Switching Satellite Service ON and OFF

[DarkSkySeeker]

If I want to purchase and use a satellite system for my camping trips, will Dish or Direct TV allow me to turn the service on and off so it is just active while on the trips?

[Bill_Satellite]

ORbiker wrote:
We have the Dish Tailgater. I bought the receiver and the Tailgater from Cabelia's. (Best deal at the time)

I can turn our service on at off anytime with my phone on the Dish app. The bill is $7.00 a month if it's on the whole month or pro-rated if only part of a month.

Very nice and simple. KEN

Don't take this post as something that would allow you to have DISH (or any) satellite TV service for $7/month. That's just the charge for each additional receiver on an existing account.
DISH is the best choice for part time satellite TV service. Sign up for their Pay-as-you-go service and you can pay in advance for 1 month (or 2 or 3 or 10) and at the end of that time period the service simply stops. If you end up using it for less than the time you paid for you can call and cancel the service and they will hold the balance as a credit. If you mistankenly tell them to suspend the service there is a small monthly fee which will be due. I think about $5/month.
DTV has no similar option.

[ORbiker]

We have the Dish Tailgater. I bought the receiver and the Tailgater from Cabelia's. (Best deal at the time)

I can turn our service on at off anytime with my phone on the Dish app. The bill is $7.00 a month if it's on the whole month or pro-rated if only part of a month.

Very nice and simple. KEN

[Big_Katuna]

BB_TX wrote:

lryrob9301 wrote:
DISH Network Pay-As-You-Go option is the only month to month plan available. DirecTV does not offer anything other than a 2 year contract.

With the DISH plan you can pay upfront for a months service. When ready to stop you contact DISH and tell them that you want to "DISCONNECT" your service. If you have not used all your prepaid month they will hold a credit on your account for the unused portion till you restart your service.

^^^^^^ This ^^^^^^

And if you are outside your home area, just call or chat Dish, tell them your current location and that you want to change your SERVICE address, and shortly after you will have local channels from the nearest large city. Or use their app. Great if you can’t get OTA major network stations at that location. And we have camped at a number of places where those OTA major stations were not available due to distance and/or

terrain.

You don’t need to call or chat: you can do it via their app with no human intervention.

[BB_TX]

Merrykalia wrote:
When we had DISH installed in our house (we had Direct for over 12 years prior to this), we asked for an RV receiver. We purchased a satellite Playmaker on our own. We pay an extra $7/month on our bill to have the receiver active. Once camping season is over, we will discontinue it until April.

We did the same for several years. Until our daughter and grandson moved in with us. When we traveled in the RV and changed our locals to something like Denver, it disabled the DFW locals for her at home. So we got the separate pay as you go plan for the RV.

[Merrykalia]

When we had DISH installed in our house (we had Direct for over 12 years prior to this), we asked for an RV receiver. We purchased a satellite Playmaker on our own. We pay an extra $7/month on our bill to have the receiver active. Once camping season is over, we will discontinue it until April.

[BB_TX]

lryrob9301 wrote:
DISH Network Pay-As-You-Go option is the only month to month plan available. DirecTV does not offer anything other than a 2 year contract.

With the DISH plan you can pay upfront for a months service. When ready to stop you contact DISH and tell them that you want to "DISCONNECT" your service. If you have not used all your prepaid month they will hold a credit on your account for the unused portion till you restart your service.

^^^^^^ This ^^^^^^

And if you are outside your home area, just call or chat Dish, tell them your current location and that you want to change your SERVICE address, and shortly after you will have local channels from the nearest large city. Or use their app. Great if you can’t get OTA major network stations at that location. And we have camped at a number of places where those OTA major stations were not available due to distance and/or terrain.

[Big_Katuna]

There are no carry out auto align domes that get HD for Directv, only DISH.

I use a Winegard Pathway that can seek east or west sats. $400.

DISH is more RV er friendly than DTV with their by the month service and an app that lets you change locals and reauthorize your sat box.

[MDKMDK]

We're thinking about dragging one of the home receivers and a tripod dish rig along next time we head south. We can usually get local channels OTA with the rooftop antenna.

[enblethen]

We just take a receiver from the house.
We do not get local channels when we leave our area.
Direct TV

[lryrob9301]

DISH Network Pay-As-You-Go option is the only month to month plan available. DirecTV does not offer anything other than a 2 year contract.

With the DISH plan you can pay upfront for a months service. When ready to stop you contact DISH and tell them that you want to "DISCONNECT" your service. If you have not used all your prepaid month they will hold a credit on your account for the unused portion till you restart your service.

[rr2254545]

Direct TV will let me put it on vacation twice a year - when I had direct at home also it was 4 times a year