Off-Air Antenna From Dish

[RonInBigEasy]

Hi guys. I'm a former DirecTV customer who has moved to Dish (being installed this coming Monday). DirecTV didn't have any good deals in converting from conventional to HDTV. Dish gave me the $49.95 special. A few days later, after setting up my install appointment, I called Dish and asked them if they had assigned the install to one of the local dealers yet. You see, I wanted to directly ask the installer if he'd also hook up an off-air antenna for me at the same time of the Dish installation. Well low and behold, Dish told me that they would put that on my account and charge me only $50.00 for it. I was wondering if anyone else has gotten this deal and if so what type of antenna they ended up getting. I'm in the New Orleans area and about 47 miles from both New Orleans and Baton Rouge so I know I'll need a pretty good antenna to reach those markets. I'm assuming that the installer will know what type of antenna I'll need in order to pick up the network channels in HDTV. Thanks in advance for any info!

[poolandgolf]

Dish installed mine as part of signing up. However, it was not an antenna, it was another satellite dish (to complete the range of local stations). Have to pay $5.00 extra each month for using it.

Jim

[Forrest]

Originally Posted by poolandgolf

Dish installed mine as part of signing up. However, it was not an antenna, it was another satellite dish (to complete the range of local stations). Have to pay $5.00 extra each month for using it.

Jim

Dear poolandgolf,
What channels do you get with the second dish, do you get a different areas local channels? I live in south central PA and work close to DC, which means that I have to go through the Baltimore area to get to work. Currently I have cable which has Baltimore stations so I can find out how traffic is. I am getting Dishnetwork this coming Saturday and will only get Harrisburg local stations. I don't want to get the dish and put a big antenna on my roof too. I live about 40 miles from Baltimore and 70 miles from Washington, DC. and I don't know if there is another way of getting a different areas channels.

[fredinva]

poolandgolf ,

If Dish installed a second dish for the balance of 'your' local channels, it was required if desired. They are not charging you 5.00 a month for the second dish. They are charging you 5.00 a month for ALL the locals that are available in your area.
fred

[RonInBigEasy]

I finally got ahold of the individual installing my new dish today. The antenna that he was about to give me for the $50.00 was one of the halo ones, which would be no good for me. He as just about as uninformed as the customer service individuals regarding high def stations. His response, when I asked about what type of antenna he had planned to install on my house was, "I wasn't sure why you ordered an anteanna anyway, you are getting the "SuperDish" and will be able to get local channels through your dish", well no kidding Batman, I KNOW I can get local channels through my dish, what I want is the ability to receive HIGH DEFINITION network broadcasts which I cannot without an off-air antenna. That is the reason I requested one. Bottom line is I cancelled the off-air antenna order through Dish Network and will end up buying and installing one myself.

[hammysanchez]

I'm probably misinformed, but I thought the superdish was for local hd channels. Man these sales people lie.

[RonInBigEasy]

Originally Posted by hammysanchez

I'm probably misinformed, but I thought the superdish was for local hd channels. Man these sales people lie.

I know, when I first talked to the Dish Network people they said the same thing. But from doing all the research on here and other places, I am 99.9% sure that I/you will NOT get HD local channels from the Superdish. I found the customer service people at Dish very uninformed and useless when asking questions like that. I actually called three times and asked the same question and got the same answer that yes, I would receive them. However I then called the tech people and asked the question and they disagreed, saying the only way to receive HD network broadcasts is by using an off-air antenna. I informed the tech rep that they should inform their customer service reps because they are putting out bogus info. One of the customer service reps even told me that " due to the new technology, you WILL receive HD network broadcasts if you are approved for local channels".

[GRN]

Originally Posted by hammysanchez

I'm probably misinformed, but I thought the superdish was for local hd channels. Man these sales people lie.

I believe the SuperDISH has all three LNB's that are needed to get the signals from the three separate locations all on one dish. I got my dish in 2000, before DISH 500, SuperDISH, etc. It only had 2 LNB's, thus I had to get a second dish installed and aimed at the third location so I could get the full complement of channels I pay for. I believe the compass locations are 110, 119 and 61.5; with my original dish I was only getting 110 and 119. SuperDish eliminates the need for the separate dish.

DISH does provide CBS-HD, but only to those people in markets that are O&O markets and are cleared to receive the channel. Only other way to get locals, then, is with a separate antenna. Period. No matter what DISH CSR's tell you.

