What will you do when Sky Angel DBS ends?

[Mr Tony]

So, in the meantime, I was wondering if maybe I should try to turn my Satellite to 119 to get Nasa and hopefully Angel One.

I would

Could someone help me? I have a compass that I have been using to try and get some digital channels that antenna Web says I could get, so is it the same idea, turn the dish using the compass as direction, or will I need a satellite signal finder that I have read about in the forums.

no need for a sat fuinder. Use the receiver to do the finding. As noted above, most receivers you can put your zip code in, select dish 300 and the dish and it will tell you the elevation and azimuth for the dish. The elevation will most likely be different (higher or lower depending on your location)

Thanks in advance for the help. This forum has been great! I wish I had found it before Sky Angel made their decision.

Katybug

we're here to help

 

[jbmiller]

I would


no need for a sat fuinder. Use the receiver to do the finding. As noted above, most receivers you can put your zip code in, select dish 300 and the dish and it will tell you the elevation and azimuth for the dish. The elevation will most likely be different (higher or lower depending on your location)



we're here to help

hi, i used a part 15 little fm transmitter hooked up to the audio of the satellite receiver. then i take a small fm receiver out to the dish to tune it until i get a high pitch tone. works great for tuning
god bless
john

 

[Mr Tony]

hi, i used a part 15 little fm transmitter hooked up to the audio of the satellite receiver. then i take a small fm receiver out to the dish to tune it until i get a high pitch tone. works great for tuning
god bless
john

One time I aimed a dish by calling my cell, putting the phone by thr TV speaker and leaving my cell on speakerphone...Dish box the tone hets higher as the signal gets stronger

 

[skitheberks]

1. Removed dish (I installed it) from pole and placed it in shed.
2. Listed the receiver on Ebay
3. Bought a dedicated HDTV antenna (Winegard SS 2200) and mounted on pole.
4. Now have the IPTV service & dedicated HDTV antenna on the one TV that had Sky Angel.

 

[Katybug]

Thanks everyone for the tips on tuning the dish to 119. I am saving the info. I did not have a clue about anything about satellite before tuning into these forums, except that I have one on my roof and when I turned on the TV, I had it there So, I have gotten quite the education. I have also learned a lot from the HDTV thread. I am chomping at the bit for the antenna that I ordered to come in, so we can install it and hopefully get a few more digital channels available in our area. For right now, I am waiting for SA to end and watching with interest to see what others are doing.

Thanks to everyone who posted the help!
Katybug

 

[Scroll]

One time I aimed a dish by calling my cell, putting the phone by thr TV speaker and leaving my cell on speakerphone...Dish box the tone hets higher as the signal gets stronger

I think your way was better. I once had my hard of hearing mom try to tell me the numerical readings that way. I'll never do that again!

 

[TheKrell]

One time I aimed a dish by calling my cell, putting the phone by thr TV speaker and leaving my cell on speakerphone.

I got you beat. I have several times used a multi-handset cordless phone in intercom mode to repeak my dishes. That way, there is no way for any phone company to charge me for minutes used.

 

[Scroll]

You pay for minutes?

 

[Mr Tony]

I got you beat. I have several times used a multi-handset cordless phone in intercom mode to repeak my dishes. That way, there is no way for any phone company to charge me for minutes used.

it was a weekend so it don't cost me anything

 

[TheKrell]

You pay for minutes?

In general, yes, though as Iceberg mentioned, you can get around this with most cell phone providers one way or another. I have AT&T, and nights or weekends are free, as is long distance. Of course I would not want to try doing something on my roof at night. And I have not always had the luxury of waiting for the weekend, as when high winds blew down one of my Dish 500s on a Sunday night.

Some people might have a prepaid cell, or another provider that charges for all minutes regardless. I was talking generalities, and not my particular situation.

Another generality you might not consider is when you bring your cell phone (number) from far far away. If you dialed your number from your landline, you might incur a long distance charge. This is again a generality and not my particular case. (I have unlimited long distance via ViaTalk.)

Bottom line: cordless handsets work and work well, and the intercom mode will never under any circumstance result in telephone charges no matter who your providers are, where you are located, when you are pointing your dish, or how long you take to find that darn satellite! (Mine don't even tie up my phone line when using intercom mode.)

