Any advice onhow to get Dish to fix my 129 problem, they won't acknowledge anything

[LJALLEN97]

I have a signal loss on 129, but what's new. I live in Oregon have had dish here (2) twice and they wrote up a request for a 24 inch antenna. Dish tech help won't acknowledge even having a 24 inch dish. They won't answer e-mails, phone requests. I have even e-mailed I-Satellite (technicians) in Utah for help. It appears to be all top secret. I loose the signal about 20 times a day. I have re-tuned the dish 500 for 129 but can't get any satisfactory results. Any secret phone number to call, e-mail addresses to pursue? If nothing happens I will install my own 24 inch and send them a bill.

Tks

 

[Claude Greiner]

who did you go through?

Was it I satellite?

Threaten them to cancel, and see how fast you get results!

 

[Fredinva]

Can you get to your dish easily?

If so: take 5/16 inch wrench and cell phone out there.
first go to point dish screen, Sat 129 tr 31.
TIGHTEN dish mount nuts so dish won't turn on post.
call assistant in house who is watching screen.
physically move(torque) dish left or right and get the signal levels from assistant.
one or the other will prolly increase level. When you find the right spot torque it a bit more so it will not return to original position. This actually bends the mounting just slightly and should stay on higher signal level.

I do installs and meter on 119 for a dish 1000. But the cell phone trick works when I have a 129 problem.

fred

 

[LJALLEN97]

Can you get to your dish easily?

If so: take 5/16 inch wrench and cell phone out there.
first go to point dish screen, Sat 129 tr 31.
TIGHTEN dish mount nuts so dish won't turn on post.
call assistant in house who is watching screen.
physically move(torque) dish left or right and get the signal levels from assistant.
one or the other will prolly increase level. When you find the right spot torque it a bit more so it will not return to original position. This actually bends the mounting just slightly and should stay on higher signal level.

I do installs and meter on 119 for a dish 1000. But the cell phone trick works when I have a 129 problem.

fred

FRED: I have done all the above. I think the larger dish is the trick but dish is just
not admitting to anything related to the 129 problem. Last evening it went out about every 25 minutes but sometimes just fragments and re-locks and works. The picture quality when locked is outstanding.

Larry Oregon

 

[downriver]

Dish Tech support had my D1000 replaced with a D500 for 110 & 119 and a 24" dish dedicated to 129 after one call. Call Tech Support and keep calling till you get the right answer. If you have not upgraded to an MPEG-4 receiver you might consider it now, Dish was insisting that they install a 24' dish as a requirement for service. and in fact turned off my HD programming when I activated my 622 and unplugged the 942. It took a separate call to Tech support to get it back on after a long argument with the CSR.

 

[MikeD-C05]

You can get a 24" for $69.99 or even a 30 " dish for $99.99 for 129 sat at dishdepot.com. Look under dishes on their website. I bought a dish 1000.2 from the dishstore.net which is as wide as 25" by 21" and it gets quite nice signal strengths on the 129 and even 110 and 119 sats. I have had no drop outs on picture quality since I have had it for the last week and it even rained and it didn't drop out.

 

[RandallA]

A dish 1000 or a dish 1000.2 will NOT work in Oregon. The only solution to your problem is getting a bigger dish like Downriver said. The Pacific Northwest and Northern California need a bigger dish for 129.

 

[Stan Sherman]

I also live in Oregon. I am having the same difficulty and I have a 24" dish. The transponder with the most loss is 27 (Universal and A&E). The problem seems to be worse in March and April as it was last year. I have noticed that the power on 27 does not have the same instability as the others, it is almost like the power on the transponder is changing from low to high and back again. The last 2 weeks have been almost impossible to watch a program without loss on 129. We have had bad weather, but today it is sunny and I am still experiencing signal loss.

 

[RandallA]

A 24'' dish should be enough to get better signals. What's your reading on TP27 right now? You just may need to repeak the 24'' dish to get better signals. You're right about the signal jumping up and down and 129 does that because it's a crippled satellite. It's more noticeable in the Pacific Northwest.

