129, 61.5 or bigger dish ?

[jokeworm]

Have been having MAJOR drop-outs on 129 TP 27 for the past few days .. have missed a few shows i would have liked to have seen because of the low signal strength that can be anything between 45 and 65 depending on when i look at it.

Am in Tulsa, Ok, and I currently have a 1000 Dish (?) pointing to 110, 119, 129.
I had signal problems after it was first installed they sent out techs who re-aligned and said they were seeing "high 60's" on 129 which was "about as good as you are going to get"

110 and 119 are still solid ... zero wind here right now too ... My question is .. when i call tech support and they tell me they will send out a tech ... should i ask them for a bigger dish ... ? Should i ask them to split off and have 129 on its own dish to get a better signal .. or should i ask them to see if they can hit 61.5 instead ?

I don't mind paying a little extra if i have to have a bigger dish ... but i HATE paying for programming that I am not able to watch because of bad signal strength.

I'm pretty sure i have an good LOS for 61.5 - i certainly have a good LOS for 129 .. Wife couldn't care what goes up on the roof as long as she gets to watch the shows she wants to watch when she wants to watch them.

What do you think the best way to attack this would be. I'd rather get it all taken care of in one visit if possible .... so what would be my best option for getting solid - decent signals on all three sats ?



TIA.

 

[MarkNelson]

I too have been having signal problems with 129 lately. Has something happened thats causing this? I haven't had any major signal issues in the last year until the last few days. As I write this, I have no signal on any channel.

 

[kstuart]

I'd say that in many locations, a "Dish 1000" is too small for 129, and that is why they enlarged it and call the new one "Dish 1000.2".

If you had said "I really want to only have one dish, then I would have suggested having them replace your 1000 with a 1000.2 - which would help (see the threads on 1000.2).

However, if you really have a clear line of sight to 61.5, then adding a second dish for 61.5 has a number of advantages:

- 61.5 signal strength is better, so less problems.

and

- you'll still have a dish pointed at 129, so if Dish adds a channel only to 129, you'll still be able to get it. And the reverse applies as well - if something is only on 61.5, you'll get that too.

Often times, installers no longer stock "Dish 300" and just stock a lot of Dish 500's. If you can get the installer to put up a Dish500 for 61.5, then you'll get even better signal strength, and if you ever decided to repoint it to 129, then it would be big enough.

So, a Dish500 second dish for 61.5 is what I think would work out best.

 

[kstuart]

I too have been having signal problems with 129 lately. Has something happened thats causing this? I haven't had any major signal issues in the last year until the last few days. As I write this, I have no signal on any channel.

Do a search for "129" in Advanced Serach, Title Only.

The Cliff Notes version is that the satellite at 129 (EchoStar 5) has had numerous failures, and they have to keep firing thrusters to reposition it in the right spot.

If you get dropouts, you should consider changing from a Dish1000 to the new Dish1000.2, or else adding a separate Dish for 129.

 

[jokeworm]

So, a Dish500 second dish for 61.5 is what I think would work out best.

Cheers for the input Ks.



That's the way i was leaning .... that way if they don't have a clear shot they can hit the 129 instead.

 

[Smith P.]

Check this thread http://www.satelliteguys.us/dish-hd-discussions/100776-e-hd-low-signal-tp27-129-a.html

 

[FantasyChannel]

Hit 61.5 - by all means hit 61.5!!! :up

 

[mike123abc]

I have a 36" dish at 61.5 and Dish1000+ (with 118.7 disconnected) for 110/119/129. I peaked the dish on 118.7 before I disconnected it, that gave the best results for 129. The 1000+ is better than a Dish500 for me on 129.

 

[JohnH]

You should go for a better signal from 129 before attempting the 61.5 thing. Being in OK your local RSN HD channels are on 129.

 

[jokeworm]

You should go for a better signal from 129 before attempting the 61.5 thing. Being in OK your local RSN HD channels are on 129.

RSN is no biggie .. can't say I've ever watched it. Doubt i ever will.

However knowing my luck - they would decide to add Tulsa HD Locals to 129 the week after i dumped it ...

Thanks for the input so far guys.

Will probably have a tech come out next week and take a look and see what they suggest before making any decisions. At least i know what my options are now though.

 

[dnsguy]

Just to let you know, DNS is well aware of this and have been since they rolled out the 1000, the CC will tell you that they have no clue what you're talking about because they don't. They have a six month churn with employee's. The "fix" from DNS is a Voom 24" dish and a dish 500. You should also ask for a LN Dish Pro Dual. This shouldn't cost you anything extra. Besides you're already paying for things that you may or may not get, right? If the CSR doesn't know about anything I just said then ask for a "coach" they are the managers, they should know about it.

 

[FantasyChannel]

The "fix" from DNS is a Voom 24" dish and a dish 500. You should also ask for a LN Dish Pro Dual.

This is not a fix. The 24" is no better. (or the LN Dual)

 

[Smith P.]

Use 1m - no problem at all, just 1 or 1.5 dB fluctuations.