Social Feed

TheForce

Supporting Founder Pub Member / Supporter

Last reply Feb 8, 2011 · posted in DISH Network Support Forum

To the new resident Dish TSR's - Please do something to fix the loud audio on commercials.

Around here this is an old subject but for you new TSR's from Dish here to help, show us you are worth your paycheck and actually get a dialog going with your engineers and report the truth of what is being done about the extremely annoying loud volume on the commercial breaks.

Here's the deal - 2 years ago we observed an increasing practice of switching the audio meta data from a program in DD5.1 to DD2.0 when the program switched to the commercial breaks on channels cappable of DD5.1. When you do this, whether it is automatic or not, it creates an instant jump in sound volume of 10-12 db which can blow you out of your seat. We quickly scramble to the remote control and lower the volume or do my favorite practice, skip over the commercials. If we lowered the volume to normal comfort levels, then when the program returns ( in DD5.1 ) the sound is so low we can't hear it.

My first question is this- If we have a DD5.1 capable sound system and you are transmitting DD5.1 normally, why do you switch the meta to DD2.0 for the commercials? Most of the volume jump would be resolved if the meta could remain at DD5.1 which is what the program is broadcast at. When the commercial break begins, by not switching to DD2.0 automatically, the loss of audio in those channels for a normal commercial with only left and right channels would not be noticed except by the most esoteric audiophile and I would be willing to bet those audiophiles won't care about losing sound in the rear surrounds for a commercial about Magic Jack or Dish Network for that matter.

A second solution is not one that will bode well with programmers and sales departments but would also resolve 90% of the problem commercials. The suggestion is to institute a policy that NO commercials other than DD5.1 be permitted on a channel that is normally broadcasting in DD5.1. This would force TV programmers to upgrade their production practices to generate DD5.1 audio for all their commercials if they wish to be seen and heard on TV channels that are standard Operating procedure with DD5.1.

While the remaining issues with varying volume levels and loudness ( yes, I do know the difference ) would not be resolved by the above it is believed that most of the complaints about your hugely annoying volume jumps from program to commercials would be eliminated.

Now, about loudness differences. In most cases varying loudness due to audio compression and level limiting methods do not represent much of a difference and are indeed difficult if not impossible to regulate. I understand this. According to my sources at Dolby, they do have a solution to resolving this but it is an added significant cost to MSO operation. The issue is not regulated by the FCC and I can't expect Dish to voluntarily go to this expense, especially when auto volume leveling hardware is not considered to be the root cause of the annoying problem.

January a year ago I was promised by an engineer at Echostar in a face to face meeting on this issue that Echostar understood the problem and had a solution they were working on. He said it was a software they were testing and would be implemented in a firmware update that would fix the problem. Indeed later this past year you did add a feature in your firmware that allowed us to address the volume problem with a menu selection to turn it on or off. Well, I've got news for you. It doesn't work. I have repeatedly tested it with VU metering and there is absolutely no difference on or off. You, Dish Network were sold a scam so you should sue for a refund from the company you purchased that software from.

Please also note that this problem does not occur on a channel that is DD2.0 only. It only happens when a channel is normally DD5.1 for program and you switch to DD2.0 for commercials.

Please respond with what course of action you plan to do, or are able to do, and any response from Echostar / DishNetwork engineering on this. I will be also plan to meet with your engineers at CES next week on this issue.

Additional notes for your engineers on Dolby encoders op practice. It is my understanding that there are settings on the encoders used at Dish Network that permit a variety of pass through functions. Your engineers should consult with Dolby to learn how these can be implemented. The proper settings should be where the DD5.1 is locked on and the DD2.0 allowed to pass through for backward compatibility with viewers DD2.0 only equipment. I believe your equipment is set to auto switch the transmitted meta data based on program source which can generate the volume jump in DD5.1 receivers because it will auto switch.

31 Replies · 6332 views

Load Replies (31) Reply Legacy View

TNGTony

Jan 2, 2011

Don,

You missed my point. I DO NOT CARE about the technical reasons (which I understand better than you know). My point is, what instruments say is COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT TO THE PERCEPTION OF THE VIEWER who was just shocked into cardiac arrest by the difference in the sound level between the program and the commercial.

