Dish 1000+ upgrade self install?

[fish]

How feasable is it for a guy who is pretty handy (used to do my own installs before things got complicated) to upgrade my dish 1000 to a dish 1000 plus. The tech put a dish 1000 on my roof three weeks ago and said I would get my Pittsburgh locals. Obviously he and Dish tech support was wrong. So now I have a dish 1000 that picks up 119, 110, 129 and an old voom Dish tied in that picks up 61.5.

Can I just plop a Dish 1000+ on the stem and try to point it and put the wires in the Dish 1000+ just like they are in the 1000? And does the dish have different LNBs than the Dish 1000?

And where can I get a dish 1000+ if so? Will dish sell me one?

Thanks I know that's a lot of questions.

:

 

[soundstation]

Dish 1000+ has a different LNB conf. (119/118.7, 110,129 ) & uses a DP44 switch. The mast is the same size but is taller & comes with support arms for stability.
The Dish 1000+ is costly, over $300 plus shipping! The easiest way to upgrade is to contact your orginal retailer or Dish Network for an upgrade. Your cost is only $59.95 equipment & install.

 

[pcbelize]

Yes, you can just replace the dish and the lnb. But as previously mentioned its not cheap. Another point to consider it is a bit more dificult to point since you are trying to hit 4 satellites at the same time.

 

[SmityWhity]

The Pittsburgh locals are on 110, so you should receive them.

But since I see a Dish 1000 in the matrix, you are probably suppose to be getting both SD Locals (110) and HD Locals (118.7) with a "HD Plus Local" package.

Since the wrong dish was installed, it seems like either Dish or the Installer should correct their mistake - without charge. And hopefully your original installation cost included a DPP-44.

 

[fish]

The Pittsburgh locals are on 110, so you should receive them.

But since I see a Dish 1000 in the matrix, you are probably suppose to be getting both SD Locals (110) and HD Locals (118.7) with a "HD Plus Local" package.

Since the wrong dish was installed, it seems like either Dish or the Installer should correct their mistake - without charge. And hopefully your original installation cost included a DPP-44.

Thanks guys and yes they were going to install the dish 1000+ for free this Tuesday and they apologized. But it is more complicated than that since I have "moved" I cannot now have them come to my place.

 

[Jim5506]

Well, "MOVE" back, right now!

 

[fish]

Okay, my dish 500+ arrives Tuesday. The guy at Dishstore.net said that it is identical to the dish 1000+ although I seem to read differently on this site. I now pick up 110, 119, 129 from a Dish 1000 (and 61.5 from an old Voom dish). From what I read it sounds like the dish 500+ will not pick up 129. Is this correct? Waht channels are on the 129? Do I need 129 in my area which is Pittsburgh? And if so can I pick it up with the old Voom dish? And if not why was I sold the Dish 500+ when I asked for the Dish 1000+. My main reason for swapping out the 1000 for the 500+ was to get Pitt HD locals on the 118. I still don't know whay I was told the 500+ was identical to the 1000+. I hope I bought the right dish.

Thanks in advance!

 

[SmityWhity]

Some sat stores will sell you a Dish 500+ without the mounting arm and foot. Except for that here's the difference between a Dish 500+ and a Dish 1000+.

- The Dish 1000+ comes with an extra LNBF - specifically, a DP Dual LNBF so that the dish pan can be used to receive sat position 129.

- When you buy the Dish 500+, it comes with an extra bracket that attaches to the LNBF cluster. This bracket is used to add that extra LNBF (above) to receive 129.

NOTES:
- Since it looks like you are ordering the Dish 500+ from a retailer, make sure the bracket is in their package; I believe DishStore does include it.
- If you already have a DP Dual LNBF that will be extra (from the Dish 1000), then you are saving money by not buying the Dish 1000+.
- Hopefully, you had ordered a DPP-44 Switch, or got one from the installer. But you will need this to hook up 4 satellite locations.

