61.5 vs. 129 -- very urgent question!!!

[multnomah]

This is urgent -- the Dish installer will be here in two hours (12 noon PDT).

I currently get three satellites (61.5, 119, and 110) on two dishes, feeding into a single 622. The installer is adding equipment so I can get 118.7 as well (the Eurovision channel). He phoned just now to tell me that he plans to replace both dishes with one big one.

Is this a good idea? The two dishes I have now point in almost opposite directions and are on either side of a window. I'm not expert in satellite dishes, but it seems to me that two dishes should always work better than one, even if the one is big.

Second question: the installer also told me that 61.5 and 129 are duplicates, and that I only need one, but not both. I seem to remember reading that one was a backup for the other in case of failure, but now I don't have time to do the research to figure this out. Is the installer correct, or am I correct?

Thanks very much to anyone who answers in the next 90 minutes!

 

[navychop]

OK. First, I suspect you're getting 119 also. One dish can get 110, 119 & 129. 61.5 would be on a separate dish.

Where you're at, if you can get 61.5 you should stick with that. 129 is weak today. That might improve at the end of the year when it's replaced, but I believe folks in your area have 129 reception problems.

I don't think you can get 110, 119, 118 & 129 on one dish. I may be wrong. But you might not be happy with 3 dishes. One for 110/119, one for 61.5 and one for 118.

Personally, I always tell my installers before they arrive and after they get here, what they're going to install. It's my house and my money. Of course, they always love me because I've always run all the coax and it's always a simple quick job for them.

BTW, most programming is duplicated on 61.5 & 129, but I don't think anyone is really viewing them as a backup for each other. Each will have some local stuff so sometimes you might need to pick one over the other. Otherwise, line of sight issues dictate, or a preference for the generally better signal out of 61.5.

 

[mdonnelly]

To give you 118.7w, he's probably installing the Dish 1000+ dish with a DPP44 switch. That gives 110/118.7/119/129. But getting 5 satellite locations isn't easy with Dish. And 61.5 won't give you anything (other than a couple of public interest channels) that 129 won't.

The big issue you'll have to deal with is that 129 signal strength is problematic in the NW. Many people use a separate dish just for 129. You might ask the installer to repoint the 61.5 dish to 129, run that coax to the switch, and disable the 129 lnb from the 1000+ dish.

 

[ducked]

I doubt that he'll be able to get an adequate signal on 129 with one dish.

61.5 and 129 are not exact duplicates. If you want Fox Sports NW in HD, then you need 129.

 

[navychop]

Ok, this is good. So a dish 1000+ and a dish 500 (for 61.5) should work nicely for him. Or suffer with poor 129 signals until it's replaced, and get by with one dish. But already having 2 dishes, it's probably not a problem for him.

 

[mdonnelly]

Ok, this is good. So a dish 1000+ and a dish 500 (for 61.5) should work nicely for him. Or suffer with poor 129 signals until it's replaced, and get by with one dish. But already having 2 dishes, it's probably not a problem for him.

Having the wing dish makes him more versatile. He could choose to point it at either 61.5 or 129.

 

[multnomah]

I suspect you're getting 119 also

You're right! I transposed a 1 and a 2 in my original post. I have edited it so it's correrct now.

Having the wing dish makes him more versatile. He could choose to point it at either 61.5 or 129.

If either one works, and the signal is worse on 129, than I will tell him to point one dish at 61.5 and put the remaining satellites (110, 118.7, and 119) on the new big dish (I prefer 'ARTS' , the pubic interest channel on 61.5, to Fox Sports News). I don't know what kind of big dish he's bringiing, maybe one with wings, but provided he can bring in all the satellites at 40-50%, I shouldn't care.

Have I got it all right?

Thanks very much, all of you, for getting back to me so fast.

 

[mdonnelly]

You're right! I transposed a 1 and a 2 in my original post. I have edited it so it's correrct now.



If either one works, and the signal is worse on 129, than I will tell him to point one dish at 61.5 and put the remaining satellites (110, 118.7, and 119) on the new big dish (I prefer 'ARTS' , the pubic interest channel on 61.5, to Fox Sports News). I don't know what kind of big dish he's bringiing, maybe one with wings, but provided he can bring in all the satellites at 40-50%, I shouldn't care.

Have I got it all right?

Thanks very much, all of you, for getting back to me so fast.

When they say "FSN-NW" they mean the regional sports network. Yours might carry some Oregon or Oregon State games in HD.

Other than that, I think you've got the right idea.

 

[TalonDancer]

...If either one works, and the signal is worse on 129, than I will tell him to point one dish at 61.5 and put the remaining satellites (110, 118.7, and 119) on the new big dish...

As long as you don't mind having 2 dishs, that's what I would do. 129 may keep wobbling around just fine till its replacement arrives or it my not. Having the option to get 61.5 as well as 129 seems like good insurance

FWIW I have a Dish 1000.2 (129, 119, 110) and Dish 500 (61.5). As a DishHD Absolute sub. I wouldn't give up the Dish 500 for 61.5 without a fight.

Talon Dancer

 

[multnomah]

All for naught -- the DISH person refused to do the installation. See my new thread, entitled DISH doesn't do metal roofs?

Thanks again for your help.

 

[rglore]

I currently get three satellites (61.5, 119, and 110) on two dishes, feeding into a single 622. The installer is adding equipment so I can get 118.7 as well (the Eurovision channel).

I get Eurovision on the 61.5 satellite, just call and add it.

 

[multnomah]

I get Eurovision on the 61.5 satellite, just call and add it.

They told me it was only on 118.7, and the ekb 'unofficial' dish network channel chart also has it only on that satellite. Sure it isn't Euronews that you're getting? That is on 61.5.

 

[navychop]

Doesn't have to be a roof install. Chimneys, poles, etc.