DirecTV at Vacation Home - seasonal set up or 2nd home account

[larry55]

I want to install DirecTV at my vacation home and I am trying to decide between a seasonal set up and a complete 2nd account.

I am getting conflicting stories (so frustrating) from DirecTV every time I call so maybe someone here can help.

I have current service at my primary home, Genie. I want service at my vacation home, but I want it to work at both homes simultaneously. One DirecTV agent told me that if I had a separate receiver at the vacation home that we could get service at both locations with a seasonal set up, another agent said service will only work at one place at a time so I would need a 2nd home account. Can I have service at both locations with a seasonal set up? I am only at the vacation home a week every few months so it doesn't make sense to have 2 accounts. My wife does not always go with me so she would want to watch TV at home while I am at the Vacation home.

Please help clear this up for me. Thank you.

You cannot have 2 accounts . I try it last year.

 

[Lem69]

Well they set me up with 2 accounts and this is what I want to avoid. I want to cancel the vacation account and have a receiver off of my home account. All I need is the local channels to come in.

 

[Jimbo]

I'm trying to do this at my vacation home as well. DirecTV has been taking me to the cleaners for the last couple years telling me I needed a second account for a place I use for vacation. I just bought a new box outright on my primaryou account. I brought it to the cabin to try it out. All of my channels work except for locals, any way I can get the locals to work as well? Get error 771 on local channels. Cabin is about 130 miles north of my primary residence. Thank you

Your distance is probably the issue, D* uses spot beams for locals.
If the two locations are in different spot beams you won't be able to get them in both locations.

What are the 2 zip codes ?

 

[Lem69]

One is 56653, the other is 55811. Would there be any way around this?

 

[Lem69]

114 miles in between these locations as the crow flies

 

[Jimbo]

One is 56653, the other is 55811. Would there be any way around this?

And what is the Local your trying to get ?

You'll want to check your signal strength on the 99S Sat, trns 19.
One will be high if thats the city your originally in and the other would want to be at least 70 to have any stability ... Any lower than that and your probably not gonna get it.

 

[Lem69]

I'll have to check the signal strength next time I'm there. I'm just trying to get any locals, I don't care which ones.

 

[Jimbo]

You cannot have 2 accounts . I try it last year.

Thats not true.
It would cost you twice, but you could do it with an RV.

 

[Jimbo]

I'll have to check the signal strength next time I'm there. I'm just trying to get any locals, I don't care which ones.

Throw up and antenna ?

 

[Lem69]

Does it get locals off of what your billing zip code is, or how does that work?

 

[raoul5788]

Does it get locals off of what your billing zip code is, or how does that work?

to Satelliteguys Lem69!
An antenna gets what is available the old fashion way, over the air. You would be using the tuner in the tv for that. I checked the coverage maps and you are well within the spot beam for local channels at both locations. I'm guessing you don't have the right dish/lnb at the vacation home. Make sure it's a Slimline dish. If you only care about local hd channels then either the 3 or 5 lnb is fine, but you won't get local sd channels with the 3. If it's not a swm type setup then you will need a b band converter. Like Jimbo said, your local hd channels are on 99s t19. If it is a swm setup, then you need a power inserter. You can tell if you have a swm setup by pushing the - key.

 

[Chrisw4068]

I have an account at home and now I’m working out of town and renting a house here. I’ll be here during the week and home on the weekends. Is there any way to have directv at work house without having another bill?

 

[Jimbo]

I have an account at home and now I’m working out of town and renting a house here. I’ll be here during the week and home on the weekends. Is there any way to have directv at work house without having another bill?

If YOU set up the dish and bring your recvr from home you could.

 

[Claude Greiner]

So many posts on this.

If you want to be 100% legit then get 2 accounts.

If you have an account at home and only go to your vacation home on the weekends, you could install a second dish at the cabin and take one of your receivers with you on the weekend.

It’s really not an issue if your doing this a few days out of the month.

If you want to leave one of your receivers at the vacation home, it’s a grey area and the providers usually look the other way If it’s really a vacation home.

If someone is living in the other home full time, you need a second account PERIOD!