Dirt -- Jonesboro, AR DMA HD locals question

[Skip06]

Lifesaver, Guess we'll find out on the 21st.
The Memphis HD spotbeam on 129, transponder 16 is very weak here, 20's if I remember right. So rain fade would be an issue.
The folks I know in the Little Rock DMA were not charged by Dish when they moved to EA. They just got a new two year agreement.

 

[Laddyboy]

Lifesaver, Guess we'll find out on the 21st.
The Memphis HD spotbeam on 129, transponder 16 is very weak here, 20's if I remember right. So rain fade would be an issue.
The folks I know in the Little Rock DMA were not charged by Dish when they moved to EA. They just got a new two year agreement.

At one time they didn't even make subs renew their agreements because it wasn't the subs' doing that Dish moved their market to another arc. When they moved us from the EA to the WA in Florida, there was no charge to us for the changeover.

 

[Tampa8]

I'm not believing that DISH had them sign a new two year agreement to get the correct satellites for their locals. They must have upgraded at the same time. They do not charge either so that I believe.

 

[Mr Tony]

If you want HD locals and they are on EA Dish will install it for free. Its not your fault that Dish decided to do WA for SD and EA for HD locals

 

[Skip06]

If you don't want to believe that someone that had a DVR (think 722), AEP or whatever all the channels available after AEP was dropped, that's your problem. Dish put up a wing dish pointed at 77 and had the person sign a new 2 year agreement.

 

[Mr Tony]

Dish put up a wing dish pointed at 77 and had the person sign a new 2 year agreement.

they shouldnt have had to. Plenty of posts here where folks had HD local put on EA and they got a free dish upgrade

 

[johnwadams]

If I was told I could not have the networks in HD, that would be the day I would say goodby to DISH. Been with them 12 years, but there is no reason they can't supply you with the same HD that your cable company or DirecTV can provide. Only excuse I can see is poor planning on their part. There is usually enough overlap that they could allow you the nearest DMA with HD.
In the OP's case, they could code him for Jonesboro for ABC and allow him to get NBC,and CBS off the Memphis spotbeam. (129) That spotbeam is large enough to be received West of Little Rock and even in Red Bay, Alabama.

 

[bluegrassboy75]

I wonder when we get locals in HD if we'll get all or just Jonesboro's ABC & PBS

 

[bluegrassboy75]

Well, I checked out the Dish website today. The only locals listed in HD are ABC & PBS out of Jonesboro. Looks like Memphis will still be in SD. Kinda disappointed.

 

[Lifesaver2000]

That is what I figured would happen. All things considered, if they don't change this the whole thing seems like a waste. I know I won't bother to have my dish turned right away if at all. Only reason to do it would be to be ready in case they eventually do turn on the Memphis stations in HD on just the EA.

I have been watching the uplink reports and I haven't seen any changes related to our DMA since the Jonesboro stations were added to 61.5. I did see where Memphis has a new ION station though if I am looking at it right.

 

[bluegrassboy75]

Here is what a DIRT member told me on Dish Support

[h=3]Re: Jonesboro, AR Locals[/h]by Ray C. » Thu Nov 21, 2013 2:28 pm
The spot beams are different for Memphis and Jonesboro. The Jonesboro spot beam does not have the capacity for the HD feeds for those local channels at this time. Thanks.

 

[Mr Tony]

looks like the 61.5 spotbeam covers the Jonesboro area just fine
http://www.satelliteguys.us/thelist...TN&sub=true&sort=&order=&beamMap=E16_SB14.jpg

 

[Mr Tony]

also a couple markets that were uplinked recently (short markets) the neighboring locals are in HD too
Zanesville, OH as example (they only have NBC...the rest are from Columbus)

5270(6) - WSYX [MPEG4 HD] added to Echostar16 61.5W TP 32 Spotbeam 04 (Mkt:Zanesville, OH-Columbus, OH-ABC,) (NA)
5271(10) - WBNS [MPEG4 HD] added to Echostar16 61.5W TP 32 Spotbeam 04 (Mkt:Zanesville, OH-Columbus, OH-CBS,) (NA)
5272(18) - WHIZ [MPEG4 HD] added to Echostar16 61.5W TP 32 Spotbeam 04 (Mkt:Zanesville, OH-Zanesville, OH-NBC,) (NA)
5273(28) - WTTE [MPEG4 HD] added to Echostar16 61.5W TP 32 Spotbeam 04 (Mkt:Zanesville, OH-Columbus, OH-FOX,) (NA)
6514(62) - PBS [MPEG4 SD] added to Nimiq5 72.7W TP 05 ConUS beam (Mkt:Zanesville, OH) (NA)

