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Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum
I spent almost 1 year shopping for a new flat screen HD TV, then once I got it in March, spent another 4 weeks looking around, researching whether to stay with Dish and upgrade to HD, switch to Direct TV, Fios, or Comcast. After reviewing the options, I specifically went with Dish because they offered some great HD channels. Specifically I chose Dish though because of the Voom channels (Monsters, Kung Fu, Rave, Gallery). For true HD content it sounded like there was none better.

Needless to say I was required to upgrade my receiver/dish and dvr for a $150 fee, and agree to a 2 year contract. I did so willingly with the knowledge that Dish Network's HD content was unmatched by any other cable outlet.

Since Dish has dropped the Voom, the replacement channels are not at all in comparison to what was offered. The channels offered now are NOT all HD. TNT is simply upconverted and squeezed. Bravo's content is NOT HD. A&E is NOT HD. Why do I care what the weather channel looks like in HD? Why do I care what my stocks look like in HD on CNBC?

They've taken the commercial free VOOM channels and replaced them with sub-par commercial ridden SD upconverted channels. Try watching any movie, rather, commercial fest, on Bravo. (Casino? Because I have 4 hours to sit and watch a 2 1/2 hour movie).

In my mind, we as customers are owed something for the loss of the Voom channels. Shouldn't a person be mad if they just spent $2,000 on a tv and a 2 year commitment to a cable company only to have their HD content drastically change? It is none of my concern what contract disputes/discussions/problems Dish is having with Voom. That is no excuse to simply pull the plug on the Voom channels.

I am in the process of contacting several different attorneys to see what the options are. I'd like to know if other Dish Network customers feel the same way and whether they would be willing to be a party to any lawsuit.
311 Replies · 35081 views
H
We should file a class action suit against the people who keep crying about Voom. Voom isn't on E* anymore so maybe you should post the voom stuff over at the Cablevision Forum.:eureka Thanks.
FitzAusTex
We should file a class action suit against the people who keep crying about Voom. Voom isn't on E* anymore so maybe you should post the voom stuff over at the Cablevision Forum.:eureka Thanks.
No one forces you to read, nor respond to Voom posts. We'll stop 'crying' when we feel like it.
riffjim4069
Just my 2 little cents...

I think both sides are mad at each other, but Dish has the upper hand and Voom needs to realize this and say ok well you can have atleast 8 of the channels or something like that, or they may go out of business this year.
A agree...if VOOM were trying to grow their business unit. However, I get the feeling the affiliation agreement basically turned VOOM15 in a pseudo exclusive with Dish Network. For example, a few of us wondered by VOOM didn't sell some of their more popular channels (Monsters, Rave, Equator) a la carte to other providers (Cable, FiOS, DirecTV) here in the U.S. - it was VOOM15 or nothing and even CableVision, their parent company, didn't offer VOOM until last year.

The only a la carte deals VOOM struck were foreign providers in Canada and Asia. Given the nature of the agreement, I get the feeling VOOM would be required to offer E* the same deal should they sell the VOOM channels a la carte or in smaller package to others in the U.S. market. Although I doubt it, this may actually turn out to be a very good thing for VOOM in the long run.

Additionally, VOOM is just a small subset of Rainbow Media which produces and distrubutes WE, AMC, and IFC. These channels are widely sold and generate positive cash flow for the company. It really won't take much to shutdown VOOM HD Networks, plus the HD studio can still be used to create material...oh, perhaps WE-HD, AMC-HD, and IFC-HD. What sucks in the $$$ they are no longer receiving from E*. Back to my previous point, Rainbow Media is very good at schlocking their wares and I could never figure out why they were so insistant on selling VOOM as a 15 channel all-or-nothing package. It makes sense there was something in the affiliation agreement that threaten their cash cow with E* if they broke up the VOOM15 package.

Anyway, it would appear that VOOM is hell bent on taking this matter in front of a jury, which may take years. Meanwhile, will we see VOOM sell their channels a la carte? Will we see the creation of WE-HD, AMC-HD, IFC-HD and Fuse-HD? If so, will VOOM refuse to make them available to E*? To be honest, if I were Rainbow Media I would use the VOOM HD studio to create WE-HD, AMC-HD, IFC-HD and Fuse-HD, and refuse to make them available to E* until they renew the affiliation agreement.
M
Will we see the creation of WE-HD, AMC-HD, IFC-HD and Fuse-HD?

Yes.

Several months ago.

amc_hd.jpg

ifc_hd.jpg

we_hd.jpg


(Can't find a logo for Fuse...I've seen varying reports as to whether it actually exists. The other three are on Comcast already)

EDIT...All four are uplinked on Galaxy 14
skottey
Yes.

Several months ago.

amc_hd.jpg

ifc_hd.jpg

we_hd.jpg


(Can't find a logo for Fuse...I've seen varying reports as to whether it actually exists. The other three are on Comcast already)

EDIT...All four are uplinked on Galaxy 14

shreeeeeek, eeeeeeeeeeeek!

I can hardly wait for We HD... but seriously... I don't think most women care as much about HD as we men. My beloved mother-in-law has been caught in the act of watching A&E SD on 50 occasions while babysitting in my home. I keep showing her the HD channel with the better picture quality (even if it isn't an HD program) and she just doesn't get it. She keeps tuning to the SD version of the channel.... same with TNT... She is a huge Lifetime watcher so I am sure when we get Lifetime HD or Lifetime Movie Network HD, she'll still watch the SD version of the channel. I just think most women don't appreciate HD. Like, many of them don't see that much of a difference.

Most HD channels up until now have been aimed at men (sports networks, History channel, Discovery channels, SciFi, etc). It'll be interesting to see if the women start demanding new HD channels from their providers the way men do. I haven't heard much uproar yet.