To say that a commercial is not louder because (insert star trek type technobabble here) IS IRRELEVANT to some one whose crystal ware was just shattered by the sound pressure wave from the commercial's audio level in the room!

To say there is nothing that can be done to prevent the house's foundation from shifting due the the seismic waves produced by the commercial's excessive volume is INSANE! Let's put it this way... if the problem were reversed -the audio could barely be heard on commercials - how long do you think it would take before the advertisers forced the networks and distributors inserting commercials to fix this? I say 1.2 seconds!

For some one to say there is nothing that can be done is either uninformed or spewing forth an outright lie

BTW I am talking about the network making sure the commercial's audio level is the same as the program's by adjusting the commercial's audio, NOT the entire channel's just the way they did for analog.

TheForce

Jan 3, 2011

BTW I am talking about the network making sure the commercial's audio level is the same as the program's by adjusting the commercial's audio, NOT the entire channel's just the way they did for analog.

Well, Tony, if you really did know more about this than I thought you would understand that the issues of volume differences in a dolby digital mux are completely different than what we had to deal with in the analog world. The solution is NOT permit 2.0 produced commercials to auto switch the output in the final encoder but to lock the output to full DD5.1. Once this is done in the final encoding step in the chain, the 2.0 spots will be at the same volume level as the DD5.1 program (on dd5.1 capable receivers, and with dd2.0 only receiving equipment or straight analog equipment ( including older mts stereo) the sound would all be at the same level. Once this is done in the manual setup of the encoder ( at Dish Network in this case) then and only then can we further maintain perceived loudness by compressor level limiting. The real difficulty with this is not the technical issue as that is straight forward. But the real issue is getting the engineers to change how they have the encoder configured. For their tunnel vision way of thinking, setting things to "auto" was just easier but it has generated these problems. Setting up the encoder for manual setup is more difficult initially, but once done will resolve the volume jumps for 2.0.

Your scenario of too low a volume is possible but the program arrangement is unlikely. This scenario would happen if they continue to keep the current auto switch and then on a DD5.1 channel, air programs that are produced with only DD2.0 soundtrack and then at commercial break, all spots be DD5.1. NOW, the viewer would adjust the audio in his receiver to comfortable levels on DD2.0 and when the DD5.1 commercials would hit, the level would be quieter by 6-9 db. Yes, I agree that advertisers would complain but this is not happening because the unlikely scenario that a channel would go the expense to add higher encoder to air non-5.1 programming.

IT is also a highly unlikely scenario that to save the engineer's work load to reprogram the encoder that instead all commercials would be re edited to adjust volume levels to match each other according to some standard that doesn't exist today. There is a better chance that the network and MSO require all produced spots to be DD5.1 capable. Recall I originally suggested this as one solution but I recognize that this too, is a really difficult task to achieve,

Tony- years ago I went through an issue like this with DirecTV. They had the older encoders set to encode the DD5.1 channels to output FL, FR and real center. Actually there exists a rear center channel in discrete form but this is no longer a standard, hasn't been for about 15 years. In some, not all receivers, when the decoder sees this combination of meta data it will interpret this to a FL and FR discrete channel but since there is no center rear, the audio will be lost. So where did that center rear come from? It was triggered from the program's front center channel! You can guess what happens in this situation. The home viewer with a DD5.1 receiver would hear no dialog at all as the DD5.1 decoder is discrete and most dialog was edited to front center except in special far left or far right location of sound source. For about a month DirecTV had no dialog on their new DD5.1 capable channels. I issued a complaint with Castle Rock uplink center but did not know at the time that all uplink programming for DD5.1 was being run from LA center. The Castle Rock tried to get the issue fixed but being internally competitive, were told to F-O! and mind their own business. Next Dolby was alerted to this and verified the problem and tried to contact D* in LA center with the fix and Dolby was told to FO. Eventually, the Ahole who was fighting the change, I understand got fired and Dolby entered and fixed the problem. You might be wondering, didn't D* hear the difference? I would think so but, I discovered, back then they had NO monitoring of their downlink for DD5.1 in the center. All they heard was a DD2.0 mts sound in their headphones from the uplink bus. Hard to believe but it was true. D* had no way of hearing what we were hearing at home! MY point is that in many of these cases, the average consumer rightfully responded as you did with "Just fix it!" My house is being rocked off the foundation etc. Unfortunately, as we found out with the Dish software fix, it doesn't work.

