Bell signal in the southern provinces - update

[robtsk]

I am in northern Colorado, 40.56' latitude, and have been getting Bell for years on standard dishes. When they put up the new sat at 82', my signal went way down, but was usable. When they put up the new sat at 91', I never saw it again. After a re-roofing, I had a local sat guy put up a 1-meter dish with just one LNB and no switch. I was very happy when I got a signal strength of about 93 on my best transponder.

In late December, a bit over a year later, I started having dodgy service and saw that now, my best signal was about 64. I just had the same guy out, as I figured it needed peaking, but he couldn't really get it any higher. We wondered about the LNB, and swapped it out for one of my other thought-to-be-good LNBs, and again got the same results. I'm seeing this on both tuners, which are connected to separate cables from the LNB.

My conclusion is that Bell has shifted its footprint slightly north. It wouldn't take much from here. Has anyone else on the southern fringes of the signal noticed anything to corroborate this? Thanks.

 

[kokokoala]

no issues in upstate NY, but I am only 30 miles from the border and further north than the most southern parts of the great white north.

 

[rthurlow]

So I have been bumping along with marginal signal for awhile; it's kind of sucked but it's been bearable. Until today. I still have decent strength on all transponders on this sunny morning, but my receiver didn't get the program guide overnight and will not get it now. On what I see now, I would say that Bell took it off of 82 outright.

I'll restart the receiver and try a couple more tricks before I'll call it for sure, but this is not looking good. I'll configure a minimum number of manual timers and see, and finally start looking seriously at Shaw.

 

[apkehler]

Same thing here. I'm only pointed at 82 and have been getting the program guide without issue until last week. Came here to see if anyone else was reporting the same issue and your post seems to confirm it. It wouldn't be so bad except my PVR won't work at all, even to record live TV.

 

[rthurlow]

Yes, the Bell software is a complete wad - you can't even get in to look at your timers to see what you might have recorded and could watch live. I can pause live TV until the signal stutters, and then gone. And my signal is really now about gone, too. Sad.

 

[apkehler]

Got a PM from someone else that confirmed they lost EPG on 82.

 

[coppercanuck]

Likewise here at 39.366 degrees. I can't search ahead in my guide, the PVR won't work. I've restarted the receiver and attempted to fine tune the dish with a satellite finder to get more signal strength at the 82' sat. Very frustrated. Any help will be appreciated.

 

[Hack5190]

Does anyone with this EPG problem have both 91° and 82° connected and working?

 

[Rolling Joe]

Looks like another bunch of southern provinces Bell subscribers bite the dust. I still have the EPG, but I'm north of Spokane WA.

 

[rthurlow]

It's over for Bell unless you can get signal from 91, as far as I can tell. It was a good run for me, but ...

 

[Blackloz]

I still have 98% to 100% signal on both 91 & 82. I hope it stays that way. Bell just needs to leave their coverage area alone.

 

[Rolling Joe]

Yeah, except that places like Colorado are not in the Bell coverage area. The only reason we, in places like Spokane and Minot, are still good is that Bell hasn't yet figured out how to eliminate us without degrading the signal to subscribers near the border in Canada. If they could, they would.

 

[Hack5190]

It's over for Bell unless you can get signal from 91, as far as I can tell. It was a good run for me, but ...

Are you confirming (or guessing) that the EPG will be restored if both 91° and 82° are connected and working?

 

[rthurlow]

Are you confirming (or guessing) that the EPG will be restored if both 91° and 82° are connected and working?

My device itself was fully functional with full EPG when I fired it up in Canada on a drop that could see both satellites. It also picked up the latest firmware.

 

[Hack5190]

My device itself was fully functional with full EPG when I fired it up in Canada on a drop that could see both satellites. It also picked up the latest firmware.

Fingers crossed my results will be the same south of the 49 parallel.

 

[rthurlow]

I guess it depends on how far you're going. 91 is not sniffable too far down.

 

[Hack5190]

I guess it depends on how far you're going. 91 is not sniffable too far down.

Good point, fortunately I'm able to receive both birds at my location. Only need to resolve a dish issue described in the "Need Dish Alignment Advice" thread.

 

[Bell_in_Boston]

I still have both 91 and 82 in Boston (42.36 deg N), but the levels have dropped further this year. (Tho we've had a lot of work done on the house, so I don't know if that is to blame) Most tps are in the 60s, some in the 50's. A few make it into the 70's. Rain fade is a problem, even on sunny days for the channels on a tp in the 50's. But the EPG and PVR function still work.

I had thought the EPG always required 91, so hadn't aimed the dish solely at 82. I'm wondering if there's a quick fix to boost 82 at the expense of 91 slightly? Rotate (skew) the (standard Bell 20") dish a few degrees clockwise or anti-clockwise? Standard azimuth and elevation adjustments only seem to reduce signal on both sats in a similar fashion (already tried that this week).

 

[apkehler]

Just an update: I ordered and installed a 1m Winegard and pointed it at 91. The signal strength is marginal, however I now have EPG again!!!

Current setup:
76cm Winegard pointed at 82W
1m Winegard pointed at 91W
Dishes connected to two SW21s