Dish Distress

[Aaron F.]

I’m not sure if anyone here can help me - the people at Dish Network are impossible to reach and even when you do, they don’t seem able to answer even the simplest question. So maybe the experts here will know.

I have an old Dish Network ViP722k receiver that, while old, is still working just fine. I have been hearing rumors that Dish is going to turn off service to this model sometime within the next year. Has anyone else heard this? If so, any idea when?

I also noticed that many of the standard definition stations that were dual illuminated with an HD counterpart have suddenly disappeared. (For example, there was a dual HD/SD signal for TBS and TNT, as well as The History Channel. A few days ago, I noticed the SD versions had completely disappeared from the guide. Is this permanent or a function of something Dish did? Has anyone else seen this? I find the SD versions helpful when there are weather problems that interrupt the signal - they always come in when the others don't.)

Also: I’ve heard but not confirmed that Dish is planning to turn off one of its satellites (129 degrees) and move other signals over to 110 and 119. This may have led to a strange new problem that’s just developed within the last month and it’s very mysterious.

I could always get the satellite version of WPIX with no problem. Now, all of a sudden, it comes in during the morning hours but gives me a “Complete” or “Partial Signal Loss” message at night - right at primetime! Every night, regardless of weather. So I’ve effectively lost the CW for the time being. All the other New York network locals come in just fine round the clock. What could possibly have happened to cause this? If the signal is blocked, it’s blocked. How does it come in in the morning and leave at night? It makes no sense and I can’t figure it out.

Any help would be appreciated and please go easy on a newbie!

 

[Josh.M]

Are you only seeing SD versions of locals?

722k is not going away, but many core SD duplicates are being eliminated as we are phasing out SD only equipment.

WPIX was recently moved to 129 which has a tad weaker signal, but its an SD version of the service...as far as signal loss at specific times of the day goes I have been around for a lot of different wacky stories...from birds to construction cranes it could really be anything and may require a technician to take a look.

It may be worth considering an arc flip to EA as there are HD versions of your locals there (minus WPIX which is still SD but on 72.7)...it could also solve your signal loss at night.

 

[Aaron F.]

Interesting. The move of PIX may explain a lot, since my reception on 129 has never been great. And yes, for reasons, I've never understood, I only get SD versions of the local NYC stations. No one has ever been able to explain why. I hope they're not going away or my reason for having the system will be taken away for good.

I can live without the other SD duplicates, since I can get most of the HD (although for reasons I'm not sure of, the HBOs in the 310 range sometimes experience signal loss.)

I appreciate you confirming the 722k is not going away - I was told by a dealer that it was going to be turned off and I needed to buy a Hopper to replace it, which at the moment is not in my immediate budget. So I'll stick with the 722k for now, with an eye to an eventual replacement.

By the way, can I assume a Hopper replacement would work with my current dish outside? When I had it installed, I also had coax put in to send the output to an upstairs bedroom. Would that work with the Hopper or is the Joey the only one to get that to happen?

I really appreciate finally being able to reach someone who can answer some of my basic questions. Thanks a lot!

 

[HipKat]

Interesting. The move of PIX may explain a lot, since my reception on 129 has never been great. And yes, for reasons, I've never understood, I only get SD versions of the local NYC stations. No one has ever been able to explain why. I hope they're not going away or my reason for having the system will be taken away for good.

I can live without the other SD duplicates, since I can get most of the HD (although for reasons I'm not sure of, the HBOs in the 310 range sometimes experience signal loss.)

I appreciate you confirming the 722k is not going away - I was told by a dealer that it was going to be turned off and I needed to buy a Hopper to replace it, which at the moment is not in my immediate budget. So I'll stick with the 722k for now, with an eye to an eventual replacement.

By the way, can I assume a Hopper replacement would work with my current dish outside? When I had it installed, I also had coax put in to send the output to an upstairs bedroom. Would that work with the Hopper or is the Joey the only one to get that to happen?

I really appreciate finally being able to reach someone who can answer some of my basic questions. Thanks a lot!

Your dish would need a different LNBF with the Hopper

 

[Aaron F.]

Your dish would need a different LNBF with the Hopper

Good to know. I will look into all of it. Is it possible WPIX is now on a spotbeam that for some reason I can no longer get? But then why does it come in in the morning and not at night? Can't quite figure it out, but I might just have to upgrade if I want to continue to get everything. Thanks for all your help.

