Phoenix mom wants local channels only, or as close as possible

[Baelzar]

She's currently got Directv (?!) but wants to dump it. They charge quite a bit.

Unfortunately, she lives right in the middle of Phoenix, with a hill in between her and the HD transmitters in Ahwatukee, or this would be no problem at all. She would have to get a 30' pole and mount a powered antenna....well, it just won't work.

She has 4 TVs, would prefer HD on all of them, but it's not a dealbreaker.

What should I say to Dish when I call them, or is there a contractor in Phoenix that's better to deal with? Thanks for any help.

 

[boba]

Try posting in the OTA forum there are enough members from Phoenix you should get some useful information.

DISH offers the Welcome Pack for $19.99/mo. For 4 TVs with High Definition she will need 3 Joeys and a Hopper3. The Joeys are $7/mo and the Hopper is $15/mo. She will have $36 in fees plus $20 subscription package plus any taxes.

 

[Baelzar]

Try posting in the OTA forum there are enough members from Phoenix you should get some useful information.

DISH offers the Welcome Pack for $19.99/mo. For 4 TVs with High Definition she will need 3 Joeys and a Hopper3. The Joeys are $7/mo and the Hopper is $15/mo. She will have $36 in fees plus $20 subscription package plus any taxes.

She currently has physical coax to every TV from the Directv dish, does that change anything about her receiver requirements?

 

[Hall]

She currently has physical coax to every TV from the Directv dish, does that change anything about her receiver requirements?

How many people live there ? If it's just her, for instance, she probably doesn't need a Joey at each TV. She can "mirror" TVs, but I suspect a Dish installer or contractor won't install it that way. You'd have to go to a reseller that does their own installs as well.

Also, with the Welcome Pack, she might have to buy the equipment outright. A workaround to that could be signing up for the minimum "America's" package, AT120, and get the promotional rate of $34.99 for (12) months. After (12) months, drop down to Welcome Pack.

 

[Baelzar]

How many people live there ? If it's just her, for instance, she probably doesn't need a Joey at each TV. She can "mirror" TVs, but I suspect a Dish installer or contractor won't install it that way. You'd have to go to a reseller that does their own installs as well.

Also, with the Welcome Pack, she might have to buy the equipment outright. A workaround to that could be signing up for the minimum "America's" package, AT120, and get the promotional rate of $34.99 for (12) months. After (12) months, drop down to Welcome Pack.

Just her - so pretty much 1-2 TVs on at any one time.

 

[peggy97850]

Hopper & WJ that can be moved to different tv's as needed, just unplug & connect, really simple.

 

[david_jr]

Baelzar WJ = Wireless Joey.

 

[Mojo Jojo]

For equipment, I was going to suggest a 222 HD/SD Duo receiver along with 2 211s, but I do not think Dish offers the 222 anymore to new subs. I could be wrong, though. Another option could be to buy a 222 since the primary receiver is currently $0.00 since it is currently included with the base package. One has to be careful though when purchasing Dish equipment online especially if it is from an auction site; I think there is a way to verify the receiver is still usable. I would try contacting a DIRT member online here if you choose to go that route.

I think 4 211 Solo HD receivers would be cheaper than the new Hopper/Joey setups. The first 211 would be $0.00 while each additional would be $7/month. So, in equipment fees, $7/month for 2 211s, $14/month for 3 211s, and $21/month for 4 211s. Then, I think each could be converted in a DVR with an external hard drive for each and a one-time $40 fee. However, I think Dish is trying to discontinue the 211 as well and replace it with a similar receiver with a Hopper UI.

This pricing calculator may also be helpful: http://vendor.dish.com/calculator/default.aspx

Here is somewhat of a quicklist of what you get with the Welcome Pack (Note: I do not have some of the shopping channels, PI channels, infomercial channels, etc. listed).

HD Locals (where available-use following link to see): http://www.dish.com/local-channels/
73 Blue Highways Television/LAFF
82 FeTV/Cozi TV
102 Dish Studio HD
107 Comedy Central HD
110 Food Network HD
112 HGTV HD
117 Pop
120 History Channel HD
127 Oxygen [also in America's Top 200]
128 We TV HD
139 TBS HD
161 MTV 2
166 CMT HD
175 Boomerang [also in America's Top 200]
179 Discovery Family HD [also in America's Top 200]
183 TLC HD
185 Hallmark HD [also in America's Top 200]
203 Bloomberg Television HD [also in America's Top 250]
209 msnbc HD
214 The Weather Channel HD
223 NewsMax
259 INSP
260 TBN
261 EWTN
264 KTV
266 Angel Two
279 CCTV News
280 RT News
286 NASA
393 Pursuit (Hunting)
823 Baby First TV
9403 BYUTV
9406 Classic Arts Showcase
9410 Link
9415 Free Speech Television

The Smart Pack (currently $36.99 may be another option): https://www.mydish.com/upgrades/english-packages/smart-pack

New customer promotional offers may also be worth looking into. There are currently 3 year price locks, 1 year savings offers, etc.

Here are some channel lineup cards: https://www.mydish.com/programmingguides

You may even want to consider the Latino packages as they come with locals as well and some English channels.

 

[Mojo Jojo]

I will be honest and say that I am not a big D* fan since we once had them. However, does she have any issues with D*? I know we had issues sometimes with the signal. If she does not and likes D*, then she may want to consider the Family package with D*. The link is here: http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/compare/printablePackageChannels.jsp?packageId=960004

D* has this on their page:

What channels are included in the FAMILY™ Package? How can I subscribe?
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Email
You can get the FAMILY package by calling us at 1-888-777-2454. The FAMILY package includes more than 50 channels suitable for viewers of all ages, including local channels (where available), for only $29.99 per month. Download the full channel lineup here.

I am not sure if D* still charges an extra $10/month for HD. I am surprised to see C&I HD on the list of channels, though.

My main goal is just to help you out. So, I hope that I am passing along helpful information.

You may want to contact D*'s retention department to see if there are any unadvertised lower packages. I am not sure how true it is, but I have read other places that there is a SD locals only package that is unadvertised for about $18.99/month with a few other channels like music and shopping channels. Again, not sure how true that is. However, if you find out, please share as it may help others. I could not find anything on it, though.

 

[ChadT41]

I'm in Mesa... She should be able to get the locals from South mountain with a basic indoor antenna anywhere in Phoenix or Tukee.

 

[pattykay]

You may want to contact D*'s retention department to see if there are any unadvertised lower packages. I am not sure how true it is, but I have read other places that there is a SD locals only package that is unadvertised for about $18.99/month with a few other channels like music and shopping channels. Again, not sure how true that is. However, if you find out, please share as it may help others. I could not find anything on it, though.

There is such a package, but it is only available if you subscribe to an international package, not as a stand-alone package.