you NEED a phone line for service. I haven't had ours connected to a phone line for years.

Steve


----------



## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

Yup, directv.com can get you all set-up Slug.

There are a couple of things to watch out for though... If you buy hardware off of E-bay or elsewhere, make sure it is actaully DirecTV equipment. A DishNetwork setup will not work with DirecTV. As far as the phone line thing, Steve is correct... to a point. The entire purpose of the phone line hookup is to provide billing information to DirecTV for any Pay-per-View content that you watch. Without the phone line connection, they do not know what you have watched, and thus can't bill you for it (Hmm...







). To take advantage of that, of course, would be theft and I know you would not want to get into that.

Also, although you can watch Pay-per-View without the phone line, the receiver will store that info and eventually the memory fills up and will stop your ability to watch any further pay content until the memory is cleared, and that can only happen by connecting the phone line and uploading to DirectTV's billing depeartment. Then you get to explain to DirecTV why you have not previously been paying for your service.







Note also, that any time you upgrade your service with a new package or something, you will have to connect via the phone line as well, and all that billing stuff is going to upload at that time as well.

Of course, if you never watch any Pay-per-View content, none of this is of any concern to you or DirecTV.

Happy Trails,
Doug


----------



## GlenninTexas (Aug 11, 2004)

Hum,, As I recall when I had Direct TV if you did not have aphone line connected, then the only way to get pay-per-view was to call them and there was a surcharge added for doing that.

Regards, Glenn


----------



## austinpowers (Jul 9, 2006)

There is another reason for the phone line. I used to have a two room service with a box in each room. I recently upgraded with DirectTV to a box with TIVO or what ever they call it. When they came out they only installed *one* box and gave me *two* remotes.







I never had a phone line connected either. But they said if I would keep it connected to a phone line I would get a $5 discount. I asked why. The installer told me it was there way of making sure you didn't take the box out of the house and use it with your RV while you travel on vacation. I guess they finally caught on to us.









Rod


----------



## dougdogs (Jul 31, 2004)

Why not just fill out the RV waiver form?? then you don't need a phone connection.

Sluggo, did you check the satellite forum over at escapees.com ?? They list all the info you need for RV waivers


----------



## huntr70 (Jul 8, 2005)

Heck, I just pull a receiver from an extra TV at home and keep it in the OB for the season.

An extra dish on a tripod, and away I go.

I've never had my receivers connected to a phone line since we moved to this house 5 years ago.

Sometimes I have to call and reactivate the receiver since it will go blank after 2 weeks of not being plugged into electric, but that was never a problem either. Just call the 800 number and in 2 minutes we are watching tv again.

Waivers????









Steve


----------



## Camping Fan (Dec 18, 2005)

huntr70 said:


> And don't let them tell you that you NEED a phone line for service. I haven't had ours connected to a phone line for years.
> 
> Steve


Ditto for Dish Network, which is what I have. They say on their website that the receivers need to be hooked up to a phone line, but I have two receivers, neither of which are hooked up to a phone line, one of which is a DVR (like TiVo), and they both work fine. The phone line is really needed just for convenience for ordering pay-per-view items - all the updates can be done through the satellite link without any problem. If I ever wanted to watch a pay-per-view show I'd just have to call and order/pay for it at that time.


----------



## Mgonzo2u (Aug 3, 2004)

huntr70 said:


> Heck, I just pull a receiver from an extra TV at home and keep it in the OB for the season.
> 
> An extra dish on a tripod, and away I go.
> 
> ...


I do the exact same thing with my DirecTV system. Every word of it.

Ditto to Waivers????


----------



## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

Actually, at least with DirecTV, they want you to think you have to either have the phone line hooked up (or call) to get a Pay-per-View show. But the reality is you don't. I was two years into my subscription before I stumbled on that little tidbit! But as I said, eventually the memory in the receiver will fill up, and then your are screwed.

And yes, if you have a DirecTV TIVO receiver you do need to have a phone line connected, as that is how the TIVO updates its schedule.

