RCA Dish Network

[Big Signal]

I have the old RCA Dish 500 network 301 setup. My contract ran out years ago,and now i just watch the free programing. My question - If I bought the HD Dish Network and set it up, will it work in receiving the free programing like I currently do with no bills ? Thanks

[wulf109]

What Free programming?

[jman98]

What Free programming?

I think he's really talking about what they call "free to air" channels. These are channels you don't have to pay for to receive. They are legally free to pick up with any satellite receiver. But as I have no experience with satellite related stuff, that is only a guess. As far as I know no pay satellite provider gives anything away for free, but some channels they carry may be able to be received for free. The original poster will have to clarify. Perhaps he is unaware of FTA channels and simply knows that he gets some channels for free and assumes that this is a gift of the satellite companies when it's not. Or maybe he's completely right about this as, again, this is not anything I have ever worked with.

[fredreed]

If you do decide to upgrade to dish network HD. You will get of course HD free for life and depending on what receiver you want that will greatly impact the channels you will receive. What I would do is go to the dish network's website and look at the channels they offer because next to the channels certain channels might have a asterisk next to them meaning that they require a certain type of receiver to get these channels. The HD channels are free but you need to specify this I think when signing up with dish network. However your best bet will be to call dish network ask them your questions regarding getting service again. A lot has changed with dish network over the past few years.

[usually_quiet]

I have the old RCA Dish 500 network 301 setup. My contract ran out years ago,and now i just watch the free programing. My question - If I bought the HD Dish Network and set it up, will it work in receiving the free programing like I currently do with no bills ? Thanks

I could be wrong but I think you would need a free-to-air satellite receiver instead. I don't think the newer receivers from the paid services can be used for anything, even watching unencrypted broadcasts, without a valid subscription from and activation by the service provider they are intended to be used for.

[jman98]

Big Signal - usually_quiet has mentioned my concerns about your post. We have very few members who are satellite TV experts and so far none of them have joined the thread. If you don't get any definitive help, you may need to look for a forum specifically geared to satellite TV at some other website to ask about this.

[Big Signal]

Nothing illeagle. Dish Network knows all about the free programing. I was a paying subscriber for 17 years and they charged me for all of my equipment on top of that. I just dropped my service and lost my pay channels, so I now watch the verry few free channels that are still provided. I dont know who provides them but Dish Network does. Aand I have a digital antenna for local brodcast stations. I was pestered for years to go to pirate SAT using a Direct TV setup, but I am not a theif and would never do that. And I am not looking to do anything illeagle now. I don't need much and I am perfictly satisfied with what I have for now. I was just wondering about multi room, HD, and DVR. Thanks for the help and maybe I can return it in the future. Big Signal.

[usually_quiet]

I realize that you are not doing anything illegal. However, as I understand it, current Dish Network satellite equipment is only useful as a doorstop until it has been activated, and activating it requires a subscription.

[[_chef_]]

And "I was just wondering about multi room, HD, and DVR." is not about to happen in your area via FTA, for sure.

[jman98]

I realize that you are not doing anything illegal. However, as I understand it, current Dish Network satellite equipment is only useful as a doorstop until it has been activated, and activating it requires a subscription.

It is certainly possible that his very old equipment works as is and nothing else need be done. I had a friend some years ago who had one of those gigantic dishes that people would mount in their front yards (he lives out in the country on a big tract of land) and the guy he bought his house from left it there and he never paid a dime for it or the associated equipment or subscribed to any service, but he was still able to get some FTA channels off of it.

My concern remains that Big Signal may actually be talking about FTA channels and not realize it and insisting that this is Dish stuff is not going to provide the help he needs. Or he may be 100% correct. But having zero Dish experience myself, I am no position to know if he is right or not. But if he is wrong and describing his situation incorrectly and with the wrong terms, he is going to probably have to go elsewhere and find a forum where experienced satellite users can recognize that he's described his situation in the wrong way and correct that and help him.

[usually_quiet]

I realize that you are not doing anything illegal. However, as I understand it, current Dish Network satellite equipment is only useful as a doorstop until it has been activated, and activating it requires a subscription.

It is certainly possible that his very old equipment works as is and nothing else need be done. I had a friend some years ago who had one of those gigantic dishes that people would mount in their front yards (he lives out in the country on a big tract of land) and the guy he bought his house from left it there and he never paid a dime for it or the associated equipment or subscribed to any service, but he was still able to get some FTA channels off of it.

My concern remains that Big Signal may actually be talking about FTA channels and not realize it and insisting that this is Dish stuff is not going to provide the help he needs. Or he may be 100% correct. But having zero Dish experience myself, I am no position to know if he is right or not. But if he is wrong and describing his situation incorrectly and with the wrong terms, he is going to probably have to go elsewhere and find a forum where experienced satellite users can recognize that he's described his situation in the wrong way and correct that and help him.

Both you and the OP are correct. I did a little research using Google. Apparently the Dish Dp 301 receiver the OP is asking about can be tricked into picking up some channels that DISH subscribers receive even after it is unsubscribed, but there is no real hacking involved. However, the channels it finds are supposedly also available to people using true free-to-air satellite receivers because they are broadcast in the clear. http://www.dbstalk.com/archive/index.php/t-23891.html