End of Direct TV SD should I switch to Dish?

[trailertraveler]

Finally got a notice from Direct TV that they will start systematically ending their SD service in July 2021. I am not necessarily looking for all the bells and whistles of multichannel viewing, recording or using more than one TV at a time. I have a wireless repeater that can send the TV signal to the bedroom TV. We currently have the DNS feeds from LA and NYC. Reviewing the program packages, it appears that the Dish On the Go Channel lineup can include ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox out of Denver. Is this accurate?

Direct TV says they will replace my receiver for free. They were not sure about the antenna.

I currently have a portable SD dish (one LNB) which is usually not that hard to setup. How much harder is it to setup the 3 LNB slimline dish? It does not appear that any of the portable automatic antennas work with Direct TV HD.

In my research, it seems that Direct uses satellites at 99, 101 and 103. The Dish western arch is 110, 119, 129 and the eastern arch is 61.5, 72.7, 77. In the 17 years that we have had Direct SD, the 101 Satellite has been relatively easy to lock onto just about anywhere we have been from Montana to the mid-Atlantic states. It is high enough in the sky that the dish does not have to be all that far away from even pretty tall obstructions. Looking at the Dish satellite locations the 119 and 129 look to be pretty low on the horizon and the western arc and eastern arc satellites are spread over a much wider degree range than the Direct satellites. The Tailgator and Playmaker can use the Dish 61.5 satellite in place of the 129, but this greatly increases the spread of the satellites being used. The Pathway X2 can use the Dish eastern arch satellites which seem to be higher in the sky and less spread out. If the automatic dish can not acquire all the satellites. Can channels on the satellites it can acquire be watched?

Any experience on how much if any switching from Direct to Dish affects being able to actually get a satellite signal without always being in a wide open lot or the desert would be greatly appreciated. Also, the automatic dishes all seem to recommend no more than 50' of coax. In some cases with the SD dish we have used up to 300' and still gotten good reception. Any experience/comments on what the real world limit on coax length for the automatic dishes is? What receiver and what antenna are you using?

Thanks for any and all comments.

[DD716TED]

thank you... I'll keep an eye out for it..

DD716TED wrote:

trailertraveler wrote:
Finally got a notice from Direct TV that they will start systematically ending their SD service in July 2021. I am not necessarily looking for all the bells and whistles of multichannel viewing, recording or using more than one TV at a time. I have a wireless repeater that can send the TV signal to the bedroom TV. We currently have the DNS feeds from LA and NYC. Reviewing the program packages, it appears that the Dish On the Go Channel lineup can include ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox out of Denver. Is this accurate?

Direct TV says they will replace my receiver for free. They were not sure about the antenna.

I currently have a portable SD dish (one LNB) which is usually not that hard to setup. How much harder is it to setup the 3 LNB slimline dish? It does not appear that any of the portable automatic antennas work with Direct TV HD.

In my research, it seems that Direct uses satellites at 99, 101 and 103. The Dish western arch is 110, 119, 129 and the eastern arch is 61.5, 72.7, 77. In the 17 years that we have had Direct SD, the 101 Satellite has been relatively easy to lock onto just about anywhere we have been from Montana to the mid-Atlantic states. It is high enough in the sky that the dish does not have to be all that far away from even pretty tall obstructions. Looking at the Dish satellite locations the 119 and 129 look to be pretty low on the horizon and the western arc and eastern arc satellites are spread over a much wider degree range than the Direct satellites. The Tailgator and Playmaker can use the Dish 61.5 satellite in place of the 129, but this greatly increases the spread of the satellites being used. The Pathway X2 can use the Dish eastern arch satellites which seem to be higher in the sky and less spread out. If the automatic dish can not acquire all the satellites. Can channels on the satellites it can acquire be watched?

Any experience on how much if any switching from Direct to Dish affects being able to actually get a satellite signal without always being in a wide open lot or the desert would be greatly appreciated. Also, the automatic dishes all seem to recommend no more than 50' of coax. In some cases with the SD dish we have used up to 300' and still gotten good reception. Any experience/comments on what the real world limit on coax length for the automatic dishes is? What receiver and what antenna are you using?

Thanks for any and all comments.

How were you notified by Directv? ..letter, email, on screen msg? I have not received a thing, and if going to happen, would like to start making plans for fall RVing with Directv or Dish..

