EchoStar 6 at 61.5 update

[Scott Greczkowski]

That is interesting news. Has Dish publically stated such, or is that just good intel?

I don't have the link in front of me, but have posted numerous documents from DISH about this.

Its real and it has started happening.

Haven't you noticed that your not getting all the new HD channels such as BBC America HD, Fox Soccer Channel HD, etc... those are all on 72.7 (and 129) only.

This was the first move in getting people on their correct arc.

 

[HDRoberts]

(I presumet DirecTV will eventually free up the other 16 TPs these as well.)

DirecTV has already been turning over TPs. TPs 6, 16, 22, 28, and 32 are now active on Nimiq 5.

 

[Voyager6]

You might want to check your next bill for a PINK LETTER inside telling you to call them. The switchover to EA has started.

Aren't most of us on paperless billing? I think that E* will need to have a mass mailing to EA DMA's.

 

[navychop]

You might want to check your next bill for a PINK LETTER inside telling you to call them. The switchover to EA has started.

And for the people on paperless billing?.....

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Aren't most of us on paperless billing? I think that E* will need to have a mass mailing to EA DMA's.

Some are getting postcards, I would guess those are the folks on paperless billing

 

[fredp]

There are a boatload of HD customers that have two dish setups: 61.5 and 110/119. As Dish is not actively started swapping out such setups for either a 1000.2 or 1000.4 setup (at least not that I am aware of here in the Atlanta market), how could they move HD to 72.7?

Well I haven't received any notices either that my dishes need to be upgraded. 77 has poor signal quality in northern Vt. So one third of EA will be a waste but I guess we haven't any other choice. What folks seem to be doing here from what I know is covering up 77 and keeping/adding a wing dish for 110. So 61.5, 72.7, and 110.

When I researched this a couple of weeks ago I was quoted a ~$300 price(local installer) to upgrade my current 61.5/110/119 setup. I was tempted because of BBC-HD, but other then that channel, I could care less about the other 8. So I'm waiting til ???

 

[brownover]

Changed my setup from 110/119/61.5 to western arc myself. Lucky enough that dishes are easy to access and I had los to 129 satellite.

 

[rogerpl]

I did online chat to get 1000.4 dish for 61.5 and 72.7 with 500 dish for 110/119 here in ST. A. I got mine for no charge. It can't hurt to try, it did take me 4 online techs chats before I got lucky.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

If you wait long enough they should offer t to you cheap if not free. You are missing the new HD but the rest of your channels are still there for now.

 

[digiblur]

That is interesting news. Has Dish publically stated such, or is that just good intel? What will 61.5w and E15 be used for then?

It will still provide HD spotbeamed locals and probably go back to it's roots of internationals.

Actually E-15(conus only) and E-16(spotbeam) are slated for 61.5. I suspect E16 will do CONUS too like Ciel-2 is doing at 129. Then E-15 is free to run around as needed. but that's a whole other thread.

 

[jerryez]

I will never pay a penny to upgrade my system to something that Dish should be doing at their cost. It is their responsibility when they change their system to be sure everyone can receive their programing, not mine.

 

[TheKrell]

Thursday my 61.5/110/119 becomes EA. Not happy about it, but that's the way it'll be.

I hope you get my installer. He did a credible job, took his time, used my grey cables rather than his obnoxious black ones, replaced the ends on everything, and struggled with the batteries on his sat buddy several times. But in the end he had the dish peaked up beautifully in about 2 minutes. No charge to my account.

 

[tkrandall]

I don't have the link in front of me, but have posted numerous documents from DISH about this.

Its real and it has started happening.

Haven't you noticed that your not getting all the new HD channels such as BBC America HD, Fox Soccer Channel HD, etc... those are all on 72.7 (and 129) only.

This was the first move in getting people on their correct arc.

Cool. I guess Dish is "committed" (meaning willing to actually move people off of the WA, or at least off of mixed arc setups, and on to the EA then. I don't have Dish but have siblings and parents living nearby that do. Due to trees I could not have Dish prior to the EA anyway due to line of sight. (Metro Atlanta) I have DirecTV with a Slimline 3 now with no issues, but only one point on my roof even works for that. But I like knowing I have options, and I think the EA would work for my situation should I ever choose to switch.

Is the primary focus at the moment on those customers with mixed arc setups (61.5, 110/119)?

What will really be interesting to see is will Dish be willing to lose customers for whom only their current mixed arc 61.5 and 110/119 setups works, due to line of sight issues to 72.7/77 or to 129. Also, at what point are they going to remove EA markets off of WA sats? Or do they plan to do that? i.e what is the objective here? To get rid of mixed arc setups, or to actually transfer some east coast markets (i.e. local channels) off of WA entirely? If the latter, they will inevitably lose some customers in the east who happen to have a LOS to the WA where their locals are now, but no LOS to the entire EA. Perhaps a net sum game positive, but there will always be some who can see the WA but not the EA.