Happy Trails,
Doug


----------



## 2500Ram (Oct 30, 2005)

Mgonzo2u said:


> Heck, I just pull a receiver from an extra TV at home and keep it in the OB for the season.
> 
> An extra dish on a tripod, and away I go.
> 
> ...


I do the exact same thing with my DirecTV system. Every word of it.

Ditto to Waivers????
[/quote]

Exactly, it's easy if you already have DirecTv at the house, just pull a receiver and get an extra dish from ebay or a garage sale and away you go. No waivers or phone lines and under 5 minutes to install and it works everywhere I've been, except local channels but that's a different topic for another day, called spot beam I believe for the local channels.

Bill.


----------



## Camping Fan (Dec 18, 2005)

PDX_Doug said:


> And yes, if you have a DirecTV TIVO receiver you do need to have a phone line connected, as that is how the TIVO updates its schedule.
> 
> Happy Trails,
> Doug


Advantage Dish Network on that one then!







For both my receivers, the DVR and the regular one, the program guide can update over the satellite. I also just upgraded to a bigger package last weekend (had to get ESPNU to be able to watch the Wolverines last week







) and the upgrade came over the satellite link almost immediately, no phone line needed.


----------



## webeopelas (Mar 11, 2006)

PDX_Doug said:


> Actually, at least with DirecTV, they want you to think you have to either have the phone line hooked up (or call) to get a Pay-per-View show. But the reality is you don't. I was two years into my subscription before I stumbled on that little tidbit! But as I said, eventually the memory in the receiver will fill up, and then your are screwed.
> 
> And yes, if you have a DirecTV TIVO receiver you do need to have a phone line connected, as that is how the TIVO updates its schedule.
> 
> ...


Not the case I have a Directv TIVO and have not had it connected to a phone line for over a year. Guide data comes from the satellite. PPV normally gets shut off at DIRECTV after your unit has not called in for awhile. Lost my phone line on a previous unit and didn't know it for over a month. When I fixed it, I had to call directv to get PPV reactivated.

Now I just order on their website, no extra charges and still don't have to install a phone line.


----------



## Sluggo54 (Jun 15, 2005)

Interesting - the reply I sent 10 hours ago has vanished into the ether. Maybe captured by a tv satellite...

Thanks for all the info, folks. I will gather my own hardware and contact directv's website. Someone suggested taking a receiver from home; this is our home - so that won't work!

I think the biggest problem has been that no one in any of the sellers of the service I've talked to has a clue - not one clue. I told you about the guy who wanted to put it in four rooms. Another - two, actually - said it couldn't be done. One, I offered to take him out to the CG so he could explain what all those useless dishes were doing, but he wouldn't go. Others knew it could be done, did not know how to do it, and cared less about learning.

So, we'll do it another way.

Sluggo


----------



## Mgonzo2u (Aug 3, 2004)

Sluggo54 said:


> Interesting - the reply I sent 10 hours ago has vanished into the ether. Maybe captured by a tv satellite...
> 
> Thanks for all the info, folks. I will gather my own hardware and contact directv's website. Someone suggested taking a receiver from home; this is our home - so that won't work!
> 
> ...


Start here:

http://directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPa...assetId=1200070

Better yet, if you know anyone that has DirecTV in their home, see if they will work with you to take on another paid for box (and remote) on their house account and then you can take that extra box on the road with you and use it with your 3rd party purchased satellite dish.

You will be able to set up shop all over the place just like the rest of us.

Just saying........there is a work around.


----------



## Mike Breul (Mar 28, 2006)

I agree with the previous post. My daughter purchased Direct TV and got a package with 3 recievers. She only needed two. It cost $4.95 per month to get the third activated for me. I went to the swap meet and purchased three direct dishes for an average of $19 each. One for home, one for the cabin, and one for the 5th wheel. For the home and cabin, once the dishes are set, no problem. Just hook up and turn on. For the trailer, I got the heavy duty steel tripod from Camping World. I think it was about $65. It works great. My friend has a light weight plastic one and it is pretty worthless. for set-up, all you need to know is the zip code for where you are. You go to the set-up guide and enter the zip code and it tells you the compass direction and elevation. First level the tripod, then set the dish to the correct elevation (the degrees are stamped on the side of the dish conection to the tripod), and point it in the correct compass direction. Sometimes you need to play around with the angle and direction to get maximum signal. The box and TV gives a beeping signal to tell when you are pointed correctly. I have used my direct in the trailer about 10-15 times with success every time.