[mikestock]

I have subscribed to DirecTV in various RVs since 1999. With practice, the setup of the Slimline is basically like the 18" dish if you preset the skew. The biggest issue is the much larger size. I still use a meter to read the signal strength at the dish but using it with a SWM system is a little involved so I always carry an old legacy SL3 LNB for the setup and then drop the SWM LNB in place after everything is maxed out on the meter. Some may think this is too much trouble but I have been doing it so long it's second nature.

I have an automatic Winegard dish on my roof but very often something is blocking my line of sight and I have to drag out the portable.

[trailertraveler]

DD716TED wrote:

How were you notified by Directv? ..letter, email, on screen msg? I have not received a thing, and if going to happen, would like to start making plans for fall RVing with Directv or Dish..

I got an email.

We’re writing with exciting news and an urgent reminder. We are in the process of moving from standard definition (SD) to high definition (HD) programming.
For the past few months, we’ve been working on service improvements that will:
• Deliver HD programming to you, at no additional charge, and
• Provide better HD signal strength during inclement weather

As such, some channels will no longer be available on DIRECTV® SD receivers. Please be advised the channels below will be the first to be removed from viewing on your outdated equipment on July 13, 2021.
• Channel 214 MAVTV
• Channel 233 Game Show Network
• Channel 305 ION
• Channel 328 TV ONE
• Channel 339 Fuse
• Channel 345 RFD TV
• Channel 361 AccuWeather
• Channel 372 Trinity Broadcasting Network
If you want to view these channels, you need to replace your SD receiver(s) with more advanced equipment. By updating your outdated equipment now, you’ll avoid complete service interruption when DIRECTV stops providing SD programming in the near future and benefit from our work to provide the best entertainment experience.
Please call 877.777.9080 as soon as possible to arrange your upgrade at no additional cost to you*.
We’ll take care of the details – including equipment and standard professional installation, if needed – at no additional cost or commitment. You’ll sit back and enjoy the results.
If you’d rather not upgrade now, you can continue to use your current DIRECTV standard definition equipment but as noted above, some channels will not be available as of July 13, 2021.

[DD716TED]

trailertraveler wrote:
Finally got a notice from Direct TV that they will start systematically ending their SD service in July 2021. I am not necessarily looking for all the bells and whistles of multichannel viewing, recording or using more than one TV at a time. I have a wireless repeater that can send the TV signal to the bedroom TV. We currently have the DNS feeds from LA and NYC. Reviewing the program packages, it appears that the Dish On the Go Channel lineup can include ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox out of Denver. Is this accurate?

Direct TV says they will replace my receiver for free. They were not sure about the antenna.

I currently have a portable SD dish (one LNB) which is usually not that hard to setup. How much harder is it to setup the 3 LNB slimline dish? It does not appear that any of the portable automatic antennas work with Direct TV HD.

In my research, it seems that Direct uses satellites at 99, 101 and 103. The Dish western arch is 110, 119, 129 and the eastern arch is 61.5, 72.7, 77. In the 17 years that we have had Direct SD, the 101 Satellite has been relatively easy to lock onto just about anywhere we have been from Montana to the mid-Atlantic states. It is high enough in the sky that the dish does not have to be all that far away from even pretty tall obstructions. Looking at the Dish satellite locations the 119 and 129 look to be pretty low on the horizon and the western arc and eastern arc satellites are spread over a much wider degree range than the Direct satellites. The Tailgator and Playmaker can use the Dish 61.5 satellite in place of the 129, but this greatly increases the spread of the satellites being used. The Pathway X2 can use the Dish eastern arch satellites which seem to be higher in the sky and less spread out. If the automatic dish can not acquire all the satellites. Can channels on the satellites it can acquire be watched?

Any experience on how much if any switching from Direct to Dish affects being able to actually get a satellite signal without always being in a wide open lot or the desert would be greatly appreciated. Also, the automatic dishes all seem to recommend no more than 50' of coax. In some cases with the SD dish we have used up to 300' and still gotten good reception. Any experience/comments on what the real world limit on coax length for the automatic dishes is? What receiver and what antenna are you using?

Thanks for any and all comments.

How were you notified by Directv? ..letter, email, on screen msg? I have not received a thing, and if going to happen, would like to start making plans for fall RVing with Directv or Dish..