But anyway... AMC HD would be great to get with DirecTV. My cable provider (BHN) aired uncut episodes of that wonderful show "Breaking Bad" on their HD Showcase on demand channel. What a great show. I'm not sure of all things why they decided to air Breaking Bad HD since they don't even offer AMC HD, but I wasn't complaining. Hopefully DirecTV will get this soon. I did however watch an episode on the regular AMC of Breaking Bad and they cut out the foul language. Hopefully AMC HD won't do that. The show was much better aired the way it was meant to be while in HD.

As far as IFC, I don't really watch the channel. Don't they either have commercials or cut out sex and language? It seems I remember watching something on there once and being pissed about them cutting out parts or something. When I watch a movie, I want to watch the actual movie.
MikeD-C05
shreeeeeek, eeeeeeeeeeeek!

I can hardly wait for We HD... but seriously... I don't think most women care as much about HD as we men. My beloved mother-in-law has been caught in the act of watching A&E SD on 50 occasions while babysitting in my home. I keep showing her the HD channel with the better picture quality (even if it isn't an HD program) and she just doesn't get it. She keeps tuning to the SD version of the channel.... same with TNT... She is a huge Lifetime watcher so I am sure when we get Lifetime HD or Lifetime Movie Network HD, she'll still watch the SD version of the channel. I just think most women don't appreciate HD. Like, many of them don't see that much of a difference.

Most HD channels up until now have been aimed at men (sports networks, History channel, Discovery channels, SciFi, etc). It'll be interesting to see if the women start demanding new HD channels from their providers the way men do. I haven't heard much uproar yet.

But anyway... AMC HD would be great to get with DirecTV. My cable provider (BHN) aired uncut episodes of that wonderful show "Breaking Bad" on their HD Showcase on demand channel. What a great show. I'm not sure of all things why they decided to air Breaking Bad HD since they don't even offer AMC HD, but I wasn't complaining. Hopefully DirecTV will get this soon. I did however watch an episode on the regular AMC of Breaking Bad and they cut out the foul language. Hopefully AMC HD won't do that. The show was much better aired the way it was meant to be while in HD.

As far as IFC, I don't really watch the channel. Don't they either have commercials or cut out sex and language? It seems I remember watching something on there once and being pissed about them cutting out parts or something. When I watch a movie, I want to watch the actual movie.

You know how you fix the mother law watching the sd channels? You lock them out and only allow the hd channels in their lower mapped numbers- with DISH. I don't have any Sd channels in my guide if their is the hd equvialent. On Directv hd receiver I have the option enabled which eliminates the sd channels and only allows the hd version . It works the same and no more sd channels.
allargon
You know how you fix the mother law watching the sd channels? You lock them out and only allow the hd channels in their lower mapped numbers- with DISH. I don't have any Sd channels in my guide if their is the hd equvialent. On Directv hd receiver I have the option enabled which eliminates the sd channels and only allows the hd version . It works the same and no more sd channels.

If so many of those HD channels weren't stretch-o-vision I would agree. However, Biography, A&E, TBS, HGTV and Food Network are often unwatchable in stretch mode. Too bad Dish doesn't have a "narrow/unstretch" feature on its receivers operable via the format key.
skottey
If so many of those HD channels weren't stretch-o-vision I would agree. However, Biography, A&E, TBS, HGTV and Food Network are often unwatchable in stretch mode. Too bad Dish doesn't have a "narrow/unstretch" feature on its receivers operable via the format key.

I have my DirecTV guide setup to block the SD versions and if the HD version isn't HD and is horribly stretched, I just don't watch it. There is enough other stuff on that is watchable. I just skip the stretched crap.

Thankfully, all the channels don't stretch the non-HD/widescreen stuff. HBO2 HD had a movie on earlier that was not in HD and it actually had the black bars.
allargon
Thankfully, all the channels don't stretch the non-HD/widescreen stuff. HBO2 HD had a movie on earlier that was not in HD and it actually had the black bars.

HBO AFAIK never was stretch-o-vision. They are just not very fond of OAR and tend to do open matte and zoom/crop 2:35:1 movies.

Strech-o-vision = Toon, Food, HGTV, Biography, A&E, History, TBS and TNT.

Not all Warner properties stretch. National Geographic joins HBO and Cinemax in the side black bars are okay crowd.

Paramount seems to be taking a stand with the channels. All of their movies tend to be OAR on Showtime (Black Snake Moan), TNT (Titanic), Bravo (Clear and Present Danger).
M
Strech-o-vision = Toon, Food, HGTV, Biography, A&E, History, TBS and TNT.

Actually, Food and HGTV are the only ones still doing "Stretch-O-Vision" (which we recently found out is actually called "Flex-View".) Turner stopped. I'm not sure A&E ever did it.

Sure, they still stretch, but it's a step in the right direction.
mike123abc
It would cost Dish more money if all the people dropping because of VOOM took them to small claims court to recover the costs of the termination. Dish would have to hire local representation for every suit, costing them more than forgiving the termination fee.
dishcomm
It would cost Dish more money if all the people dropping because of VOOM took them to small claims court to recover the costs of the termination. Dish would have to hire local representation for every suit, costing them more than forgiving the termination fee.
not gonna happen...Ever..This is TV..Not a loss of a limb. Jeez.
Peter Parker
Hopefully no one had planned to use this attorney

Class action king Weiss sentenced to 30 months - Yahoo! News
KAB
KAB
No one forces you to read, nor respond to Voom posts. We'll stop 'crying' when we feel like it.
When are you gonna feel like it?
mike123abc
not gonna happen...Ever..This is TV..Not a loss of a limb. Jeez.