Good Luck
Mike


----------



## Swany (Mar 2, 2006)

austinpowers said:


> There is another reason for the phone line. I used to have a two room service with a box in each room. I recently upgraded with DirectTV to a box with TIVO or what ever they call it. When they came out they only installed *one* box and gave me *two* remotes.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


When I signed up to the direct tv service I told them that the main reason for doing so was so that I could use it in my rv. They did not seem to have a problem with it at all. No phone line, no pay per view, who cares!


----------



## Swany (Mar 2, 2006)

Mike Breul said:


> I agree with the previous post. My daughter purchased Direct TV and got a package with 3 recievers. She only needed two. It cost $4.95 per month to get the third activated for me. I went to the swap meet and purchased three direct dishes for an average of $19 each. One for home, one for the cabin, and one for the 5th wheel. For the home and cabin, once the dishes are set, no problem. Just hook up and turn on. For the trailer, I got the heavy duty steel tripod from Camping World. I think it was about $65. It works great. My friend has a light weight plastic one and it is pretty worthless. for set-up, all you need to know is the zip code for where you are. You go to the set-up guide and enter the zip code and it tells you the compass direction and elevation. First level the tripod, then set the dish to the correct elevation (the degrees are stamped on the side of the dish conection to the tripod), and point it in the correct compass direction. Sometimes you need to play around with the angle and direction to get maximum signal. The box and TV gives a beeping signal to tell when you are pointed correctly. I have used my direct in the trailer about 10-15 times with success every time.
> 
> Good Luck
> Mike


Here is what I have learned about aiming a direct tv dish. Unless you are traveling a really long way north and south, like say from canada to mexico the degree of angle does not change that much. Just know that the elevation goes higher the farther south you go. I have never gone into the set up and changed the zip code, the reason being is that I still want to get the local channels at home. I even told a direct tv help guy this and he said that it was an FCC rule that you could not receive local channels from another area. I told him that there are tons of rules out there and I only worried about the ones like steeling and murder. He laughted. When you are setting the angles on your dish you really can't determing a degreee or two one way or the other.


----------



## dougdogs (Jul 31, 2004)

Swany said:


> I agree with the previous post. My daughter purchased Direct TV and got a package with 3 recievers. She only needed two. It cost $4.95 per month to get the third activated for me. I went to the swap meet and purchased three direct dishes for an average of $19 each. One for home, one for the cabin, and one for the 5th wheel. For the home and cabin, once the dishes are set, no problem. Just hook up and turn on. For the trailer, I got the heavy duty steel tripod from Camping World. I think it was about $65. It works great. My friend has a light weight plastic one and it is pretty worthless. for set-up, all you need to know is the zip code for where you are. You go to the set-up guide and enter the zip code and it tells you the compass direction and elevation. First level the tripod, then set the dish to the correct elevation (the degrees are stamped on the side of the dish conection to the tripod), and point it in the correct compass direction. Sometimes you need to play around with the angle and direction to get maximum signal. The box and TV gives a beeping signal to tell when you are pointed correctly. I have used my direct in the trailer about 10-15 times with success every time.
> 
> Good Luck
> Mike


Here is what I have learned about aiming a direct tv dish. Unless you are traveling a really long way north and south, like say from canada to mexico the degree of angle does not change that much. Just know that the elevation goes higher the farther south you go. I have never gone into the set up and changed the zip code, the reason being is that I still want to get the local channels at home. I even told a direct tv help guy this and he said that it was an FCC rule that you could not receive local channels from another area. I told him that there are tons of rules out there and I only worried about the ones like steeling and murder. He laughted. When you are setting the angles on your dish you really can't determing a degreee or two one way or the other.
[/quote]

You can get your local channels anywhere if you sign an RV waiver (and as long as you don't have dish network service) Dish Network just lost their federal court case, and they are no longer allowed to offer spot coverage to RV users.


