Dish Satellite set up

wiredgeorge · 08-28-2018, 07:23 AM

We are dumping DirecTV at the house as of Sept 5! Their recent upgrades to the GUI were the last straw and the cost has gotten to be more than our first house payment. AT&T bought them awhile back and things have been sliding since... anyway....

Once we have Dish set up in the house, I plan on buying the following:

Winegard P1000 Playmaker, ViP211K and get an external hard drive (2TB USB 2.0) from Best buy.

Only need to hook up ONE TV in the 5ver as we almost never watch the TV in the bedroom and the hard drive usage and receiver will be activated just after the house system is installed. I decided that $7 (extra receiver fee) a month would keep me from having to get on the phone to turn the "pay as you go" stuff on and off would be worth it.

Is there anything I am missing, a better plan? Am I doing a dumb thing? I know a bigger dish will have better signal strength but the small size of the Playmaker is a benefit that outweighs the larger dish performance. TIA

mfifield01 · 08-28-2018, 09:35 AM

I might change to Dish next month (from Directv).

How many TVs do you have setup at home? You can probably use the VIP211k at home in place of one. Then you really wouldn't be paying for an extra receiver every month. You just need to move it to the TT when you hit the road. I currently do this with my Directv H24. I have to change the satellite type in the menu, but it only takes a couple of minutes.

RoscoeV · 08-28-2018, 10:03 AM

If you plan on traveling to the Eastern part of the US I suggest getting the Pathway X2 vs the Playmaker. The X2 can get both Eastern and Western Arc. Dish also just released the new King Tailgater that adds the capability of getting their 61.5 satellite in cases of not being able to pick up their 129 bird. I also would get the Wally vs the 211k, The Wally has 2 tuners which will allow you to record one channel and watch another at the same time as long as both channels are on the same bird.

Mfifield01 made a good point about having it installed in your home in a spare room and taking it with you when you travel. That way it will always be activated and have the current software.

One other nice thing is you can get the Dish OTA USB adapter and connect the OTA roof antenna to it which will pick up the local channels where ever you are and they will show up in the guide. This will save you from having switch your input source on the TV

Garyd1612 · 11-05-2018, 04:35 PM

I think the wally has only 1 tuner. If I am wrong please correct me, I'm looking at a Dish for my RV setup too.

MattE303 · 11-05-2018, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Garyd1612

I think the wally has only 1 tuner. If I am wrong please correct me, I'm looking at a Dish for my RV setup too.

you are correct, only one tuner in the Wally.

Garyd1612 · 11-07-2018, 09:05 AM

If you want a roof mounted dish the King Tailgater Pro also gets both eastern and western satellites.

wiredgeorge · 08-29-2018, 10:32 AM

Bought the PL-7000 / Wally bundle from dishformytailgate.com which is linked off the Dish website.* They are NOT part of dish but a preferred partner.* I bought the extended 3 year warranty for under $20 and only covers the Wally.* The dish has a 2 year manufacturer's warranty from Winegard.* Total cost $357.99 including warranty and shipping.* The actual company where I made the purchase is Pace International.* Listening to the elevator music interrupted by sales ads, I found I could have received a free dish from them in a promotion (didn't see it on their homepage) if I had purchase my home Dish service from them... didn't want to get the missus mad because she set up the service and the install so don't have any deals but if you are thinking about Dish TV, you might want to call 800-811-4191 for Pace International and speak with them as you might get a bonus RV dish of some sort.**

I didn't go with the Pathway X2 because it weighs about 3 times as much as the Winegard PL7000 and decided to try the Wally as early complaints seem to have been resolved based on comments from various sources.* It is also easier to hook up a modern hard drive for recording.* I don't think we can record one show and watch another though without some more equipment involved so will pass that for now as it ain't a big deal.* Will probably record stuff while parked at home for playback later.* I also don't care about integrating the OTA with the receiver; will just switch inputs and watch OTA if the situation warrants.* Will likely pick up a tripod at some point once I understand how to place the dish while camping;**

Thanks to all who helped me make a decision!*

cavediver · 08-29-2018, 10:41 AM

I'm partial to farmer vision myself.

mfifield01 · 08-29-2018, 10:47 AM

How is the pricing compared to the website? Did either of those give you any internet options?