This type of dispute is what small claims court is for. If you lost a limb you would be more than the 1000-1500 limit most small claims courts have. I am not saying you would win, you may or may not depending on the judge (probably lose though). But, if you want revenge on Dish you at least get your day in court.
Hall
Regarding small claims court, as I understand it, there's no "enforcing" an order from small claims.

Regarding Dish Network and courts, well, they don't exactly listen.... :)
allargon
Actually, Food and HGTV are the only ones still doing "Stretch-O-Vision" (which we recently found out is actually called "Flex-View".) Turner stopped. I'm not sure A&E ever did it.

Sure, they still stretch, but it's a step in the right direction.

Err... I saw stretch-o-vision on TBS just yesterday. Cartoon Network is 4:3 now? Yeah, right...

Dish bring back Voom!
FCom911
Hopefully no one had planned to use this attorney

Class action king Weiss sentenced to 30 months - Yahoo! News

What a schmuck!!! I'm glad Weiss got his dig's! 30 months seems ' incarceration-lite ' for what he has probably been doing throughout most of his class-action litigation career.
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
· posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network
0 Replies · 9 views
JSheridan
Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum
I know HipKat said that they were working on conversions but we got the official news yesterday right from Dish that starting next month all DMA's will be on the western arc, and all customers will be assigned to that. That's gonna mean a lot of customers around here aren't gonna get Dish unless there are exceptions. Too many mountains and trees.
175 Replies · 5070 views
S
Even if you are broadcasting old SD-only shows, I would think advertisers would still want their commercials to look good.
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Jimbo
Even if you are broadcasting old SD-only shows, I would think advertisers would still want their commercials to look good.
Advertisers on SD channels are probably Far and Few, very hard to find, they have very few viewers to watch them.
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Mister B
Advertisers on SD channels are probably Far and Few, very hard to find, they have very few viewers to watch them.
I watch mostly SD channels (H&I, Start and ION, etc.). There are plenty of advertisers, this time of the year it is mostly Medicare Advantage plans, auto extended warranties and the occasional walk-in-tub. They know who is watching.
S
I watch mostly SD channels (H&I, Start and ION, etc.). There are plenty of advertisers, this time of the year it is mostly Medicare Advantage plans, auto extended warranties and the occasional walk-in-tub. They know who is watching.
can't forget the little blue m&m's
charlesrshell
can't forget the little blue m&m's
That's what my wife calls my Viagra!!
T
Why didn't Charlie end up launching starlink
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S
That's what my wife calls my Viagra!!
My gf is 29 years younger than me :shh
Almighty1
Why didn't Charlie end up launching starlink
He does not have the resources aka $$$ compared to Elon Musk as in reality, Elon can eat Charlie for lunch or even mop the floor with Charlie if he wanted to.
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S
ment to 20 yrs dam phone
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BradleyD
Dish should use both satellite and internet like they do now for all channels. Use either or or both.... like now but subscribers could choose something like internet only, or sat only, or both.
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S
Dish should use both satellite and internet like they do now for all channels. Use either or or both.... like now but subscribers could choose something like internet only, or sat only, or both.
They have sling tv wich sucks ass it needs a major upgrade
Scott Greczkowski
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!

So let the game continue!

The last song was added by Bobby who posted...

One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters

CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!

Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game

Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.

Example:

Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow

Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio

Another example:

Ride the Lightning -- Metallica

Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne


Get it?


An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
68638 Replies · 2679363 views
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EatMyVolts
The 59th Street Bridge Song -- Simon & Garfunkel
long_time_Dish
52nd Street - Billy Joel
ClarkGable
Caribbean Queen - Billy Ocean
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dishstaller
Don't Stop Me Now - Queen
long_time_Dish
Don't Stop Believin' - Journey
T
Last reply · posted in C-BAND Satellite Discussion
Howdy folks long time no write.

Issue(s): Horizontal transponders (esp. Weigel mux) breakup/mosaic/sputtering audio, JTV less so (but received perfectly up until a month or so ago.
Vertical is fine (Daystar). Up until recently couldn't even get any signal on Weigel Mux but JTV was perfect.

What I did to improve things: A slight westward move improved reception but only slightly (approx 72 on the micro HD, sorry no dB to post). I removed the 3-way C-Band splitter and used a 2-way to get a 1-2 db signal gain ( the power port goes to the Startrak - the micro HD doesn't have enough juice ! (1st clue) even after swapping the switching power supply it came with with a heftier linear 12 V supply (less RFI too !).
I have had issues with the uHD before signal breaking up that a reboot would clear up (clue #2 = dying tuner?) - FYI, I reinforced the IF input and removed all flux from the pcb completely with a Flux Removal Pen (MG Chemicals Cat No. 4140-P) which definitely makes a huge difference.

I went outside and pushed and pulled reflector slightly and no improvement. Pole (actually tower in yard - the neighbours love me..NOT) is plumb, checked with carpenters level. Dish was last peaked in 2017 or so, after overhauling 24" Von Weise, new Acme, fresh grease, etc. Focal length, f/d ratio etc meticulously adjusted. One panel has a tear so planning to repair that this weekend when my cousin comes over ( to help me out (old guy here) forecast calls for sunshine.

What has changed: My utility company has installed new high tension line poles (one smack dab in the middle of 101°W target! But they put it in last year and reception (of JTV (HOR) at least) was fine, BUT when they came out to transfer the wires over this year from the old (sawed in half) pole that's about when the troubles started (coincidence?), but again Daystar (VER) was fine. I always had this pole in the light of sight of 101° before with no issues. (fyi my zenith sat 74° is unobstucted, but can't test)

In the meantime Weigel mux is trying to break in MOSTLY in LATE at night (less cell usage?) (audio not video except for a frame here or there) so don't know what has changed with this mux which suddenly "woke up". I have never had to fuss with dish moves on this satellite ( the slightest move +/- motor clicks loses lock, wheres normally on C-band I can go significantly wider east or west and still have a strong signal ( have these gone "spot beam" or narrower somehow and what is the slight difference in Az listed on Lyngsat to 100.9° affect things ( isn't that the declination i.e. requiring a tweak of declination?).

