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E
Last reply · posted in Free To Air (FTA) Discussion
Hi!
I currently have DIRECTV in Northern California.
Would like to dump it for a Satellite system.
My goal is to pull in out of market channels from the rest of California and USA.
I would really like to pick up Western Europe Channels also. (Can that be done).
I am a noob and would like to get some pointers regarding dish selection based on
the channels I desire. My zip code is 95831.
I live in the Sacramento Valley. Sierra Nevada's to the east of me and San Francisco Bay
to the west......

Thanks for your help!

Mark
19 Replies · 4529 views
E
Thanks RADAR...

Most of that was foreign to me :)

However, I took down a pine tree in the corner of my property a few years back.
This means that I have a nice clear area for BUD.
And an unobstructed view of the southern sky.
What are the advantages to installing a C-Band BUD over other compact dishes?

Many thanks again

Mark
SatelliteAV
We look forward to your visit. I'll be glad to demo a FTA system for you on Monday in the afternoon. Mondays are usually very busy days especially in the AM. We'll give you a test drive on the new GEOSATpro microHD receiver and show you some KU and C-band programming.

You might want to consider starting with a single room system then as your interest and experience grows...... expand to add additional rooms, advanced receivers, motors, dishes, etc.

Like the other members have indicated, buying the system as a Glorystar experience will make your first FTA experience immediately successful and much easier to get you watching the Galaxy 19 satellite right away. You should be watching channels within an hour or two after opening the packaging. The Glorystar system comes complete with aiming coordinates and simple step by step instructions and everything that you will need to perform a standard installation. Hardware to mount the dish, cable, ground and connect the receiver to your TV. We even include a compass, cable ties, clips and a tube of silicon sealant in case you need to seal any bolt holes or around cables passing through walls. Glorystar systems are also provided with one year unlimited telephone support for reception of the G19 Glorystar channels. This will guaranty you success and that you will be able to talk to a customer support technician who knows how to install and operate the satellite equipment.

Once you follow the installation instructions for G-19 and understand the basics of aiming and receiver operation, you can then activate the receiver in the Hobbyist mode and scan whatever channels that you want, aim at different satellites, add a motor or additional dishes.
E
The GloryStar package includes 75 and 25 feet of coaxial.
However, the distance tween my dish and receiver will be more like 125'
Consequently I will be getting 200' at my local hardware store.
My question is: They have RG6 and RG6 Quadshield.
Should i get the Quadshield or is that a little much.
Also, because of the distance between dish and receiver, do I need a signal booster of
any kind along the way? Directv ran 2 lines and connected them.
I don't want any degrading of signal, so hence the one continuous line.
Is quadshield a good low loss cable?

Thanks!

Mark
SatelliteAV
If you plan on adding a motor at a future date, use quad shield RG6 and quality compression fittings.

An in-line amp will actually degrade the signal quality on shorter cable runs and typically should not be used. 125 feet is a short run and will not require any amps. It is better to use better quality coax like a RG11 for longer cable runs over 200 or 300 feet. Limit the number of connectors and barrels to a minimum, but be sure to ground the cable before entering the home to the main electrical panel's ground rod. Use products rated either 3GHz or minimum 2GHz.
AcWxRadar
ESA,

For your cable run of 125', I personally wouldn't opt for the added expense of the quad shield cable.

I have used both quad shield and standard RG-6 cable for roughly that distance (120' - 140'). I didn't observe any problems, even with a motor in the circuit. However, when I tried to run a line that was 185'-200', I started having trouble operating my motor and that was even with the quad shield cable. I had to go much further than this, so I knew this cable wasn't going to cut it. I ended up with RG-11 solid Cu center conductor cable at a run of somewhere around 285'. I use no signal conditioners or amplifiers.