 

[Aaron F.]

Are you only seeing SD versions of locals?

722k is not going away, but many core SD duplicates are being eliminated as we are phasing out SD only equipment.

WPIX was recently moved to 129 which has a tad weaker signal, but its an SD version of the service...as far as signal loss at specific times of the day goes I have been around for a lot of different wacky stories...from birds to construction cranes it could really be anything and may require a technician to take a look.

It may be worth considering an arc flip to EA as there are HD versions of your locals there (minus WPIX which is still SD but on 72.7)...it could also solve your signal loss at night.

Is the ViP 722k MPEG2 only? Or is it also compatible with MPEG 4? (I believe it's both but I'm not 100% sure.)

 

[HipKat]

Is the ViP 722k MPEG2 only? Or is it also compatible with MPEG 4? (I believe it's both but I'm not 100% sure.)

722 is an MPEG4 Receiver, errr has an MPEG4 smart card in it

 

[Aaron F.]

722 is an MPEG4 Receiver, errr has an MPEG4 smart card in it

Thanks for the reply. And excuse my ignorance on this stuff (of which I seem to have an overabundant supply) but I take it that means if Dish eventually turns off its MPEG2 signals and only uses MPEG4, this receiver will still work. At least I hope that's the case!

 

[Bobby]

Thanks for the reply. And excuse my ignorance on this stuff (of which I seem to have an overabundant supply) but I take it that means if Dish eventually turns off its MPEG2 signals and only uses MPEG4, this receiver will still work. At least I hope that's the case!

It's going to work just fine.

 

[Aaron F.]

It's going to work just fine.

Good to know. As long as the hard drive holds, I'll stick with it - although apparently without WPIX. You guys and gals have been great. Really appreciate the advice and the answers.

 

[Bobby]

Good to know. As long as the hard drive holds, I'll stick with it - although apparently without WPIX. You guys and gals have been great. Really appreciate the advice and the answers.

I'm curious, are you on eastern arc (61.5/72.7) or western arc (110/119/129). If you are, indeed in New York City you should be on eastern arc and not have issues at all because the NYC local HD channels exist on 61.5. The SD channels are on 110\119 and are subject to the transition going on right now. WPIX HD in the NYC spot beam is on 61.5. I am thinking you are not getting the NYC spot beam but are looking at the Conus channels instead and that is not right.

 

[Aaron F.]

I'm curious, are you on eastern arc (61.5/72.7) or western arc (110/119/129). If you are, indeed in New York City you should be on eastern arc and not have issues at all because the NYC local HD channels exist on 61.5. The SD channels are on 110\119 and are subject to the transition going on right now. WPIX HD in the NYC spot beam is on 61.5. I am thinking you are not getting the NYC spot beam but are looking at the Conus channels instead and that is not right.

I'm on the western arc for some reason, on the outskirts of NYC. (I can see 110, 119 and 129 on the test channels) That's the way it was set up by the installer years ago and I honestly thought it was fine, because I never had any issues until now. It might explain why I don't get any of the locals (ABC, NBC, CBS etc.) in HD.

Again, it wasn't something I ever really thought about before because everything was working fine for the most part and while I prefer an HD signal, the fact is as long as I can watch the shows I want, I'm happy.

Although I'm still not sure why PIX came in all these years with no problems until a few weeks ago (and only shows up during the daytime) perhaps I need a service call to see if the angle can be reversed and see if that fixes it. That's a great suggestion. Appreciate it.

 

[Bobby]

I'm on the western arc for some reason, on the outskirts of NYC. (I can see 110, 119 and 129 on the test channels) That's the way it was set up by the installer years ago and I honestly thought it was fine, because I never had any issues until now. It might explain why I don't get any of the locals (ABC, NBC, CBS etc.) in HD.

Again, it wasn't something I ever really thought about before because everything was working fine for the most part and while I prefer an HD signal, the fact is as long as I can watch the shows I want, I'm happy.

Although I'm still not sure why PIX came in all these years with no problems until a few weeks ago (and only shows up during the daytime) perhaps I need a service call to see if the angle can be reversed and see if that fixes it. That's a great suggestion. Appreciate it.

