Can't get 129... well 61.5 too, An Upgrading Drama

[Yespage]

Alright, so the wonderful super duper upgrade didn't go quite as planned. I was to get the 722k, with the dish that would hook me up to 110, 119 and 129. Guy shows up, near 8 AM, has the 722k, everything is great! Sadly, it would appear I can't get 129 at my home. Those wonderful next door neighbor trees that generously shade my home during the summer also reign havoc on getting 110, 119 and 129 with one dish.

So I had the Santa Claus moment when I was told I couldn't get HD.

Then the installer managed to put up a second dish that would get 61.5 instead of 129. It is hardly the best option, but it is certainly better than nothing... in my opinion, though there are a number of channels I wanted that are on 129, FSC HD for starters as well as a large portion of Platinum stations, but I can get a good amount of other HD channels, so I'm willing to live with it.

Problem is, 61.5 is coming in at 25 strength at best. It literally starts wigging out on me if it gets cloudy. The other sats come in at 70 - 80. Clearly, this won't work! So I made a call to get it looked at and see if there is a remedy. I think there is a better spot for the 61.5 dish, but really, I'm learning this stuff as I go along so I wasn't really in a spot to tell the installer what to do.

So the visit is on Wednesday and I was wondering if there was any feedback or comments on my situation. Dish is currently dealing with it effectively, in my opinion. This isn't a gripe thread, more of a 'make sure I have a clue what my options are as far as dish's and channel availability are concerned'. Clearly, having a dish that gets 129 is the best option and I'm willing to accept just about anything, including giving up Bob Haller's arm to get it . I am under the impression that a particular dish is required to receive 129 and I can't just spot it like 61.5 can be. Am I correct? The other question regards HD channel placement. Will 61.5 work, but only for a while, i.e. will HD's be shifting from 61.5 making my compromise with 61.5 less amiable? Finally, are only some of Cleveland's HD locals on 61.5? I only get the NBC, CBS, ABC and FOX in HD. I know for $30 more I can get the dual OTA tuner and hook my antenna there, making that issue disappear.

Any other concerns or thoughts? Thanks for any help.

 

[boba]

With 2 DISH 500s you might get 110 & 119 on one and 61.5 and 72 on the other, that should give you the equivalent of 110/119/129 for programming. Problem is I have no idea what you have for LOS to the EA satellites.

 

[Yespage]

Thanks for the reply. I went to check signal strengths under the Point Dish, and went to Sat 72... I have a 56 signal strength! At the same time my 61.5 strength is struggling between 15 to 20. Looking here: EKB: Dish Network Channels at 72.7°

...72 has a number of the same HD's 61.5, though 61.5 has more HD's, including a few Platinum HDs. The source seems a bit out of date. Does 72 have more HDs on it?

 

[Yespage]

Check that... 72 must have been picking up the 61.5 signal which is now "booming" infrequently between 20 to 50.

And now doing some more looking around, I've answer my question regarding the new HD's, as they are on 72.7.

 

[dishcomm]

Alright, so the wonderful super duper upgrade didn't go quite as planned. I was to get the 722k, with the dish that would hook me up to 110, 119 and 129. Guy shows up, near 8 AM, has the 722k, everything is great! Sadly, it would appear I can't get 129 at my home. Those wonderful next door neighbor trees that generously shade my home during the summer also reign havoc on getting 110, 119 and 129 with one dish.

So I had the Santa Claus moment when I was told I couldn't get HD.

Then the installer managed to put up a second dish that would get 61.5 instead of 129. It is hardly the best option, but it is certainly better than nothing... in my opinion, though there are a number of channels I wanted that are on 129, FSC HD for starters as well as a large portion of Platinum stations, but I can get a good amount of other HD channels, so I'm willing to live with it.

Problem is, 61.5 is coming in at 25 strength at best. It literally starts wigging out on me if it gets cloudy. The other sats come in at 70 - 80. Clearly, this won't work! So I made a call to get it looked at and see if there is a remedy. I think there is a better spot for the 61.5 dish, but really, I'm learning this stuff as I go along so I wasn't really in a spot to tell the installer what to do.

