DirecTV DNS issues...

[Jim]

DirecTV using Winegard's Trav'ler

I haven't had cable TV since the '70s and have never had satellite. But didn't want the Trav'ler to go to waste.

Bought this RV back in February and since it came with the DirecTV Trav'ler antenna I filled out and sent in the DNS paperwork. Waited a few weeks and last week activated the DTV service. BTW, never received any acknowledgement from DTV that the form had been accepted. It shows the channels I'd expect to see when I'm at my home base in Portland Oregon, but here's the problem...

I'm traveling and can't seem to find the national network feeds I was thinking I was suppose to get from LA on my dish. So I called DTV and that wasn't much help as most of the techs on a Sunday are in India, have a thick accent and have no idea what DNS is.

I did talk to someone who insisted she knew but asked for the ZIP code of where I was parked currently. I'm in Thermal California. She came back and said I can't get the DNS channels because I'm in an area that has off the air antenna service for the national stations.

OK, I'm confused. What difference does that make? Thought I was suppose to be able to receive the national networks via satellite wherever I'm parked?

Any help from you experts? Any links to an explanatory write up?

Thanks!

[Jim]

OP here...

I did get my 'Service Address' changed to the Thermal, CA area easily enough calling 800-769-4635 where I talked to a helpful guy who sounded American. Called during regular business hours. Only took a few seconds for him to change my service address, and bingo I was watching local NBC with all the other national networks available too.

A few days later, it was time to head for Mexico.

When I got settled here in San Felipe, Mexico, and got the satellite working here, 213 miles south of the US border, I was flipping through channels and passed 391-399 and discover, hey! they're working! So the call I had missed from DirecTv while traveling was probably about the DNS service, despite my FAX telling them to cancel the service before it began.

So all is good for now, and it's a surprise that I'm receiving both the local channels from Thermal, (I had read that the DTV spot beams only worked around 50-100 miles radius from the service address zip code), and now the national networks.

One of my Mexican traveling buddies says that I should be able to get DTV all the way down to Cabo San Lucas (the southern tip of Baja). Which is my destination this trip. So I'm going to go ahead and keep paying that extra $20/mo for the national networks at least until my Mexican travel is over.

Thanks for everyone's advice! Especially the info about 'Service Address'. When I get back to the US, that'll save me $20/mo.

Happy camping!

[mikestock]

Bill.Satellite wrote:
You only get one coast of the other these days for $15/month. You RV must be registered in the Eastern or Central time zone with would give you the NY feed. You can call and ask them to as the LA feed for an extra $5 if you care to "try".

I tried to get switched a while back when we had a trip planned. Not allowed. Of course, I didn't do what I normally do when I want a change. Usually, that is to call back every few days and get another agent and ask for the same thing. Surprising how often that works.

[Bill_Satellite]

If it worked once it will work again. I didn't see an earlier post from you. Did something you asked not get answered?

[derh20]

how did we get to fax technology? Back to the subject-DirectTV. Our only issue with DirectTV, which is major, is when originally set it up, everyone we talked to gave us different answers to our questions. Seriously, we spent hours on the phone talking to different people. Many never heard of DNS services or anything to do with RV's. We have only used it once since finally getting it set up, so we will see down the road.

[Bill_Satellite]

You only get one coast of the other these days for $15/month. You RV must be registered in the Eastern or Central time zone with would give you the NY feed. You can call and ask them to as the LA feed for an extra $5 if you care to "try".

[mikestock]

I have been a DirecTV customer since 1999. hen I signed up I told them it was for an RV. I got DNS and paid for years for east and west coast channels. I eventually added other receivers and started using DTV at home, taking the receivers on the road as needed.

Eventually I gave up the DNS as it added $25 per month to my bill.

Last December I asked to have them added back and had to send in a new affidavit. I waited about 3 weeks and called them. I explained that my account was for an RV (even though I had 4 receivers). The agent told me I wasn't eligible because I had a home address on my account:h. I hung up and called back a week later. The person I talked to told me to check my receivers and we had NY network channels.

[Jim]

2oldman wrote:
Well I'll be! thanks. And electricity wasn't even common until later.

Wherever the telegraph went, that was an office that had electricity. Even if it was only operated on batteries (which, BTW, were available during Ramesses reign. Or at least in Baghdad around his era. I forget).

But I digress quite a bit. Yeah, they used the telegraph system to send FAX'es of drawings or pics of criminals to sheriffs and police stations and such. That was the main use for around 5 years. Businesses took it over after that. Newspapers mostly.

[2oldman]

Well I'll be! thanks. And electricity wasn't even common until later.

[EsoxLucius]

FAX has been around since the 1800's

Wow, it's true!

Scottish inventor Alexander Bain worked on chemical mechanical fax type devices and in 1846 was able to reproduce graphic signs in laboratory experiments. He received British patent 9745 on May 27, 1843 for his "Electric Printing Telegraph." Frederick Bakewell made several improvements on Bain's design and demonstrated a telefax machine. The Pantelegraph was invented by the Italian physicist Giovanni Caselli. He introduced the first commercial telefax service between Paris and Lyon in 1865, some 11 years before the invention of the telephone.

[2oldman]

Jim@HiTek wrote:
FAX has been around since the 1800's

🙂

[Dutch_12078]

Bill.Satellite wrote:

...
Since Dish was mentioned in this DirecTV thread I would also note that Dish took away the DNS option from their customers. If you want to watch Network TV as you travel you must get setup at the new location and then call or chat with Dish, give them the new location, make sure they don't change your billing address and then wait, hopefully, for the change to take place. Many Dish folks like this better but I prefer not having to do anything other than turn on the TV and pour a cocktail!

As someone mentioned earlier about using an LA service address to get free DTV DNS, there are a few Dish markets where the network locals are CONUS beamed instead of spot beamed, making them available nation wide. Dish is doing some channel shuffling among satellites though, so no telling how long that might last.

[Jim]

2oldman wrote:

Jim@HiTek wrote:
tomorrow I'll send a FAX to them and cancel.

Anyone know if there is a limit to the number of times you can change your service address?

A business that still uses Fax. Amazing.

I change mine every couple months. Don't know if there's a rule about it.

FAX has been around since the 1800's and still works only now they either are sent from computer to a FAX machine, or more than likely, the FAX machine at each end is a computer. So, yeah, still around.

[2oldman]

Jim@HiTek wrote:
tomorrow I'll send a FAX to them and cancel.

Anyone know if there is a limit to the number of times you can change your service address?

A business that still uses Fax. Amazing.

I change mine every couple months. Don't know if there's a rule about it.

[Aridon]

"move"to LA. Pick an apartment somewhere, add a letter to the address and go paperless with auto pay.