I believe that the quad shield cable is more applicable if you have to route it near AC electrical conductors to help cancel any EMI from the AC power from being induced into the satellite cable. After using both types (standard and quad shield) for the shorter cable distance on my own satellite installation, I can vouch that it isn't necessary to get too gung ho with the cable, as long as it handles the frequency of the satellite signal from the LNBF it will be fine for that short of a run. If you were to get into much longer cable runs, I would be pondering the solid copper center conductor cable instead of quad shield or maybe both options. Then, if you get into really long cable runs, I would go with RG-11 cable and solid copper center conductor.

Here is one tip that I found along the way. If you always use the same IRD (receiver) and you are quite used to it and the readings you detect on your signal level and quality level, you can monitor the signal level bar graph and percentage. As you try different cable types and lengths, you can get a really good indication of what is happening on your cable by monitoring this reading. It not only tells you something about the RF signal, but it also adds in the DC current through the cable. If you were to use the same cable type, and just keep increasing the length, you can watch the signal level drop as the length increases. Similarly, if you keep the length of the cable constant, and change the cable type, you can compare the quality of each cable type against the others.

RADAR
rrob311
Thanks RADAR...

Most of that was foreign to me :)

However, I took down a pine tree in the corner of my property a few years back.
This means that I have a nice clear area for BUD.
And an unobstructed view of the southern sky.
What are the advantages to installing a C-Band BUD over other compact dishes?

Many thanks again

Mark

Hi Mark I see you are in the Valley. If it was me out there I would get a BIG TV antenna with an amp. Are you close to the Bay or Sac? You should be able to get a few channels this way. I would then get like a 7.5'-10' Cband dish on an actuator with an LNBF that does Cband and Ku band. Cband is where its at for FTA channels. Ku has some good PBS (which you could get with antenna) and 97w has a handful of interesting channels. Mostly foreign. Its nice and flat there so you can't go wrong with Cband as long as you don't mind having a larger dish. I would try to find something around 8-10 feet though. Openbox receivers have a good bang for the buck but in order to move a C band Big Ugly Dish you will need a separate box to control the dish or an older receiver that does this. With this setup you will be able to get most everything available FTA in your area. Definitely more programming on Cband aside from 97w.
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....
68532 Replies · 2673000 views
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H
TAKE IT As It Comes-The Doors
ClarkGable
Take It To The Limit - The Eagles
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harshness
Take It To The Limit - The Eagles
The two instances of "The" should have been highlighted.

Take
Me to the River - Talking Heads
dishstaller
Blinded By The Light - Manfred Mann's Earth Band
Bobby
I Saw The Light - Todd Rundgren
meStevo
Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Sports Section
Schedule drops tomorrow. Mandatory mini camps in June. Hall of Fame game August 6th.
112 Replies · 1752 views
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osu1991
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M
Hopefully nowhere near a microphone.
Y
Hopefully nowhere near a microphone.
After having experienced Gus Ferguson trying to call soccer games, I'm uncertain why NFL football analysts get hate. Even the "worst" of them are pretty good.
meStevo
Jalen Hurts out indefinitely as they treat and monitor a superficial blood clot in his leg.


View: https://x.com/RapSheet/status/2111074303185989663?s=20
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meStevo
Browns lead the AFC North 🤣

Seth Meyers What GIF by Late Night with Seth Meyers
meStevo
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Former member 209992
Last reply · posted in SatelliteGuys Support Center
For some reason, the satelliteguys.us site is loading a lot slower than usual on both Chrome on my Asus laptop and Safari on my iPhone.
I'm also seeing longer appearances of the blue bar at the top and the "3 blue bars" loading symbol.
Is anyone else also having the same problem? Thanks in advance.
541 Replies · 18542 views
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Scott Greczkowski
Was down due to an emergency update at the ISP. They did email me seconds before they took it down and apologized for the short notice.

However once the server was back online NGINX failed to start.

I was at the grocery store and just rebooted the entire server and everything came back up again.

Just got home from the grocery store I will bring in the groceries and then take a look at what NGINX failed the first time.
comfortably_numb
Was down due to an emergency update at the ISP. They did email me seconds before they took it down and apologized for the short notice.

However once the server was back online NGINX failed to start.

