Anyway to know what Spotbeam I am seeing?

[jon_d2]

Hello all,

I live in Delaware about halfway between NYC and the Virginia Beach area. I was looking at transponder 15 which according to "the list" shows as having spotbeam 4 covering the Virginia Beach/Norfolk area and Spotbeam 3 covering the NYC area. I don't know a whole lot about spotbeams and transponders but when I look at transponder 15 I get about a 30-35 on the signal meter. I am wondering if I am getting the spotbeam 3 or 4? Is there anyway to tell?

My thing is i live in Sussex Co. Delaware which is in the Salisbury, MD DMA but those locals are not carried by Dish Network (and WBOC does a pretty good job of advertising that satellite won't carry them) but if I "move" a few miles to the north into Kent County DE I get into the Philly DMA and should be able to pick up the their locals. From "the list" Philly should be on transponder 11 and I get an 80 on the signal meter for that spotbeam but I was wondering if I could "move" a little further north into NJ and pick up the NYC locals instead. Thats the reason for my question of which spotbeam I am seeing on transponder 15.

The maps on "the list" show me as being just inside the yellow for NYC Spot 3 but I know from reading threads they aren't too accurate.

Thanks for the help!

 

[jon_d2]

I forgot to mention this is all on 61.5 trying to get the HD locals.

 

[TheKrell]

You're in luck. Rainbow1/Echostar12 has been engineered to use a different set of transponders in adjacent/overlapping spotbeams. Spotbeam 3 can transmit using transponders 1, 3, 7, 15, 17, 19, and 23, while spotbeam 4 handles 5, 9, 11, 13, and 21. (Before anybody gets confused, the transponders above 15 are all still in conus mode.)

So we can answer your question unambiguously. Your strong signal on transponder 11 is coming at you via spotbeam 4, while your weaker transponder 15 is coming through spotbeam 3.

 

[Voyager6]

With spotbeam 4 you could choose any of the following locals:

DC on TP 5
Baltimore on TP 9
Philly on TP 11
Buffalo on TP 13
Norfolk/Va Beach on TP 15

You need to have a Vip receiver to get these as they are all mpeg4.

 

[digiblur]

Just remember... the 61.5 maps on not spot on like the 110 and 129 spotbeam maps since Dish tilted/rotated the 61.5(E12) satellite since the FCC filings.

They will give you approximate coverage area and what is on them. Best thing to do is always check the signal strength first. Make sure it says Spotbeam and Locked on the "Point Dish" screen when you tune to that transponder.

 

[jon_d2]

Thanks for the information!! I don't know how else I would have found it.

yes when I look at transponder 15 it turns to Spotbeam after a few seconds, same with transponder 11.

 

[ItsDaniLyn]

Hi! I was wondering if one of you could answer a question for me. I am also located in Sussex County, DE literally 1.5 miles from the Kent County line. I had Dish Network for a few years before we bought this house and I loved it. When we moved here we were told we couldn't get the local channels through our dish. Now I am wondering if there is a way after I order my Dish to point in the direction to receive my locals instead of having to use another converter. I want to be able to get my locals through the DVR box for recordings. I know of another family in the neighborhood who has Direct TV and they were able to convince them to add the local channels being so close to the county line. I on the other hand have not been lucky enough through Dish Network or Direct TV to find someone who can get me my locals so I can get rid of Comcast. I can not stand having Comcast and I am paying $40 more a month for it than I was for Dish just to get the same set-up. If I am posting this in the wrong place, I am sorry. This post just came up in a google search for Sussex County dish and I can't find a whole lot more information about this anywhere.

Any help with an answer to this would be GREATLY appreciated. The sooner I can figure out how to get my dish the sooner I can dump Comcast as my cable provider. Thanks in advance!!

 

[digiblur]

I know someone that had Dish installed in a market that didn't carry their locals at all, even in SD. The day after the install they moved their service address to the next city and added locals.

 

[ItsDaniLyn]

Okay, excuse my total lack of any thought here, but how does that work? LOL How can you change the service address but not have them move the dish to that address? Tell them I'm going to move it myself? This actual sounds like a great idea if I know exactly what I need to tell them. I have absolutely NO problem paying for my service. I get the America's Everything Pak and 2 DVR receivers. It is really irritating to be this close to the county line and have this problem. I just need to have a definitive way to get my locals, and be able to use the DVR with them, and the call will be made! =0)

 

[digiblur]

Okay, excuse my total lack of any thought here, but how does that work? LOL How can you change the service address but not have them move the dish to that address? Tell them I'm going to move it myself? This actual sounds like a great idea if I know exactly what I need to tell them. I have absolutely NO problem paying for my service. I get the America's Everything Pak and 2 DVR receivers. It is really irritating to be this close to the county line and have this problem. I just need to have a definitive way to get my locals, and be able to use the DVR with them, and the call will be made! =0)

Yep... that's what people do...they say they moved the receiver a temporary house with a dish already on it and the receiver is up and you are watching it now.