To be honest with you, if you could get them that way, that's the best way to go. I get the all my locals OTA with an antenna, all in HD (CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, UPN, WB, PBS), therefore eliminating the need for me to pay DISH extra for my locals

[RonInBigEasy]

Originally Posted by GRN

I believe the SuperDISH has all three LNB's that are needed to get the signals from the three separate locations all on one dish. I got my dish in 2000, before DISH 500, SuperDISH, etc. It only had 2 LNB's, thus I had to get a second dish installed and aimed at the third location so I could get the full complement of channels I pay for. I believe the compass locations are 110, 119 and 61.5; with my original dish I was only getting 110 and 119. SuperDish eliminates the need for the separate dish.

DISH does provide CBS-HD, but only to those people in markets that are O&O markets and are cleared to receive the channel. Only other way to get locals, then, is with a separate antenna. Period. No matter what DISH CSR's tell you.

Yea, I know. Luckily, as a "new" Dish Network customer, I'm not paying extra for local channels with the package I got.

To be honest with you, if you could get them that way, that's the best way to go. I get the all my locals OTA with an antenna, all in HD (CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, UPN, WB, PBS), therefore eliminating the need for me to pay DISH extra for my locals

Yea, I agree. My goal is to get my off-air antenna this weekend. Watn to watch the Superbowl in high def. Luckily, I'm not paying extra for the local channels via Dish, they are included free in the new customer package I got.

[GRN]

Originally Posted by RonInBigEasy

Yea, I agree. My goal is to get my off-air antenna this weekend. Watn to watch the Superbowl in high def. Luckily, I'm not paying extra for the local channels via Dish, they are included free in the new customer package I got.

Is that permanent? Or is it a deal where they are free for x-months and then you have to start paying for them.......?

[RonInBigEasy]

Originally Posted by GRN

Is that permanent? Or is it a deal where they are free for x-months and then you have to start paying for them.......?

From what I understand permanent. The deal I got as a new customer is the high def channels free for 6 months then I have to pay, but the same was not said about local channels.

[GRN]

Originally Posted by RonInBigEasy

From what I understand permanent. The deal I got as a new customer is the high def channels free for 6 months then I have to pay, but the same was not said about local channels.

I would double-check with them. It's very odd that they would give you free local channels permanently, because that means that they would be doing it for every new customer, and I doubt they would cut off that revenue stream. I would think that it's the same situation as the HD channels: free for six moinths, then you have to start paying. Remember the old axiom: "if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is"

[fredinva]

The newer prices have incorporated your local channels into the package: 60 for 29.99, 120 for 39.99, and 180 for 49.99.
This pricing has been available for over a year.

Check to make sure your local fox(superbowl) is uhf and get a decent uhf only antenna.

fred

btw - the prices are going up Feb 1 31.99, 42.99, and 53.99

[gene222]

GRN,
Please tell me what O&O Markets are.
OTA antennas do not work in my location.
Thanks
Gene222

[GRN]

Originally Posted by gene222

GRN,
Please tell me what O&O Markets are.
OTA antennas do not work in my location.
Thanks
Gene222

Owned and Operated markets. In those markets, the station is owned and operated by the corporation. For example, CBS has seventeen owned and operated stations in the following cities:

Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Marquette, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and Green Bay.

That serves a very small percentage of the country. Therefore, to reach other markets and cities, independent companies carry CBS programming (AKA affiliates).

The problem that arises is when you are located in an area that can receive both a feed from an affiliate and a feed from an O&O station. Baltimore has that problem, because aside from the Baltimore feed, some residents are also in range of the Washington DC CBS affiliate. As such, if they wanted to get a CBS-HD feed from DISH Network, they would need a waiver from the Washington affiliate. The CBS-HD feed from DISH is a distant network feed (i.e it's either WCBS from NY or KCBS from Los Angeles), so what that means is that the Washington affiliate would have to bascially give you the OK to receive the DISH signal because it potentially could mean a loss of revenue for them i.e. loss of viewers equals loss of ad revenue for the affiliate (you'll be getting either NY or LA commercials, not the local ads for "Charlie's Steak House").

It's totally up to the affiliate whether they grant the waiver or not, and from what I've seen many do not. If they don't, then you're SOL; DISH will not give you the CBS-HD feed without the waiver.

D* offers more local channels in HD than DISH (ABC, FOX, NBC in addition to CBS), but again you run into the same problem with those stations that you do with DISH: Unless you live in an O&O market, then you need to get a waiver from the local affiliate to get the HD feed from D*.

The ONLY exception to the above is is you live in a "white area". Translation: You live in the boonies and cannot get a feed from ANY local station. If that's the case, then your carrier will provide the HD feed for you without the waiver.