I was at the grocery store and just rebooted the entire server and everything came back up again.

Just got home from the grocery store I will bring in the groceries and then take a look at what NGINX failed the first time.

NGINX
The site uses Nugenix?!


View: https://youtu.be/_DhEEo5S9fg
Scott Greczkowski
Ok checked it out and for some reason the web server (NGINX) tried starting before the DNS resolver fully loaded. This is why it worked when I rebooted the machine.

Thanks to ChatGPT it had me change the NGINX config to prevent this from happening again.

With that said I can't prevent the ISP from doing emergency upgrades which was the cause of all of this.
navychop
Nature will develop better idiots.
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TRG
TRG
Nature will develop better idiots.
God help us.
Scott Greczkowski
I guess this is what the downtime was about.

IMG_0607.webp
Ramy
Supporting Founder
Last reply · posted in The Sports Section
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.
150 Replies · 1817 views
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Foxbat
They ought to have fun with this… :devilish
osu1991
They ought to have fun with this… :devilish
Was thinking same thing. It should be a good week for sec shorts and roll call
R
A lot of upsets yesterday, but my LSU Tigers won.
Foxbat
Best fan sign I saw during the ND-BYU game: "Bear ate your Lucky Charms!" (Bear being the Cougars' QB). I was going to suggest, "Have you or your team been involved in a Carr crash?"
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M


They get cruel sometimes, very very cruel.😈. Hated to see my dawgs go down but I still say being ranked #1 is a hex on you!
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Peter Parker
Supporting Founder Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum
No idea what improvements might be involved.
20 Replies · 884 views
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bookworm370
Has anyone noticed an FF stutter with 713? I used to be able to hit FF a few times and skip smoothly. After 713 (maybe 712), when I skip forward, there is a definite stutter for as many times as I have pressed FF.

Can anyone check on this and report back? Recorded programs and then press skip forward a few times to see if it's smooth? Normally, it just jumps to the right place after the skips.
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N
I'm getting fabulous picture on Ch. 148 4k, but zero audio with H713. This is with a recorded show (Notre Dame game). Anyone else have this? Audio is fine on every other channel.
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R
Has anyone noticed an FF stutter with 713? I used to be able to hit FF a few times and skip smoothly. After 713 (maybe 712), when I skip forward, there is a definite stutter for as many times as I have pressed FF.

Can anyone check on this and report back? Recorded programs and then press skip forward a few times to see if it's smooth? Normally, it just jumps to the right place after the skips.
My wife mentioned that her remote is acting strange this morning. She hit FF and it went to 15x FF.
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Foxbat
Wife bought me a t-shirt that has "have you tried turning it off and on again?"
Here's the one I need:
1792365258110.webp
dishstaller
Here's the one I need:
Just ordered one....that's great.
jsmit86
I'm getting fabulous picture on Ch. 148 4k, but zero audio with H713. This is with a recorded show (Notre Dame game). Anyone else have this? Audio is fine on every other channel.
It's a known issue.
For a temporary fix, go into the menu, Audio, and turn Dolby Audio "OFF". You will have PCM stereo audio.

I was able to give the tech ops team some data logs so they could diagnose the problem, and they rolled me back to H708 temporarily. It fixed that issue.

They let me know that they understand what caused the issue, and it will be fixed within a few weeks in a new update.
Former member 208119
Last reply · posted in SiriusXM Satellite Radio
My year was almost up and we got the new bill for a year of service for $ 360.00 insane sat radio is becoming like cable!!! i logged into my acct and hopped onto chat and told the rep that i wanted to cancel. she understood my concern and went quiet for a few minutes. i figured that she was canceling my service. she comes back and said that she seen that i have been a sub since 07 and then offers me the same package for a year for 120.00 with taxes and fee's!!! i grabbed it. after almost having a stroke :biggrin
239 Replies · 11067 views
Foxbat
Well, that was a waste of effort. Our new Cadillac comes with a three-month free trial. Good that it's free, bad that I'll have to go through the Cancellation Dance all over again…
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N6BY
Well, that was a waste of effort. Our new Cadillac comes with a three-month free trial. Good that it's free, bad that I'll have to go through the Cancellation Dance all over again…
I just bought a Ram 1500 truck with a 3 month free trial. What to do when it ends?