So the visit is on Wednesday and I was wondering if there was any feedback or comments on my situation. Dish is currently dealing with it effectively, in my opinion. This isn't a gripe thread, more of a 'make sure I have a clue what my options are as far as dish's and channel availability are concerned'. Clearly, having a dish that gets 129 is the best option and I'm willing to accept just about anything, including giving up Bob Haller's arm to get it . I am under the impression that a particular dish is required to receive 129 and I can't just spot it like 61.5 can be. Am I correct? The other question regards HD channel placement. Will 61.5 work, but only for a while, i.e. will HD's be shifting from 61.5 making my compromise with 61.5 less amiable? Finally, are only some of Cleveland's HD locals on 61.5? I only get the NBC, CBS, ABC and FOX in HD. I know for $30 more I can get the dual OTA tuner and hook my antenna there, making that issue disappear.

Any other concerns or thoughts? Thanks for any help.

As a tech, my first move would be to check the line of sight on your 61.5...If needed to be relocated, fine. If not, I'd peak it and then we'd go watch tv for 30 mins to see if there's any more issues.
Do this, while you're at it, go to Menu 6-1-1 and check transponders 14, 29, 31 and 32.,
14 should be aboput 70+.....29 should be in the mid to upper 60's...31 should be about 50 and 32 should be in the upper 40's.
Where might that better spot for the 61.5 dish be?....
Oh, over the next few months, HD channels are being migrated to the 72.7 and 77 satellite slots. SO yes, the 61.5 is not the best solution.
When the tech arrives and gets moving on the job, ask him if an "Eastern Arc" dish can be installed.

 

[whatchel1]

1000.4 dish

Have the tech put in a 1000.4 dish. Before that go to dishpointer.com link above and figure out which is best location for it. There is listing for the 1000.4 under multi LNB dishes.

 

[KAB]

Have the tech put in a 1000.4 dish. Before that go to dishpointer.com link above and figure out which is best location for it. There is listing for the 1000.4 under multi LNB dishes.

Absolutely!

 

[Yespage]

I find this help extremely... well... helpful. Looked at the dishpointer site. Looks like I was right about 61.5. A bit further north on the roof and that would have been better.

Looking at the eastern arc, I was suspecting the location at the end of the driveway would get me the line through the trees, and it looks like I'm right. I would need to run cable to the house (not really that far) though, but I'm pretty much up to anything. A little more looking, I may be able to Eastern Arc it from the roof, but it'll be close. It'll depend on the actual vertical angle to the trees.

 

[JWKessler]

With 2 DISH 500s you might get 110 & 119 on one and 61.5 and 72 on the other, that should give you the equivalent of 110/119/129 for programming. Problem is I have no idea what you have for LOS to the EA satellites.

That's the combination I currently have and I can get everything - or at least everything I care about, including BBCAHD, all the Platinum stuff and my locals.

 

[Yespage]

As a tech, my first move would be to check the line of sight on your 61.5...If needed to be relocated, fine. If not, I'd peak it and then we'd go watch tv for 30 mins to see if there's any more issues.
Do this, while you're at it, go to Menu 6-1-1 and check transponders 14, 29, 31 and 32.,
14 should be aboput 70+.....29 should be in the mid to upper 60's...31 should be about 50 and 32 should be in the upper 40's.

The weather is nice and I'm about half of all those, with the 32 being nil.

Oh, over the next few months, HD channels are being migrated to the 72.7 and 77 satellite slots. SO yes, the 61.5 is not the best solution.
When the tech arrives and gets moving on the job, ask him if an "Eastern Arc" dish can be installed.

Well, I think I've got a ton of info with me. Another question that remains is what consequences could there be if one dish is on the ground (potential Eastern Arc if the far northeast corner of the roof doesn't squeeze in) and one is on the roof (single story home)?

 

[whatchel1]

None

The weather is nice and I'm about half of all those, with the 32 being nil.
Well, I think I've got a ton of info with me. Another question that remains is what consequences could there be if one dish is on the ground (potential Eastern Arc if the far northeast corner of the roof doesn't squeeze in) and one is on the roof (single story home)?

Want make a difference as the lines from each are going to have to go to a switch in that case. Like a DPP 44.

 

[JimP]

If you're asking about elevation, no...that won't make a difference.

 

[Yespage]

If you're asking about elevation, no...that won't make a difference.

I meant with regards to needing to hook wires together for both dishes. Yeah, I'm aware of 10 feet not making much of a difference on a dish thousands of miles in the air.

Thanks for the input though.

I know I'm setting myself up to be crushed. If I can't get 61.5 consistently and the eastern arc is not available, the whole HD thing isn't possible via Dish Network. And based on what I have seen so far, I really really do like it!

