OLDER RCA RECEIVERS

[stonecold]

I too have been with DirecTV since the beginning, (Pegasus, Hughes, USSB, DSS, the various rural co-ops, etc.)

My first $899 1st gen RCA I removed from service around 2000, it still worked though..... I forgot the model number

I'm still running two old RCA's;
one is a DRD503RBC, large IRD with sliding access card door, only gets the 101 sat, never messes up, works well enough for my son in his room.
the other is a DRD222RD, it also only gets the 101 sat, still works great.

Both of these older RCA's work well, DirecTV reps have mentioned to me several times in the past that they will upgrade them free with "leased" equipment, I'll pass for now.

I used to have 2 DRD420RE's, a DRD221RD, and a HD DTC-210, but for some reason they didn't last, all went out due to tech issues. The 221 and one of the 420's DirecTV replaced under the protection plan with "owned" receivers, before the lease stuff started. The DTC-210 was replaced with a leased HD IRD also under the protection plan.

One thing, the older IRD's start working right away, while the new ones have to aquire a quide, do self tests and such.

stonecold


So you're saying my owned DTC-210 should have been replaced with a owned HD IRD? They gave me a H23 that shows up as leased on my bill?

if there are tech notes on the account that show that they replaced the dtc210 becaus it stop working ( not that it stop working with hd ) and did it a a protection plan swap you could argue the point with the access card team and get it marked as owned. but there has to be notes to back up any claims.

 

[PMKS]

if there are tech notes on the account that show that they replaced the dtc210 becaus it stop working ( not that it stop working with hd ) and did it a a protection plan swap you could argue the point with the access card team and get it marked as owned. but there has to be notes to back up any claims.

When I made the protection plan claim on the DTC-210 I was not promised a newer IRD. A tech came out, looked at it, remarked that these RCA HD receivers had a problem overheating, and gave me a new H23. He didn't even pick up the DTC-210. This was almost a year ago. It's probably too late for me to call and argue about it.

 

[stonecold]

When I made the protection plan claim on the DTC-210 I was not promised a newer IRD. A tech came out, looked at it, remarked that these RCA HD receivers had a problem overheating, and gave me a new H23. He didn't even pick up the DTC-210. This was almost a year ago. It's probably too late for me to call and argue about it.

No call up 1800 531 5000, tell the billing agent ( as that who gets all calls first ) that your disputing the lease status of a box, and you like to be transfered to ACDT ( Access Card Distrbution Team ) and take it up with them. They have reversed status on boxes that were4 + years ago. our system keeps notes from day one I even was able to pull notes as far back as 94 on one account when directv first started up. So if there anything it would be taken up with them . Usually if you present arguement that it was a pp replacement made onsight by the tech our policy stats pp replacments that they match the status of the pervious box so lease = leased and owned orginal means owned replacment

 

[bubbagscotch]

WHEN WILL IT LOSE MORE CHANNELS

So I got one of those drd 420's, I keep reading that they have guide issues. I'm aware it doesn't show all the ppv's and the sunday ticket thing. I don't care to have all that where I have that receiver. So when will I lose more channels on the guide? Give me a time frame for that, I'd like to know so I can start looking to find something owned so I won't have to extend my contract. I would appreciate it.

 

[wcalifas831]

COULD BE SOON

So I got one of those drd 420's, I keep reading that they have guide issues. I'm aware it doesn't show all the ppv's and the sunday ticket thing. I don't care to have all that where I have that receiver. So when will I lose more channels on the guide? Give me a time frame for that, I'd like to know so I can start looking to find something owned so I won't have to extend my contract. I would appreciate it.

Well with the new satellite being launched, maybe they'll be adding new channels and those receivers won't be able to hold as many channels any more. Maybe Stonecold has some insight into them or anyone else?

 

[leejosepho]

... call up 1800 531 5000 ... and you like to be transfered to ACDT ( Access Card Distrbution Team ) ...

Newbie here and this might be the only post I ever make, but I registered so I could pass along a very big "Thank you!"

