Slickdeals is community-supported.  We may get paid by brands or deals, including promoted items.
Forum Thread

Viewing Local Channels from other State. Dish Network/Direct TV

672 179 January 13, 2009 at 07:24 PM
I recently moved from California to Texas,
one thing I miss, is the local channels from L.A.

Im thinking of ordering either Dish Network or Direct TV,
Does anyone know if they will allow you to order the service with local channels from out of state?


TIA
Add a Comment Sorry, this thread is closed.
About the OP
Joined Feb 2007 L5: Journeyman
179 Reputation Points
10 Deals Posted
193 Votes Submitted
672 Comments Posted

13 Comments

Your comment cannot be blank.

Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.

Joined Feb 2007
L10: Grand Master
> bubble2 7,376 Posts
stufine
01-13-2009 at 08:07 PM.
01-13-2009 at 08:07 PM.
nope.. they wont. not sure even if you had it "installed" at a friends house in LA and brought it to texas if you would even get it. they do a spot beam of locals to avoid this problem
Like
Funny
>
Helpful
Not helpful
Reply
Joined Sep 2004
L10: Grand Master
> bubble2 9,451 Posts
3,687 Reputation
Tonedeaf
01-13-2009 at 08:21 PM.
01-13-2009 at 08:21 PM.
Quote from stufine :
nope.. they wont. not sure even if you had it "installed" at a friends house in LA and brought it to texas if you would even get it. they do a spot beam of locals to avoid this problem
Iagree
Like
Funny
>
Helpful
Not helpful
Reply
Joined Nov 2008
Deals not DRAMA .....
> bubble2 4,576 Posts
5,839 Reputation
CountryFan
01-13-2009 at 08:25 PM.
01-13-2009 at 08:25 PM.
Up to about 4 years ago you could do that. We used to get ABC, CBS and NBC out of NewYork and Atlanta here in CA with DishNetwork.
Like
Funny
>
Helpful
Not helpful
Reply
Joined May 2008
L2: Beginner
> bubble2 69 Posts
14 Reputation
ssamboy
01-13-2009 at 08:29 PM.
01-13-2009 at 08:29 PM.
You should probably buy a slingbox for one of your closest friends from California.
Like
Funny
>
Helpful
Not helpful
Reply
Joined Dec 2003
Invisible
> bubble2 1,671 Posts
287 Reputation
chevron7
01-13-2009 at 09:32 PM.
01-13-2009 at 09:32 PM.
It's FCC regulations that disallow that now, I believe.
Like
Funny
>
Helpful
Not helpful
Reply
Joined Nov 2005
L10: Grand Master
> bubble2 38,156 Posts
5,354 Reputation
Pro
Dr. J
01-14-2009 at 05:19 AM.
01-14-2009 at 05:19 AM.
No.

FCC regulations prevent this.

Also, local channels are often on spotbeams which focus the "channel" in certain parts of the country, unlike the other channels which are for the entire US. If you were moving a few hundred miles away then you might catch the spotbeam (they are fairly "wide") but not thousands of miles. LA might not be on a spotbeam though. I know Dish Network DOES offer some large market locals nationally, but I don't know the details.

Also, you would have to have an address in LA for them to authorize the locals (FCC again). Some people will setup an address in a certain area for locals, then move the equipment to wherever - you'd still get reception (assuming it's not a spotbeam) - after all, the satellite co cannot tell where the equipment is. This is one reason why they insist that you keep it connected to a telephone line or broadband - so it can phone home.
Like
Funny
>
Helpful
Not helpful
Reply
Joined Feb 2007
L10: Grand Master
> bubble2 7,376 Posts
stufine
01-14-2009 at 06:00 AM.
01-14-2009 at 06:00 AM.
Quote from Dr. J :
No.

FCC regulations prevent this.

Also, local channels are often on spotbeams which focus the "channel" in certain parts of the country, unlike the other channels which are for the entire US. If you were moving a few hundred miles away then you might catch the spotbeam (they are fairly "wide") but not thousands of miles. LA might not be on a spotbeam though. I know Dish Network DOES offer some large market locals nationally, but I don't know the details.

Also, you would have to have an address in LA for them to authorize the locals (FCC again). Some people will setup an address in a certain area for locals, then move the equipment to wherever - you'd still get reception (assuming it's not a spotbeam) - after all, the satellite co cannot tell where the equipment is. This is one reason why they insist that you keep it connected to a telephone line or broadband - so it can phone home.
would that be for purchases only? other than whois the ip to get the general location of the box. speaking of that they did replace my DVR with a R22 that has the Ethernet connection. only problem with this box is i cant get it to fill my screen like the old one did. its giving me the gray sidebars. i dint have the HD service. i dint want to zoom on the TV because of cut off. maybe I'm missing a setting but the HD adjustments are grayed out
Like
Funny
>
Helpful
Not helpful
Reply

Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.