Long story short (too late, ha), if I had another DVB-S2 box to try and / or a newer more stable PLL lnb ( I have been meaning to upgrade many a time but never got arround to it) I could determine if it's my antiquated receiving equipment, or my dish/feed alignment ( doubtful as it tracks everything from 55 °W to 133 ° W nicely.) or the dreaded 5G! (BUT only on HOR and not VER?).
I read another post where the OP (with his smaller 7.5 footer) played around with the illumination to peak desired transponder and reduce qrm on interfering/ stronger xpndrs (even on 103° W). So will play with that too - and cut away the RG-6 a and pull up a fresh section with new PPC and coax Seal. Open the throat cap see if any cobwebs are there and check servo operation (also changed in last maintence 10 years ago).

Finally, this will probably be the last chance I get to play with the BUD from the looks of it (providers leaving, auctioning off rest of spectrum imminent above 4.0 Ghz, and to keep the peace with neighbours so it would be nice to have that mux back for the long, cold and dark winters to comfort this old man before I call it quits and buy a VHF/UHF/FM Yagi and get MeTV, H&I from my Vermont local stations (checked at a friends today and they come in nicely - except ABC) .
Only one guy in town (Montreal) I may be able to get a receiver or PLL lnb from to try (RPS Sat) so hopefully with elimnate that as a possible culprit. Be nice to pick up a cheap or used PLL lnb to try w/o 5G BPF (money is tight )

Like others I couldn't care less about "tv" (well maybe just a liitle or a lot) it's the challenge that excites me , I can get MeTV other ways OTA (no pirate crap).

So what do you guys (and gals) think ?. p.s. I don't have a spectrum analyzer and there are def/ cell towers nearby (half a Km or so away).
Oh and time permitting will hammer out dings too and wire damaged mesh on one section for an extra dB or two. Hesitate to touch Declination, Elevation and pole mount but will play around with those a little too... Why is this mux for finicky suddenly ?(8psk, 5/6 fec, beamwidthetc.. man wish they went back to VER I think everthing would be fine! For the engineers out here does 5G QRM affect one poliarization (HOR) more than another (VER)? I understand the strong interference swamps out the input mixer/local oscilator in the hapless old C-band lnb (I think it at time affect KU too esp. LPB on 101°W KU - incidentally thos were weak or "gone' but are back almost at the time MeTV improved..hmm Terrestrial interference?

Any thoughts or suggestions ( cheap or free solutions please) greatly appreciated. Cheers.

p.p.s. Micro HD can't display Decades and Toons but records them fine so I can watch on another box/media player (Ali chip set issue). Another reason to upgrade.

Anybody interested in a nice C/KU system free ? (for next Spring/Summer 2027)

[Sami 10' mesh, Corotor II+, Eagle Aspen (very old) C-band lnb, Norsat Ku lnb, Channel Master C/Ku (H/V) switch, Startrak 400 Analog receiver w/ motor control, Geosat uHD DVD-S2, CW600S for Mpeg-2]
17 Replies · 653 views
arlo
To me it looks like all of the intelligent things to diagnose the problem 'on the cheap' are being done.
I have my own thoughts of lnbf's using an external filter between the feed and coax. It would be cool to see what Brian could add.
Do his units have the filter before the actual LNA chip in the circuit? In other words, signal is focused at the lnbf throat. The probes for h & v polarity send the signal to.......filtering......then to the lna IC......
Or probes, lna, then filtering. Makes sense to trap the bad stuff before amplification to me.

On the cheap sometimes leaves questions. Enosat and El Bandido both use dvb-s pci cards and TBS USB receivers.
With those, and software. Signal analysis becomes sort of easy. Or tapping into your coax with a dc pass splitter, decoupling capacitor, and using a spectrum analyzer. Tuning across the LO band. Finding signal spikes. Digging deep.

Still making my decision on a (most probably) TBS PCIe tuner card. But I have tapped into my coax with my ancient but quite impressive HP spectrum analyzer and tinysa.
I don't have 5G interference so far that I know of. But have my suspects because I'm only able to snag signal from 131W in the winter when the leaves drop. But out of curiosity do scan it in the fall. And seem to be getting a signal that 'shouldn't' be there and a scan shows no channels. Far as I got.

An idea pops up to rig up an LNBF on a stick. Along with the tinysa and power supply and do some rogue signal searches. War Driving, of sorts. But. I wouldn't think that a chinabox, firmware based receiver would be of much help.
From what I see scanning across the frequency band. 5G cell transmission is always on and is very wide spectrum.
Whether anyone is actually using talking, texting, watching stupid human tricks on YouTube Makes no difference. The RF is there. So why would a C Band setup come and go? And what if you dumped the corotor and went modern voltage controlled polarity?

Another thought. Since you've learned the optimal position to place the scalar to illuminate out to the dish rim. And peaked the feed. There's most of a roll of aluminum flashing out in my garage that would most definitely wrap around my dish perimeter. That and a bag of large binder clips from the office supply. wally world. Ideas?
B
To me it looks like all of the intelligent things to diagnose the problem 'on the cheap' are being done.
I have my own thoughts of lnbf's using an external filter between the feed and coax. It would be cool to see what Brian could add.
Do his units have the filter before the actual LNA chip in the circuit? In other words, signal is focused at the lnbf throat. The probes for h & v polarity send the signal to.......filtering......then to the lna IC......
Or probes, lna, then filtering. Makes sense to trap the bad stuff before amplification to me.

