If you are a fulltime RVer and a Dish Network customer, there are big changes coming and they aren’t good.
All American Direct, the company that has been providing distant network service for Dish customers ever since the FCC banned them from doing so several years ago, is going out of business on February 25th at 11:59 p.m. At that time distant networks will no longer be available. In the FAQ page on their website, All American Direct says that they are ceasing operations because the need for their services has declined over the years since local markets have become available and that they do not know of any options for distant network service at this time.
This leaves a lot of Dish subscribers, including us, in limbo. We can call Dish every time we relocate and have them turn on the local networks, but that’s a hassle if you move around a lot like we do. At least one internet “expert” says that Dish has once again won the right to provide distant network service, and I did find a Recreational and Commercial Vehicle Declaration – Distant Network Service Authorization Request on the Dish website, but nobody I could reach at Dish seems to know anything about it.
DirecTV does offer distant network service to fulltime RVers who qualify. However in our case, our Winegard Travler automatic rooftop TV dish is set up for Dish Network and apparently cannot be converted to receive DirecTV if we were to switch.
It will be interesting to see what happens. Will Dish once again offer distant network service? Will some other company step up to the plate and replace All American Direct? Nobody knows at this point.
Yesterday I knocked out about 2,000 words on my new Big Lake book while Miss Terry and Chris Yust had a girls days out getting mani-pedis. They had a lot of fun and came back with pretty fingernails and toenails.
But they didn’t spend much time admiring themselves because there were three racks of ribs to cook. Terry loves her Orion smoker
Between Charles and Chris and Terry and me, we did a good job of polishing everything off and then sat around talking for a couple of hours. It seems like we always have a lot to talk about and the biggest challenge is trying to get a word in edgewise.
Have you entered our latest Free Drawing yet? This week’s prize is an audiobook of Rift in the Races by my friend John Daulton. It’s the second book in John’s excellent Galactic Mage Series science fiction series. All you have to do is click on the Free Drawing link and enter your name in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn Sunday evening.
Thought For The Day – Obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated.
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the biggest challenge is trying to get a word in edgewise = BIG SMILES !!
It seems like anything good for RVers gets a hit every time a company decides to close their doors. This hit with DishNetwork is not a pretty thing to happen for those RVers whose lives are centered around TV viewing in the evenings.
I sure hope someone steps up and reinstates the operations at DishNetwork for distant network transmissions. (Sighing).
Thanks for this post Nick. We had not heard about this and now will be watching closely to see what happens and how it affects us. We too have DishNetwork but must not have paid any attention to things that have been sent out. Well, I hope things have been sent out that is.
We have had DishNetwork for over 3 years now and when we change location and our rooftop dish has found a signal we make a quick, no hassle, phone call to Dish and in 10-20 minutes we have local channels. It’s no big deal.
During our recent trip to Indio, Yuma, & Quartzsite, I was kind of surprised that our Tucson networks kept on broadcasting. Nancy was picking up the Fresno networks, so I wonder if DISH has already expanded their local area coverage, or we were still within the spot beam for our network affiliates. If DISH doesn’t step up, and compete with DIRECT in this area, they’re going to lose some customers.
We have the Winnegard Carryout and it will work for Direct and Dish. We can’t get HD with the Direct. We have had both but I got so upset trying to talk to Dish that we went to Direct. They have problems too, but if you have to choose I’d rather talk to Direct.
If you are in a WiFi area, you can get Netflix thru your computer.
Nick we have had Dish since we started fulltiming. Never had the distant networks setup. There is no need to even make a phone call to Dish when you want local programming. I do everything online thru the use of Dish’s “chat” feature when we move to a new location. I just give them our new service address and in a few short minutes (usually), I’m watching local programming.
What ticks me off is that we have All American Direct and they still sent me out a bill for my annual fees in December, which I paid. Now I’m told that yes, they are shutting down, and I’ll be mailed a prorated refund in March. If they knew they were shutting down so soon, why send out bills for the next 12 months service? And once they shut down, what are my chances of actually getting a refund? I’m thinking slim to none.
We are unapologetic TV fans and we love having the distant networks because if we miss a show on the east coast feed we can catch it later on the west coast. And the channels are always the same. Yes, we could get locals if we are in a service area, but sometimes we aren’t. And even if we do, their schedule is not always the same except for primetime. I looked at the RV waiver on the Dish website but there is no information on how to use it.
The last two times I tried to cal Dish to have local networks turned on I got idiots who wanted to send out an installation crew t install a dish at my “new address”. They don’t understand the concept of RVing. Both times it was somebody in a call center on the other side of the world.
If you all would turn off the stupid TVs and get off your buts and go out and do something you will find a whole world you missed because you were busy staring at a make believe world on a TV screen. I have not watched TV in 15 years at least and dont miss it!!!
Mr John Thomas Wilson,
Perhaps YOU should get off YOUR butt and find the REAL world outside of your computer screen. Talk about a make believe world!! We don’t all sit around and just watch TV! There IS a whole world out here………and we’re seeing it and living it!
Off the TV topic for a moment. Another blog I follow is tapering off. This one more of several. I know from the little missives I send out when on the road what a burden regular blogging can be. Thanks so much to Nick (and occasionally Bad Nick), for hanging in there all these years. It is REALLY enjoyable to share your adventures. See you in Goshen.
AW, good food and good company…what could be better!!
I have direct other than unplugging the receiver every time I use the coach it is great. We did have east coast and west coast locals, but DTV said the FCC would not let them broadcast both so now we just do the east coast. So it is NY local for us so no more LA/CA as 2/3 years ago. I couldn’t stand the “local” to my own house (5 minutes of news, 2 minute of weather the rest was high school sports)
When you have to talk to ANY company and you have reached the end of the world all you have to do is DEMAND to talk to some one in the US they will hook you up.
Friends have Dish and winegard traveler, they say there is a kit to convert the traveler fromv l dish to directv.