 

[Lifesaver2000]

The problem with that answer from RayC is that, according to the maps, the spotbeam on 61.5 that the Memphis HD feeds are already on covers the entire Jonesboro DMA. In fact, the map shows a primary and secondary coverage area, and Jonesboro DMA is in the primary coverage area. So no additional bandwidth is needed, all they have to do is turn on the market flag on the existing feed.

That doesn't even take into account the fact that since the CBS, NBC and FOX stations are out of market anyway, they could simply use other out of market stations that are already on this spotbeam in HD. The spotbeam that covers Jonesboro DMA is actually called the Springfield spotbeam (61.5° 18s63), and it has the Springfield, MO HD locals on it. And considering how many people around already get the Little Rock locals even though they aren't supposed to, that is obviously another option.

I believe the real problem goes back to something I alluded to in a previous post. There just doesn't seem to be anyone that we can go to, who really knows how things work, and that can look at all the options and say "oh, that would work" and then get it done.

Oh well....

 

[Lifesaver2000]

(I started typing my previous post then had to leave, then posted it upon my return, so it doesn't take Iceberg's post into account.)

 

[Skip06]

Does the Hopper require all the local networks to be on the same transponder to do it's record the four networks at once thing?
If so, are they not turning on the Memphis HD because a feature of the Hopper wouldn't work?
If so put KAIT on the Memphis spot. Problem solved. They must have room on the Memphis spot because they're putting ION on it. Ion will be the 7th HD channel on that transponder, on sat 61.5

 

[Mr Tony]

Does the Hopper require all the local networks to be on the same transponder to do it's record the four networks at once thing?

last I checked yes it does

If so, are they not turning on the Memphis HD because a feature of the Hopper wouldn't work?

why not give them all HD and not worry about the Hawper folks there (all 8 of them probably)

 

[Lifesaver2000]

If they need all four networks on the same transponder, then they should just give us the Springfield, MO networks for our out of market NBC, CBS and FOX. I am pretty sure that the transponder they put KAIT and KTEJ on is the same one that the Springfield locals are on (61.5° 18s63). Problem solved. (wish it were that easy)

 

[Skip06]

Iceberg,
Thank you for the info, Dish should do a survey, which would you prefer PTAT in SD or no PTAT but HD. I vote HD.
Lifesaver,
Yep, I agree. My 1st preference is Little Rock followed by Springfield and last Memphis.( when bad weather has already been through here and the Memphis station mentions there's some bad storms in Ark but out of our viewing range, 'we'll talk about it if it gets to our viewing area', you know that's not a good station to be watching.) According to The List, the transponder from Springfield has 8 HD and 3 SD channels, Memphis 7 HD and 3 SD and the Little Rock spot page doesn't load but Little Rock seems to have 7 HD and 2 SD. So moving KAIT shouldn't be a space problem.
We've spent a month trying to figure out why they don't turn on HD for us. The Hopper not being able to do the PTAT is the only possible reason I can come up with. They could put KAIT on the Little Rock transponder and give us Little Rock and make their customers HAPPY. As you said they could leave KAIT were it is and give us Springfield, or they could move KAIT to the Memphis spot.

 

[Skip06]

I want to see the Hogs in HD today so I turned the dish to 61.5 and 72. Not tweaked on either but just to give you an idea of comparative signal strength of the spotbeams/ transponders on 61.5. transponder 18 (KAIT) 49 ---transponder 25 (Memphis HD) 51 --- transponder 31 (Little Rock) 52.
Again, this is with a 1000.2 western arc setup, I've tried to split the difference between the two sats. A month ago I had at least a 57 on KAIT but that was without changing the skew from the western arc setup with 119 lnb pointed at 61.5. Even then I didn't spend much time to tweak. I just needed to see if I had line of sight. BTW getting low 50's on sat 72 with this current setup.