 

[KKlare]

Back to the original question "Anyway to know what Spotbeam I am seeing?"
IIRC, with the channel up just press menu-6-1-1 (point dish) the Satellite and Transponder or Spot Beam will be selected. Don't do this if recording or watching the other channel--it warns. (Sorry, missed DigiBlur's answer.)
-Ken

 

[Jim S.]

That doesn't tell you what spotbeam you're seeing though. This is a big issue on 61.5 because the maps are wrong.

 

[KKlare]

It does tell you which transponder (labeled spotbeam for these) you have. As one transponder will not have multiple close-by beams, I should think that DigiBlur's TheList will tell the spotbeam number next to the transponder number.
-Ken

 

[Chris36]

Could I get "other" local channels besides Providence RI Locals??? Not sure how far I could get out. I want to get Dish again. I was just wondering. I couldn't find a map at all I found the list and it says Satellite Map. But doesn't say the map of the US. Thanks for any help.

Chris

 

[digiblur]

Could I get "other" local channels besides Providence RI Locals??? Not sure how far I could get out. I want to get Dish again. I was just wondering. I couldn't find a map at all I found the list and it says Satellite Map. But doesn't say the map of the US. Thanks for any help.

Chris

Here is a link to everything that is on the beam that has Providence RI locals.
SatelliteGuys.US - Subscription 61.5°W

 

[Chris36]

Is Hartford CT, Albany, NY on a different spotbeam?? I saw the green circle goes through almost to central NY. Now the yellow circle can I get that or no?? And is this the most possible channels to get for locals?? I can't go further out is this correct?? Thank you for all your help.

Chris

 

[digiblur]

Is Hartford CT, Albany, NY on a different spotbeam?? I saw the green circle goes through almost to central NY. Now the yellow circle can I get that or no?? And is this the most possible channels to get for locals?? I can't go further out is this correct?? Thank you for all your help.

Chris

The maps are not correct for 61.5 as Dish has shifted the satellite. This is only the case for the 61.5 satellite. TheList will give you an approximate area but you should verify by using the point dish screen on your receiver to verify the signals.

Click link in my signature, click on the 61.5 satellite. You can either look for the Hartford locals manually or use the search function of your browser to find them. Once you find them, click the spotbeam link to see the map and channels assigned to that beam with their respective transponders.

 

[ItsDaniLyn]

Okay so I FINALLY go rid of Comcast and got my Dish. I was wondering if someone could go through step by step with me to get my locals set up. I have a VIP722k receiver and a VIP612. The 612 has a OTA module built in and I ordered one for the 722k if I need it. I need to know if someone can tell me what I need to do to get my locals OTA or to get my dish on one of the transponders to get the locals from somewhere else since I am so close to the Kent County line. Since the original poster on here is also here in Sussex County, maybe you could let me in on what you did. I REALLY would like to get my channels going ASAP because everything is premiering this week and next. I really would like to avoid watching everything online if I can! =0) Thanks for any help you can give me!

 

[digiblur]

All the data you need is in my signature... combine that with the signal strengths on your "Point Dish" screen to verify that you can receive those beams that you are in or close to.

 

[ItsDaniLyn]

Forgive my lack of knowledge on this subject, I just really want to get this all figured out. I hope not to irritate or annoy anyone. LOL

Okay, so I checked and I get a good signal for Transponder (changes to spotbeam) 11, satellite 61.5 and also transponder/spotbeam 12, satellite 110. When I look at "point dish" the settings are Zip-00000, Dish System-500, Tuner Input-1, Transponder-14, Satellite-119. If I change the transponder and satellite numbers it still changes back to the original settings. Is there another place I need to go to change the transponder/spotbeam? Also, am I assuming correctly that I need to call Dish and have them actually turn on my locals or can I get them just changing the setting? The reason I was unsure about that part is because my address is out of the "local channels" area and I haven't tried changing the service address (I don't know excatly what I should tell them) since I just got everything installed today.

Thank you SO much for your help! This is how I learn to fix everything, the knowledge of others! =0)