 

[tkrandall]

DirecTV has already been turning over TPs. TPs 6, 16, 22, 28, and 32 are now active on Nimiq 5.

Cool - I was not aware the transfer had begun. I knew DirecTV had migrated some 72.5 markets to their Ka birds, but was not aware they had released any TPs at 72.5 yet.

 

[flampher]

Well I haven't received any notices either that my dishes need to be upgraded. 77 has poor signal quality in northern Vt. So one third of EA will be a waste but I guess we haven't any other choice. What folks seem to be doing here from what I know is covering up 77 and keeping/adding a wing dish for 110. So 61.5, 72.7, and 110.

When I researched this a couple of weeks ago I was quoted a ~$300 price(local installer) to upgrade my current 61.5/110/119 setup. I was tempted because of BBC-HD, but other then that channel, I could care less about the other 8. So I'm waiting til ???

I live in Vt and had the EA installed a few weeks ago with 110 wing. basically they just installed the 1k4 where 61.5 was and cabled in 110 and left 119 unhooked from the the original dish, now wing dish. At the time there was a little programming on 77, C-span, NASA etc.. but that has all been moved off 77 to 72, and it has no programming at all left for us. As a matter of fact check switch no longer picks it up even though the point dish still has some reasonably fair signal levels on it. My intension's were to repeak it with 77 covered to get a little more signal on 61.5/72.7 but I have had no rain fade and we have had a lot of heavy rain since. I could not be happier, cost me $15, and I opted to upgrade my second dvr (512) to HD 612 This cost me $100 more.

 

[digiblur]

Cool. I guess Dish is "committed" (meaning willing to actually move people off of the WA, or at least off of mixed arc setups, and on to the EA then. I don't have Dish but have siblings and parents living nearby that do. Due to trees I could not have Dish prior to the EA anyway due to line of sight. (Metro Atlanta) I have DirecTV with a Slimline 3 now with no issues, but only one point on my roof even works for that. But I like knowing I have options, and I think the EA would work for my situation should I ever choose to switch.

Is the primary focus at the moment on those customers with mixed arc setups (61.5, 110/119)?

What will really be interesting to see is will Dish be willing to lose customers for whom only their current mixed arc 61.5 and 110/119 setups works, due to line of sight issues to 72.7/77 or to 129. Also, at what point are they going to remove EA markets off of WA sats? Or do they plan to do that? i.e what is the objective here? To get rid of mixed arc setups, or to actually transfer some east coast markets (i.e. local channels) off of WA entirely? If the latter, they will inevitably lose some customers in the east who happen to have a LOS to the WA where their locals are now, but no LOS to the entire EA. Perhaps a net sum game positive, but there will always be some who can see the WA but not the EA.

Atlanta is one of the dual arc cities where installers can do either WA or EA dish if one or the other does not have LOS.

And no I do not see them removing channels off of either arc when they are on both EA and WA. It makes is much easier for installs.

 

[navychop]

I hope you get my installer. He did a credible job, took his time, used my grey cables rather than his obnoxious black ones, replaced the ends on everything, and struggled with the batteries on his sat buddy several times. But in the end he had the dish peaked up beautifully in about 2 minutes. No charge to my account.

Sounds like the guy that I want to show up.


tkrandall: Some will have to choose, for example, to receive WA because they can't get EA, even if their locals are on EA only. Both arcs will continue to exist for some time.

 

[tkrandall]

Atlanta is one of the dual arc cities where installers can do either WA or EA dish if one or the other does not have LOS.

And no I do not see them removing channels off of either arc when they are on both EA and WA. It makes is much easier for installs.

I thought from reading stuff back in 2008 that part of the rationale of creating the EA was to free up space on the WA by removing come eastern markets from the WA. So, based on the comment above, I would guess then certain large markets in the east will remain mirrored (i.e. locals) on the Western Arc? If that is the case, then I would not anticipate any wholesale swapouts in this market other than for those in a mixed arc setup where only having 61.5 and 110/119 will not suffice for receiving all the HD channels.

That said, my brother here in the Atlanta area (mixed arc setup) says he has received no notifications yet. My cousin with a 1000.2 dish has not either.


I also noticed that Lyngsat is not showing TPs 16 and 22 assigned to either Dish or DirecTV.

 

[Laddyboy]

I thought from reading stuff back in 2008 that part of the rationale of creating the EA was to free up space on the WA by removing come eastern markets from the WA. So, based on the comment above, I would guess then certain large markets in the east will remain mirrored (i.e. locals) on the Western Arc? If that is the case, then I would not anticipate any wholesale swapouts in this market other than for those in a mixed arc setup where only having 61.5 and 110/119 will not suffice for receiving all the HD channels.

That said, my brother here in the Atlanta area (mixed arc setup) says he has received no notifications yet. My cousin with a 1000.2 dish has not either.

The cousin with the 1000.2 is already set. There is no reason for any changes there.

 

[tkrandall]

I meant to ask earlier - has E6 arrived at 61.5 yet?