I setup a 24'' for a friend of mine not so long ago and he was getting 100 on TP31, most other TPs were in the 80s.

 

[downriver]

I am reading 78 on TP27 and 80 on TP23. It is a beautiful clear, mild day at last!!!

 

[LJALLEN97]

Just spend 30 minutes retuning 129. Finally got TP31 to 88 (That's a record) TP 27 64, but it's clear and warm. Spring is here in Oregon. This morning ordered a 24 inch Winegard that will arrive later this week. I will install that and see what happens.

Thanks for the advice
Larry Oregon

 

[HDTVFanAtic]

OK....I must admit I am a little confused. I was buying into this 24" Dish for 129" until I remembered the extensive comparison I did a year ago between a Dish 300/Dish 500/.9 Meter and a 1.2 Meter.

In no uncertain term, each 0.1 Meter increase gained me 3 points at the IRD.

ie, Dish 300/.4 Meter=50, Dish 500/.5 Meter=53, 36"/0.9 Meter=65, 1.2 Meter= 74

Thus an increase from a Dish 500 to 24" inch dish would gain 3 points at the IRD.

I've seen 129W wobble during its 20 some minute cycle well over 10 points or more - so why is everyone swearing by a 24" that will give you 3 extra points on a satellite that wobbles all over the map

 

[KE4EST]

Yes Op does need a 24" or bigger dish, but 24" should do fine. I tried a 30" dish here in NC just for the fun of it I was doing ok with a Dish300 dedicated to 129. My strength went out of sight.

 

[Beckhamfam]

I use a 30" Wineguard dish to bring in 129. My signals are in the high 90s. It's wonderful. I'm outside Louisville Ky.

 

[DISH_NC]

It's a known fact that the Gyros on the 129 Satellite are busted and DISH is firing the Thrusters about every 30 minutes to keep it pointed to it's coverage area. Anyone on the edges of the coverage area will see their signal drop a couple times an hour.

This won't change until a new satellite is deployed out there... Only other option is to point a dish at 61.5 unless you have programming on 129 that is not on 61.5

 

[HDTVFanAtic]

It's a known fact that the Gyros on the 129 Satellite are busted and DISH is firing the Thrusters about every 30 minutes to keep it pointed to it's coverage area. Anyone on the edges of the coverage area will see their signal drop a couple times an hour.

And the reason I laugh when anyone says their signal is X - as it changes all over the place.

What they also do not realize is the meter on the E* IRD shows the Quality of the signal, not signal strength.

 

[pulltab]

Finally, at least in So Cal, we are now installing 1000.2's. How long has it been? A year + for them to realize there is, indeed, an "anomally" with the 129 Satellite on the West Coast?

My install company was putting up 2nd dishes and eating into their profits just to eliminate the complaints.

 

[RoyW]

Finally, at least in So Cal, we are now installing 1000.2's. How long has it been? A year + for them to realize there is, indeed, an "anomally" with the 129 Satellite on the West Coast?

My install company was putting up 2nd dishes and eating into their profits just to eliminate the complaints.

Just idle curiosity but what kind of signal strengths are the installers achieving on TP6, 11, 22, 23, and 27 off 129 utilizing the new 1000.2 dish?.

 

[cyberized]

I too keep GIVING Dish $20 a month for HD VOOM off of 129 here in Oregon and 1/2 the time CANNOT watch some of those Channels due to LOSS of Signal.....I have about given up trying to watch a movie on that Universal Channel...........I tried watching the same movie 3 times and everytime it CRAPPED out on me... I GIVE UP! BUT here's my $20!
I too have requested one of those 1000 Dishes BUT - NO RESPONSE!

 

[pulltab]

With a 1000.2 we are getting into the 70's - and with a birddog you can tweak into the low 80's if you play with the skew by 1/2 degree or so.... Not bad, considering we were barely making 40-50 with the regular 1000.