----------



## Sluggo54 (Jun 15, 2005)

[/quote]

You can get your local channels anywhere if you sign an RV waiver (and as long as you don't have dish network service) Dish Network just lost their federal court case, and they are no longer allowed to offer spot coverage to RV users.
[/quote]

They can still supply the locals, just not the DNS (west or east coast to folks in the middle).

"Better yet, if you know anyone that has DirecTV in their home, see if they will work with you to take on another paid for box (and remote) on their house account and then you can take that extra box on the road with you and use it with your 3rd party purchased satellite dish.

You will be able to set up shop all over the place just like the rest of us.

Just saying........there is a work around."

MGONZO2U

This is what happened, sort of. My kid has Dish, and a trailer, albeit a popup. We took a copy of his registration (to go in with the waiver, not that it matters now!) to his supplier. The supplier is the brother of one of his police explorer scouts, and a pretty good guy. He fixed us up with a twin LNB dish, receiver, heavy steel tripod, and some miscellaneous pieces for $50, then added the receiver to the kid's account for $5 a month. So - for fifty bucks and five bucks a month, we're in business. Thanks for all your tips, folks. I used most of them! Today I got a signal strength meter off eBay to help with the aiming.

Now if I could figure out why my brand new fluorescent light over this computer desk failed after thirty minutes...

Sluggo


----------



## Katrina (Dec 16, 2004)

Sluggo54 said:


> Now if I could figure out why my brand new fluorescent light over this computer desk failed after thirty minutes...
> 
> Sluggo


The bulb is bad.
You're welcome.


----------



## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

Katrina said:


> Now if I could figure out why my brand new fluorescent light over this computer desk failed after thirty minutes...
> 
> Sluggo


The bulb is bad.
You're welcome.
[/quote]
Or, it could be a bad connection at your breaker box. I would pull out the sheet rock about 4 feet in each direction from the plug you are using, and look for signs of.... Oh, forget it!









Happy Trails,
Doug


----------



## Sluggo54 (Jun 15, 2005)

PDX_Doug said:


> Now if I could figure out why my brand new fluorescent light over this computer desk failed after thirty minutes...
> 
> Sluggo


The bulb is bad.
You're welcome.
[/quote]
Or, it could be a bad connection at your breaker box. I would pull out the sheet rock about 4 feet in each direction from the plug you are using, and look for signs of.... Oh, forget it!









Happy Trails,
Doug
[/quote]

I'll never know - removed it, cursing the snap-together, adhered well to the wall surface mount stuff, and returned it. #2 is, so far, working well.

Sluggo


----------



## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

Is it plugged in
















I always go for the obvious first


----------



## SoCalOutback (Dec 18, 2005)

There are two main reasons why Directv and Dish want the phone line connected. The first reason is so you can buy pay per view events with your remote from the comfort of your chair. They call this "Impulse Pay Per View" and they know that if you can buy it with a push of a button you probably will buy more then if you have to call some live person and place an order.

The other reason for the phone line is to verify that all the boxes that are on one account are in the same physical location. The additional boxes for $5 a month are not supposed to be shared with friends and family.


----------



## huntr70 (Jul 8, 2005)

SoCalOutback said:


> The other reason for the phone line is to verify that all the boxes that are on one account are in the same physical location. The additional boxes for $5 a month are not supposed to be shared with friends and family.


They mustn't really care too much about it, because my 3 receivers haven't been hooked to a phone line in over 6 years.

Steve


----------



## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

I figure if I take a box with me on vacation and they try to charge me for the phone line being out of order, I can just say I was on vacation, how would I know it was out of order.







I fixed it as soon as I got home and saw the problem









John


----------

