DISH MT2 OTA MODULE [Electronics]

Great device... recommended if one (or more) of your local channels are not offered in HD from Dish, or if you wish to expand your DVRs simultaneous recording ability. It was surprisingly simple to install and setup. The OTA channels will show up in your guide, and you'll be able to record with the OTA tuner in addition to the other two tuners. In other words, this will let you watch/record one OTA channel, record on another OTA channel, and record two other satellite channels at the same time. Why I bought it: While Dish does provide most of my local channels in HD, PBS-HD is not on the list. In addition to the PBS feed being SD, the edges are cut off of each side of the picture which is very annoying (and it's not a problem with the TV/DVR picture/format - Dish support has already tried). Not only has the OTA module solved my problem, but now I'm able to record enough shows at once to choke a donkey.

If you have a Dish Receiver with the slot that accepts this device, and you have an outdoor antenna that gets local channels, you might be able to drop the locals on your Dish Account and save $10 per month. It works great, and gives the added benefit that all or your OTA channels become integrated into the DVR recording and scheduling routines just like if you getting them from Dish. Not only that, with an OTA antenna, you can get the subchannels not available on the Dish program feed. The subchannels are often better than the main network feeds and provide a great lineup of 50's - 70's retro shows. Using this, you can record, playback, and use the channel schedule (except for the subchannels which do not provide this info) to see what is being broadcast in the future. It is a snap to install, but make sure to keep the access cover plate that comes off of the DVR in case you ever decide to remove it. It works great on my VIP 722k DVR, but may not work on later models. Your DVR must have the access slot on the far left of the back of the DVR when looking at it from the rear. This device will simply push in and connect much like a network or video card in a PC.

We live in a hilly area 35 & 43 miles from the tower farms. I was worried that I might not get all my local sub channels with the mt2 ota module. I upgraded my outside antenna to a antennacraft hbu33 antenna and checked my signal strength. I still had a few stations show a 58 to 65 percent signal. I installed the mt2 module into my 722k receiver and scanned for channels. To my surprise it found ALL of my local channels! + a few 115 miles from me, though they are not watchable. also showed stronger signals than what my flat screen showed. lowest level I have on my locals is 64 percent and pic on that channel looks great and has not dropped out at all so far. I am very pleased with the module and glad I purchased it. I have integrated the channels into the dish menu, and have all my channels on one controller. easy set up. Hope it works for You. P.S, I scanned on a bluebird day don't know if that helped the module.

Well, let me first say that I was NOT happy to see the product ordered from DISH COMM (fulfilled by Amazon) was in fact a refurbished part when it arrived. Nowhere in the product description is this disclosed. For the price that I paid, it certainly should have been new. Otherwise the MT2 works great and is definitely worth the investment. Adds off-the-air channels that otherwise are not available via satellite, and also adds a backup for core local channels to be received during times of bad weather. Highly recommended.

It does what it is supposed to do, takes the signal from your antenna, decodes it, and injects it into your 722k or 222k HD Dish Receiver. It is a good, strong tuner, meaning if the signal is there, it will find and use it, which is better than most of those little digital tuner boxes and cheap televisions. It also adds the local channels you pick up to the channel guide, and shows you the relative signal strength of each channel. The other coax connection of the tuner adds a second coax output for the first tuner using channel 3 or 4, which comes in handy in a few situations. This is convenient to have if you also have an antenna, because you can watch those channels directly from the Dish receiver rather than switching inputs when you want to change. The only real drawback of this module is if your Dish loses signal, then you can't watch the locals from your antenna either (its a DRM thing, media companies love their "rights"). So if your wanting to use your antenna as a backup, you will have to have it connected directly to the TV rather than using this, or you can split the antenna line and use both.

I will give it one star for its ease and simplicity of installation. However, it did not function as expected. Of the approximately 60 over the air antenna stations in my area, only about 10 could be downloaded onto this module. Only one of the five that I was interested in loaded onto the module. The module also interfered with the satellite channels. Removal of the module allowed the other channels to function normally. I returned the module to Amazon.

I've had an amplified OTA antenna for 6 years. This was used exclusively when my DISH™ signal was blocked by weather and such. Recently, the local broadcaster of the FOX station decided to charge an exorbitant fee to continue allowing DISH™ to broadcast its FREE channels! (Thank our Congress in 1992 for this). After much research, I discovered that DISH™ has this module manufactured. They sell it for $50 +Shipping. On the other hand The Connection Depot sells it for $39 and FREE Shipping! I couldn't resist. It arrived a couple of days before the targeted delivery date, which is always a super thing! There are installation instructions on DISH's™ web site. Moreover, the module comes with a DISH™ installation/use manual. I recommend reviewing both the manual an online instruction thoroughly. Additionally, I recommend using RG6 coaxial cable as does the manual. My antenna is an amplified outdoor antenna with a range up to 100 miles. I tried going straight into the module but no signal was available. Consequently, I went through the antenna's control box/amplifier/splitter, coming out of TV1. I first came out of TV2 with coax to the TV which is fine. However, I then decided to come out of the TV1 OUT from the module to the TV instead. This way I got a little stronger signal through the control box because it didn't have to split the signal. Now, here's the super duper part. I could not get the channels via the satellite signal because the broadcaster had pulled them from the channel. Nevertheless, I now get them via the OTA module. Moreover, I can now record 2 programs at once via the OTA module plus two at once via the satellite signal!! My OTA signal strength is 100% on most of the 28 channels I can receive. A few of the channels average around 90%. I live about 60 to 75 miles from the towers, but as the crow flies it is between 35 and 55 miles. On rare occasions I momentarily lose the signal due to the wind blowing trees. But, it come right back. A word to the wise. If you have your DVR connected to two TVs, and you come out of the modules TV1 outlet, you'll have to set up the module through the DISH™ menu. The instructions are in the manual. If you need to call DISH™ for tech support, they'll walk you through everything from installing the module to complete setup. One thing I determined with the help of a DISH™ tech is that you should set both TV1 and TV2 to CABLE. Oh, TV2's Guide now has the OTA channels listed as well as TV1's Guide! I recommend this to all DISH™ customers who have a compatible satellite receiver and want the Over The Air channels on their Guide!

The positive: - Integrates OTA channels with the existing Dish programming menu - Allows my Dish Vip722 DVR to record 2 additional OTA channels, or 4 events total (if I ever need to record more than 2 evens at one time). However, be aware that the OTA signal varies, and can fade,so you may miss some of the recording (as in my case).. The negative: - A PARTIAL satellite signal loss allows watching the OTA channels, but a COMPLETE satellite signal loss renders my Vip722 receiver completely dead. So, a OTA cable split was required (one to the Dish MT2 Module, and the other to the TV). This is big "show stopper" since I relied on the MT2 to eliminate the need for a separate OTA connection direct to the TV, and the need to change TV inputs when the satellite signal goes out during a storm. - Reduced OTA picture quality. Since OTA is a raw signal (ie., uncompressed), the OTA picture quality is far superior to the Dish receiver (higher contrast, deeper blacks, natural color tones, etc). Unfortunately, the MT2 renders the exact picture quality as the Dish signal. Now that I think about it, I guess its to be expected. Otherwise, people would always watch the OTA channel vs. the Dish channel. - Price. My Dish Vip211K receivers have the MT2 functionally already built in, so I'm not sure if the MT2 price is justifiable. Net-net: The price/performance did not justify the investment, and the MT2 module was returned.