tracstar

wal1809 · October 17, 2009, 07:48:27 PM

Alright fellas, since I have been on a question roll here I figure I should ask another. The bus has trac star and Direct tv boxes installed. I have dish at home. I would like to figure out what I need to do to get a signal in the bus and not pay an arm and a leg for satellite. I pay about $80 at home as it is. If I get another service in the bus that could go up to $160 a month abd we would not be using the one in the bus except on weekends. What do yall do? Can I get all the same boxes and pay one service for two boxes at home and two in the bus?

NewbeeMC9 · October 18, 2009, 03:58:08 AM

Why not just take your dish box with you when you go and hook it up to the tracstar aentenna

pardon my ignorance if that is not possible

wal1809 · October 18, 2009, 04:07:23 AM

I would rather not take both boxes from the house back and forth if possible. They are set up next to the cielings and would be an overall pain in the foot. If it came to that then I would just pay the additional $80. I was hoping it would work kind of like getting service where you pay the $5.00 per additional box.

MacGyver · October 18, 2009, 05:45:04 AM

Well, when I roam around, I've been known to take a spare box and dish with me... All ya need is a compass, signal finder and an azimuth guide to line up the dish and get a signal going...

It's certainly far from automated, but it beats $6000 for an in-motion system when all ya need is a post and a dish... DirecTV charges I think $10 for an additional box on your account, and as long as you don't tell them it's not going to be at the physical billing address, they'll never know where it really is...

-Mac

ruthi · October 18, 2009, 06:04:22 AM

HI. We travel most of the time. We bought an extra receiver for the bus. It cost 5 dollars a month additional. I have talked to direct tv about it. They dont care if you have a receiver for trips, if fact they tell you to do just that. It uses the same service you have in the house. If you have local channels, you wont get those, but you will get everything else. You can get an extra service, but why?

robertglines1 · October 18, 2009, 06:08:44 AM

we have dish network and they charge $5 dollars a month for a additional reciever. you might ck with your provider and see what they charge for a additional reciever...they don't care if it is in the house or the bus...have used all over...loose your local chanels but you can get local nbc etc. on your digital antenna...good luck.

jackhartjr · October 18, 2009, 06:18:18 AM

Everybody sing together now, "57 channels...and Nothing on!"
Jack

DebDav · October 18, 2009, 08:37:24 AM

We also have the second receiver. Works as above. The only caveat is that if the travelling receiver is not used - when the bus is stored - the receiver loses its programming. It sometimes takes a call to Direct TV and they 'ping' the receiver to reactivate. We also can sometimes just turn the tv on and wait for the system to update.

wal1809 · October 18, 2009, 09:20:28 AM

That is the info I was looking for. I can call Dish and pay 10 bucks a month for the additional receivers. Now were frying with some hot grease

Melbo · October 18, 2009, 09:32:24 AM

I think you will have to have your tracstar changed IE reprogrammed to switch companies.

I don't know how they do it but some companies send you a device that is used

You pay a deposit and then return the device and get the deposit back

Otherwise it will look for the wrong satellite

HTH YMMV

Melbo

wal1809 · October 18, 2009, 11:16:03 AM

I ought to just switch back to direct here at the house and be done without having to do a reprogram. Sort of let them do it type of thing. I just didn't like direct very much when I had it. I read some folks got excellent customer service. I must have found the only non-English speaking Indian woman in the whole company every time I called because I never talked to an American that is for sure. I am willing to try it again though. I doubt Dish is any different. You ever notice they get frustrated when you tell them you can't understand them. They talk louder!!!! Oh Lord a mighty.

bubbaqgal · October 18, 2009, 11:50:58 AM

Lots of the guys here at the campground just order an extra box or dish for their home and carry it with them. When they set up at the campground they just use their home zipcode in it and they get to watch good TV. If you do that, don't tell the TV folks you are traveling with it. The one here in the house has a mate 3 hrs away, and one about 30 minutes away and they don't know, or care.

sivrtnge2 · October 19, 2009, 09:43:04 AM

Depending on which model Tracstar you have, all you need to do is just change your satellite from directv 101 to dish 110 or 119. If it is the model sv260 or sv360, this is done simply by pressing the main button, then the right arrow until it read set satellite, then use the up or down arrow keys until dish 110 or 119 is displayed then press enter. The unit will do the rest!!!
--
BILL

wal1809 · October 20, 2009, 02:32:55 AM

UPDATE and a tip. Yes I am new at the game but the old tricks still work. I called Dish and was honest with them and told them I wanted two boxes for the bus. they said no problem give us $300 for the two boxes to be installed on the bus. I said whoa hold on let me call you back. I call Direct TV and asked what it would be for 4 boxes, two in the house and two for the bus. Free was there answer and roughly $60 a month for programing. Soooo I called Dish back because I have 13 months left in the contract I have with them. I told them what Direct was offering. I also told them I would honor my contract for 13 months and then drop them like a sack of potatoes at the end. Of course they send you to the next person who speaks very good English and is a whole lot more understanding. I explained the situation and she says"No problem Mr. Customer would tomorrow be a good day for the tech to install your two new boxes?" So they will be here today to put them on the bus. $10 a month is all it is going to cost. That is a high cut on the hog right there.