Absolutely, you should see if you can get a look at the eastern arc satellites and that would take a truck roll. This roll should be at no cost to you as you should have been set up properly to be begin with.

 

[Aaron F.]

Absolutely, you should see if you can get a look at the eastern arc satellites and that would take a truck roll. This roll should be at no cost to you as you should have been set up properly to be begin with.

Worth a shot. Incredible to think it's been wrong all these years, but in this case, I suppose ignorance really was bliss! I think they set me up with the Conus version for some reason, although I can't explain why.

By the way, why doesn't the Conus version have the New York locals in HD? Aren't those the generic go-tos for others in the boonies? I would have thought it was just part of the package, regardless of which arc you're on. Makes no sense they wouldn't have a near national feed of the O&Os for those who aren't in a defined market.

 

[navychop]

I’d say there is no conus version. There is only western arc and eastern arc.

Do you have any obstructions viewing east?

 

[Aaron F.]

I’d say there is no conus version. There is only western arc and eastern arc.

Do you have any obstructions viewing east?

No, it's actually a better angle. There's a backyard tree that's never really caused any issues looking west, but I suppose it could get in the way when it's in full bloom in the summer. Never really was a problem. In my old C-Band & KU days, though, it was a real headache in the warmer season when the blooming thing cut off some angles.

 

[HipKat]

Absolutely, you should see if you can get a look at the eastern arc satellites and that would take a truck roll. This roll should be at no cost to you as you should have been set up properly to be begin with.

He may have been setup from well before the EA was open

 

[Aaron F.]

He may have been setup from well before the EA was open

Possibly. It was a very long time ago. I can't remember when I upgraded to the 722k, but it was brand new back then. Now it's almost obsolete. It's been a while. I'm sure they did what they thought was best for my location and to be honest, I really didn't know a lot about it back then. (And as you can see, I really don't know a lot about it now, either!) That's why I appreciate all the help. A techie I'm not. I just want to watch TV!

 

[Josephinelcajon]

I’m not sure if anyone here can help me - the people at Dish Network are impossible to reach and even when you do, they don’t seem able to answer even the simplest question. So maybe the experts here will know.

I have an old Dish Network ViP722k receiver that, while old, is still working just fine. I have been hearing rumors that Dish is going to turn off service to this model sometime within the next year. Has anyone else heard this? If so, any idea when?

I also noticed that many of the standard definition stations that were dual illuminated with an HD counterpart have suddenly disappeared. (For example, there was a dual HD/SD signal for TBS and TNT, as well as The History Channel. A few days ago, I noticed the SD versions had completely disappeared from the guide. Is this permanent or a function of something Dish did? Has anyone else seen this? I find the SD versions helpful when there are weather problems that interrupt the signal - they always come in when the others don't.)

Also: I’ve heard but not confirmed that Dish is planning to turn off one of its satellites (129 degrees) and move other signals over to 110 and 119. This may have led to a strange new problem that’s just developed within the last month and it’s very mysterious.

I could always get the satellite version of WPIX with no problem. Now, all of a sudden, it comes in during the morning hours but gives me a “Complete” or “Partial Signal Loss” message at night - right at primetime! Every night, regardless of weather. So I’ve effectively lost the CW for the time being. All the other New York network locals come in just fine round the clock. What could possibly have happened to cause this? If the signal is blocked, it’s blocked. How does it come in in the morning and leave at night? It makes no sense and I can’t figure it out.

Any help would be appreciated and please go easy on a newbie!

I am very sorry to hear about your experience. My experience with Dish over the years has been much different. I hope you found the help you needed.

 

[Aaron F.]

He may have been setup from well before the EA was open

Possibly. It was a very long time ago. I can't remember when I upgraded to the 722k, but it was brand new back then. Now it's almost obsolete. It's been a while. I'm sure they did what they thought was best for my location and to be honest, I really didn't know a lot about it back then. (And as you can see, I really don't know a lot about it now, either!) That's why I appreciate all the help. A techie I'm not. I just want to watch TV!

I am very sorry to hear about your experience. My experience with Dish over the years has been much different. I hope you found the help you needed.

I actually got more help here than at Dish! So I appreciate all who answered. At least I know which direction to go now. (Looks like it might be east!)