My wife and I had been using our original RCA DRD420RE for many years until it (and our old LNB on our old 18" round dish) got nuked by lightening a couple of months ago. We had two used DRD420RE backups on hand in case that ever happened, but the CS folks at DirecTV said there was absolutely no way we could use either of them since neither had ever been active on our account.

With many thanks to you, I now know that is not true! I had almost no trouble getting transferred to ACDT when I called, and a very fine and most-courteous young man there had soon made one of our used backups -- got 'em on eBay -- work with our original access card!

Why do we old folks use an old receiver?

We like it. We like its menu system and colors and how it all works ...

... and that is that. Our DirecTV plan only needs one satellite, and the DRD420RE has enough memory to do just fine with the channels we have on our plan. However, the young man that just made this all work has said we should now even be able to get our local channels if we use an oval dish, so I will give that a try tomorrow!

But for today, and again, I thank you for this old post mentioning the ACDT!

 

[dfergie]

Welcome to SatelliteGuys! I have a couple of old RCA's I got in 96, not sure the model number (have long been de-activated) glad you found what you needed to know here.

 

[leejosepho]

Welcome to SatelliteGuys! I have a couple of old RCA's I got in 96, not sure the model number (have long been de-activated) glad you found what you needed to know here.

I thank you.

As best I can tell, the RCA DRD420RE is the "favorite" of folks who still prefer the older receivers. I still have another used one on hand for backup, and I have found one website that still has a listing for new ones and makes them available whenever they might happen to come across any.

It now makes sense to me that the CS folks at DirecTV has previously said I could not have a different RCA activated on my account (if it had not been there previously) since some/many/most(?) of the used ones available now (like on eBay) had been leased units in the first place. So the key factor in using a different one later is in the matter of "privately owned" as mentioned in the post here where I had also learned about DirecTV's ACDT.

Great job, guys!

 

[Stargazer]

Are they allowing older receivers to be activated? I get people giving me or wanting to sell them to me cheap all the time.

 

[Jimbo]

Are they allowing older receivers to be activated? I get people giving me or wanting to sell them to me cheap all the time.

They will activate one , provided you already have a current account with an active recvr.

While it's nice that the recvr was activated for Lee, being as old as it is, he's missing many features as well as better video, mpeg 2 has not been used for a long time, I'm almost certain that the recvr he's using is mpeg2, I thought mpeg2 signal was shut down already, maybe not.

 

[Stargazer]

If you become a new subscriber, they will not activate an older receiver will they?

 

[Mr Tony]

If you become a new subscriber, they will not activate an older receiver will they?

used? no
brand new in the box but an old receiver? maybe...you would need a new card though

 

[PMKS]

I too have been with DirecTV since the beginning, (Pegasus, Hughes, USSB, DSS, the various rural co-ops, etc.)

My first $899 1st gen RCA I removed from service around 2000, it still worked though..... I forgot the model number

I'm still running two old RCA's;
one is a DRD503RBC, large IRD with sliding access card door, only gets the 101 sat, never messes up, works well enough for my son in his room.
the other is a DRD222RD, it also only gets the 101 sat, still works great.

Both of these older RCA's work well, DirecTV reps have mentioned to me several times in the past that they will upgrade them free with "leased" equipment, I'll pass for now.

I used to have 2 DRD420RE's, a DRD221RD, and a HD DTC-210, but for some reason they didn't last, all went out due to tech issues. The 221 and one of the 420's DirecTV replaced under the protection plan with "owned" receivers, before the lease stuff started. The DTC-210 was replaced with a leased HD IRD also under the protection plan.

One thing, the older IRD's start working right away, while the new ones have to aquire a quide, do self tests and such.

stonecold,
So you're saying my owned DTC-210 should have been replaced with a owned HD IRD? They gave me a H23 that shows up as leased on my bill?

An update since this thread came back to life..
my RCA DRD503RBC that was in my oldest son's room finally went out, my son had been bugging me anyway about having to go to the 900's to watch the local channels, DirecTV sent me a "owned" D12 through the protection plan.

I still have one RCA receiver going, a DRD222RD that I purchased new in the box at Radio Shack some 13 years ago.

Thanks to stonecold's advice, I called DirecTV and got the H23-600 that replaced the DTC-210 under the protection plan changed to "owned" on my account.