DISH HD install questions

[BradleyD]

I am a current DISH customer living in Knoxville, TN. Sometime next year, I would, like to upgrade from DISH 500 to HD. I am currently pointed to 110, 119, and I have line of sight to 129. That means a 1000.2 should work for that. However, local HD here is on 61.5 and DISH says there is no plan to have local hd on the western arc sats. Also, 72.7 and 77 are out of the question because of trees that are way higher than ~45 degrees line of sight. I have tried to get info from DISH chat and really haven't gotten clear answers except for things like...the installer will take care of it. I have searched the internet also and am not sure that I have gotten clear info. I joined this forum since I have been able to find good information here and I would like to see if I can get help with the following questions.

1. It seems that Knoxville subs will get eastern arc equipment. I simply cannot get 72.7 and 77 because of line of sight. Western arc equipment will work fine (except for local hd obviously). Can DISH get me western arc equipment when I tell them this without much hassle or is it a pain to get this done since Knoxville is an eastern arc market?

2. Since I can get 61.5 with no line of sight problems as determined from my own checks, can another satellite be placed in another location (in this case, high on the corner of the house instead of in the yard) and take care of the local hd channels? 61.5 is the only direction this satellite would receive as 72.7-129 would be blocked by trees and the house no matter where one is placed unless of course it is hundreds and hundreds of feet from the house which obviously is not going to happen. I am pretty sure it can, but wanted to ask it to get to question 3.

3. If the answer to #2 is yes, can anyone tell me what dish I will get for the local hd channels? I know western would be 1000.2 to get the 3 sats. Will the local hd dish be an 1000.4 (eastern) or is it some other type of dish?

4. Since 2 sats would be used, if I get a hopper (maybe with sling), there would be no problems getting all signals from both sats into the receiver and to one joey, correct?

5. Since I would need 2 dishes, does anyone know if this costs more? DISH was not really helpful at all with this.

6. With 2 dishes and a hopper and one joey, I assume each sat will have one cable that comes into the hopper and then one cable goes from the hopper to the joey. Is this correct or does the joey have to have 2 cables to it?

7. Since I assume I would have 2 cables (rg6) coming into the hopper (1 from each sat), does this take up an extra tuner in the hopper which would diminish the number of channels that can be recorded, etc.?


Thanks.

 

[KAB]

1. Yes

2. Yes

3. Another 500

4. No problems

5. No

6. Cables from Sat to Node, then Hopper, not Joey

7. No

Hopper is the "main frame" the sats feed. Joey(s) just access points.

 

[BradleyD]

Thank you for the quick response KAB. I really appreciate your help. Regarding your answers...

1. Good. I will simply have to make sure that they know that I have to have a western arc setup.

2-3. That's cool. Perhaps they can use my existing DISH 500 dish and maybe the existing LNBF.

6. I had forgotten about the node part. I understand that you still mean that I will have to run only one cable to the joey no matter where it comes from.

7. That's good news also.

 

[KAB]

Thank you for the quick response KAB. I really appreciate your help. Regarding your answers...

1. Good. I will simply have to make sure that they know that I have to have a western arc setup.

2-3. That's cool. Perhaps they can use my existing DISH 500 dish and maybe the existing LNBF.

6. I had forgotten about the node part. I understand that you still mean that I will have to run only one cable to the joey no matter where it comes from.

7. That's good news also.

You will need 2 500's, 1 EA, 1 WA.

 

[KAB]

I take this all back, because I forgot about the re-assingnment on EA sats. Only EA local HD's are on 61.5. You need yo get 72.7 for most all other HD. If in deed it is blocked, you're out of luck. Still would have them come out to check.

 

[BradleyD]

If I can get a western arc setup since I have line of site to 129 and already have 110 and 119 on DISH 500, can't I get HD and SD off 110, 119, and 129 using 1000.2 and then use the other dish pointed to 61.5 to get local hd? It's just a question of bringing 2 dishes into the node which I understand is possible. Am I missing something?

 

[jc1975]

I think a 1k2 pointed at 110, 119, and 129 with a 500 wing dish pointed at 61.5 connected to the lnb in of the 1k2 would work. Then 2 lines from 1k2 to solo node.