 

[Scroll]

As a disclosure I was just razzing. My sister has nights & weekends but also is fortunate to have Nextel's old free incoming calls anytime.

I myself carry a prepaid which I seldom use. It's mainly for emergencies, traveling out of town, and outages. I just buy a $10 - $20 card every 3 months to keep the account active and carry the minutes over. So I have like 500 unused minutes.

I got burned as far as losing minutes with my previous lesser known provider because they switched technology and I couldn't get a compatible phone in time before the cutoff, which is why I would caution against adding a ton of minutes you won't need anytime soon short of a killer offer, but the way I look at my lost minutes is I would have paid way more just on a monthly service charge on a majority of traditional plans.

My only regret is I don't have a web enabled phone, since I could view the video stream of my home security cams via the web. But then I'm only paying like $6 a month or so too.


Hey! That gives me an idea!! So if you have a web enabled camera in the house you "could" perhaps actually look at the signal readings on your web enabled phone, no?

 

[TheKrell]

So if you have a web enabled camera in the house you "could" perhaps actually look at the signal readings on your web enabled phone, no?

Ha! Probably that would work. Only problem I see is you can only see, but not control, your receiver that way. Of course a "telephone next to the TV" doesn't control anything either.

To get full two-way functionality, you need a phone with a Sling client, and a Slingbox connected to your receiver.

 

[BrianMis]

That wouldn't eliminate the ability of the class to sue with cause. It would just make the most desirable outcome impossible.

It could be claimed that the sale was not fully disclosed to stakeholders and that the company used deceptive practices.

OTOH I don't believe any of this would necessarily preclude a second though, last minute negation between Echostar & Dominion. The odds of that admittedly is virtually nil, thus the "miracle aspect" I referred to. Also, if say Dominion were to partner with someone taking control of the bird as a salvage project there is also the slimmest glimmer of hope, though I claim no technical expertise as to how that might could occur.

So while the odds makers may give it a 1 in a million shot some people in this particular forum believe miracles can happen, just not everyday because then they wouldn't really BE miracles.

Iceburg is right, but in this country people have the right to sue anybody for anything. It amazes me that people will try to sue SA for not "honoring" their lifetime contracts. Technically the IPTV service is an entirely different company. The SA DBS service was run by Dominion Satellite.

The company didn't have the money to continue on as a DBS provider. So what's the solution? SUE with cause because the sale was not disclosed to "stakeholders". I had to laugh when I read this. Time to ask yourself the question of What would Jesus do? I doubt it would be SUE.

 

[TheKrell]

Time to ask yourself the question of What would Jesus do? I doubt it would be SUE.

Jesus cursed a fig tree merely for having leaves but no fruit when he wanted nourishment.

 

[BrianMis]

Jesus cursed a fig tree merely for having leaves but no fruit when he wanted nourishment.

There's a big difference between Jesus saying something figuratively and doing something figuratively. Next time I have to wash the dishes I think I will do it figuratively. It should be just as effective eh??

I borrowed that quote from this page The Cursing of the Fig Tree

It's funny you focused on one statement in my post, and you picked the fig tree story. I guess your one of the few who support class action against a company that couldn't go on in it's current form.

It's a shame that in todays world when the consumer doesn't get what it wants they throw the SUE word around. Don't you think that if SA could have went on it would have?

 

[Scroll]

The company didn't have the money to continue on as a DBS provider. So what's the solution? SUE with cause because the sale was not disclosed to "stakeholders". I had to laugh when I read this. Time to ask yourself the question of What would Jesus do? I doubt it would be SUE.

Jesus cursed a fig tree merely for having leaves but no fruit when he wanted nourishment.

Two points here. We haven't actually SEEN their books. Are they even a member of EFACON or some 3rd party accountability for Christian groups?

Second, despite the product (being program viewing) is of a Christian nature we are still talking about a business and not an actual Christian ministry. Cancel your autopay and see how long your programming continues no matter how poor you are. No money, no Gospel - period. And if you end your contract early won't they sue or turn you over to a bill collection for the box fee?