On the cheap sometimes leaves questions. Enosat and El Bandido both use dvb-s pci cards and TBS USB receivers.
With those, and software. Signal analysis becomes sort of easy. Or tapping into your coax with a dc pass splitter, decoupling capacitor, and using a spectrum analyzer. Tuning across the LO band. Finding signal spikes. Digging deep.

Still making my decision on a (most probably) TBS PCIe tuner card. But I have tapped into my coax with my ancient but quite impressive HP spectrum analyzer and tinysa.
I don't have 5G interference so far that I know of. But have my suspects because I'm only able to snag signal from 131W in the winter when the leaves drop. But out of curiosity do scan it in the fall. And seem to be getting a signal that 'shouldn't' be there and a scan shows no channels. Far as I got.

An idea pops up to rig up an LNBF on a stick. Along with the tinysa and power supply and do some rogue signal searches. War Driving, of sorts. But. I wouldn't think that a chinabox, firmware based receiver would be of much help.
From what I see scanning across the frequency band. 5G cell transmission is always on and is very wide spectrum.
Whether anyone is actually using talking, texting, watching stupid human tricks on YouTube Makes no difference. The RF is there. So why would a C Band setup come and go? And what if you dumped the corotor and went modern voltage controlled polarity?

Another thought. Since you've learned the optimal position to place the scalar to illuminate out to the dish rim. And peaked the feed. There's most of a roll of aluminum flashing out in my garage that would most definitely wrap around my dish perimeter. That and a bag of large binder clips from the office supply. wally world. Ideas?
I did some more investigating and found I got the MeTV mux in the early hours, until about 6am then the pixelating starts. Gets worse until around 8am its totally gone. I suspect my local cell tower is ramping up traffic as the morning goes on. My Titanium feed does a super job and most everything is clear that wasn't before but this mux is aggravating! I seem to just be over the signal threshold to work until the 5G total overwhelms my system. I'm using an old 9 foot spun aluminum dish and was wondering if I went to a 12 ft dish this would solve the problem? I know bigger is better in most satellite dish related signal problems. If this is true I will be searching for a bigger dish. I like your idea of flashing put around the dish perimeter. I have some I need to dig out and try before I start ripping out my dish. Anybody have any ideas if the bigger dish would do better? Any help would be appreciated!
S
I did some more investigating and found I got the MeTV mux in the early hours, until about 6am then the pixelating starts. Gets worse until around 8am its totally gone. I suspect my local cell tower is ramping up traffic as the morning goes on. My Titanium feed does a super job and most everything is clear that wasn't before but this mux is aggravating! I seem to just be over the signal threshold to work until the 5G total overwhelms my system. I'm using an old 9 foot spun aluminum dish and was wondering if I went to a 12 ft dish this would solve the problem? I know bigger is better in most satellite dish related signal problems. If this is true I will be searching for a bigger dish. I like your idea of flashing put around the dish perimeter. I have some I need to dig out and try before I start ripping out my dish. Anybody have any ideas if the bigger dish would do better? Any help would be appreciated!
8 1/2 Foot mesh here with the c140 lnbf and a verizon 5g tower nearby. Got no issue with the Metv transponder. Are you sure you have the lnbf setup correct? When I set my c140 up I noticed it was about 1/4 to 1/2 inch pushed in closer to the dish, sticking out of the scaler ring than my old lnbf was. Thought I may have trouble with that but my signal readings are higher than they had ever been.
B
8 1/2 Foot mesh here with the c140 lnbf and a verizon 5g tower nearby. Got no issue with the Metv transponder. Are you sure you have the lnbf setup correct? When I set my c140 up I noticed it was about 1/4 to 1/2 inch pushed in closer to the dish, sticking out of the scaler ring than my old lnbf was. Thought I may have trouble with that but my signal readings are higher than they had ever been.
Thanks for the info. I'll do a detailed feed alignment this weekend. I have to be on a ladder to tweak this 101w satellite with the MeTV mux. Luckily I've got a V8 Finder so I'll put that to use. Funny, I got the MeTV mux fine this Friday morning. Jewelry TV was completely garbled though. I'm wondering if I'm having 2 degree spacing problems more than the cell tower affecting me. Seems strange some days I'm fine and others MeTV is completely destroyed. In the old days I could just move the dish to 99w and see what's there adjacent to MeTV. Maybe if I optimize my feed I can eliminate my problem either way. I have a 9 foot spun aluminum dish that may not have the best two degree isolation. Some of these were crudely made with a poor parabolic shape. I'll keep you posted and thanks to all for the advice!
arlo
Just some rambling here. Be safe on that ladder.
Took me about 20 seconds looking at a YouTube video showing the V8 Finder in use. A spectrum analyzer display.
Well, Cool! And it can power an lnbf stand alone. More cooler.
Well there's your 5g interference wonderment solution. IF you had a spare C band lnbf. Put it on a stick and go "wardriving". If 5g towers are blowing out signals strong enough to cause interference in your dish. Well.....
And off-axis, not in the same direction as the dish is pointed? Don't exactly know.

Take a drive around and look at towers with microwave dishes bolted to them. You'll see that a large share of them do have a perimeter shield. Further diving into the likes of Andrews show shields as an optional add-on to do just what you think they should do. Block adjacent interference. Probably a good idea when multiple units are on the same, or adjacent towers. Ya' think?

Some not-so-many years ago when I dove into this whole dish antenna thing. I replaced the c/ku band corotor feed with a Titanium C2-W. Being a good boy. Assuming that the original scalar was in the proper position from day one back in the 80's. I followed instructions and stuck the unit in the hole and bolted it down at the stamped marking as per instructions. I got my first signal finally with the Zgemma H7. I was thinking "that's it?". Signal sucked.
Then I looked at how the corotor feed was located looking at the bolt marks on the tube.
It was like focusing a telescope or camera. In the end. I was getting pretty good signals. That was in the dead of winter. And I hate the cold.