I was watching TLC HD today and it was in DD5.1 and then the break came and many commercials were in DD5.1 and all the same sound level. I thought, hey, maybe they finally fixed this in the encoder. But then my hopes sank because I was blown out of my seat with the next commercial which was the Hughesnet spot. I looked over at the meta data indicator and yep! sure enough it was a DD2.0 spot. I let the loud volume remain and the next spot was back to DD5.1 and the volume returned to normal. On this channel at this time most of the spots were produced with DD5.1 so the volume remained constant. More often, like on CNBC HD ( which I watch a lot ) the spots are mostly DD2.0 so I have to adjust for this often.

Tony- I do respect that you don't care about the technical reasons, and maybe you do know about the encoder setup procedures, but as an engineer yourself you do recognize that if you know the root cause of a problem it is important to communicate that to the people who speak that language and are in a position to do something about it. I know the TSR's here are not in that position, but they are the message boys, in a position to relate the problems, hopefully with a little better understanding as a result of the technical side of this thread, to those who can make a difference. As I stated before, this thread is not my first nor only dealing with the problem but rather one more channel to strike up a "technical" dialog. I haven't bothered to complain through the normal phone call in because those CSR's only know how to read out of a play guide, you know, have you rebooted your DVR? finally, we'll send you a replacement DVR which is not going to fix anything. On issues like this they are just not equipped to deal with the problem of how their engineers programmed the setup in the encoder.

One more thing, the Dolby people at CES are not the ones to talk to about this. I have tried and thy just don't understand the broadcast side of their company and its products. The Dolby engineers who really know about their encoders and decoders are at NAB. Since retiring, I no longer attend NAB.

rfmaverick

Jan 4, 2011

I have another issue with this general problem.

My problem is when the networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX) broadcast an HD program that is Dolby 2.0 on a Dolby 5.1 channel and then do not "flip the switch" so the signal is still sent out with the metadata as 5.1 and as a result, the AVR receiver thinks the signal is 5.1 and does not upconvert the 2.0 signal to 5.1 leaving the listener with all audio coming out of left and right channels only. A few examples of this are The Tonight Show on NBC, Late Show with Letterman and most of the network news programs to name a few...When these programs come on, the sound is horrible, sounds mono and you have to raise the volume 20+db in order to hear dialogue clearly and even then it still sucks, as opposed to if you switch to the same broadcast in standard definition, get the junky analog signal which then prompts the AVR to upconvert the audio to Dolby Pro Logic II, etc...

This drives me nuts. I know this problem comes from the network affiliates being lazy and leaving their encoders set to 5.1 all the time rather than switching their signal encoders from 5.1 to 2.0 for 2.0 broadcasts, but it would be awesome if Dish would somehow be able to intercept the signal and filter it or change the metadata....

TheForce

Jan 13, 2011

If the original program is in DD2.0 and the meta data is set properly, it should leave your AVR in DD5.1 but the encoder should populate the 5 channels with Left and right sound and a mix to the front center. Early AVR's with early Dolby decoding chips did have a bug in them. This was many years ago and I don't recall which makes had the problem. The other issue is if your station is setting up the Dolby Digital to send DD5.1 front center channel to center rear it could also cause this problem depending on how your AVR interprets this. In other words- Front Left and Front right and rear center all other channels shut off. I don't understand but many stations make this error in the setup.

I got a chance to speak to a Dolby senior Product Engineer at CES on this issue and he promised to get into this. He said my assessment was on target as to what is the root cause of the volume boost. As for the problems with varying compression levels in different production audio, Dolby is coming out with a new volume leveler this year but like all new things, I don't expect the industry to just drop everything and purchase the upgrade.

TheForce

Feb 8, 2011

I have two new updates to this topic:

1. About 10 days ago I observed that a few commercials using DD2.0 ( Louder than others) on offending DD5.1 channels were switched to DD5.1 when historically they were DD2.0. By doing this the spots maintained same volume level as the program content using DD5.1. Example was Magic Jack commercial on CNBC. There were others but this one I was tracking. However, all remaining DD2.0 varied between +3db and 6 db higher volume level when broadcast using DD2.0 in a channel that was programmed for DD5.1 Thanks to Dish Network for beginning to fix the offending loud volume spots!

