When Will Dish Fix the New Alaska/Hawaii HD Packages

[Dennis Brown]

Another Dish installer from Microcom came out yesterday and fixed my new 129 dish. It turns out that the original installer had the dish pointed at 119 rather than 129. Now I have the red X.

I think I'm getting all the new 129 HD channels but I'm not certain. It appears that Starz HD (9435) and a few other channels in the 9000 series are available (They are not written in red) but there is no picture.

Does anyone know what's going on with these channels.

 

[djmaui]

Another Dish installer from Microcom came out yesterday and fixed my new 129 dish. It turns out that the original installer had the dish pointed at 119 rather than 129. Now I have the red X.

I think I'm getting all the new 129 HD channels but I'm not certain. It appears that Starz HD (9435) and a few other channels in the 9000 series are available (They are not written in red) but there is no picture.

Does anyone know what's going on with these channels.

Those are premiums that are on the conUS transponders, so us folks in Hawaii can't get them. If you subscribe to the premiums they show up in the guide as "available" even though they're no more available to us than the conUS channels that are red.

The only reason that I can see us all getting the red x at 129 while receiving all the spot channels is that the conus channels (especially premiums) are not flagged properly for Hawaii subscribers. We are all being told that we have a bad install, but how can that be true for all of us?

 

[Dennis Brown]

Thanks for the explanation. Why can't we get KHNL (Honolulu NBC) in HD. We get all the other network stations in HD.

 

[Laddyboy]

Thanks for the explanation. Why can't we get KHNL (Honolulu NBC) in HD. We get all the other network stations in HD.

IIRC one of the stations there has a transmitter location problem and can't be picked up at the local PoP. It may be that one but I don't remember for sure.

 

[djmaui]

Thanks for the explanation. Why can't we get KHNL (Honolulu NBC) in HD. We get all the other network stations in HD.

Maui has a strong OTA re-broadcast signal for KHNL. Not so on the Big Island I'm afraid.

The Maui transmitters are on Haleakala ridge in Ulupalakua. I wonder if some northeast areas of the Big Isle (Waimea, etc.) could pull in the Maui signal with a big OTA antenna.

 

[djmaui]

Update on my one dish install:

I called Microcom to make sure everything was on schedule. Surprise, they don't have the new dish on island so I am rescheduled for June 19th.

dune

Today is the 19th. Is your one-dish-for-three-birds going up today? :

 

[mboron]

I finally had time to set a dish up at 129, and my checkswitch screen on my 622 came up all greens like normal. Are any of you still getting the red x on the 722's and others? I will probably be helping others around town get 129 so I want to know what to expect.

 

[AKGolf]

I finally had time to set a dish up at 129, and my checkswitch screen on my 622 came up all greens like normal. Are any of you still getting the red x on the 722's and others? I will probably be helping others around town get 129 so I want to know what to expect.

I never got the red x on my 722, I'm also testing a 922 and it's fine.

If the others you're helping have a six footer, I would use that for 129. I think the extra channels are worth it.

 

[djmaui]

I finally had time to set a dish up at 129, and my checkswitch screen on my 622 came up all greens like normal. Are any of you still getting the red x on the 722's and others? I will probably be helping others around town get 129 so I want to know what to expect.

Is it just us Hawaii folks (and maybe Alaska folks without a 6 foot 129 dish) that are getting the red X? My 722 still starts up with an aquire signal screen about one morning out of three. This is messing up early AM timers on those days.

The details for the 129 red X error message on the system info screen lists several (24 last night) signal losses, but doesn't specify which channels. Is this simply the un-attainable (in HI) 129 conus channels, particularly the premiums which are not redded out in the guide?

 

[mboron]

I just used a 30" dish to get 129, and I came up all green, so it's not a six foot dish issue. Do you have any of your AM timers set to a channel not on the spotbeam? What I mean for instance, I get HBO channel 300. I also have a HBO 300 labeled HD, but that one will not work, it must be mapped to a conus transponder. I have to go to HBO 5515. I don't know if there is a way to re-map those--if there is I haven't found it. Anyways you seem to be a savy dish guy so this prob. isn't your problem, but I thought I'd throw it out because I've gotten hung up on it a time or two. I also have a bunch of conus stuff on the guide, but as long as I don't try to watch any of those channels, everything seems to be fine

 

[AKGolf]

I just used a 30" dish to get 129, and I came up all green, so it's not a six foot dish issue. Do you have any of your AM timers set to a channel not on the spotbeam? What I mean for instance, I get HBO channel 300. I also have a HBO 300 labeled HD, but that one will not work, it must be mapped to a conus transponder. I have to go to HBO 5515. I don't know if there is a way to re-map those--if there is I haven't found it. Anyways you seem to be a savy dish guy so this prob. isn't your problem, but I thought I'd throw it out because I've gotten hung up on it a time or two. I also have a bunch of conus stuff on the guide, but as long as I don't try to watch any of those channels, everything seems to be fine

The six foot dish in Alaska will let you tune in the HD premium channels not in the current Alaska package if you subscribe to the SD version. A quick look at my guide shows HD versions of 300-303 and I'm able to get those with a six foot dish. It seems Dish will let us watch the HD versions of HBO/SHO/Starz and the RSNs, but not other HD national channels such as The Tennis Channel.

Not counting the RSNs, I'm able to get an additional 19 HD channels with the six foot dish.