[georgelesley]

We have had dish over 20 years and have it at home and in the rv. If you switch I think you will love the hopper 3 receiver with 16 tuners. No recording conflicts ever. We take ours with us in the rv and have all the recorded stuff to watch if we choose not to put the sat up or cannot get a signal. If you get dish deal with the tech support section not the normal customer service. They actually know what they are talking about.

[Acampingwewillg]

Ok....yes, this has been coming for years and I've tried to stay in the loop. As the OP related, Standard Def is at some point, going away. The story I garnered over a year ago is that even though SD will be gone, Direct TV will still be broadcasting on the 101 Sat in HD,a good many of the current channels you get in SD.

This was important to me because I have two single LNB dishes on my roof....an in motion and a very old Datron automatic. My problem was getting the correct receiver that will still operate with my current roof top dishes while maintaining enough programming on the 101 Sat to make it worth it. This still remains to be seen...not knowing exactly what channels are going to stay on the 101 or get moved about. I think I purchased a HR24/HR44? Receiver, then played hell to get it activated, having to go through a third party vendor for activation.

I've been with Direct for about 25 years and their customer service has never been worst...if I didn't already have Direct in house and what I already had dish wise on the RV I would have gone with Dish network long ago. I will not waste anymore money trying to keep up with Direct if what I've referred to above does not hold water. Good luck??

[trailertraveler]

Sandia Man wrote:
We use a King dome and it has performed well, even RVing among towering ponderosa pines it locks in signal.

This surprises me as the manual dish even using the cell phone apps his difficult to get setup with many trees around. That is why I was concerned about the spread of the Dish satellites versus the Direct ones. One of our favorite places to camp is the Rio Grande River Gorge in the Del Norte National Monument. Every turn of the river seems to dictate where you can get a shot at the satellites even when only looking for one.

[trailertraveler]

LouLawrence wrote:
DTV has been talking about this for years. I would not do anything until
something changes. You can update your system at that time in a matter of days. Don't sweat it until there is to actually deal with.

The time appears to be now. The email that I got offering the free equipment upgrade listed the first batch of channels that will go away effective on a specific date in July. We will be on a 3-4 month trip and I do not want to try to deal with equipment replacement on the road.

[LouLawrence]

DTV has been talking about this for years. I would not do anything until
something changes. You can update your system at that time in a matter of days. Don't sweat it until there is to actually deal with.

[Sandia_Man]

If you readily lock in 101 with your current set-up, getting the other two birds is not difficult. Locking in the 3 satellites is basically the same since the center satellite is the only one you need to lock in, tilt is where you pick up the remaining 2 satellites. To acquire center satellite you adjust azimuth and pan southern sky, tilt properly set will bring in the outlying satellites.

We have been back and forth with both satellite services over the years and with few exceptions they have identical channel selections, currently with Dish which tends to be more RV friendly overall. Have the Dish app on our smartphone and it takes but a couple of minutes to change location, programming, or just to wake up (ping) your receiver if it has been dormant for awhile.

We have Dish at home and purchased a couple of VIP receivers for RV usage, Wally is their current version although you can easily purchase either online. Setting up manual satellite antenna is only different as response from receiver is slower than Directv making the process longer. We use a King dome and it has performed well, even RVing among towering ponderosa pines it locks in signal.

[Ivylog]

You do not need the big slimline dish (uses a bigger tripod) to get 99 & 101. A 18 X 20 multi sat dish with a SL3 lnb added will work and fit on your current tripod. Aiming requires you to plumb the pipe mast (perfectly up/down), set the tilt (skew) and elevation for where you are then just rotate.

[FlatBroke]

Don’t know what there going to do ether. Was watching NASCAR and a storm moved in causing bad reception. A message popped up asking if I want to change to a lower resolution, I clicked yes and and it went SD

[BB_TX]

We got dish when we first bought our 5er in 2007. Have both a Tailgater and a 1000.2 tripod antenna. Tailgater is convenient in its automatic search, but sometimes had problems finding satellites. 1000.2 tripod was a little harder to aim at first, but soon got to where I could aim it in less time than the Tailgater when thru its several minute long search gyrations.

Great thing about Dish (in my opinion) is that you can get the major network channels for the nearest city to your location at the time. Means you can get the programs in their normal broadcast time no matter where you are, and you can get the local weather forecast/warnings.

[2oldman]

Aiming a Slimline dish is harder than the SD dish, but with practice you'll get better at it.