RECAP on which Satellites:

- 118.7 to receive Pittsburgh High Definition/Digital Locals (Only available on a 500+/1000+)
- 110.0 to receive Pittsburgh Standard Definition/Analog Locals
- 119.0 to receive normal satellite programming
- 129.0 or 61.5 to receive HD Programming

Although (I believe) 110 and 119 has a couple of HD programs, the major HD Programming is transmitted on both 61.5 and 129. So what are your options?

(1) Use Dish 1000+ (500+ & extra LNBF) as a single dish solution and get your major HD on 129.

(2) Use Dish 500+ and a 2nd dish to get either 129 or 61.5.

If you are not getting a good enough signal on 129 using the Dish 1000+, then use the Dish 1000 for a single satellite and point it to 129. You can also point it to 61.5, if you are still not getting a good signal.

If you don't mind two dishes and can easily get 61.5 on the second dish, I would go this route. Besides probably having the best signal, you should get a couple of other channels that are not available on the other birds - such as the Pentagon Channel. Just personnal preference.

 

[fish]

Thanks so much. My old Voom dish is getting the 61.5 currently. If I have a strong 61.5 do I even need to have the 129. Meaning can I receive the same HD channels from either the 61.5 or the 129? If so I will just leave the Voom dish where it is. I currently use the dp44 switch so I am good there. So it sounds like I can pick up the 119, 110 and 118 with the 500+ and the 61.5 with the old Voom dish and I should have all my channles including the Pitt HD. Is that correct?

 

[Neutron]

Since you ordered it from Dishstore.net, contact Claude Greiner. He operates Dishstore.net and is on here frequently.

 

[jcrandall]

This can be fairly easy. Use your 61.5 instead of 129 - stronger signal and the dish is already there.

Use the 500+ for the 110/118/119.

As mentioned, you NEED a DPP44+. This is over $100 if you don't have it already. IF you want a ONE DISH solution, then use the extra Lnb bracket that comes with the 500+ (packed with the dish at the factory) with the single LNB from your existing dish 1000. This way you have all dish pro equipment.

Only thing I am unsure of, if the 61.5 dish has a legacy lnb, which I would assume the voom lnb is, will it work with the DPP44, or does everythign have to be dishpro? If so, you'll have to use the one dish solution or replace the LNB on 61.5.

For what it is worth, the new mount arm has strut arms with it, and a bigger base, despite the same mast diameter. I would recomend switching them too due to wind from the larger dish size.

 

[Bountykiller]

The dish 1000+ may be fine for 129 where you are due to its increased size. Certainly you will get better signal on 119 and 110 with it versus the 500 plus. Either way aiming them is not hard. Simply calculate your skew (I believe you can type in a zip code to determine) and it should tell you all info.

If you want to calculate it all yourself (I always like to understand what I am doing rather that rely on tools for all steps) the way to determine the Az and El for the optimal installation for all satts the dish is trying to pick up is very easy. (Even though 119 is at the center, you should not ignore the requirements for the outter satellites as those will be weakest and in need of the best possible alignment) Many would say just calculate for the center LNB, but I would personally disagree as not all DBS satellites are equally spaced 9 degrees apart these days. 129 and 119 are a prime example) Who knows if the dish compensates for that extra degree or not. It looks pretty symetrical to me! ;0

You then just take the midpoint between the outter satts (on a dish 1000 take 129 (outer lnb) MINUS 110 (other outer LNB) = 19 degrees difference. 1/2 of 19 = 9.5) and calculate for that point the Az and el. (In the example I gave calculate for 119.5; derived from 129-9.5 or 110 + 9.5) Use a tool that for 119.5 will calculate the skew, az and el based on your location for 119.5 then. One example (excuse the link is here: hxxp://www.sadoun.com/Sat/Installation/Satellite-Heading-Calculator.htm (replace the x's with t's, I am not sure about posting a link here, but it is to an advertized site)

Before install always set the skew, ensure a perfectly level mast if possible and then use a meter or the built in signal meter if possible to determine the best az and el. A signal meter is easiest though. (Simply have the receiver set to be looking for the center LNB and use only one feed and a signal meter to that LNB during install to peak) Once peaked for the center LNB via az and el, then switch to only one of the outer lnb's and tweak the skew if necessary) Once done, tighten, connect cables, switches etc and woila! ;0

