Help with Dish Network

[raymondfl]

Just purchased a new to us 2013 Anthem, it has a Dish Hi Def dish on it, I have never dealt with Dish and am getting all sorts of conflicting stories from them. If anyone has Dish maybe they can help, I have a SK 1000 dish, it has 3 LNB's and is Hi Def. I can only get a mobile account, and have to buy my equipment, no problem, but I go to buy equipment and I am being told that I can not get a DVR that will work with my dish. I must use a 211z, I think is the number, This only allows for single watching and no recording. But other people say a 722 will work, this allows you to record and watch plus also feeds a second tv in standard def. Can anyone tell me if the are using Dish with hi def and what receivers they are using?
Thank,
Ray

[Bumpyroad]

one thing I noticed on my 211K with ext. HD is that it will only hold 6+ hours of HiDef programming, but 26+ hours of standard programming IIRC so I may need to limit Hidef recording, which is fine with me.
the only reason I upgraded to a HiDef receiver was since some of the Dish channels are HiDef only.
bumpy

[J-Rooster]

I love my Dish and my Hopper! I might have a bone to pick with them later down the road if they don't settle with CBS!

[Bigdog]

We have Dish at the house with 2 625s for 4 tvs,that's because there is a tree that was blocking the HD sat,and now that part of that tree is gone and the insurance is paying to get rid of the rest of it and a couple more,we'll be changing boxes to HD boxes. We have the 722 in the MH and get HD on the front ,new,tv and standard on the old one in the bedroom.It only costs us for the monthly rate per box and in most cases,all I have to do is raise the antenna and get all the stations we want. If we're going way out of area,a simple phone call works every time.
My local Dish guy who set it all up,says I don't want Hopper as it's a lot more expensive than what I've got now and he'd have to do a lot of rewiring..

[Dutch_12078]

whistlebritches wrote:

How do you record on a standard receiver with an external hard drive attached? We are on our 3rd DVR in as many years. I love it, wish we could record more than 2 shows at a time, but we keep having trouble with them, i.e. pictures freezes up while recording or pixels while recording (even though the show wasn't pixeling live). Don't know what the problem can be. Just received our third one and installed it today (at home).

The Dish VIP211 series receivers accept an external USB hard drive, and after paying a one-time $40 activation fee, Dish enables a full set of DVR features in the receiver software. Recording is done pretty much the same as with any of the Dish DVR receivers. The 211's only have one satellite tuner though, so you can only record and/or watch one satellite channel. With the built-in (211, 211k) or optional USB (211z) OTA module, you can also watch and/or record one of the OTA channels at the same time. Or record one sat channel and one OTA channel while watching a pre-recorded channel.

[whistlebritches]

Dutch_12078 wrote:
First of all, do NOT buy your Dish receiver from Dish. There are much better deals available online. Just make sure it's a reputable vendor selling new merchandise. Next, Dish does not support DVR receiver use in an RV, but that does not mean they won't work there. They just won't do an installation or provide technical support for one. I have a Hopper and a Joey receiver/DVR set that works fine in our Class A, as well as a VIP211k with an optional external hard drive for DVR use. With that combination, we can record up to 6 channels at once, 4 on the Hopper and 2 on the 211k, and watch different channels on different satellites on three different TV's.

How do you record on a standard receiver with an external hard drive attached? We are on our 3rd DVR in as many years. I love it, wish we could record more than 2 shows at a time, but we keep having trouble with them, i.e. pictures freezes up while recording or pixels while recording (even though the show wasn't pixeling live). Don't know what the problem can be. Just received our third one and installed it today (at home).

[TechWriter]

raymondfl wrote:
. . . was not sure I could use a Hopper, but now I see I can . . . think I am going with two 722's that will allow for watching and recording in both bedroom and main cabin, will run the SD to the outside TV.

You might want to give the Hopper another look. Here are some options for you . . .

1. Three TVs -- Using Two 722s -- your proposed setup.
   
2. Three TVs -- Using 1 Hopper + 2 Joeys -- single Hopper network.
   
3. Three TVs -- Using 2 Hoppers + 1 Joey -- dual Hopper network.
   

I've used 211s, 622/722s, and now Hoppers (#3 above) in my RV.

I've found that a Hopper gives you the most flexibility because it's a "whole house DVR" -- you can access the DVR's programs from any receiver (a Joey or another Hopper).

[vegasfoodguy]

DSDP Don wrote:
Better yet......Way to go "Winegard1". La Mar Timmons, thanks for responding!

X2

[DSDP_Don]

Better yet......Way to go "Winegard1". La Mar Timmons, thanks for responding!

[raymondfl]

Way to go forum, what great info, was not sure I could use a hopper, but now I see I can, I also called and asked Winegard and they said you could use any receiver, Dish is a mess, but at least I now know what I need. I will buy from a supplier on line, think I am going with two 722's that will allow for watching and recording in both bedroom and main cabin, will run the SD to the outside TV.
Again thanks for all your help.
Ray

[BB_TX]

I would call Dish back and ask for an RV specialist. The person who answers initially will transfer you to the RV tech department. You will likely get a more accurate answer.

[The_Texan]

MOST Dish customer service folks have NO idea what an RV is or how their system works in an RV. That said, they will NOT allow any other dish receiver than a 211z to be used on the same account as their Hopper system. We have the Hopper at home and to be able to use a separate receiver in the RV, we are restricted to the 211z. We do own our own receiver, but still restricted to the 211z.

[Winegard1]

Just want to put it out there for you...

Our SK-1000 will work with any DISH receiver. DISH does not support RV's, but that's what we are here for. You have a Winegard satellite antenna, and we will definitely support you with any problems you incur with it. The SK-1000 is pretty much the same exact satellite antenna that would be installed at a residence, just on an automatic auto-seeking turret. If you ever run into any problems with this unit, feel free to email me, or call our technical support team at 800-788-4417. Hope this helps!

La Mar Timmons
Winegard Digital Communications
ltimm@winegard.com

[Bumpyroad]

I just got my 211K to work with my external USB hard drive, with separate power supply. one thing don't like is having to leave the hard drive turned on all the time and am wondering if a USB powered hard drive will work to automatically turn both 211K and HD on and off when on timer? Dish does not recommend a USB powered HD, tried a My Passport one and it seemed to not work. can anybody recommend a USB hard drive, powered thru the USB that meets the Dish specs?
bumpy

[cochise49]

janstey58 wrote:
I have dish in my home and had an extra receiver installed for my "TV in the basement" that doesnt really exist, and just leave the receiver in my MH at all times, works with all 3 TVs.

We do the same thing but with two receivers in the MH. A 612 DVR and a 211Z with a SB drive attached. According to Winegard, the SK1000 can use any receiver that Dish sells. Dish promotes the Tailgater portable sat dish. Only the 211 works with that for some reason. With the 1000 Traveler system, do what you want. We have High Def on three TVs from two receivers. Enjoy and you are right. Each person you speak with at Dish gives a different answer. Like the IRS.

[bluwtr49]

That's the same antennae I use and it works great. I have one account with Dish with a Hopper in the house and a Hopper and Joey in the MH. Our account is not an RV account but a regular yearly subscription.

FYI, I called the MH a guest house when I placed the order. The installers are contract people and didn't care one way or the other.

We very much like the Hopper setup and never watch anything that has not been recorded first.

When traveling I simply call dish move periodically and have them change our service address.