 

[BradleyD]

Is it ok if the 61.5 dish is around 80 feet away from the 1k2? What I would have is a 1k2 about 130 feet away from the receiver. The 61.5 dish mounted on the side of the house would be much closer to the receiver. Given what you have said, the 61.5 cable would run away from the house back out to the 1k2 and connect via the lnb in and then a double cable runs back to the house into a solo node which becomes 2 lines, one for the hopper and one for the joey.

 

[boba]

Stop worrying until that "sometime next year" arrives. DISH will install what is appropriate when you are ready, the way they change things they may change you to Western Arc by the time you are ready or they could introduce new dishes and receivers. There is an old phrase "yesterday is history tomorrow is a mystery". Your asking questions for at least 3 months in the future, we don't know you will even be alive.

 

[Tampa8]

I was going to post the same thing as Boba. You honestly are wasting your time trying to plan based on what is today, because it might be different in a few months or a year. Changes like that have happened many times over the years. As just one example - Dish could decide to put locals on 72 instead of 61.5 by the time you are ready to go HD. That's why DISH usually wants anyone with a new installation to get the full ARC, because they do move things around within the ARC often. I do hope you are alive.

As a technical answer, you can have the Western ARC or parts of it and parts of the Eastern ARC, many do. (I do)

 

[Kraven]

Wasting time maybe... but it never hurts to learn more!

 

[BradleyD]

Thanks Kraven,

Sorry to you other guys for my early questions. I just wanted to start learning about it so I will know my options. I learned about computers and networking the same way. I don't find it to be a waste of time at all, but if I caused a problem in the forum I apologize. I also may look at getting service earlier. However, speaking of being alive, you may be correct. I am currently paying some medical bills and will be having my second open heart surgery (boy those congenital heart valve issues are a pain) in February (at least that is the plan). I very well could be dead before I get HD (8 . However, I doubt it. Anyway, I hope they don't move local HD to the 70's or I will be ota for sure.

 

[TroubleshooterMike]

The only problem is with the hopper the maximum length from the hopper to the LNB is 200ft. If possible have your wing dish to the 61.5 as close to the 1000.2 dish as possible. Just my 2cents.

 

[mrtg3336rz]

A 1000.2 with a 61.5 wing dish will work. If you're worried about the distance of the wing dish from the 1000.2, you could shorten it by putting in a dpp44 switch instead of running the wing dish line all the way to the 1000.2. If you do this though, you will have to run 3 lines from the 1000.2 and if you're getting the hopper system, you will have to have an empty/unused line to connect the power inserter for the dpp44 switch on port 1.

 

[BradleyD]

Thanks for the replies. This is good to know. I will keep researching and learn about the dpp44 about which I have read, but haven't learned all of the ways it is used. I think getting them to send an installer out ahead of time to take a look will be a good idea. Obviously, I have a lot of time to figure this out.

 

[harshness]

The key to understanding how this works is to know that DISH will install what you need when you need it. Knoxville isn't the only split-arc market that they have created.

 

[BradleyD]

That's true harshness, but it's fun learning this. I didn't know Knoxville was split market. I understood they are eastern. Regardless, if I'm gonna get all the channels, I'll be pointing something toward 61.5 and also to the whole western arc unless there is a way to go with 61.5 and then only 110 and 119. Anyway, thanks for all the help. Like harshness said, DISH will give me what I need. Hopefully, I'll get a good installer. I wish I could get it done sooner.

 

[MrDogDad]

You will need the full western arc since most of the national HD programming is on 129 (and 72.2). You just need 61.5 for HD locals.

 

[the mack]

we don't know you will even be alive.

What a DB thing to say to someone, people come here to learn, not be blasted by the few people who ''think'' they are running sh*t around here.

If you don't like someone's questions, just don't reply. simple really, except for those who just can't help being a di*k.

 

[BradleyD]

It's not a big deal mack. I'm fine with it all. However, I guess I need to tell everyone that I actually found a way to get an view of the Eastern sats. I had totally forgotten about one area. The cable run will be a little difficult, but it can be done. I read this forum link a few minutes ago http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/320010-Eastern-Arc-vs-Western-Arc . I didn't know that 77 is going away. If so, can they just use my DISH 500 (not +) with a new lnb?