Why do HI subs get so few HD channels?

[AKGolf]

I have been following this thread with interest since I live in Southeast Alaska. Our current install here is 119/110. By reading through this thread, it seems Alaska programming is swinging toward a 119/129 setup. Is this so, or will it be a third dish at 129? So far I haven't seen anyone use a one dish solution up here. I don't have a dealer anywhere near where I live, so I get all my info here at Sat Guys. Thanks to everyone that is so knowledgeable about all this. I sure hope it's not a third dish...with TV and Sat. internet, my yard already looks like an uplink center!

I was talking to a local dealer in Anchorage and he was expecting a shipment(I think from Dish) of a new Dish. He thinks it's a 30 inch Dish that will get both 119 and 129. He's hoping to get it in before he heads to Team Summit and see how it works. He thinks that if it's centered on 119 it might be able to get the spot beams from 110 and 129. I'll post here as soon as I hear from him.

 

[Tyralak]

You mean second class customers. Dish is a company, not an arm of the US Government.

TV isn't a right.

Jeeeez. It's a freaking expression!

 

[mboron]

Thanks for the replies. Another issue that comes up if we are switching from 110 to 129 is LOS issues. That's a big swing to the west when your already aiming thru trees and mountains! I'm not sure I can even see 129 from where my dishes are mounted. I might try today for the heck of it.

 

[djmaui]

I was just thinking the exact same thing. I currently get my HD locals from 110. The only thing 119 gives me is the SD locals. Can I move the 119 dish to 129 and not have it affect my guide data for my HD locals from 110?

I think 119 is required for the program guide. I had a bad connection on my 119 dish over the weekend while I was away. One time recording timers fired okay, but "record new episode" stuff apparently needs the guide. These were all HD programs on 110. This AM I still could not download guide data until I fixed the connection problem and ran a check switch test to bring 119 back on line.

 

[g182237]

Does anyone know what's wrong with KVFE HD? Sometimes it's on/sometimes it's off. The SD version is always on. It is the only HD local channel that gives me problems.

 

[djmaui]

Does anyone know what's wrong with KVFE HD? Sometimes it's on/sometimes it's off. The SD version is always on. It is the only HD local channel that gives me problems.

The one I keep having problems with is KHET HD(PBS). The off-air HD broadcast changed its frequency a couple weeks ago and I have not been able to find it since. That may be what tweaked the satellite feed. It just came back on Dish last night in the middle of the News Hour.

 

[MilDad8]

Looks like they should be on now!!

I have not verified this, but according to today's uplink report all those new HD's should now be on.

Oh Happy Day!:

 

[redsalmon]

I have not verified this, but according to today's uplink report all those new HD's should now be on.

Oh Happy Day!:

Have you tried to get them yet? I only get chan 5445, HBO-W and 5565, MAX-W. The rest don't show up in the schedule. Done the check switch and reloaded the schedule to no avail.

 

[HDRoberts]

I think Hawaii/Alaska HD subs have their own package flag. That may be the issue.

 

[djmaui]

I think Hawaii/Alaska HD subs have their own package flag. That may be the issue.

The guide still shows all the 129 conus channels as it has since I pointed a dish at 129 last week. The HI/AK spot channels have not been showing at all until HBO-W and MAX-W showed up now. Where are the other 28? (Actually 18 new, since we already get 10 of them on 110). It's not just a guide issue. I tried calling up CNN HD by channel number (5552) and it just isn't there yet.

 

[Laddyboy]

The guide still shows all the 129 conus channels as it has since I pointed a dish at 129 last week. The HI/AK spot channels have not been showing at all until HBO-W and MAX-W showed up now. Where are the other 28? (Actually 18 new, since we already get 10 of them on 110). It's not just a guide issue. I tried calling up CNN HD by channel number (5552) and it just isn't there yet.

Another thread says not until Friday according to E*. They will also have a one dish solution for AK and HI.

 

[redsalmon]

The guide still shows all the 129 conus channels as it has since I pointed a dish at 129 last week. The HI/AK spot channels have not been showing at all until HBO-W and MAX-W showed up now. Where are the other 28? (Actually 18 new, since we already get 10 of them on 110). It's not just a guide issue. I tried calling up CNN HD by channel number (5552) and it just isn't there yet.

Just got off of the phone with Tech support at Dish. The rest won't be released until the 8th of May. He didn't know why HBO-W and MAX-W showed up. He said they just had training on this new package.

He was curious as to how I knew the channels had been uplinked. He had never heard of satellilteguys.us so I turned him on to it.

Anyway look for them Friday.

 

[HDRoberts]

Another thread says not until Friday according to E*. They will also have a one dish solution for AK and HI.

That will be something. Don't they need something from 110 to 148? Or will they abandon 148 for Alaska and Hawaii channels going forward?

 

[redsalmon]

That will be something. Don't they need something from 110 to 148? Or will they abandon 148 for Alaska and Hawaii channels going forward?

According to Tech Support the one dish solution for AK covers 110, 119, and 129. He didn't know the size of the dish though.

 

[djmaui]

There seems to be bandwidth/space for HI/AK to get the Dish HD premiums as well. I couldn't keep all the info straight in my head so I put together this speadsheet. The 129 spot beam for HI/AK will bring us 10 channels that we are already getting at 110: TNT, USA, SCIFI, ESPN, HBO ON e*11 conus and TLC, ESPN2, TRV, TWC, ESNWS on e*10 spot beam. Apparently there is room for two more HD channels on 129 tp4 (HI), plus 8 more on an entirely unused tp16 (HI) for 10 HD channels total. (AK uses diferent tp's).

So, 10 more channels by replacing the 129 duplicates and 10 by using up remaining transponder space on the 129 spot. We now get three HD Premiums: HBO, SHO, MAX. We are missing 14 Dish HD premiums: STARZ, SEDGS, SK&FM, SHOTO, SHOCS, TMC, ENCOR, HBOCY, HBOZ, HBOFM, HBOSG, HBO2, 5-MAX, ACMAX. All this with 6 channels to spare, not including the seven or so temp channels on e*11 conus.

Yahoo! We're almost there. Lots of HD, including premiums, plus a one-dish solution could make Dish the big time player here in Hawaii.

View attachment 37238 (Sorry, I guess I don't know how to attach a pdf file)

 

[mboron]

Yes, a one dish solution would be huge. Dishes aren't getting any cheaper, and I've never gotten a free one, since my town has never had a dealer.

 

[Awohar]

alaska gets 119/129 on a single dish called 500AK, 110 still require second dish.

hawaii get 110/119 on a 500H dish

 

[AKGolf]

alaska gets 119/129 on a single dish called 500AK, 110 still require second dish.

hawaii get 110/119 on a 500H dish

I wonder if Dish will pay for the two dishes so that new subs can get 110/119/129?

 

[djmaui]

alaska gets 119/129 on a single dish called 500AK, 110 still require second dish.

hawaii get 110/119 on a 500H dish

Let's hope the other folks who have heard that a 110/119/129 dish is in the works are correct. It doesn't seem like rocket science. From Hawaii, 110 and 129 are about 18 degrees apart, and 119 is smack dab in the middle. It should work easily with a "tiltable" oval dish and three lnbs. How could they put all those amazing birds in space, control it all from that groovy uplink center Scott visited today, and yet not be able to engineer such a dish.

 

[redsalmon]

alaska gets 119/129 on a single dish called 500AK, 110 still require second dish.

hawaii get 110/119 on a 500H dish

While talking to Tech Support yesterday I was told it was one dish that would cover 110, 119, and 129. He didn't know the size of the dish, but I specifically asked if it covered 3 locations and he said yes. :up