I was on chat with Dish yesterday. They quoted around $90 for 120+ and 3 receivers. They said they would have to all 3 as Wally HD to be able to move one to RV and back. They did offer an internet option for $20/month (200Mbps).

RoscoeV · 08-29-2018, 11:06 AM

What was their internet option? Is it satellite internet? If so, pass on it. Satellite internet is one step above dial up and should only be used if you live in a very rural area and cant get internet.

I would not go with 3 Wallys. I would suggest a Hopper 3 and a Joey for the additional rooms and then get the Wally for your outdoor solution, if they cant give you a Hopper with a Wally configuration.

You could also contact Pace as George mentioned and compare what they can offer. If they throw in a Tailgater that's a $250 savings.

mfifield01 · 08-29-2018, 11:18 AM

It is probably cable or fiber internet. I have AT&T fiber right now.

Yeah, I tried to get that setup. He said they couldn't do it. I would have to add a Wally myself.

**JRTJH** · 08-29-2018, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mfifield01

It is probably cable or fiber internet. I have AT&T fiber right now.

Yeah, I tried to get that setup. He said they couldn't do it. I would have to add a Wally myself.

Find out for sure what their internet option is. In northern Michigan, AT&T is moving away from "cable/fiber optic lines" and are going with cell tower relays and satellite systems. They've "partnered with VIA SAT" as their preferred provider. VIA SAT is the old Blue Sky system that's been rebadged and remarketed (putting lipstick on a pig).... They're attempting to compete with HughesNet but most of the subscribers in this area are not satisfied with the service.

If their internet is satellite, be very cautious !!!!!

wiredgeorge · 08-29-2018, 01:43 PM

The internet option is satellite internet. We have Hughesnet at the house and it is actually fairly decent. Prior, I had a 32 gig per month AT&T hotspot internet set up. It worked well enough as our signal was 2 bars 4G LTE but we couldn't watch a lot of Netflix. Going over our allotment cost $10 a gig. One day, AT&T called my wife and offered her a DirecTV & AT&T bundle with UNLIMITED data for less than we were paying just for the AT&T service. She jumped on it to find that unlimited meant the use of a hotspot IMPOSSIBLE (period). They turned off our hotspots. When she realized they had not disclosed this little fact they told my wife to go hunt up the terms and conditions on their website. We could not even just revert to our previous plan as they no longer offered 32 gigs at the price we were paying. We now just use AT&T for just phone service with the minimum mobile data allowance.

AT&T is pushing out "AT&T Fixed Wireless Internet" which is essentially radio line of sight internet coming off their cell towers. They sent us a mailing telling us to sign up. It is $85 for 340 gigs of data. When I called to check on this service, although they claim it is for rural customers, I guess we are too rural as they don't have it coming off the towers near us.

My other possible option is to wait for my electric company, Bandera Electric Co-op to run fiber out near where I live. It is supposed to be done by end of 2019. Not all that hopeful.

Another option is radio internet; Rock Solid Internet is the provider in our area. I had it a few years ago and since we live in a very hilly area, could only get their lowest level service which was 2 gigs download speed but unlimited data for about $25 a month but about $500 for the equipment set up. The dish we were able to get service on was moved and we can no longer use them. I could stream videos at that speed and service was pretty good.