2. All is not yet perfect and it is time for me to move on to resolve this problem. While at CES I was introduced to the latest innovation from Dolby who has another solution to fix the technical errors made by the broadcast operators. IT's called Dolby Volume™ It is just now becoming available to the latest AVR's. In my recent upgrade to 3D, I upgraded my AVR to a state of the art Denon 4311 that came with the option to turn on Dolby Volume™ This software allows me to control two aspects of the sound level without compression distortion ( that I can detect). IT allows me to set the volume reference on a channel so that when I tune from channel to channel the sound level is the same. In addition, I can set a reference volume level on a dolby DD5.1 and match all DD2.0 to it. So now, Dolby Volume has the volume of all Dish channels the same level as well as all programming content regardless of Dolby 2.0 or 5.1 the same room loudness. It does not affect the LFE or surround ratio among the speakers and the quality of the sound is the same in or out but the volume is automatically normalized. Now, with Dolby Volume™ set to on for my VIP722K input, I will no longer be able to tell if a commercial is obnoxiously louder than the others of the program content anymore.

I guess since Dish Network engineers weren't able to fix their transmissions and the FCC's lame attempt to regulate it failed, Dolby gave us a tool to fix their annoying sound problem for them. Unfortunately, to use this tool one has to upgrade their AVR to the latest Dolby technology. Since I upgraded, and can no longer detect the bad audio from Dish channels, problem solved for me and I will leave this thread to others who still have the issue.

View all replies (31)

Ramy

Supporting Founder

Last reply 28 minutes ago · posted in The Sports Section

2026-27 NCAA College Football

Really excited for this season with Kentucky having a new coach and some really exciting recruits. Probably won't last long, but here's hoping this season is great.

172 Replies · 2439 views

Load Replies (172) Reply Legacy View

Reactions: Mike0616

Yespage

Yesterday at 3:04 PM

You mean other than Miami being in the final last year... and Indiana being the only bye team to win a game?

Jimbo

Yesterday at 9:19 PM

Yespage said:
You mean other than Miami being in the final last year... and Indiana being the only bye team to win a game?

No, I was actually referring to outside of the Top 8, but should have been Top 12 ...

I guess I should have looked at the bracket from last year first ...

I'm more thinking about them trying to expect a 15 to beat a 5 seed or there abouts .

AZ.

Yesterday at 9:38 PM

And no teams deserve a bye! Injuries are the largest part of the game that you cant practice for them. Any team can suffer the worst injury at any position on any play. No favorites.

Reactions: rvvaquero

Yespage

Yesterday at 9:59 PM

AZ. said:
And no teams deserve a bye! Injuries are the largest part of the game that you cant practice for them. Any team can suffer the worst injury at any position on any play. No favorites.

While the bye can help the top four teams and those the Cartels would like to protect in the playoff, I think the bye is also about making the Cartel championships mean something. One problem with a playoff is it does diminish the conference title a bit.

Jimbo

Yesterday at 11:12 PM

Yespage said:
While the bye can help the top four teams and those the Cartels would like to protect in the playoff, I think the bye is also about making the Cartel championships mean something. One problem with a playoff is it does diminish the conference title a bit.

Once the 24 gets here, there won't be anymore Conference Championships .... or so they say.

Oh what the hell, we really don't need Conferences anymore either ... :coco

Reactions: meStevo

Ronnie-

Today at 7:24 AM

Jimbo said:
I'm more thinking about them trying to expect a 15 to beat a 5 seed or there abouts .

I mean you get upsets all the time.

Just a couple of weeks ago. Unranked Florida knocked off number 7 texas. Unranked Auburn beat number 1 Georgia.

This week unranked Cincinnati beat number 8 texas Tech. Unranked UCF beat number 2 BYU.

No reason to think similar upsets wont happen in the playoffs where a low seed can upset a higher one.

Reactions: osu1991 and AZ.

AZ.

Today at 7:53 AM

Ronnie- said:
I mean you get upsets all the time.

Just a couple of weeks ago. Unranked Florida knocked off number 7 texas. Unranked Auburn beat number 1 Georgia.

This week unranked Cincinnati beat number 8 texas Tech. Unranked UCF beat number 2 BYU.

No reason to think similar upsets wont happen in the playoffs where a low seed can upset a higher one.