Joined Nov 2005
L10: Grand Master
> bubble2 38,156 Posts
5,354 Reputation
Pro
Dr. J
01-14-2009 at 06:43 AM.
01-14-2009 at 06:43 AM.
Well for Dish Network at least, they charge you $5 a month if you don't have each box connected to a phoneline OR broadband. The phoneline is used for PPV service verification and the broadband is used for VoD downloading, although presumably both can be used for determining location - an IP lookup would get them in the ballpark, which is all they need.
Like
Funny
>
Helpful
Not helpful
Reply
Joined Jul 2007
L9: Master
> bubble2 4,540 Posts
1,518 Reputation
formulanerd
01-14-2009 at 07:05 AM.
01-14-2009 at 07:05 AM.
they only check based off of billing address. they don't really care enough to go through any more trouble, at least with dish network.

i live in northern colorado, and many many people in cheyenne wyoming (an hour away) really want denver local channels because cheyenne channels SUCK.... dish network still has to tell them no. some people send the billing info to someone down here, and repoint their wing dish, its a little trouble but definitely worth it. the point is, dish doesnt know they do this, and doesnt care, they just wont go out of their way to let them do this or install it that way.

being several hundred or even thousand miles away definitely doesnt help your case.
Like
Funny
>
Helpful
Not helpful
Reply
Joined Dec 2005
My # is bigger than yours
> bubble2 36,704 Posts
6,457 Reputation
SnakePlisken
01-14-2009 at 07:24 AM.
01-14-2009 at 07:24 AM.
Quote from formulanerd :
they only check based off of billing address. they don't really care enough to go through any more trouble, at least with dish network.

i live in northern colorado, and many many people in cheyenne wyoming (an hour away) really want denver local channels because cheyenne channels SUCK.... dish network still has to tell them no. some people send the billing info to someone down here, and repoint their wing dish, its a little trouble but definitely worth it. the point is, dish doesnt know they do this, and doesnt care, they just wont go out of their way to let them do this or install it that way.

being several hundred or even thousand miles away definitely doesnt help your case.
Nope, has nothin to do with billin address. Service address is what the locals are based off of. I used my current home address as my billin address and gave a phony address in poplarville mississippi as service address. By doin this I was able to get both the east coast & west coast network affiliate feeds.
Like
Funny
>
Helpful
Not helpful
Reply
Joined Jul 2007
L9: Master
> bubble2 4,540 Posts
1,518 Reputation
formulanerd
01-14-2009 at 07:28 AM.
01-14-2009 at 07:28 AM.
well typically (i'll use that term loosely) your service address and billing address are one in the same.

but yes, if you have them come to your house and install service in wyoming, regardless of your billing address you'll be set up for wyoming programming.


and to the OP:

honestly, the easiest (and least legal way) to do this is to have a friend in CA get another receiver from dish, you'll have to aquire a dish and LNB and set it up yourself, using his receiver, and of course paying him a fee for your service.
Like
Funny
>
Helpful
Not helpful
Reply
Last edited by formulanerd January 14, 2009 at 07:33 AM.
Joined Jan 2004
L10: Grand Master
> bubble2 16,286 Posts
740 Reputation
chong67
01-14-2009 at 09:14 AM.
01-14-2009 at 09:14 AM.
Yah, just get a mailing address in the state where you want your local TV. Then move to other state and you will see the channel. I am with Dish.

How can they phone me when I dont even have a home phone? I have naked DSL and I use my cell as my home phone.
Like
Funny
>
Helpful
Not helpful
Reply
Joined Jul 2003
L10: Grand Master
> bubble2 35,346 Posts
6,266 Reputation
DC
01-14-2009 at 09:43 AM.
01-14-2009 at 09:43 AM.
Quote from Ray Nagin :
Nope, has nothin to do with billin address. Service address is what the locals are based off of. I used my current home address as my billin address and gave a phony address in poplarville mississippi as service address. By doin this I was able to get both the east coast & west coast network affiliate feeds.
When I moved form the SF Bay Area to the Sacramento Area, I switched my ship to address back to my old address and got the Bay Channels...In my case both the SF and Sac LOCAL channels were on the same "Bird" so it didn't matter.

Some of the Dish/Direct local channels are on different birds and requires you to have 2 dish's with one pointed at each bird...

So...this is a BIG YMMY if you try to use your old addy as a ship too....but give it a try and if it don't work..then switch it back!
Like
Funny
>
Helpful
Not helpful
Reply
Page 1 of 1
1
Sorry, this thread is closed.
 
Link Copied

The link has been copied to the clipboard.