Should an inactive DP301 still get the freeview channels?

[Bob2011]

I picked up an old complete setup at a yard sale for $5 including Dish 500 with dish proplus lnb, 30 foot twin cable, and DP301 box with remote. Yes I know these receivers are on the way out but the dish was worth it to me for a cheap Welcome Pack install.

The receiver downloaded only a partial guide with what appears to be mostly channels currently in freeview and PPV type channels. Currently only the Dish 101 is coming in. On the freeview channels it will go to a black screen with the channel name but then pop up an error "Your smart card does not currently have authorization to view or order this program. Please wait or channel up or down". This receiver was last on in 2010 and does have a purple card.

So do I need to hook this up to a phone line, wait, or just forget about it and move on to another box?

 

[KAB]

Forget about it, especially since it is mpeg2 and won't work with EA sats. It's obsolete.

 

[Tampa8]

Phone does not download anything to the receiver. What satellite(s) are you seeing? Has to be western arc....

 

[Bob2011]

Phone does not download anything to the receiver. What satellite(s) are you seeing? Has to be western arc....

Yes, 110 and 119.

 

[Tampa8]

I would have thought you would see a few PS at least then

 

[boba]

Not since purple card went into use, it might work for a month.

 

[3HaloODST]

I think that there would be a problem between Dish and the content providers if just any old unactivated receiver could pick up the free views.

Which leads to another thing. Dish will no longer activate legacy, QPSK-only receivers. So anything older than 111/311/322/512/522/625 will no longer be any good if its not already activated.

111-625 also do not work with EA however will remain compatible with WA whenever they make the transition to 8PSK. Eventually (long time from now) even 111-625 will be completely obsolete whenever WA makes the transition to MPEG4.

Sent from my iPhone 4S using SatelliteGuys

 

[Mr Tony]

the purple cards if out of the stream for a few days will show that.

My dad had that happen to his 301. I posted this a week or so ago

My dad calls me tonight and says the receiver in the bedroom says "smart card not authorized" and all he gets is Dish 101. Every other channel gets smartcard not authorized. The freeview channels he can tune to but get that message. The other 3 receivers work fine. 2nd time this has happened in the last month or so. I had him take out and put back in the smart card...nothing. Its an old 301 so maybe its going to hell. At the time there was no DIRT folks online so I told him to shut off the receiver for the night and we'll deal with it tomorrow.

He says to me "ok I'll flip the switch on it and shut it off"
huh? What do you mean dad?
I've got the TV, VCR and the receiver plugged into one strip and I just shut that strip off

WHAT?????

Mr cheapskate (he's obsessed with the oil, gas and electric prices) apparently shuts off the switch "to save money" and obviously it was out of the stream too long this time. He's only had Dish for oh 10-11 years now so he knows what not to do with them. But apparently that 301 must jack up the electric bill so he shuts it off when he knows he's not going to use it for a few days.

 

[Mr Tony]

Which leads to another thing. Dish will no longer activate legacy, QPSK-only receivers.

actually last I heard (from DIRT) is they will activate those but would rather not.....there are only a few models they WONT activate but right now the 301 isn't on that list.....yet

 

[Bob2011]

So Iceberg are you saying that if I leave this connected for a few days it will start working on the free channels like The Blaze?

If DIRT would let me activate this I would only use it for a month or two until I found a deal on a newer model.

 

[Mr Tony]

So Iceberg are you saying that if I leave this connected for a few days it will start working on the free channels like The Blaze?

sadly no. It would need a rehit (and obviously you'd need an account)

If DIRT would let me activate this I would only use it for a month or two until I found a deal on a newer model.

PM one and see if they will. Matt is online
http://www.satelliteguys.us/members/162833-MattG-DISH-NETWORK

 

[renegade734]

So Iceberg are you saying that if I leave this connected for a few days it will start working on the free channels like The Blaze?

The Blaze is not a free channel.

 

[3HaloODST]

actually last I heard (from DIRT) is they will activate those but would rather not.....there are only a few models they WONT activate but right now the 301 isn't on that list.....yet

Well maybe DIRT would do it, or if you got the right rep they'd do it, but most of the reps would say no. If I had my way they would refuse all of those old receivers. Dish even replaces the old DP301s with 311s when they fail.

They need to speed up the transition to 8PSK (and eventually MPEG4.) Seems like they've been talking about it forever.

Sent from my iPhone 4S using SatelliteGuys

 

[MattG@DISH]

Last I tried, I was able to activate a 301 on a pay-as-you-go account without any problems.

 

[Bob2011]

The Blaze is not a free channel.

Well it is in free preview for another ten days

"TheBlaze and its host of established and emerging talent including Andrew Wilkow, S.E. Cupp, Buck Sexton and Will Cain, will offer its programming as a free preview for all DISH customers through Sept. 26."

 

[Teehar]

Mr cheapskate (he's obsessed with the oil, gas and electric prices) apparently shuts off the switch "to save money" and obviously it was out of the stream too long this time. He's only had Dish for oh 10-11 years now so he knows what not to do with them. But apparently that 301 must jack up the electric bill so he shuts it off when he knows he's not going to use it for a few days.

ahahahahaha! That's hilarious.

 

[renegade734]

Well it is in free preview for another ten days

"TheBlaze and its host of established and emerging talent including Andrew Wilkow, S.E. Cupp, Buck Sexton and Will Cain, will offer its programming as a free preview for all DISH customers through Sept. 26."

That still does not make it a free channel.

 

[Mr Tony]

ahahahahaha! That's hilarious.

I know...My blood pressure went up like 50 points when he said that over the phone.
I finally convinced him not to shut off that switch and even better......to power it off with the remote when he isnt using it. He use to leave it on 24/7 then would get mad because it took "forever" to download the guide.
But going through the 5 steps and then the guide download is so much faster

 

[Bob2011]

FYI yes you can still activate a DP301 on a Welcome Pack account. A sales rep happily set me up this morning but I had to call back when nothing changed on the receiver. A helpful Colorado rep figured out that even though the box was clean and could be activated it was still tied to the previous owner's account. I somehow need to get this guy to call in and release it. If not I need to find a deal on another one.

 

[Mr Tony]

contact a DIRT member...they might be able to fix that