Yep, wonder why we rank the top 25 in 2 poles still? Do the ranking change much if they are unranked or have many loses? They sure do, any given day never take your opponent as a cake walk.....

Jimbo

53 minutes ago

Ronnie- said:
I mean you get upsets all the time.

Just a couple of weeks ago. Unranked Florida knocked off number 7 texas. Unranked Auburn beat number 1 Georgia.

This week unranked Cincinnati beat number 8 texas Tech. Unranked UCF beat number 2 BYU.

No reason to think similar upsets wont happen in the playoffs where a low seed can upset a higher one.

Correct, you Do get upsets from time to time ....however .
You Don't get teams UPSETTING teams for 5 weeks in a row.

They are trying to make this Basketball and its a far cry from the way that is played.

How long till they go to 32 teams ? Then they will say, well, the NFL is 32 teams, we can make more money that way .... except the NFL is 32 teams, that are a set number of teams and divisions, you don't have that in College ... oh but they will try.

They would have to choose what teams they would want in and thats it.
Hopefully that NEVER happens.

I can see the NCAA going away and the CFP taking that portion over and a Collective Bargaining agreement coming in the not to distant future.

rvvaquero

28 minutes ago

The problem with rankings and playoffs is that they are designed to hype the game and make money. Period.

The only reason that BYU and Texas Tech were upsets is that they were hyped up in the standings in the first place. I love watching BYU and Bear Bachmeier. They are a fun and talented team, but not nearly so strong, fast, big, and skilled as a true top ten team. Does anyone truly believe they could compete with the likes of Georgia, Ohio State, Indiana, Alabama, etc.? Yet, they were ranked above those teams.

Each year, there are 10 to 12 teams who truly could compete for the championship if it depended on winning more than one game in a playoff. Including teams like James Madison, Tulane, BYU, etc. in a playoff has nothing to do with determining a national champion. It's just about money.

View all replies (172)

TRG

Pub Member / Supporter

Last reply 38 minutes ago · posted in Local Radio Discussion

House Passes AM Radio For Every Vehicle Act

House Passes AM Radio For Every Vehicle Act

(Washington, DC) - The U.S. House has passed the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, marking a major step forward for broadcasters and listeners who have pushed to keep AM radio available in new cars and

wabcradio.com

16 Replies · 523 views

Load Replies (16) Reply Legacy View

Reactions: Mr Tony, Howard Simmons, Mister B and 1 other person

Phil T

Sep 20, 2026

I am an old time radio DXer. Always liked to listen to distant stations on car radio and local news while traveling.

Recently bought a Tesla without an AM radio. Thought I would miss AM more then I do.
During 4000 miles of road tripping this summer I found most major cities have AM stations on FM translators.
Granted, a lot of them are low power.
Found most AM stations are available on Tune-in.
FM stations do have EMS and received several weather alerts through them.

The Tesla FM takes some getting used to. You can directly input a frequency if you know it, but the radio mainly will show Icons or stations it can receive. It's different but very useable.

I find myself usually listening to XM or other sources since the sound system is so good.

Reactions: N5XZS

Juan

Sep 20, 2026

Phil T said:
I am an old time radio DXer. Always liked to listen to distant stations on car radio and local news while traveling.

Recently bought a Tesla without an AM radio. Thought I would miss AM more then I do.
During 4000 miles of road tripping this summer I found most major cities have AM stations on FM translators.
Granted, a lot of them are low power.
Found most AM stations are available on Tune-in.
FM stations do have EMS and received several weather alerts through them.

The Tesla FM takes some getting used to. You can directly input a frequency if you know it, but the radio mainly will show Icons or stations it can receive. It's different but very useable.

I find myself usually listening to XM or other sources since the sound system is so good.

There is a phone app called " tune in" that streams most am and fm radio stations

N5XZS

Sep 20, 2026

Streaming is nice but by cheating, a no no!!

Better to do true DXing by mother nature!!

Reactions: Jimbo

harshness

Sep 20, 2026

Juan said:
There is a phone app called " tune in" that streams most am and fm radio stations

There are thousands of miles of roads that have no practical broadband access. That's why they invented satellite radio.

