Informative Radio?

If you are looking for English speaking then the answer is NO.  If Spanish speaking there are various radio and TV "talk show" formats around the country.

Bob K

Bob is correct, there are many many radio and tv stations and programs but all in Spanish.  I am not sure there is enough need for English speaking show of this kind!   With the right technology we can get international programming. Heck I get  that from my cable provider Tricom.

Hi Folks,

Here in the U.S. some TV's and DVD players can go to specific sites on the web .......if you have an internet connection of sufficient speed. Sites like Netflix, Ebay, Huluplus, Skype, Vudu, Youtube, Amazon, Facebook, Rhapsody, etc. Most of these sites don't have any commercials--Thank the Lord--

I assume that if you have high speed internet in the DR (say the Samana area), you can access these sites with your smart TV and DVD player. What about smart boxes like Roku2 and Boxee TV?

Does the internet go out when the electricity go out? I presume that once you have a reliably fast internet connection you can go to any site on the web with these "smart devices" just as you can with a computer, right?

Can you watch CBS, "Judge Judy" in the DR? Can you watch PBS, "The Newshour"? What about ABC "Wheel of Fortune`"? Or do I have to give up these little pleasures if I settle in the DR?

Thanks,
Billybob

welcome to the forums!  depending on your providers you can get some programs via cable. I get abc, nbc and cbs via Tricom.  Some cable providers have em and some don't.

As to internet - if you have a modem and the electricity goes so does the internet - unless you have a battery back up system then you are good for as long as your backup! 

Some programming will NOT stream to a Dominican IP address. There are workarounds but it is beyond me.  Our tech  guys will help us here.......

Thanks planner.

ABC and CBS; 2 out 3 ain't bad. No PBS (Ch. 13 and 21 in NY) huh?

So as long as the modem have power from your house or apt. it will work. That means the signal from the ISP is 24X7. Great!

I wonder how much it would cost to put up some solar panels vs a battery back-up system. It doesn't get any sunnier than the DR. Why pay the utility company when they can pay you, right?

Someone out there must have done it. If not, anyone interested in joining me in a business venture of installing solar panels in the DR?

Workarounds, mmmm??? That sound interesting. In the meantime I'm gonna contact some of these companies to see if their "smart boxes" will work in the DR?

There are a lot expats here who use solar panels.

BObK

Yes solar is becoming bigger and bigger. It is not as cheap to set up and install but the payback is there over time! 

Someone told me they use a "slinger" to get US service.  Not sure what or how that works.

Actually the solar we use for hot water and pool pump paid for itself in 2 years in savings on our bill.

We also use DISH and get all our US channels that way

BobK

Bob are you set up to feed into the electrical grid?  I know 2 people here in the capital who actually feed back into the grid, lowering their bills even more.

Thanks for all the input on radio programming. Are their any that are noncommercial?

I also find it very interesting and encouraging that the conversation moved into solar power. Anybody using wind power or wave power? So you can feed energy back into the grid and get reimbursed?

Planner we are not totally off the grid and still use ede Norte for the general house stuff and we share a generator with multiple neighbors.

Bob K

Nglover there are a few using wind but very expensive to put in. When we looked at it 7 years ago it was going to take 9 years till it "paid off" and that was assuming just normal servicing and no major repairs.

Bob K

"Slinger"? Planner, might you be talking about the "Slingbox" (pro, hd, etc)? When I had it, I could watch cable TV (in my home) while I was at work (night shift).

I believe any audio and/or video source plugged into the back of the slingbox can be controlled by it from anywhere in the world with an internet connection.

Trouble is ya gotta keep paying the cable TV provider in the U.S. With radio, it's free I guess. I never did this as my radio did not have audio-out (rca) connectors. Of course, you need a residence/location in the U.S. This could be your brother's (etc) attic (etc).

Then there is satellite radio. I think there are 2 providers: Sirius and XM. If Bob K can get the Dish network in the DR, perhaps these satellite radio stations can be accessed from there as well.

And you know they carry gadzillions of channels, and I bet NPR is one of them. Doesn't Dish carry radio stations as well?

Silly question. I should know that it's not feasible to broadcast radio over Dish video channels. But its all digital-- ya never know.

Finally two other sources of NPR is with a computer on the internet and with Roku. Try typing in www.npr.org in your browser. The ROKU smart box has numerous international radio stations, including NPR.

Yes we get Sirius radio with our Dish network

Bob K

There ya go. I think that's a wrap on NPR.

As for commercials, your best bet is to go online (to get NPR) to eliminate them. It seems online versions of TV and Radio has not been as parasatized as commercial TV.

It's not that I'm against commercials, it's just that there is too much of them and some of them do a brain dump on fast forward with every little detail or restrictions of their products as possible. Arhgghh! Enuff said.