-B

(The above method of calculating will work for a dish 500 as well. The mid point of it will be 114.5)

 

[SmityWhity]

Thanks so much. My old Voom dish is getting the 61.5 currently. If I have a strong 61.5 do I even need to have the 129. Meaning can I receive the same HD channels from either the 61.5 or the 129? If so I will just leave the Voom dish where it is. I currently use the dp44 switch so I am good there. So it sounds like I can pick up the 119, 110 and 118 with the 500+ and the 61.5 with the old Voom dish and I should have all my channles including the Pitt HD. Is that correct?

Yes, it is all correct. Use the Dish 500+ and the Voom Dish on 61.5, feed into a DPP44, and you will have everything.

On the VOOM - I don't know all of the equipment previously used; so just make sure the VOOM dish has a DP (DishPro) LNBF and not a "legacy LNBF". There will be a black DP on the back on the LNBF if it's a DishPro. If it's a legacy, then take a DP Dual LNBF from that Dish 1000 that was recently installed.

EDIT:
For some reason when I posted this last night, I did not see the above 2 posts - must have been the egg nog. So I did not realize his questions were already answered by Masterdeals.

 

[Claude Greiner]

I think we sold this customer the correct Dish....

From the way I understood it, the customer has a regular Dish 1000 looking at 119/110/129 and a Voom Dish looking at 61.5 with a DP44 Switch.

So what I sold the customer was a Dish500 Plus Dish, which included the 110/119/118 LNBF.

Customer removes the regular DISH 1000 which leaves him with 3 cable connections. The customer installs the DISH500 Plus and hooks those 3 cable connections up to 119/110/118, the customer then uses 61.5 to pick up the HD content which is better anyways since 61.5 provides a superior signal.

The 1000+ was not necessary because the customer did not need the DISH Pro Dual LNBF to pick up 129. Even if the customer wanted to pick up 129 at a later point, he would then have a spare DISHpro Dual which came off of his regular DISH 1000 DISH, or he could remove the one being used to pick up 61.5

 

[Claude Greiner]

On a side note the customer sounded like he was receiving both the 61.5 and 129 signal. Only 1 satellite is necessary since both satellites have the same programming.

Im almost 100% sure this was the correct way to do this, because I do remember speaking with the customer about this on Thursday or Friday of last week.

 

[Claude Greiner]

One more thing, as far as lining up the Dish I find it best to connect up the 110 LNBF to find the initial signal. Once you find 110, then switch it over to 118 which I believe is marked "1F" and peak out on 118 since that is going to be your weakest signal.

 

[fish]

Hey guys thanks so much and it definitely makes sense to me now. Thanks Claude and Smity, Master and Bounty for all your help. I may be new to this board but not to Satelite and electronics. Actually I have been a lurker of Sat guys for a long time just never posted. I'm a doc with just about every electronic device a guy can have and I sued to do all my own dish installs back in the day so I am going to try. I just hope I get it right and don't louse everything up in time for my fights this weekend! We have been blessed with unussuallyly warm weather in Pitt so I'll be on the roof Thursday for a go.

Thanks again!!!! Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays!

 

[fish]

btw, I know this is off topic but can you believe my bro in law just called and said he was in Costco yesterday in Dallas and a worker wheeled in a pallet of PS3s? He said they were gone in about 5 mins. He grabbed me one.

 

[SmityWhity]

Good luck. Unless you drop it about 30 feet and bust it all up, it's not likely you will mess it up. Worst case, it takes you a little longer to peak, and re-peak, and re-peak, and etc..., but this stuff is easier than medicine.

 

[gish]

Good luck. Unless you drop it about 30 feet and bust it all up, it's not likely you will mess it up. Worst case, it takes you a little longer to peak, and re-peak, and re-peak, and etc..., but this stuff is easier than medicine.

That's funny! Thursdays the big day!