All I want is music and news, but it is listed for $11.99 + $5.00 more for news. But $16.99 per month isn't worth it to me.
comfortably_numb
What to do when it ends?

Ask for the "All Access Plan" for $5/month.
harshness
Ask for the "All Access Plan" for $5/month.
Since the agents are now AI, you keep refusing the offer until you can justify the cost.
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B
What i noticed with my last renewal XM is now billing me $4.99 monthly instead of one time yearly payment.
Jimbo
What i noticed with my last renewal XM is now billing me $.99 monthly instead of one time yearly payment.
Did you accidentally get on the wrong plan ?
I still do the once a year plans.
Jimbo
Since the agents are now AI, you keep refusing the offer until you can justify the cost.
Not entirely true ...
If you ask for a Human, you'll get one ...
You will definitely know when you do.
S
Not entirely true ...
If you ask for a Human, you'll get one ...
You will definitely know when you do.
Don't you mean phone sex operators:biggrin
Jimbo
Don't you mean phone sex operators:biggrin
Is That why you keep SXM ??? :biggrin
B
Did you accidentally get on the wrong plan ?
I still do the once a year plans.
I have to think maybe more people dont keep track of the monthly XM bill. Every time i renew i put a reminder on my calendar week before its time to renew. My wife told me the other day not to renew her and then i told her you are not going to be able to listen to XM at home. Then she changed her mind...!!
TRG
TRG
I have to think maybe more people dont keep track of the monthly XM bill. Every time i renew i put a reminder on my calendar week before its time to renew. My wife told me the other day not to renew her and then i told her you are not going to be able to listen to XM at home. Then she changed her mind...!!
I get an e-mail every month reminding me that X amount will be charged to my credit card. If I see it go up I get on chat or pick up the phone. But I also remember that my year is up in December.
B
I get an e-mail every month reminding me that X amount will be charged to my credit card. If I see it go up I get on chat or pick up the phone. But I also remember that my year is up in December.
yea i don't understand WHY, like you I get a notice each month. Mine is also up in December.
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Jimbo
yea i don't understand WHY, like you I get a notice each month. Mine is also up in December.
You get an email every month to let you know they are billing you for the next month.
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Foxbat
Mrs. Foxbat reminded me it's that time of the year to do the Cancel Tango💃🏽

The A.I. agent appears to be better than in the past. It got to the acceptable price quicker than previous years, no human operator involved. $5/mo and I still have over $50 in SiriusXM credit from my FordPartner benefits.
Jimbo
Mrs. Foxbat reminded me it's that time of the year to do the Cancel Tango💃🏽

The A.I. agent appears to be better than in the past. It got to the acceptable price quicker than previous years, no human operator involved. $5/mo and I still have over $50 in SiriusXM credit from my FordPartner benefits.
I forgot you can pay that with Ford Pass points, I won't be due again till Feb, but I'll have to remember to try it ... Not sure what needs to be done, but I do have a substantial amount of points currently.
S
Is That why you keep SXM ??? :biggrin
when i say cancel. they give the moon and stars!!! iv'e gotten free radios and a free month once since it was my bday ;).
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osu1991
Pub Member / Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club

The number-one US state for EV growth, according to the June 22 Yardi report?
Oklahoma.


:eek


It has no ZEV mandates and "minimal" incentives, Yardi says, but also has cheap electricity, high multi-car household rates (so, for example, a non-Lightning Ford F-150 pulls their trailers), and a consumer base willing to switch.
113 Replies · 928 views
meStevo

Never realized that Tesla is losing to BYD at manufacturing too, which IMO is Tesla's biggest accomplishment and area of innovation. Nice writeup about the state of play and how we got here though. I have no faith that we're moving any productive direction though sadly, most changes and efforts feel reactionary rather than rooted in making use of the time being bought by tariffs, with few exceptions.