A buttonhook feed support. Give a margin of adjustability versus perimeter arm scalar supports.
And a lot of reading and experimenting showed that although the scalar was probably where it should be. Isn't anymore. The focal length / fd ratio calculations probably are right. If you have a perfect parabolic dish.
Mine ain't. And its old. Most probably not a perfect parabola since it was. As well as the polar mount. Fabricated locally.
I spoke to the old guy who installed all of them here back in the heyday. Started installing Prodelin dishes.
Everyone was watching HBO and Playboy. At 3-5 grand a pop.
He told me that him and his sons made a concrete form. Finished with a plaster top coat. And started spraying resin and chopped fiberglass. Then a metal flame sprayer like is used to build up crankshafts and stuff. Finished with several more layers of 'glass. The rest. Polar mount, cast iron pole mount. Contracted locally.
That's the story. I took that old beast and if you've seen Pootie Tang. I juvenated it and then rejuvenated it.

I think that one thing to remember is that in an lnbf. All of the satellite signal amping is done in the low noise amplifier section. What signal is blown out to the coax is done in the intermediate frequency amplifier section.
So what comes in the waveguide is what it is.
I've used several receivers. Different Enigma2 images on the same receiver show different signal levels. It's a software thing. Signal calibration and display. Don't forget that. One image might not give a signal lock on a weak transponder. Fire up another? Look at the TNAP images. An option to display signal below lock.
The only real way to tell the absolute signal level you get in the house is to use a certified spectrum analyzer/service monitor.

BTW. I'm on MeTV right now. Book 'em Danno. Purposefully aimed off-axis just above the threshold of pixelation.
Only thing I see is that the sun came and the sun went. That's where I saw break up for a half hour or so.
B
Just some rambling here. Be safe on that ladder.
Took me about 20 seconds looking at a YouTube video showing the V8 Finder in use. A spectrum analyzer display.
Well, Cool! And it can power an lnbf stand alone. More cooler.
Well there's your 5g interference wonderment solution. IF you had a spare C band lnbf. Put it on a stick and go "wardriving". If 5g towers are blowing out signals strong enough to cause interference in your dish. Well.....
And off-axis, not in the same direction as the dish is pointed? Don't exactly know.

Take a drive around and look at towers with microwave dishes bolted to them. You'll see that a large share of them do have a perimeter shield. Further diving into the likes of Andrews show shields as an optional add-on to do just what you think they should do. Block adjacent interference. Probably a good idea when multiple units are on the same, or adjacent towers. Ya' think?

Some not-so-many years ago when I dove into this whole dish antenna thing. I replaced the c/ku band corotor feed with a Titanium C2-W. Being a good boy. Assuming that the original scalar was in the proper position from day one back in the 80's. I followed instructions and stuck the unit in the hole and bolted it down at the stamped marking as per instructions. I got my first signal finally with the Zgemma H7. I was thinking "that's it?". Signal sucked.
Then I looked at how the corotor feed was located looking at the bolt marks on the tube.
It was like focusing a telescope or camera. In the end. I was getting pretty good signals. That was in the dead of winter. And I hate the cold.

A buttonhook feed support. Give a margin of adjustability versus perimeter arm scalar supports.
And a lot of reading and experimenting showed that although the scalar was probably where it should be. Isn't anymore. The focal length / fd ratio calculations probably are right. If you have a perfect parabolic dish.
Mine ain't. And its old. Most probably not a perfect parabola since it was. As well as the polar mount. Fabricated locally.
I spoke to the old guy who installed all of them here back in the heyday. Started installing Prodelin dishes.
Everyone was watching HBO and Playboy. At 3-5 grand a pop.
He told me that him and his sons made a concrete form. Finished with a plaster top coat. And started spraying resin and chopped fiberglass. Then a metal flame sprayer like is used to build up crankshafts and stuff. Finished with several more layers of 'glass. The rest. Polar mount, cast iron pole mount. Contracted locally.
That's the story. I took that old beast and if you've seen Pootie Tang. I juvenated it and then rejuvenated it.

I think that one thing to remember is that in an lnbf. All of the satellite signal amping is done in the low noise amplifier section. What signal is blown out to the coax is done in the intermediate frequency amplifier section.
So what comes in the waveguide is what it is.
I've used several receivers. Different Enigma2 images on the same receiver show different signal levels. It's a software thing. Signal calibration and display. Don't forget that. One image might not give a signal lock on a weak transponder. Fire up another? Look at the TNAP images. An option to display signal below lock.
The only real way to tell the absolute signal level you get in the house is to use a certified spectrum analyzer/service monitor.