 

[JimP]

For a while, I had my 61.5 dish wired to my western arc 1002 dish. I covered the 129 thing while doing a check switch and all was well. I actually got a slightly oversized dish for the 61.5 so my signal strength was pretty good with no rain fade even in pretty bad storms. I had to change back to the 129 satellite when I chose to get locals as the 61.5 didn't have it for my market.

So it can be done.

So what you are saying is that 129 is just over enough where your neighbor's trees are in the way?

 

[Yespage]

I think 129 is a lost cause. There is a wide tree right in front of it, which is in front of a two story home (my place is one story.

The wide tree isn't tall, but it is so close that getting 129 is probably impossible, as moving the dish to the east, won't help as it may make 129 available, it'll make 110/119 unavailable. I can't just offset my dish. The tree will probably be in the way no matter where it is put. I believe the installer pretty much scoured the roof and backyard to see if it was possible. He couldn't find a spot and I'm pretty certain it doesn't exist. 110/119 does well, but 129 just too far to the west. Sat Pointer agrees.

In the backyard (eastern arc solution), I contend with a couple large/tall trees, with the closest one being the main issue, I believe, with it being so wide up near the sat line of site level. He put in the 61.5 dish. I don't know if he thought about the eastern arc in general. But he put the dish on an existing metal structure, instead of in the far corner on its own stand, which would get that tree further out of the way, if not completely out of the way. Based on the angle, I think the rear tree is below the line of site, we are talking 45 degrees right?

Unfortunately, I believe that the 61.5 dish is closer to due east than 72.7 (well I guess that is obvious), and seeing I barely get 61.5, getting 72.7 would seem a harder task with the extra 10 degrees, even if the 61.5 sat dish is moved to the far corner. But if the Sat Pointer website is accurate, I believe I could be skimming the outside of that tree instead and probably getting up above the following tree in their backyard. Sat Pointer may also show the line a bit too close to south because of 77, which I don't need. I just want 61.5 and 72, so that could buy me a few more degrees.

From what I can tell, I think 61.5 should be a 80/20 thing with a relocation on to its own sat stand. By looking at the trajectory and maps.bing.com, I should actually be avoiding both trees for the Eastern Arc.

Thankfully, thanks to help offered in this thread, if it is possible, I will be able to get it by knowing what to ask and where to look. If I can't get it, no fault to Dish Network, just those trees which are so environmentally sound, but sadly, not HD approved.

 

[JimP]

Sounds like you need a chainsaw.

 

[Yespage]

Sounds like you need a chainsaw.

They are a headache during pollen season and in the fall, but offer wonderful shade through most of the warm hours of the day. Technically, the portion affecting my reception are almost certainly over my yard, meaning I could do some trimming, but I'd rather not as it'd probably wouldn't look good.

Honestly, this may be for the better. Had the installer put the dish where I think it can go, he would have probably only put it in for 61.5, which means I wouldn't have been any the wiser about the 72.7 HD. I see this as a fortunate turn of events if everything works out in the end. If not, at least I'm a bit more knowledgeable on the information now. About as knowledgeable as necessary to become dangerous.

 

[Lord_Vader]

Just curious...

You say "upgrade", does that mean you have SD service now? If so, what SATs are/were you pulling in?

 

[Yespage]

Just curious...

You say "upgrade", does that mean you have SD service now? If so, what SATs are/were you pulling in?

Yes, I have SD service which has been almost flawless, I did have a couple short drops (about a minute) during non-inclement weather.

I get the SD's via 110/119 on one Dish. I believe I just have line of site for those. I receive those channels typically between 70 to 80 signal strength.

The Dish that receives 110/119 is at the same location where my original dish was for my 625 Receiver.

 

[Yespage]

The Drama, Part Two, rated TV-14.

The installer arrives, he begins looking to ensure that the western arc is doomed. It is doomed. Doom is confirmed.

The installer begins looking at what I thought may be possible. Nope... not possible.

It is starting to look like the end for HD. He informed me that Dish isn't really allowing two Dish setups anymore, so we need to find a spot for one dish.

We scour the yard now, looking for potential Eastern Arc sites. Continue getting 2 of 3, 2 of 3, 2 of bleeping 3!!!.

I figure we should back it up a bit, and take advantage of some room. Setup at that location, ping one, ping two, ping three!

The bad side is having a Dish in the middle of the backyard, but some landscaping will help that.

The good side, I get FSC HD and can receive all of the Platinums now.

Installer was stubborn about getting this to work and I really appreciated his effort.

Thanks for all the help in this drama that has a happy ending.