DirecTV Customers in Grand Junction/Montrose-Need Help (Denver, Aurora: new house, live)

[Let's Go Here]

I'm in the process of moving from Durango to Montrose and am wanting to get DirecTV installed at my new house so I can follow my sports teams (kind of hard to be a NY Yankees/NY Giants fan in Colorado).

All kidding aside, I've discovered that DirecTV doesn't offer local channels for the GJ/Montrose market. I'm OK with not having a local newscast, but not having access to ABC, NBC, CBS & FOX would be really hard for me as a sports fan (wouldn't be able to watch any major events).

I understand that I can get a DNS waiver which will allow me to have access to the big 4 networks out of Los Angeles or New York, but from what I've heard, there is no guarantee there. Can someone who is a DTV subscriber in GJ/Montrose tell me whether or not they have access to the big 4 networks?

[jim9251]

I have Directv. You'll get the Denver locals. For some reason Directv and Dish think Denver is the local market here. For the Yankees games get MLB extra innings. I watch my Dodgers on that.

You won't get the DNS stations, Denver will NOT sign a waiver, ever.

Yes, we get to watch news about the murders in Aurora and weather 400 miles away, but nothing about our local area.

[delta07]

Jim, it's good to hear you can at least get those. When we lived in GJ, we signed up for DirectTV with the impression we would be getting those channels, even if they weren't local. We were wrong! When they hooked it up, we quickly realized those channels weren't there at all. The installer told us we'd have to get the waiver, and that it's often not granted. I fought with DirectTV for 4 months to get a refund, because they said I agreed to it when I had them install. I finally won my case, but it took hours and hours of phone calls almost every single day during that time period until they finally caved. This was is 2004 or 2005. We signed up for Dish Network after that and had no problem.

Now, I don't even bother with cable. I stream everything online and cut my bill in half!

[jim9251]

Wow was I wrong. I found out Directv does NOT carry any local channels for Montrose or Grand Junction. Now if you're next door in Ouray County or Delta County you get Denver. But in Montrose and Mesa County, nothing. I don't understand that at all!

[Let's Go Here]

Originally Posted by jim9251

Wow was I wrong. I found out Directv does NOT carry any local channels for Montrose or Grand Junction. Now if you're next door in Ouray County or Delta County you get Denver. But in Montrose and Mesa County, nothing. I don't understand that at all!

Tell me about it. The over-the-air signals for CBS & FOX are fickle at best. ABC used to come in pretty clear but now it doesn't and the NBC feed has never come in over-the-air for me.

The NBC affiliate in GJ granted the DNS waiver for me so I could the Los Angeles NBC feed, but none of the other networks would grant the waiver. Total BS, but I've been able to find a loophole that allows me to pick up locals through DirecTV .

[Idunn]

This is hypothetical as I haven't tried it, if knowing of those along the Front Range who successfully do.

Since all went digital a few years ago, there has been a renewed interest in using over the air signals. With apparently far better results in clarity than previously possible with analog.

One would need to install a new antenna designed for digital signals. Near Denver one could even use something small and unobtrusive indoors. With greater distance—such as between Montrose and Grand Junction—one would likely need a larger antenna mounted on the roof. The principal broadcast channels, such as CBS, are precisely the channels one can best receive this way. In fact some report they receive a better over the air signal than possible with either cable or satellite.

May be worth looking into, and just possibly a solution.

[jim9251]

Indeed an OTA would work, unless you're surrounded by high terrain, or in a wooded area. I know Dish Network carries the Grand Junction locals for Montrose and Mesa County.