Cable TV at the cabin.

[CigarGuy]

Thinking about getting cable at the cabin. I have directv at home and a Dish-dish on the roof of the garage at the lake. Prior to this, our intro pricing from Directv is long gone and I'm sick of paying over 120.00 for cable. I was going to call and cancel, knowing they will offer me the old pricing, but with the Dish-dish already hooked up, should I just switch to Dish and bring an extra receiver up to the lake???

[LMITOUT]

Don't they have seasonal packages for those with similar situations? A co-worker has Dish at home and then has Dish at the lake place, but only has that one activated during the summer months. I'm not sure of the price he's paying with that arrangement. I would give them a call to see what they have to offer.

[PierBridge]

Depending on ..... there is a good chance your Direct TV receiver will work with the Dish network dish. Now if you are talking newer HD receivers you will not get all of the programming with how the Satellites are set up now but older basic equipment is pretty interchangeable. I know just a few years back both Direct and Dish had a bunch of channels on the 101, 119 and 110 Satellites.

Bring a receiver or 2 and give it try next time up.

[Slabasaurus]

Another factor on the dish is line of site.

I didn't think of that, but yep. Sure enough the trees in my lot are too tall for sat to work up there.

Not that it's a big deal... though I do work up there occasionally so internet is nice to have. We ended up with cable for that, and they have seasonal packages too.

[heavyduty]

Do you have a local Directv provider? I have friend that was a long time directv subscriber but directv would not work with him a a new customer type discount. When he contacted a local directv provider they worked around it by starting a new subscription at his other property under his wifes name, but the unit was installed for free at his original house, he had to pay a little extra for a second dish but in the end it will pay for itself. Then in two years when his contract is up he can switch back to his name on the account and back service back at his original address.

[CigarGuy]

Depending on ..... there is a good chance your Direct TV receiver will work with the Dish network dish. Now if you are talking newer HD receivers you will not get all of the programming with how the Satellites are set up now but older basic equipment is pretty interchangeable. I know just a few years back both Direct and Dish had a bunch of channels on the 101, 119 and 110 Satellites.

Bring a receiver or 2 and give it try next time up.

Ok, I'mn at the cabin and tried my Directv receiver and can't get it to work. It checked 32 transponders and can't find a signal. I tried putting in the zip code, do I need to somehow change the satellite to find a signal?

[MuleShack]

If it is a Dish TV dish, then yes you will probably have to realign it to the direct tv specs.

It should tell you what the degree to align it to based on your location along with the azmuth and tilt.

Somewhere between 198 and 212 i'm guessing in degrees

[Jim Almquist]

If I read your first post correctly you have a DISH network dish at the cabin and you want to use a DirectTV receiver. It may work but... you need to change where the DISH network dish is pointing. They be couple of degrees off depending on what sat. it was trying to pick up. I would enter your zip for the cabin and see how close the DISH dish is. When you move it just make little adjustments and then push the dish up and down and right and left to see if the signal strength changes.

[PierBridge]

You're probably aimed at 119 azimuth. You'll need 101 azimuth which is basically straight south. Elevation should be the same. Get a compass and as always make sure your mast is level and STURDY and then just pan a degree or 2 at a time until you pick up the 101 signal.

[CigarGuy]

Thanks for all the replies. I tried it last wknd and couldn't get it to work. The roof is too steep (for me) to climb on so I didn't mess with the dish. In the near future, I'm switching to Dish and will try that.

Use to be a Dish installer from the northern burbs on here that hooked me up a year or so ago, any of you him?

[MuleShack]

Ok, I just re-read your initial post.

Go to Solid signal dot com and buy a direct tv dish and install it on a pole or side of your house or some place where it has access to the southern sky and you can adjust it.

Then all you need to do is bring your receiver from home up to the cabin and it wont cost you a thing. (besides the cost of a new dish)

Its the same concept as me bringing my receiver from the office along in my fish house. I have a portable dish mounted to a cast iron umbrella stand that I set out on the ice. When done I put the receiver back in the office again.

Of course you could always get another receiver from them and pay the $5/month rental and $20 for the new sim card.

[CigarGuy]

Already have a Dish-dish installed on the garage at the lake. All I need to do is switch back to Dish service at home (cancel Directv) and bring a receiver from home and I should be good to go!

[MuleShack]

Guess that depends on which service you like better.

Seems easier to just install a DirecTv dish at the cabin and bring the receiver up.

[CigarGuy]

After reading a different thread about Directv vs Dish, I might have to re-think my choice! Directv has to step up and give me a lot better pricing to keep me as a customer.

[LMITOUT]

You won't have any problems with Dish.

[PierBridge]

Lakedoctor is the guy who has done some installing. You could probably find some contact info in one one of his post or send him a PM. He's in the Hackensack area I do Believe.

http://www.hotspotoutdoors.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/users/15751

So no chance to get somebody up on that garage and tweak that Dishnetwork dish from 119 Azimuth to 101 azimuth using a compass? It will work with a Direct TV receiver for basic programming on a non HD receiver.

Or like stated above get a mobile dish setup which could be easier to align and get a signal.

Where is your cabin?

[mabr]

Wow I was just searching this exact scenario. Have a cabin up in Alexandria without a dish. I’m a direct customer with 2 receivers at our house, 1 HD one plain Jane. I’m tired of the TV antenna and losing reception depending on the wind and storms.

Well my neighbor recently had a new roof put on and he did away with the Direct TV antenna, so I grabbed it. Based on the little research I did it doesn’t look like it’s an HD dish (its round) and I’m not sure how many satellites it will even pick up. First off will it work with my receivers, they’re both about 2 years old? Also from reading it sounds like I may not get all the satellites I get here at the house, is that correct? My neighborhood was built in 2001-03 and I’m guessing this dish is close to that era. Not too big of deal if I don’t get all, anything beats 5 channels on old antenna.

Setting it up? Where would I begin, I know pointing south and having a solid mounting point, but other than that I haven’t a clue. Would a compass get me close? How about when I’m testing for signal and setting it, will it screw with the receiver when we bring it home with us? I’m going to search you tube and see if there is anything on it , but I know I’ll get straight advice here so I thought id ask.