 

[djmaui]

I just used a 30" dish to get 129, and I came up all green, so it's not a six foot dish issue. Do you have any of your AM timers set to a channel not on the spotbeam? What I mean for instance, I get HBO channel 300. I also have a HBO 300 labeled HD, but that one will not work, it must be mapped to a conus transponder. I have to go to HBO 5515. I don't know if there is a way to re-map those--if there is I haven't found it. Anyways you seem to be a savy dish guy so this prob. isn't your problem, but I thought I'd throw it out because I've gotten hung up on it a time or two. I also have a bunch of conus stuff on the guide, but as long as I don't try to watch any of those channels, everything seems to be fine

I blocked the conus channels from the guides and the timers are on channels that I am supposed to get and receive with no problems. Just this morning it happened again. When I switched on the 722 at about 6:45 am, it went to the aquire signal screen. I started watching a dvr'ed program and then noticed that the record light came on. I discovered that the remainder of a movie that was set to record at 5:30 AM had just begun to record. I now have the second half of the movie on my DVR.

This has happened with both 110 and 129 channels. I rarely record 119 (SD) stuff. I have not had any drop-out issues on anything that I watch, yet the reception error message on sys info claims multiple signal losses. The only thing I can guess is that the receiver is trying to bring in (conus) stuff that it is authorized for but is way out of reach in Hawaii.

 

[mboron]

Man, that's really weird. It almost seems like a software issue. With the 30" dish I have at 129, I can't get the conus stuff either, but it doesn't seem to affect the receiver any.

 

[6coho]

The six foot dish in Alaska will let you tune in the HD premium channels not in the current Alaska package if you subscribe to the SD version. A quick look at my guide shows HD versions of 300-303 and I'm able to get those with a six foot dish. It seems Dish will let us watch the HD versions of HBO/SHO/Starz and the RSNs, but not other HD national channels such as The Tennis Channel.

Not counting the RSNs, I'm able to get an additional 19 HD channels with the six foot dish.

AKGolf, are you able to tune in 5426, Fox Sports Northwest? It's listed in my guide but can't tune to it. I ended up with the Dish 1000AK for 119/129 and use my 6 footer for 110.

I sent an email to Dish asking about the possibility of adding FSNW to the AK spotbeam. The reply indicated only that they were clueless as to what I talking about. I also asked about the status of the NBC and Fox HD locals, and didn't learn a darned thing there either.

 

[aklarvanto]

Same problem and more

I do, but it would be nice to also have Dish carry them. There are a couple of shows in HD at the same time and I only have one OTA tuner.

There is one problem in Anchorage(that I've reported many times) with the Dish OTA guide. The local CBS staion guide information shows NBC. The Dish channel at 5604 shows the correct information, but the one at 011-1 shows NBC shows. If I switch to the tuner on my TV it shows the correct information, so it appears to be something that Dish can fix.

I live in Wasilla and I was wondering if you have also noticed locals like KTUU 002-03 SD otas have "Digital Service" as a TV guide that is rated NR/AO. Have you found solution...?

 

[AKGolf]

I live in Wasilla and I was wondering if you have also noticed locals like KTUU 002-03 SD otas have "Digital Service" as a TV guide that is rated NR/AO. Have you found solution...?

I did notice that. I think an update came in sometime this year that messed up the OTA guide information. I don't watch digital SD so I haven't bothered to call Dish about it. The correct information was there before though.

 

[AKGolf]

AKGolf, are you able to tune in 5426, Fox Sports Northwest? It's listed in my guide but can't tune to it. I ended up with the Dish 1000AK for 119/129 and use my 6 footer for 110.

I sent an email to Dish asking about the possibility of adding FSNW to the AK spotbeam. The reply indicated only that they were clueless as to what I talking about. I also asked about the status of the NBC and Fox HD locals, and didn't learn a darned thing there either.

Sorry for the late reply.

I have a six foot dish pointing at 129 and do get 5426. I also get a lot(15-20?) of premium HD channels(extra HBO/Showtime Etc.) not in the Alaska package.

One thing I do during the evening is to browse the 5400-5436 channels and once in a while you get to watch the end of a game.

I used to have the six footer pointed at 110 and now use a 30 inch dish for that with no problems.

 

[tcreek]

Sorry for the late reply.

I have a six foot dish pointing at 129 and do get 5426. I also get a lot(15-20?) of premium HD channels(extra HBO/Showtime Etc.) not in the Alaska package.

One thing I do during the evening is to browse the 5400-5436 channels and once in a while you get to watch the end of a game.

I used to have the six footer pointed at 110 and now use a 30 inch dish for that with no problems.

I finally hooked up a 6 foot dish for 129, and get all the premium HD channels also (the ones mapped down to the 3xx number). I still have a 6 footer pointed to the 110, and 36 inch to the 119. With the now unused 36 inch that was for 129, my back yard is starting to look like an antenna farm.

Tom

 

[djmaui]

Another Dish installer from Microcom came out yesterday and fixed my new 129 dish. It turns out that the original installer had the dish pointed at 119 rather than 129. Now I have the red X.

Behold, software version L622 showed up yesterday and all my 129 afflictions are healed! The red x at 129 has magically turned green and my 722 stops searching for the unattainable 129 conus channels every time I turn it on in the morning. The 129 conus channels still show up in the guide (red for nats and "available" for premiums), but apparently the receiver now doesn't care that it can't really find them.

 

[AKGolf]

I finally hooked up a 6 foot dish for 129, and get all the premium HD channels also (the ones mapped down to the 3xx number). I still have a 6 footer pointed to the 110, and 36 inch to the 119. With the now unused 36 inch that was for 129, my back yard is starting to look like an antenna farm.

Tom

Life is good. Do you have the multi-sport package? If you do there are a lot of HD RSNs in the 400 and 5400 range that you can watch on occasion. When the MLB games run long you can tune them in. I'll usually go to 5409 and then channel up to see if anything is playing.

Now if Dish will stop blocking all of the other HD channels that we could get.