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2chiefsRus's avatar
2chiefsRus
Explorer
Jan 28, 2021

Directv

If I sign up for Directv with a billing address in Florida, what network affiliates can I expect to receive? Back story I was a long time (20 years) Directv customer receiving both LA & NY distant networks. I cancelled my Directv service over a year ago when it looked like Directv was going to lose distant networks.

I call AT&T today and ask them which network affiliates I can receive now, NY or LA? The representative insists that if I sign up with my florida address, that I would receive for example NBC local news from the Orlando affiliate even if I am parked in Wyoming - IS THAT TRUE?

Has AT&T changed the spot beam technology that Directv used to use? I have a Winegard Traveler already.

19 Replies

  • I believe DNS is still available for RV Accounts (not household). You can only get one set (NY or LA) and it will be the ones closest to your billing address.

    I have read that an LA or NY billing address gets them across the country, but others have written that is not true; the spot beam is LA is different from the country wide (CONUS?) signal. Beats me, and I have no way to verify.
  • Make your service address either LA or NY. Then you'll always get those.
  • I thought DTV straightened out their Distant Networks issues? Are they no longer offering them? Dish makes it so easy to change locals with a few taps on an app with an "Outdoor" account that I've never missed having DNS.
  • 2chiefsRus wrote:
    If I sign up for Directv with a billing address in Florida, what network affiliates can I expect to receive? Back story I was a long time (20 years) Directv customer receiving both LA & NY distant networks. I cancelled my Directv service over a year ago when it looked like Directv was going to lose distant networks. My understanding is that DNS is no longer available for RVs.

    I call AT&T today and ask them which network affiliates I can receive now, NY or LA? The representative insists that if I sign up with my florida address, that I would receive for example NBC local news from the Orlando affiliate even if I am parked in Wyoming - IS THAT TRUE? Not true. You will be out of the Orlando spot beam. You can change the service address and get the locals including NBC for your Wyoming service address.

    Has AT&T changed the spot beam technology that Directv used to use? No. I have a Winegard Traveler already.
  • I have a long history of moving the DTV receiver to the RV and changing the SERVICE address when I travel out of the spot beam so that I get new locals. The distance can be short or long depending upon where you travel relative to the spot beam. For example I get the San Francisco locals from N CA into OR. The reception can become marginal when you are on the fringes of the spot beam because the gain is less. I never change the BILLING address.
  • An ongoing problem. When AT&T took them over they hired support out to overseas and the only thing these clowns know is to read what shows up ON THEIR OWN COMPUTER SCREEN. My experience was that if they couldn't read it, they'd wing it and say anything. We dumped DIRECTV and went with Dish. Cheaper, better channel selection and the people you talk to on the phone actually know what they're talking about and HELP. We run Dish through a Hopper and Joey from an RF MOGUL antenna. We'd been with DIRECTV over 15 years. Best move I ever made. Should have done it 10 years earlier. BTW, One downside. When you cancel DIRECTV, they will call you CONSTANTLY trying to get you back for a 50% discount. I must have 50 of their phone numbers blocked. A real PITA.
  • It sounds like you're going to lose the local channels.
  • Once you depart your spot beam area you will not receive any local channels. For me in SW Florida, I loose them around Lake City.

    Ken
  • We would loose the local channels when we go over so many miles from home . Usually less than 100.

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