Reactions: Foxbat

meStevo

Sep 20, 2026

Was curious about timing and carve-outs, via Claude:

Yes, the bill has a few carve-outs and softening provisions:

Small manufacturers get extra time. The rule can't be applied to manufacturers that made 40,000 or fewer passenger motor vehicles for sale in the U.S. in 2022, at least not on the same timeline as everyone else — they get extra compliance time. house
An "interim" workaround exists. Until the final rule takes effect, automakers can still sell new vehicles without AM radios — they just have to clearly and conspicuously label those vehicles to inform buyers that they lack AM broadcast reception, rather than being barred from selling them outright. senate
Sunset clause. The mandate isn't permanent — it comes with a sunset provision of eight years (trimmed down from the ten years originally proposed) so Congress has to revisit it as technology evolves. Radio World
Study requirement, not a full carve-out. For self-driving/autonomous vehicles, there's no outright exemption, but the House Energy and Commerce Committee added a requirement that the Department of Transportation study potential safety and innovation issues around AM reception in new vehicles with autonomous driving systems. Radio World

The Senate version (S. 315) is Markey and Cruz's companion bill and carries essentially the same exceptions as the House bill — they're near-identical texts, which is why they've been advancing in parallel. Specifically:

Small manufacturer carve-out. Same threshold as the House version: manufacturers that made 40,000 or fewer passenger vehicles for sale in the U.S. in 2022 get more compliance time — most manufacturers would face a 2-to-3-year compliance window, while smaller manufacturers would get at least 4 years. policyrisk
Interim labeling option. Same as the House bill: until the DOT's rule takes effect, manufacturers could sell vehicles without AM as long as they clearly label that the vehicle lacks it, and they can't charge extra for AM access once it's required. policyrisk
No-fee requirement. AM access has to be standard equipment, not a paid add-on — same as the House version.

One difference worth noting from committee reporting: the Senate Commerce Committee's report on S. 315 found the mandate would have a "minimal impact" on automakers, with the Congressional Budget Office estimating the cost at a few million dollars annually industry-wide, and the law bars automakers from passing that cost on to consumers.

As of now, S. 315 has cleared the Senate Commerce Committee but hasn't had a full Senate floor vote yet — after the House passed its version on September 15, 2026, the Senate received the House-passed bill, read it twice, and placed it on the legislative calendar, where it's awaiting further action. So the two chambers still need to reconcile which version (or a merged one) actually goes to the President. yourNEWS

On timing:

Nothing takes effect yet — the bill still needs to pass the full Senate and get signed into law. But once it's enacted, here's the timeline baked into the bill:

Rulemaking deadline: The Secretary of Transportation has to issue the actual rule within 1 year of the bill being signed into law.
Rule's effective date: The rule itself then takes effect 2 to 3 years after it's issued.
So in practice: For most manufacturers, that's roughly 3 to 4 years after enactment before AM radio is actually required as standard equipment.
Small manufacturers (40,000 or fewer vehicles sold in the U.S. in 2022) get extra runway — at least 4 years from enactment.
In the meantime: Any new vehicle sold without AM radio during that gap just has to carry clear, conspicuous labeling saying it lacks AM reception — it's not banned outright until the rule kicks in.
Sunset clause: Once in force, the mandate itself expires after 8 years, unless Congress acts again to renew it.

So best case, if the Senate passed it quickly and it were signed into law soon, you'd be looking at somewhere around 2029-2030 before the requirement is actually binding on most automakers — and that's assuming no further delays in the legislative process, which given this bill's multi-year history is not a given.

Jimbo

38 minutes ago

I am 1 that wants the AM to Stay ....
That said, since '08 I have had Sat radio available to me ... I think I have turned on AM 3 or 4 times, just to see if its still there.

Fwiw, if theres a Major disaster or bad weather or whatever, the chances of me finding out about it by going to the AM side of the radio is SLIM and None.
Even FM, I haven't really had on since '13ish, I may turn it on from time to time, just to see if its still there.

View all replies (16)

Scott Greczkowski

Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge

Last reply Today at 6:01 AM · posted in The Chit Chat Club

Song Name Game Part 3!

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....

