What is the furthest south that anyone has gotten Anik G1

miguelaqui

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Original poster
Oct 14, 2004
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I was just wondering of anyone else had tried to get ANIK G1 outside of the footprint?

I was hoping for us to have a good map by now of G1, but not too many seemed interested. I know that I was only able to get one transponder on the VA/NC border on a 6 foot off-set dish.

I was just curious in anyone else had tried in the past few years?
 
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I seem to remember there was an old thread about this specific topic.

I think that for most of us south of the border there was no hope for that bird
 
First time posting, long time lurking .. just wanted to say that I recently moved into the Central Kentucky area and I'm able to pick up G1 with most channels in the 60's and occasionally hitting into the 70's. Was a bit of a pain getting it dialed in (F1R / F2 were simple), but at these levels, this is quite fine.

I should mention I'm using a 75e dish with xKu LNB.

Originally didn't expect to pick up any G1 signal down here given the maps I've seen online - so I'm happy :)
 
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I have access to a 3.8m antenna where I work in in Los Angeles. Just for laughs one day last year I put it on F1 and looked on a spectrum analyzer to see if any of G1 was visible. I barely saw little blips in the G1 extended Ku frequency range; not enough to be a usable signal. This was using a Norsat standard Ku lnb so it wasn't specifically tuned to work on G1, but there was enough slop in it to show me something. Even so I won't be buying an XKu lnb for this test. Even if it worked I couldn't permanently replace the lnb at work and don't have the room to put a 3.8m dish in my back yard.

I don't mind watching the SD feeds on F1R and F2. My eyesight has gotten bad enough in my old age that without glasses I have a hard time distinguishing between HD and SD video at normal viewing distance. One disturbing thing I've read on another Canadian TV forum is Shaw is supposedly ending SD feeds at some point and keeping the HD versions on G1. If this is true that will be a sad ending to my Shaw Direct days. I'm holding out hope that if they end the SD feeds they move the MPEG 4 HD feeds to F1R and/or F2.

Bronx
 
I have access to a 3.8m antenna where I work in in Los Angeles. Just for laughs one day last year I put it on F1 and looked on a spectrum analyzer to see if any of G1 was visible. I barely saw little blips in the G1 extended Ku frequency range; not enough to be a usable signal.

Bronx
Thanks
 
One disturbing thing I've read on another Canadian TV forum is Shaw is supposedly ending SD feeds at some point and keeping the HD versions on G1. If this is true that will be a sad ending to my Shaw Direct days. I'm holding out hope that if they end the SD feeds they move the MPEG 4 HD feeds to F1R and/or F2.

Bronx

I'm reading that thread on that forum and pending more research to the source, there was mention that at least the channels that are currently on F1 would stay there changing from SD to HD.

If that is not the case, then the transition will be a sad event for those of us who are out of G1's footprint.

I guess time will tell.....
 
I could get Bell 82 sorta-kinda well enough in Colorado at 40.5N until they took the guide off that bird. I haven't locked onto 91 for years, and no guide == no PVR.
Which size dish were you using? I was able to get 91, just barely and not all transponders, with a 6 foot dish. I really could barely pull in 82 with a 30" dish , but a 4 foot sit gave me signal strength of 93 on transponder 32.
 
Would really like to know if that 3.8m dish in LA could pick up and lock onto the bird. I'm further North, and could put a 5m dish potentially. For Shaw, just any Ku Offset dish should work right?
 
My understanding is that the transition away from F1 to G1 will start in April. After that point F1 will be retired and only F2 will be receivable in the southern US and Mexico.
 
pacificrim
My understanding is that the transition away from F1 to G1 will start in April. After that point F1 will be retired and only F2 will be receivable in the southern US and Mexico.

I'd like to know your source of information for your quote above......

The last time I checked out Shaw Broadcast Services - Bulletins and waded through the spreadsheets on that page, it didn't seem that they have any immediate plans to retire F1R. The pdf file entitled "Final Outcome....etc." showed that there will remain many transponders in use F1R.

What I found, from going through all the spreadsheets on the above-referenced page, is that, for those who cannot receive G1 (1) if you are presently receiving an HD version of a channel, you will continue to receive it after the MPEG-4 transition is complete in 2019, and (2) if there currently exists both a SD version and an HD version of a channel, and you do not currently receive the HD version, you will lose SD channel after the transition is complete and since the HD version is already on G1, you will lose access to that channel altogether. There were a few exceptions to this rule-of-thumb, however. I know.....it's complicated; it took me a few hours and a spreadsheet of my own to track what is supposed to happen and how it affects my package..... :(

If you have more up-to-date info, though, I'd appreciate seeing it.