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Since the new HD channels were announced I have been trying to decide what is the best option for "upgrading" so we can receive them. After much reading here and talking with my local retailer I have come up with the following:

1. Go EA and get rid of the 110/119/61.5 set up. This has a couple of negatives, first I have always had loss of signal on the 61.5 bird during storms. Only during the heaviest rain or snow do we also loose the 110/119. I would imagine that the signal strength on the 1000.4 would be lower than the dish 500 pointed at 61.5 I have now so LOS would be even more pronounced. I would also have to upgrade receiver 2 to a 222K as the 322 won't work with the MPEG4. The positive is just one dish on the roof.

2. Add a dish for 129 along with a sw44 to receive the new programming. 129 is too low on the horizon for my location so this is out. besides I don't really want a third dish on the roof, and not so sure my wife would like it either.

3. Instead of a 1000.4 add a third dish for 72.7 and a SW44 to connect everything up (I don't think there is anything currently on 77 that isn't already on 110/119). This would eliminate the need to upgrade receiver 2 and presumably have stronger signals on the individual 61.5 and 72.7 dish's than with a 1000.4, However we still have the three dish issue.

4. Then I thought of this as a possibility: Put up a 1000.4 but only connect the 61.5 and 72.7 sats creating a 110/119/61.5/72.7 using a sw44. I beleive there is nothing on 77 that isn't on 110/119 so I don't loose any programing. I don't have three dish's and I don't need to upgrade receiver 2. I am also set to go EA in the future if I choose to upgrade receiver 2. This may be way off but if I was tweaking the 1000.4 for 2 sats instead of three would i not have better signal strength for the 61.5 and 72.7 than with all three or since the 61.5 and 72.7 are so close it doesn't mater? I don't even know if this will work, although with my limited knowledge I don't see why not.

Before I go on, I want to say I'm not trying to have my cake and eat it too. At least I don't think so. I don't want a dish farm on my roof, I want to receive the programing I am paying for, and if I was to upgrade receiver 2 we would need to run more RG6 as the original set up for receiver 2 was TV 1 downstairs and TV 2 in my sons room upstairs. He now has an HD TV in his room so if we upgraded the receiver tv 1 would need to be in his room and we would need to run cable back down stairs for TV 2. Doable but a pain. I realize that if I am to receive the programing I am paying for I may have to settle for things I don't want.

Again I am just trying to find the best way for ME to receive the programming I'm paying for, I may have to settle for three dish's so we have the strongest possible signals from 61.5 and 72.7 or we may have to ugrade the 322 and go EA, I just want to be sure that we have touched on all the options and make the best choice!

So the $64k question is, will option 4 work? If so what are the negatives and if not why not ( just for my education).

Thanks

Ross