Pay as you go Satellite TV Pkg

"1. Buy a Green Dot money(Make sure it is a green dot money pack) pack at Walmart/RiteAid/CVS/etc... and load it up with the amount that you want(from $20 minimum to $500 Max). There is a $4.95 service fee when the pack is originally bought, so add that in.

Also bear in mind that after 90 days if the full amount is not used(they expect you to put the amount towards a prepaid credit card or bills before that, so I would recommend not putting more than $20 on the Money pack since you only want it for weekends on the boat) they will DEDUCT $4.95/month on the 91st day after its purchased.

An example would be if you bought it 1/1/08, then on 4/2/08(the 91st day) they would take away $4.95/month until the value is completely gone. So I would recommend the minimum amount($20) to be put on it until you see if you want more because you used it more, or not.

2. Get the receipt(this is IMPORTANT), and keep it with you. There will be an ACTIVATION NUMBER printed on it. You need this in order to activate the service(along with the Receiver number which can be found in the menu by going to option 6, then 1, then 3.)

I find the EASIEST/BEST way to do this is to is to put the Dish NOW/YA! Phone number(1-888-347-4132) at the top of a piece of paper, then the Receiver number(It is an R followed by 12 digits), and then the ACTIVATION NUMBER that was printed on the receipt where you purchased the Green Dot Money pack. This allows you easy access to all the info you need, and then you can just erase the old activation numbers/or scribble them out, and add the new one right below it. I also add the day I bought the card next to the activation # just so I know when the 91st day will hit, and therefore get that Money pack used up.

3. Then call 1-888-347-4132. This is the Dish Now service, and it is automated. You will use a combination of voice commands and typing in the activation/receiver numbers on the keypad.

For the first time activation, it will ask for a ZIP Code. Just give it one(your home one will be fine). It just wants to know where the receiver is being bought at/used. There are NO LOCAL CHANNELS or LOCAL SPORTS NETWORK available with this system(yet) so it doesn't matter which ZIP code you give.

It will ask for the Zip again for later purchases if you tell it you moved it to another location. Just don't. It doesn't affect anything anyway

I find TYPING the activation number and receiver number on the PHONE KEYPAD easier than saying it so there is no screw up. The prompt will repeat the above mentioned numbers back to you to make sure it has the right info.

4. Now you get to ordering the programming. The prompt will ask you what type of programming you want: Basic(AT Family, AT100, AT200, AT250), Movies(HBO, Stars, Cinemax, or Showtime), or Adult Channels(2 different types).

Choose which one you want. Let' say "BASIC" for now.

Say "BASIC", then you will be prompted to which one you want. Let's say AT200.

You will then be told that, you can get up to 20 days(this is just an example by the way. It will vary based on the amount on the money pack) of this programming.

You will then be asked, "Would you like to use the full amount of your money pack towards this purchase?"

Say, "NO".

You will then be asked by the automated machine how many days you would like.

Say 1, or however many days you wish(up to the max amount allowed of course).

The prompt will then repeat the number of days you said back to you and ask, "Is this correct?"

Say, "Yes" if it is. If not, say "NO." Then just repeat that step again.

It will then say fine, and tell you it is sending the signal to your receiver

For just the Weekend, I would recommend asking for 2 days. This should get through the entire weekend if ordered on Friday(definitely if ordered on Saturday).

After your purchase the voice prompt will ask you, "Will there be anything else?".

If you say NO, it will say thank you and disconnect.

If you say YES, then you will go through the above ritual again, but then you can add more programming(movie channels or Adult) each time.

You can only do one thing at a time(like get HBO, then go throught the whole process again just to get Cinemax or whatever).

The process can seem tedious, but it is worth it IMHO.

YOU CONTROL EVERYTHING.

For the first time activation, it will ask for a ZIP Code. Just give it one(your home one will be fine). It just wants to know where the receiver is being bought at/used. There are NO LOCAL CHANNELS or LOCAL SPORTS NETWORK available with this system(yet) so it doesn't matter which ZIP code you give.