Last... Viasat aka Excede aka Wildblue. Poor rep as the latter two versions of the same company. We had Wildblue for awhile. Gov. Perry announced all Texans would have access to high speed internet. AT&T partnered with Wildblue and it was really kind of sketchy service and much more prone to atmospheric interference than our current Hughesnet service. We have the largest data package at 50 gigs a month and can now stream Netflix. My business is also internet based so I need a reliable service and it has proved pretty reliable so far. I have a wifi extender pointed at my shop office and the shop office has an external wifi antenna to catch the signal. The interface limits speeds so streaming youtube videos can be a challenge at times but the link works pretty well. The wifi through the house is good.

According to a blurb I found,
"DISH + Internet. When you sign up for satellite Internet through HughesNet you can add DISH. DISH Network provides both television and Internet services. If you already subscribe to DISH Network's satellite television service you can add HughesNet high-speed Internet service to your plan."

When my wife signed us up for Dish, she asked about internet and they told her we were doing about as well as we could so she didn't pursue it. Not sure if they partner with other sat internet providers in other areas of the country.

Found this as well:
"At its core, DISH is in the business of satellite television packages. Though it used to provide satellite internet directly to customers, in 2017 it began partnering with HughesNet and Viasat — the two major nationwide satellite Internet providers — to bundle satellite internet services with its TV packages.Apr 17, 2018"

Was curious about Viasat so a look at their website said they offer 25 mbs download speeds for $100 a month but unlimited data; this makes them competitively price with Hughesnet (biggest data package 50 gigs @ month) but they have unlimited data. Hughesnet offers 25 mbs download or at least that is the advertised speed; we get 10-20 mbs download speed generally at the house directly from their router and that speed can vary based on how many folks are using the satellite I guess.

tidwellfarms · 09-06-2018, 07:55 AM

I got the pathway X2 mainly because it is a bigger dish. I also thought I would not need 2 receivers since my wife and I always watch tv together and rarely if ever in the bedroom. But, we do love to camp in the fall and watch college football. I quickly realized that having 2 receivers made my life a lot easier since I don't have to move the receiver from inside the camper to outside. Now I have one in the living room and one in ther basement for camp fire football watching. I'm glad I got the X2. For me, it was worth the extra $$ to get another receiver. To each his own.

mfifield01 · 08-29-2018, 01:49 PM

I would have to check on their option at my address. I can get up to 1Gbps at my current house.

KHBama · 08-29-2018, 03:42 PM

I have Dish with 2 wireless joeys for the house and The vip211z and playmaker. Mine is around $110 per month and I pay $60/month for the 100 plan through AT&T. Dish has been awesome for me so far in 3 years at home and on the road. My only suggestion, make sure you have at least 1 long cable(75-100 yards) on hand. It can be tricky if you are not in an open area to get a clear view to the southern sky.

wiredgeorge · 08-30-2018, 11:06 AM

Great suggestion on the longer RG6 run KHBama. Thanks. Just went ahead and bought a 75' run on eBay (RG6 18awg).

RoscoeV · 08-30-2018, 12:24 PM

Be careful with the Wally and a 75 ft cable along with the cable run in your RV. The Wally is not as forgiving as a 211k with that much cable and the Tailgater/Playmaker will not get sufficient voltage from the Wally to operate.

wiredgeorge · 08-30-2018, 02:16 PM

The 75' run, if needed will run from dish directly to the receiver. I believe i will feed it in next to the slide penetration and the receiver is right there. Hopefully will work OK. The cable didn't cost much. Next step will be a tripod. I am still not clear if the Playmaker needs to have some part of it oriented directly north as I have heard or it can find the western birds regardless of how it is set with a clear view of the southern sky.

ctbruce · 09-06-2018, 02:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

The 75' run, if needed will run from dish directly to the receiver. I believe i will feed it in next to the slide penetration and the receiver is right there. Hopefully will work OK. The cable didn't cost much. Next step will be a tripod. I am still not clear if the Playmaker needs to have some part of it oriented directly north as I have heard or it can find the western birds regardless of how it is set with a clear view of the southern sky.

Handle goes north

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