There are legal and necessary disclosures for any business in this country. So I suppose the point of contention here is really whether it IS a ministry or just a business with a Christian name and/ or product dispensing, rightly or wrongly, what it believes is the minimum amount of disclosure required under the law. So in many ways it sure hasn't acted very much like a Christian organization at all at times.

 

[catkoko]

a couple of points have been brought up

1) Is/was sky angel truly in "financial difficulties". Among other things they have expanded, purchased vacant land worth million in fla etc. In fact they are now trying to sell same land as what they bought can't be built on! how is that for poor oversight?

2) is IPTV truly and legally a separate company. It would appear that there are the same people, facilities etc. WHERE did the funding come for IPTV? If it came from DBS and/or lifetime members than there may be a problem here.......

3) by robs own letter this has been in the planning for several years. yet during that time they sold lifetime, 10 yr memberships. Up until a few months ago they didn't even have that disclosure about purchase at your own risk, we may shut down dbs etc........

Even if you want to say that not all lifetimers are entitled to anything it would seem some certainly are. Anyone who purchased after the date Rob quoted in one of his letters (don't have it in front of me) should be given a refund. I am a long time member but this certainly seems unfair for the new members

 

[BrianMis]

a couple of points have been brought up

1) Is/was sky angel truly in "financial difficulties". Among other things they have expanded, purchased vacant land worth million in fla etc. In fact they are now trying to sell same land as what they bought can't be built on! how is that for poor oversight?

Will we ever know if SA was in true financial difficulties? Probably not seeing as how Dominion Video Satellite, Inc. is a private corporation, they do not have to disclose their financial information. The land deal is a moot point, stupid decision and businesses make stupid decisions all the time. Probably trying to sell it to recoup some of the money they lost.

2) is IPTV truly and legally a separate company. It would appear that there are the same people, facilities etc. WHERE did the funding come for IPTV? If it came from DBS and/or lifetime members than there may be a problem here.......

I would say that it is a legally separate company The new company name is Sky Angel U.S. LLC and not Dominion Video Satellite, Inc. Now would this hold up in court? The funding might have come from the DBS side but you would have to sue to get that information. They won't be required to produce it otherwise.

3) by robs own letter this has been in the planning for several years. yet during that time they sold lifetime, 10 yr memberships. Up until a few months ago they didn't even have that disclosure about purchase at your own risk, we may shut down dbs etc........

Even if you want to say that not all lifetimers are entitled to anything it would seem some certainly are. Anyone who purchased after the date Rob quoted in one of his letters (don't have it in front of me) should be given a refund. I am a long time member but this certainly seems unfair for the new members

What do you feel your entitled to? Businesses come and go all the time. Did you actually think that SA as a DBS would be around forever? Eventhough you purchased a lifetime membership there is still a value to the service you received. You probably got more than your money's worth.

Here's a link to a great article by Phil Cooke that addresses this issue.

A Personal Sky Angel IPTV Update | Phil Cooke and The Change Revolution

 

[Scroll]

Did we really think it would be around forever? Well yea! Or at least until Jesus returns, which shouldn't be all that long off. So much for that global evangelistic mission via DBS.

I'm not sure exactly where their business model failed or else was just unrealistic from the start. All I know is we were not led to believe failure was a likelihood at any point with the possible exception of the transponder failures when channels were never restored. That was pretty much the only tangible clue that there was trouble in paradise.

Remember that Jim Bakker & co actually served time for making claims that were at best misleading and in reality unrealistic.

Come tomorrow it looks like we were the REAL April Fools for believing.

 

[Orvsat]

I suspect the legal relationship between the SkyAngel satellite operations and the IPTV business was worked out to greatly limit the chance that the new company would have any liability from unhappy lifetime subscribers. That is why you hire lawyers.

When I purchased my SkyAngel lifetime subscription I knew there were many chances for this to be a bad investment--company fold, satellite gets destroyed by space junk, my receiver go bad, etc. I am happy the service has lasted this long.

Although I will miss SkyAngel, I got my money's worth out of the deal. I wish them the best as they become an IPTV-only company. I will move on and will be thankful for the time I was able to enjoy their programming.

Earlier in this thread I mentioned some of the things I plan to do when the SkyAngel satellite goes dark. I'm sure these things will fill my entertainment hours completely.