BTW. I'm on MeTV right now. Book 'em Danno. Purposefully aimed off-axis just above the threshold of pixelation.
Only thing I see is that the sun came and the sun went. That's where I saw break up for a half hour or so.
Well summing it up in one word...success! I spent about 2 hours tweaking the feed. Found I was almost 2 inches too far from the actual focal length. Plus adjusting the skew just a hair made a big difference. I measured 3 points around the dish from the edge to the outside of the scalar ring. One side measured 51 inches and the other 53, Adjusting the button hook feed I was able to get it 52 inches all the way around the dish perimeter to the scalar. I had my doubts this would fix anything but when I turned on the satellite finder I had all the channels in the MeTV mux coming in clear! No more fading away different times of the day and night. Plus the Jewelry channels are all solid also. I'm just wondering...did this just give me more signal to overcome the interference or did properly aligning the feed effectively "blocked out" the 5G interference? Sort of wondering about sidelobes in the old parabolic antenna manuals of the 80s. Just happy to have things working correctly now. Thanks to all who helped especially to Arlo who spent a lot of time commenting to me. Best regards!
primestar31
Well summing it up in one word...success! I spent about 2 hours tweaking the feed. Found I was almost 2 inches too far from the actual focal length. Plus adjusting the skew just a hair made a big difference. I measured 3 points around the dish from the edge to the outside of the scalar ring. One side measured 51 inches and the other 53, Adjusting the button hook feed I was able to get it 52 inches all the way around the dish perimeter to the scalar. I had my doubts this would fix anything but when I turned on the satellite finder I had all the channels in the MeTV mux coming in clear! No more fading away different times of the day and night. Plus the Jewelry channels are all solid also. I'm just wondering...did this just give me more signal to overcome the interference or did properly aligning the feed effectively "blocked out" the 5G interference? Sort of wondering about sidelobes in the old parabolic antenna manuals of the 80s. Just happy to have things working correctly now. Thanks to all who helped especially to Arlo who spent a lot of time commenting to me. Best regards!
Do NOT mess with it anymore just "trying to get it a tiny bit better" than you just got it... I've been through that HELL more times then I'd want to admit.
arlo
Very cool there Brown's. My intentions are good. Sometimes tact....not so much.
I'm glad you could read through the nebula of gunk.
If I can dig through my pictures directory you might pick-up a few things I've done to and made to get as perfect alignment as possible. Your journey shows how a bit of common sense and experimentation while using known guides as a starting point (at least). The phone book just isn't full of big dish service providers like way way back.

To help. A true parabola will converge all incident rays. Light, RF. At one single point. You kind of answered your question. Two inches too close/far from the convergence point (focus) degrades signal strength. If you ever get a chance to examine a telescope. The eyepiece is on a rack. You can adjust the position of the eyepiece distance from the objective. Depending on the eyepiece. The sharpest focus is only at one finely adjusted distance.
Make sense?
And for a telescope made with mirrors. The ultimate eyepiece aim. Imagining a tiny spot right in the center of the glass lens. Will be aimed exactly at the center of the mirror. A small mirror, prism, adjustment screws assists in attaining that perfect place where a star way way back in time shows as a perfect spot. Not an ellipse, etc.
Yeah.

Who knows about the 5g thing? Did your tweaks optimize where the receiver finally got enough usable DVB signal to lock onto them and reject 5g? The crowded room full of drunks thing?

Edit:
Yeah that tiny little bit can drive you nuts.The best and only way is to find a weak transponder on a sat that doesn't "swamp" signal levels. With a matching opposite polarity having close to the same signal level.
There will be a lot of tweaking with an extended arm and......thick cotton gloves. Your body, extremities, close to the lnbf will effect signals. Then just when you think you got it. In your case. Climb down the ladder and get out of the way to see what becomes.
I got obsessed and was out there in 10 degree winter on a step ladder on clear nights.
Tweaking elevation, azimuth, declination. Unbolted actuator gearbox and vice grips. Trying to get the best of the best tracking. Adding those porch rail stainless steel turnbuckles and catv messenger wire from the rim to the scalar to bring 'er back into kilter did wonders. Don't be me. Watch MeTV!
M
Last reply · posted in Over the Air Television By RabbitEars.Info
Interesting article about the work being done to develope an ATSC 3 converter box. Yes it does mention affordable.
11 Replies · 589 views
primestar31
DEATH TO NEXGEN!
star trek GIF


It's dead, they just don't know it yet. They killed it by forcing DRM on it, and that TOTALLY botched implementing it.

There is absolutely NO compelling reason for anybody to switch to ATSC3.0. They only want it as a total and complete money grab.
Mister B
What bothers me is the total waste of broadcasting spectrum in this very crowded market. It has been almost three years now since KFOX converted their broadcast tower to ATSC 3.0 and moved all of their channels to other towers causing noticeable degradation of the picture quality.
I have a Sony TV with 3.0 capabilities but still use the 1.0 version of locals due to the fact that one or all of the 3.0 channels are often missing or unwatchable. In this city of 800K I doubt that more than a few hundred even know about ATSC 3.0.
The only thing that could motivate me to be interested in 3.0 would be if all of the minor networks (diginets) could be in at least 720P rather than blurry ultra-compressed 480i.
Three years is long enough to waste one of the few available RF frequencies in the area for this trial.
It is time to either move on with this experiment or call it quits.
navychop
In this city of 800K I doubt that more than a few hundred even know about ATSC 3.0.

They might notice the hand going into their pocket for their wallet.
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navychop
It is time to either move on with this experiment or call it quits.

QFT. Of course, my preference involves a curb and some kicking.
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S
star trek GIF


It's dead, they just don't know it yet. They killed it by forcing DRM on it, and that TOTALLY botched implementing it.

There is absolutely NO compelling reason for anybody to switch to ATSC3.0. They only want it as a total and complete money grab.
WHAT ABOUT THE INTERNET PART OF IT. NO ONE WANTS A BOX CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET EITHER.
navychop
Cough, cough. COVID vaccine implants.

:oldlaugh
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dishstaller
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
Love this guy's channel. Looks like Walmart has thrown in the towel when it comes to conventional car batteries.

I bought a new AGM battery from Walmart about a year ago, it is already needing replacing. I thought about just buying a regular battery but from what I've read, that might not be a smart move. Might check my Forscan program and see if I can change the battery type from AGM.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awe7kY5nvdU
20 Replies · 290 views
harshness
When you need a battery, you need a battery.

If you can wait, new technologies are on the not-too-distant horizon.