So: how are the cars so cheap, and what is being cut to get there? The best public accounting comes from the Rhodium Group, which compared BYD, Geely, and Leapmotor against Tesla's Chinese operation, a fair comparison because it removes labor costs and shipping from the equation entirely. Their estimate is that BYD builds a car for about $4,700 less than Tesla builds a Model 3 in Shanghai, roughly 15 percent of the Model 3's price. The breakdown is the interesting part. Direct government grants account for about $292 per vehicle, which is 5 percent of the gap. The biggest single factor is vertical integration: BYD makes about 80 percent of its top-tier components in-house, against 37 percent for Tesla, and that eliminates roughly $2,369 per vehicle in supplier markups. Lower overhead, meaning cheaper engineering talent and administrative cost spread across enormous volume, accounts for another $1,719. And BYD pays its suppliers on 155-day terms, against Tesla's 60, which is worth about $214 per car in float. When people say the Chinese advantage is subsidies, the per-vehicle number says otherwise. When people say it is slave wages, the Tesla Shanghai comparison says otherwise too. The advantage is mostly that BYD decided, twenty years ago, to make its own batteries, its own motors, its own power electronics, and its own semiconductors, and Western automakers decided the opposite.​
harshness
The EV company to watch out for is SAIC. They seem likely to take over Government Motors at some point.

GM originally struck a JV deal with SAIC to gain access to China. Now SAIC has taken China back with the substantial library of technology GM shared and they're looking to export to Mexico, South America, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.
osu1991
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harshness
If it weren't for the sky-high electricity prices...

Of course, the real scare with Winter coming is the insane cost of heating oil.
dfergie
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU!
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
Stumbled across this ... http://www.gaspricewatch.com/USGas_ZipSearch.asp
I found no local prices, although it did show stations at my location...
Added these to this post...
USA National Gas Temperature Map
State By State Gasoline Taxes
Gas Buddy

Ethanol Free Stations

5553 Replies · 460691 views
Bobby
Regular$5.999​
Premium$6.399​
Diesel$7.999​
at Costco, Rohnert Park.​
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dishstaller
Regular$5.999​
Premium$6.399​
Odd that out there, Prem is only 40 cents higher. Here it's a full dollar more.

Last night it was about $4.17 gas, $6,19 diesel.
harshness
Odd that out there, Prem is only 40 cents higher. Here it's a full dollar more.
On the West Coast, a 40-cent differential is common. It used to be 30 cents before the prices rose above $3.

A "full dollar more" sounds like it may be boat gas (non-alcoholic), which is a whole different discussion.
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Foxbat
Here in Indiana, the difference between Regular and Premium is usually a dollar, but some charge even more:
1792374072446.webp
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dishstaller
A "full dollar more" sounds like it may be boat gas (non-alcoholic),
Both non-ethanol and prem run about the same....buck more. When we were up in TN it was a buck more up there as well.
harshness
In Oregon, our premium boat gas is about a dollar more than our corn premium. Several stations only offer the non-corn premium grade.
SuperDish_Fan23
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum
Why are ViP922s So rare? like its crazy how ebay has none, i checked everywhere, also, i got a ViP222k now, which is actually activated!
4 Replies · 109 views
dishdude
They didn't sell many, they were pricey and not out long. Quickly got replaced by the Hopper.
T
They were high-end specialty, somewhat buggy and the 612/622/722 just overwhelmed it in popularity.
HipKat
I think they were more of a transitional receiver bridging the VIPs to the Hopper. They were a PITA to install and were buggy. Personally, I thought at the time that they were the best receiver out there. The versatility of the VIP's with the new Hopper GUI and, by far, the coolest-looking front plate and lighting.
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AZ.
AZ.
Well if it is because of reliability that wouldnt shock me.I went through 5 or 6 of them in little over 2 years. I loved the Sling when it worked! Saved lots of money having it in the day. That was probably 15 or 16 years ago?
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