68625 Replies · 2678702 views

Load Replies (68625) Reply Legacy View

Reactions: c-spand

long_time_Dish

Today at 12:40 AM

Lonely Street - Kansas

dishstaller

Today at 12:46 AM

Lonely is the Night - Billy Squier

long_time_Dish

Today at 1:41 AM

Lonely People - America

Reactions: ClarkGable

hwkn

Today at 2:50 AM

PEOPLE Are Strange-The Doors

Reactions: ClarkGable

ClarkGable

Today at 6:01 AM

You're Still A Young Man - Tower Of Power

View all replies (68625)

TWiT Tech Podcast Network

Today at 3:12 AM · posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network

Whiskey Pick: Frey Ranch Straight Bourbon

Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omPQDqqbatQ

Direct YouTube Link - Whiskey Pick: Frey Ranch Straight Bourbon
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed

0 Replies · 16 views

Replies Reply Legacy View

JSheridan

Lifetime Supporter

Last reply Today at 2:09 AM · posted in DISH Network Support Forum

All DMA's now Western Arc

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.

171 Replies · 4810 views

Load Replies (171) Reply Legacy View

Reactions: That American Girl, MikeD-C05, AkaDoubleG and 6 others

MikeD-C05

Sep 26, 2026

I don't know why DISH doesn't just start a streaming version of DISH and then if you can't see the western arc you go with streaming versions and then they could keep customers if they had good internet speeds. I mean Sling TV could be changed to Streaming DISH TV if they wanted since both companies are under Echostar. Then you would still be able to use your ota antenna with Air TV devices like I do with Air TV Anywhere with 4 ota tuners.

Reactions: That American Girl, Foxbat, dishdude and 2 others

Scott Greczkowski

Sep 26, 2026

MikeD-C05 said:
I don't know why DISH doesn't just start a streaming version of DISH

I have the same wish.

Reactions: JSheridan, MikeD-C05, dweber and 6 others

Strega

Friday at 10:01 PM

Even if you are broadcasting old SD-only shows, I would think advertisers would still want their commercials to look good.

Reactions: charlesrshell

Jimbo

Friday at 11:17 PM

Strega said:
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.

Reactions: charlesrshell

Mister B

Saturday at 7:35 AM

Jimbo said:
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.

Reactions: Almighty1, savarese04 and charlesrshell

slow_poke_pete

Yesterday at 10:40 AM

Mister B said:
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

Reactions: Almighty1, charlesrshell and telstar_1

charlesrshell

Yesterday at 11:23 AM

slow_poke_pete said:
can't forget the little blue m&m's

That's what my wife calls my Viagra!!

Reactions: Almighty1, slow_poke_pete, MikeD-C05 and 2 others

bnewt

Yesterday at 3:30 PM

Scott Greczkowski said:
I have the same wish.

Why?
A lot of people do not have fast internet.
That is why they use satellite

Reactions: HipKat, telstar_1 and charlesrshell

NYDutch

Yesterday at 7:40 PM

bnewt said:
Why?
A lot of people do not have fast internet.
That is why they use satellite

DISH will happily sell them a Starlink system and service.

Reactions: Foxbat and charlesrshell

telstar_1

Yesterday at 8:12 PM

Why didn't Charlie end up launching starlink

Reactions: charlesrshell

Foxbat

Yesterday at 9:01 PM

telstar_1 said:
Why didn't Charlie end up launching starlink

Because he didn't have a fleet of reusable rockets. Starlink works because SpaceX is able to launch hundreds (thousands?) of their Starlink satellites for what a single geostationary Internet satellite costs to build and launch on a disposable launcher.

Reactions: HipKat, charlesrshell and NYDutch

telstar_1

Today at 12:08 AM

But how is it reusable if it's disposable

Reactions: charlesrshell

slow_poke_pete

Today at 2:09 AM

charlesrshell said:
That's what my wife calls my Viagra!!

My gf is 29 years younger than me :shh

Reactions: charlesrshell and HipKat

View all replies (171)

dishstaller

Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter

Last reply Today at 1:03 AM · posted in The Chit Chat Club

Well crap....Donnie Iris died today

RIP dude. Always liked his music. He was 83

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH5Arbm47IQ

1 Replies · 33 views

Load Replies (1) Reply Legacy View

dishstaller

Today at 1:03 AM

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFmPEgNuELM

dishstaller

Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter

Today at 12:39 AM · posted in The Chit Chat Club

Yosemite HD

This video was put up shortly after I was able to take my family out to Yosemite in 2011. No AI.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6-2fVsFV8E

0 Replies · 19 views

Replies Reply Legacy View

dishstaller

Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter

Last reply Yesterday at 11:41 PM · posted in The Chit Chat Club

Might want to watch this before you buy a new vehicle battery

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

18 Replies · 209 views

Load Replies (18) Reply Legacy View

harshness

Sunday at 11:33 AM

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

Sunday at 12:53 PM

harshness said:
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

Sunday at 1:01 PM

dishstaller said:
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.

telstar_1

Sunday at 1:14 PM

He sounds like he's trying to sell me a pocket hose.