You're probably doing something wrong if you're only getting a year out of an AGM battery. Heat and infrequent charging both significantly reduce lifetime.
dishstaller
You're probably doing something wrong if you're only getting a year out of an AGM battery. Heat and infrequent charging both significantly reduce lifetime.
Huh? How can I be doing something wrong.....I took out the original battery, that was 6 yrs old and put in a new one.....kinda hard to screw that up. I figure it was just a bad battery....it happens.


The biggest takeaway I got from this video was the Walmart batteries only had something like 85% of battery life left even though they were brand NEW. The ones from O'Reilly all tested 100% of life left.
Jimbo
Huh? How can I be doing something wrong.....I took out the original battery, that was 6 yrs old and put in a new one.....kinda hard to screw that up. I figure it was just a bad battery....it happens.


The biggest takeaway I got from this video was the Walmart batteries only had something like 85% of battery life left even though they were brand NEW. The ones from O'Reilly all tested 100% of life left.
And the Walmart ones mostly had very little warranty.

My last AGM (using now) I got from O Rielly's, its the Super Start ... I got the Platnium, they had several to choose from.
harshness
And the Walmart ones mostly had very little warranty.
The days of the 84-month warranty appear long gone, regardless of brand or where you acquired it. Warranties tend to be shorter, with much greater dependence on quick prorating.

The big problem for lead-acid batteries (whether flooded or AGM) is that the US no longer produces lead (the last smelter closed in 2013) and must import it.

Recycling covers a good chunk of the need (~70%), but it isn't free.
EarDemon
I've always got regular OEM Ford Motorcraft batteries from the dealership and have never really had an issue. On my old Lincoln Aviator (the SUV from the early 00s, not the CUV of today), I had some phantom drain and went though a few batteries, but that was an anomaly and with the standard warranty I got free replacements. Taking the Aviator out of the picture, I've bought two batteries in my 24 years of driving. One battery replacement in my Mountaineer, one in my Navigator. But I probably would have had another one had I kept it around longer. Didn't have the Bronco long enough, and so far still on the factory battery for my Expedition.

I run more than the average bear. Dash cam, two radar detectors (yes, I'm aware that can be problematic when using simultaneously), laser jammers and a police scanner. I'm in Buffalo, 90 degree summers and 0 degree winters. Once in a while in the dead of winter I'll get an alert from the Ford app saying remote features have been disabled to conserve battery, but it starts right up.
dishstaller
I run more than the average bear. Dash cam, two radar detectors (yes, I'm aware that can be problematic when using simultaneously), laser jammers and a police scanner.
warrior.webp
primestar31
I've always got regular OEM Ford Motorcraft batteries from the dealership and have never really had an issue. On my old Lincoln Aviator (the SUV from the early 00s, not the CUV of today), I had some phantom drain and went though a few batteries, but that was an anomaly and with the standard warranty I got free replacements. Taking the Aviator out of the picture, I've bought two batteries in my 24 years of driving. One battery replacement in my Mountaineer, one in my Navigator. But I probably would have had another one had I kept it around longer. Didn't have the Bronco long enough, and so far still on the factory battery for my Expedition.

I run more than the average bear. Dash cam, two radar detectors (yes, I'm aware that can be problematic when using simultaneously), laser jammers and a police scanner. I'm in Buffalo, 90 degree summers and 0 degree winters. Once in a while in the dead of winter I'll get an alert from the Ford app saying remote features have been disabled to conserve battery, but it starts right up.
But do you have a license plate mounted on your car? lol
EarDemon
Yes, but with smokey covers. I realize they are not a countermeasure for photos or photo radar, but it helps obscure from the average persons eyeballs. Plus with the way licensee plates peel around here, it keeps them protected from the elements.

When I went to a countermeasure meetup over the summer, one of the guys who's planning on doing a cannonball had a plate flipper. While I play fast and loose (pun intended) with these idiotic traffic laws, a plate flipper is something I wouldn't dare use. Although having one in the front to flip to no license plate when traveling though states that don't require one is tempting. Am I really going to get pulled over in Kentucky for having no front NY license plate? This way it cuts down on reflective surfaces and might be helpful with laser avoidance and gives the jammers a better chance to react especially on a larger vehicle. Although LEO is typically trained to hit headlights with their LIDAR.
osu1991
Pub Member / Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
3 Replies · 47 views
Bobby
Rest in peace.
sdfntx
Sorry to hear this. R.I.P.
FTA4PA
R.I.P.
N
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum
My OTA is not working anymore. This started after the latest update. I have the OTA dongle with a OTA antenna that I've been using for years. My hopper does not recognize the dongle anymore and when I go to the OTA setting, it has a screen that says to plug a dongle into the USB. I tried unplugging and plugging back, in the same usb port and other ports. The Hopper does not recognize it. Anyone have same issue?
204 Replies · 5664 views
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dishstaller
Installed an off-air antenna a couple days ago for a customer who had just cancelled his Dish service. He had a dual off-air adapter and gave it to me. Cool. I'll keep it on the truck....might come in handy. Got to admit I don't watch anything as far as live tv goes anymore. Even if we have severe weather, our local channels will have a live feed on Youtube.
navychop
In other news, it was announced that the software fix for the two tin cans and a string will not be forthcoming. A hardware fix is required. However, that fix will let you receive stations from a gazillion miles away.

Truck roll charges may apply. Two year commitment required.
brittanygarden
Hi all. If you were using a single tuner USB OTA adapter that is no longer working, please PM me. Thanks. :)
Jim5506
Hi all. If you were using a single tuner USB OTA adapter that is no longer working, please PM me. Thanks. :)
I have the dual tuner OTA adapter currently connected, but I have 2 of the single tuner OTA adapters that I can quickly connect - neither is seen by my H3.
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B
Got the dual tuner OTA adapter, was able to set it up and get back my OTA channels. Thanks to everyone and extra thanks to the DISH reps in this forum!
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
· posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network
0 Replies · 28 views