Can I use my FTA dish with a Dish PrePaid 301 Reciever?

[mamboyoyo]

I have a 31" motorized FTA dish and receiver up and working, and have since learned about the Dish Network pre-paid service that I'm interested in using on occasion. My question is if I can use my FTA dish with a Dish Network Prepaid receiver, after pointing my FTA dish at the 119 satellite with my FTA receiver? After doing some reading on this site, I'm thinking that I'd have to add a second LNB for this to work, but I'm not sure. I was hoping to avoid having to put up a second dish if the FTA dish could be adapted fairly simply and inexpensively to work with both receivers. Please also give you opinion if you think making the FTA dish multi-function is more hassle than simply putting up a Dish Network 500 dish.

Thanks for the very informative site.

 

[Mr Tony]

I would advise not to use the samed dish for both. Reason being is if the dish is motorized, then the Dish box will go goofy because it cant keep a lock on the signal to update the necessary info.

now if you had a fixed dish at G10, then by all means add a 2nd LNB. Thats what I did

 

[Anole]

Please also give you opinion if you think making the FTA dish multi-function is more hassle than simply putting up a Dish Network 500 dish.

Opinion: YES

. . . and, a circular LNB would be needed for Dish reception, as you have noted.
Which is not what you are currently sporting, unless you have a QPx-031 LNB.

Buying or dumpster-diving for a Dish500, would be a far better solution.
Those dishes are quite small, and easy to align. . . for anyone who has mastered a motor.

Ditto on what Iceberg said about the Dish Network receiver - it really is much happier with it's own full-time connection to the satellite(s).
With very long extended outages, you can even have troubles with keeping it authorized.
That was true at one time, and I'll assume it's still so.

 

[mamboyoyo]

Hmm... Thanks for the input. The more I educate myself on this stuff, the more I suspected that it would probably just be easier to put up a separate Dish for my occasional Dish Network Prepaid viewing. Not quite as elegant as a single multi-functional dish, but since time and money and hassle are more important than aesthetics to me, a second dish it will be.

 

[delta_charlie]

Hi all, I have been turning off my Dish ViP 222 every day using a switch on a surge strip to try and save a bit of power (the ViP is a vampire) and to help keep some of the heat out of the living room. I also like having it completely off during the afternoon T-storms.

So far the unit has been working fine. Just takes a bit to boot and fetch the guide Ect.

Maybe you could use the one FTA dish by turning off the Dish receiver using a strip switch when the motor is used to move the FTA dish off of the Dish Sat.

You might be able to run another run of coaxial to the circler port on the LNB so the Dish receiver could be left attached. Then all you would have to do is try and remember to park the FTA dish on the Dish Sat when you are not using it.

I like a challenge, I say go for it!

Later, DC

 

[Morbius]

Iceberg,

Is there a picture of that 119/123 dish? I'm trying to do the same thing with a prepaid 301 and G10(18) on a 33" dish. I haven't really played around with more than one lnb on a dish ,but its time to give it a shot.

 

[delta_charlie]

Opinion: YES

. . . and, a circular LNB would be needed for Dish reception, as you have noted.
Which is not what you are currently sporting, unless you have a QPx-031 LNB.
---cut---

Hi all, just curious if anybody knows if the 301 or any other DN receiver would work with the QPx-031 LNB?

If so I would think this would make a very good one dish setup for both FTA and DN. Could be very useful for people in a condo, apartment or HOA.

Might have to try and play around with it this weekend.

Later, DC

 

[Anole]

I believe if you used one of the "C" outputs of a QPH-031, the Dish receiver would see it as a Legacy LNB.
On the 301, you will need to get on the satellite, have a strong signal, then run a "Switch Test" to get the receiver satisfied.

Doesn't mean I recommend it, though. -