I just had to replace a car battery this week and thought I'd look into LiFePo4. Amazon has plenty of them, but all have top posts and only one 'also' has side connections (Group 75).Then I read that they're really lousy in the cold. So, an AGM, but again, almost nothing with side terminals instead of top. In researching that, I read that most mfrs in recent years have dropped side terminals and gone back to the old top posts, which is surprising to me since those are more corrosion-prone, cause the battery to need more space and are generally more hazardous. Finally I just threw up my hands and bought a regular lead-acid at Sam's Club. They had a Group 75 "Duracell" with side terminals only. It was virtually the only such battery with side posts on their shelves

arlo

Sunday at 2:20 PM

Had a Die Hard in my folks cellar for over 6 years. Pulled it out, slapped it on a charger for a day. Put it in my 'Cuda and drove it around for a week of my vacation. Next year, the same. But my dad kept it topped off for me.It was a mid 80's battery in early 1990.

Flooded acid batteries like a float voltage of around 13.5-13.8 voltage.
AGM needs a float of 14.2 volts. So if you slap an AGM in where a flooded was. It never gets a full charge.
"Why do they die so fast?" Question answered. There are folks who sell voltage regulators for alternators that are designed to boost float voltage for AGM batteries.
The other way around? Flooded will gas-off a little at 14.2 volts. But seems to tolerate it pretty good.

Lithium car/bike/atv batteries. After 3 batteries in my Harley. The OEM flooded and two AGM's (before the 14.2 volt float requirement to let them live was learned). I bought a lithium for it. 4 year, no gripe warranty after having it tested by an approved store.
The thing started like Thor himself sent a bolt from the sky. Except......try to start it around freezing? Nope. Needed a heating pad.
And I usually like to park it around events in the evening with the parking light on. Looks cool like that.
We could traipse around for a few hours no worries. Hop on, fire it up, and go putt around.
Lithium? A Dakota Lithium at least. The BMS shuts it right down if it discharges below <something>.
Come back. Parking lights off. Won't start. And you know the rest. But it lasted 6 years. A lot better than 'new every two'. And the fact that powersports batteries are warranted for six, maybe nine months. Ludicrous.

I called Noco. Asked all of the right questions. Great warranty. Save some bucks ordering directly, faster service that the wally world alternative.
They addressed (or claimed over the phone) that the shut down was addressed. Sure. The BMS keeps it form being damaged. But if it is shut down because it does become low. Shut down any load (key on, parking or headlights left on) for 10-15 minutes and you get a second try to start your rig. Not a bad thing if it really works. Right?!

Exide, Interstate? Be very afraid. They ain't what they used to be. In Florida my '70 Cutlass had an Interstate (early 90') that lasted 6 years until it dropped its plates at an intersection and boiled over. In Florida, mind you. The last Interstate.....done in 2. Guys down there would suck out the acid and put water in shortly before the warranty ran out. Make it to the auto parts, get them tested. And get a new one pro rated. No more pro rating.
You can't beat an Odyssey. Napa, AC Deco (the better ones). Yup.
The mom and pop Car Quest only sells Die Hard. For a reason, the old man says. So they convinced that a Die HArd Platinum was the hot ticket for me. l will see. Stand by!

You can't cut Mr. Project Farm down. He does great tests of all sorts of things. Not sponsored and pressured to slap a little sugar on his comparisons and reviews. Compared to the Brits and Aussies with their constant overzealous and same sounding (Dave from EEVblog) rant. I like P-Farm a lot. Of course I like AvE (Boltr) too.
Reminds me to beware when wearing shorts around the garage vice.

Opinions may vary.

harshness

Yesterday at 9:17 AM

Jimbo said:
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

Yesterday at 11:32 PM

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

Yesterday at 11:41 PM

EarDemon said:
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.