How to get OTA program guide?

[trizip]

I have two 622 vip recievers but only one of them gives me a program guide for my local OTA channels. I've rebooted the receiver and reprogrammed the locals but sitll all it says is "Digital Service". Anyone have any idea on how to get the guide?

 

[RandallA]

It needs to download the guide. Have you tried doing a check switch?

Menu-6-1-1-Check switch.

 

[cparker]

disregard.... I'm dumb... need more coffee....
I edited this post so y'all wouldn't see how dumb I really am.

 

[RandallA]

If you'd see my antennas you'd probably laugh. I have a Silver Sensor for the 622 and a rabbit ears antenna for the 211. I live about 1 and 6 miles from the two tower locations. You can see some of the towers from my bedroom window and the other ones are in San Francisco.

 

[cparker]

I have a Silver Sensor on my bedroom TV (27" LCD) and believe it or not, it's getting my OTA locals at 42 miles. Reliably. I have one tower farm that's only about 7 miles away and another at 42 miles and about 30 degrees away from the close ones. That antenna didn't work well in my living room (ground floor), but seems fine in my bedroom (second floor). I'm really amazed at the little guy.

 

[trizip]

I just tried the check switch and it downloaded a new guide but it did not give me the local OTA guide. I am thinking maybe the antenna needed to be hooked up during the first installation of the receiever. I hooked it up after the dish guy came out.

 

[cparker]

Did you scan for channels after hooking up the antenna? (Assuming you did if you're seeing "digital service". When was your install? Mine took a little while to populate the locals OTA guide info.

 

[trizip]

Yes I scanned the channels and get good signal strength on all of them. The install was 3 weeks ago and I've had the antenna hooked up for about 2 weeks.

 

[trizip]

I actually just realized I do not have local channels on this receiver however I do subscribe to them. I am going to call dish to see why they are not showing up on this receiever. Thanks you both for your help.

 

[jlovesd]

Dish told me, when I was first set up, that the local channels from the antenna would not show as anything other than "Digital Service" or whatever it says. I would be very excited to get actual program information from the antenna (local) based channels. I hope someone has more skills than I do. I have run the "Check Switch" Voodoo a number of times...no joy!

 

[cparker]

You need to be subscribed to Dish's locals via satellite in order to get the guide info for your locals OTA.

 

[maxmoto]

Maybe the 822 or whatever they call the next reciever will be able to use the OTA guide from the signal.

 

[Hall]

As noted, you have to subscribe to (any) locals in order to get the OTA channels to show guide data (subscribing literally turns 'on' the ability or option in the receiver). See what happens after you sort out why you're not even getting the analog locals.... By the way, if they're simply not actually on your account, when Dish does turn them on, it can take up to 24 hours for the guide data to appear. I don't think a Check Switch speeds this up either.

jlovesd: What the Dish person told you is wrong. It depends on the receiver, but the ViP models have *always* had guide data for the digital channels that coincide with analog channels that Dish carries. Only recently did they add guide data for various sub-channels though. For example, Dish carries my local CBS, channel 7, WHIO, in analog. I have always gotten guide data for WHIO-DT or channel (re-mapped to) 7-1. A few months ago Dish added the guide data for WHIO's weather channel, 7-2. Previously it did say "Digital Service".

 

[shantyman]

I am in the same boat- no EPG info for my locals.

I have a 722 and am paying for Cincinanti Locals, but only get Dayton channels OTA. I have done the check switch trick and downloaded the guide manually. I am going to rescan the locals to see if that helps. This has beeen going on for almost a week and I do have an email in with Dish support. It's getting frustrating because the fall shows start in earnest next week.

 

[GNASH]

I am in the same boat- no EPG info for my locals.

I have a 722 and am paying for Cincinanti Locals, but only get Dayton channels OTA. I have done the check switch trick and downloaded the guide manually. I am going to rescan the locals to see if that helps. This has beeen going on for almost a week and I do have an email in with Dish support. It's getting frustrating because the fall shows start in earnest next week.

My understanding is that you must subscribe to the local channels of the ones you get OTA in order to get guide data. So I, for example, get the EPG info for our CBS OTA and their sub channels, because we have the same local (main channel) via dish.

If my understanding is correct, since you pay for Cincinnati Locals on Dish, the only EPG data you can get for OTA channels is Cincinnati stations. If I am incorrect about this, please let me know.

Geoff

 

[wtb955]

My understanding is that you must subscribe to the local channels of the ones you get OTA in order to get guide data. So I, for example, get the EPG info for our CBS OTA and their sub channels, because we have the same local (main channel) via dish.

If my understanding is correct, since you pay for Cincinnati Locals on Dish, the only EPG data you can get for OTA channels is Cincinnati stations. If I am incorrect about this, please let me know.

Geoff

Not correct. The only requirement is that you subscribe to locals through Dish Network. I subscribe to the locals in one DMA and get local OTA channels from another DMA. I get the OTA locals EPG info just fine.

 

[Hall]

This is hit or miss though, it seems. I know that TNGTony lives between Dayton and Cincinnati OH, subscribes to Cincy, gets Cincy and Dayton OTA, but only gets the OTA guide data for Cincy..... He *should* get Dayton's too and there are people who in fact do ! But he doesn't. It's odd....

 

[cummingsje]

Yeah, I subsribe to Flint, MI locals but OTA I receive Flint, Lansing, and Detroit locals. I receive guide info for all 3 DMA's. Sometimes I can pick-up Grand Rapids and Toledo locals. Very intermittently, but when I do I also receive their respective guide information.

 

[shantyman]

All I know is it is driving me nuts that I only see Digital Service on my EPG.

 

[charlesrshell]

Is there any chance that Dish might upgrade the 625 to be able to have the OTA local scan and guide?