Further, a good pop-up blocker will eliminate online commercials as well as stop it from going to your smart box or TV or DVD player.

Yeah, about solar. I'm a newbie here. But it seems that Sunpower has the most efficient panels out there but they want a small fortune ($18K-$30K) to install them. The states and the Feds will give you a big tax break but I don't think they'll do that for a home overseas.

The Germans are pretty strong is solar as well. And the Chinese are trying to dominate the market by dumping their solar panels at below cost. And everyone is trying to lock out the DIYers.

If any of these companies would make an easy to install panel, I believe they would dominate the market. Can you imagine 1 foot square panels, like floor tiles, that would snap into each other and that you could screw and/or glue unto your entire roof if you wanted to. All ya would need is an electrician to hook up the main line to your fuse box if you could not do that yourself. Then a govt inspection and you're done. Nah, we'll have to wait until the corporatocracy have had their fill.

Then again, maybe somebody or some company in the world is doing that already but can't get thru the media noise. I know that Amazon.com have some low power kits though.

The problem is importing solar panels. The import tax is crazy and nearly doubles the cost of the panels in many cases.

Bob K

Interesting comments  you absolutely cracked me with - "government inspection".

So the govt' doesn't inspect anything then? I thought these guys liked to be bought off. Haha. Just kidding, mi gentes.

I heard tell that DR might have a pensionado program much like many other latin countries. That if you retire there with a proven income of greater than $1500 per month, you can bring in a lot of imported items ($10K?) duty free, or with low tariffs. Any lawyers around here?

That's about what it cost to have a modest (3-5 Kilowatts) solar system installation.

And indeed Amazon.com does have these systems. So does Home Depot. And if Home Depot have them you can bet Lowes does too. Too other low cost resellers carry them too: Renegy-store.com and MrSolar. So does Wholesalesolar and Ebay.

I like what I'm reading about Renegy-store. But it's one thing to buy these solar panel kits and it's quite another to ship and install them.

Do your research!

Oh yeah, one final nail in the coffin of commercial free NPR Radio: Smartphones and Tablets and wifi internet. If you can access the web with these devices, you can certainly go to www.npr.org. Enuff said.

You are partly correct, with an income of US 1500 you qualify quickly for your 'residencia"  with this you can then bring in a container of "household goods, including 1 vehicle"  without the usual duties etc.  That would not likely include a brand new solar system!  Double check that with a lawyer.  there are limitations, for example you can bring in 2 tv's but not 6 intending to sell them etc.  your container will have a complete inventory list and it is checked on this end.

Yup inspectors are paid off, but installing your own solar system and then getting it inspected - nahhhhh.  who would even pay attention!

Hi folks. Someone (moderator?) ask me to introduce myself. So here goes.

I am 53 years old, a bit of a neurotic perfectionist, and have few responsibilities, if any. My hobbies are aquaponics, gardening, tennis, arts and crafts, and technical innovation.

I've been going to the DR for many years and I really like the people, the food, the music, the beaches, and the climate. The women are beautiful and with no attitude, which is rare and compelling. And the fellas don't want to fight me, thank God.

The DR is a place where the natives often mistake me for one of their own. You don't know how therapeutic that is! My mother would consider me tall, lite, and handsome but I know better. I am tall, mixed, and average, just like most guys in the DR.

I immigrated from the Caribbean to New York and eventually got a job as a Techie when I grew up. I lost my job and ran into some medical issues that required surgeries and am now recovering and rehabbing from them.

I am looking for a low cost place to live which is less stressful than NY because I can't.... and don't want to live in NY (which is fast becoming a police state) for much longer without a high paying job, which just might do me in.

Perhaps I can get a job teaching tennis in one of the international hotels in the DR or in electronics with an American co. in the DR...... or rent an arts and crafts store there ...... or maybe all three?

I dunno if I'll even recover enuff to go back to work but my plan is to rent an apt in the Samana area for a few weeks to a few months to really gauge the costs and quality of life there. I am encouraged that a new international airport and a new highway to Santo Domingo was recently put in. IL magazine also listed the Samana area as an excellent low cost place to retire to.

My surgeries gave me time to reflect on what was important to me. One of them is that I want to do work that I love and not be compelled to be a wage slave anymore. I was blown away by the generosity and kindness of the people who helped me. New Yorkers? Who knew? I swore then that my main goal in life would be to help others. Surely, this is a better way to live than to try and make as much money as you can and have no time left for anything else.

Right now I need some dental implants and I'm wondering whether I can have a quality job done in the DR for pennies on the dollar?

Guy 11427 you might want to copy and re paste this entry in the "introduce yourself" thread.

welcome to the forum

Bob K

Hi Bob K. Thank you and I just did.

That is what prompted me to make the thread.......thanks guys!