Questions with install in Miami

[Abyss]

Hello all, I have a few questions. I've been a D* sub since 2000 and I finally had enough with all the promises and the TNT-HD incident was the straw that broke the camels back.

I called E* the same day and the installer was scheduled for today between noon and 5. Needless to say, he called twice, first he was delayed and the second time he was still setting about 30 miles away stuck in traffic. I told him not to sweat it and we'll just do the install tomorrow. I do follow the E* forums here and have a basic knowledge of how E* works, that's why I have some questions.

My questions are:
1- he told me that since I'm in Miami I'll have 2 dishes, one for 61.5 I believe and the other for the rest of the sats?
2- They only use the 1000 dish north of Orlando?
3- I'll be getting all my HD on 61.5? (no locals, I have OTA) I hope so, no 129 for me
4- he also stated that he'll be able to use the coax from my D* install? I thought mpeg4 installs required a special coax/connection or is that just for D*?
5 - he said he would activate the boxes tonight so we could knock out the job quicker tomorrow, this one just kind of worried me. My stuff being activated without me being present, if that's even possible. Just in todays world I don't want to see charges or worse yet, some kind of pirating happening on my account.
6- also, is there anything I should keep my eyes open for, such as how my OTA needs to be hooked up, couplers, just basic stuff I need to know in my area.

Thanks for any help on this stuff, I'm just short on time and know this is the only place I can get reliable info.

 

[TommyTDFVC]

Q 1&2: you should be getting a D1000. Maybe you are a no-site for a D1000 and he is using the wing sat to get you running.
Q3: That will work, but I still think a D1000 is the standard dish.
Q4: Depends on the receiver you are getting. A dual tuner will probably complicate the install. One or two single units are easy.
Q5: He's probably making sure you can be activated, to save himself some hassle. No scam. Also, it could be the last day of his pay period and needs to show activation that day to get paid on it. So-So on ethics only. Nothing to worry about, unless you never get installed! You would have to call and cancel within 72 hours of activation.
Q6: OTA on DN dual tuners only works through the box. TV two is out unless you have a dedicated antenna line and an A/B switch. (Typically)

Sounds scary. I'd say don't do a thing until you get all of your questions answered prior. That tech may need to slow down, and if he won't, simply get another. You need to find out if he's doing you some kind of favor or if he's just in a hurry. Watch the install and ask questions.

Good luck.
Tom

BTW- Reply with more questions to get more specific.

 

[Abyss]

Thanks for the help. It's a vip211 in the living room with OTA for the 47" HDTV and a 311 for the bedroom, no OTA, don't need locals there, just an old 27" SDTV. About the D1000, he made it sound like a 2 dish install is typical for Miami and my line of site is about as perfect as they come. I'm not sure what a no-site is. BTW, the OTA is a Sensar II GS-1000 non-amp, which I am assuming will work with the vip211?

That's good to know about the activation, I feel a bit better about it now.

 

[harveystern]

miami

Hi i live in sdade (miami), and i have two dishes and i get all the hds One at 61.5 and the other at 110 and 119, you dont need a 1000. Harvey

 

[bhelms]

The Miami area (and most of the FL penninsula, for that matter) is definitely NOT in the footprint (i.e., "no sight") for the 129 sat., required for the D1000 which receives sats. at 110, 119, 129. Hence the requirement for two dishes the second of which is pointed to 61.5. Both carry essentially the same HD national content (differences in the HD LiLs, of course). Not all of the national HD content is on either 61.5 or 129; some of the original HD channels, those still in MPEG-2, are on one of the sats. at 110 (E*8), like ESPNHD, HDNet, HDNet Movies, etc., just FYI. You can learn more here (credit to TNGTony and others): http://www.dishchannelchart.com/.

 

[Abyss]

Thanks for the help guys. The installer just left and everything is up and running! Great install and even a greater installer I have to say I love all the features on the vip211 vs the H10 I had with D*. I love the guide for the channel you're currently watching, it lets you see what's up next and more. Plus the time left for a show feature is too cool. I don't know why I waited so long. Now it's off to learn the new channel numbers and find even more hidden features. Thanks again guys.

 

[yardline]

So what did you end up getitng, two dishes or one? I'm in central Florida and I'm awaiting an install Monday.

 

[DishDave]

I am sure in Florida it's the 110,119,61.5 only oprions

 

[tnsprin]

So what did you end up getitng, two dishes or one? I'm in central Florida and I'm awaiting an install Monday.

Most of Florida, with the exception of the western panhandle, needs a seperate dish pointing at 61.5. Also some of southern Texas and all the Northeast (including NY, NJ and most parts of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware.

 

[Abyss]

Yep, they installed 2 Dish 500's. One pointing at 61.5 and the other at 110 and 119. The signsl strength is 90+ on 61.5 and well over 100 on the other sats. Just a side note, I've been having a ball with MonstersHD. I can't believe I waited so long (6yrs) to switch from D*. Even KungFu, Equator and HGHD are great! I may get tired of the other Voom channels but I'll never grow tired of MonstersHD