dishes pointing at both 61.5 and 129?

[shelly]

I currently have dish pointed at 61.5 but have installation scheduled for later today for the transition to Mpeg 4.

If the new dish points to 110, 119 and 129, and we keep the 61.5 as well, how do I control which hd sat (61.5 or 129) feed is being used at the time?

I am interested because signal strength may be better on one sat than the other.

Thanks.

Shelly

 

[mike123abc]

If you have a DPP44 switch you can have both 61.5 and 129. If you do not have this switch you will be limited to 3 satellites. The one you want will depend on your local market (i.e. which HD sports net serves your market, and possibly HD locals).

There does not appear to be a way to control which satellite is picked for a channel if it is on 2 satellites.

 

[shelly]

Thanks for the very quick response.

I, of course, now only hve legacy sw 21 switches and will be dependent on the installer.

I have read that the 1000.2 has the necessary switch built in? Is that true?

I would assume that if the same channel is available on two satellites, and both are active in my system, then the stronger signal would win. Or is this too much common sense?

Thanks again. Just having some pre installation concerns.

Shelly

 

[sgip2000]

The Dish 1000.2 has LNBs for 110, 119, and 129. It also has an input for a second dish. If you switch your 61.5 dish to a Dish Pro LNB, you can run a cable from that dish to the input on the 1000.2. Then you would have both locations.

 

[RandallA]

"I have read that the 1000.2 has the necessary switch built in? Is that true?"

Yes, the 1000.2 allows you to have 4 satellite locations and output for 3 receivers.

"then the stronger signal would win. Or is this too much common sense?"

Too much common sense. There's no rhyme or reason as to which satellite the receiver will pick. Most of the time the receiver chooses 129 but sometimes it picks 61.5.

 

[shelly]

I've also been reading threads about variable signal strength from 129. I do not want to lose service during our winter rainy season.

It sounds like I should try to keep my 61.5 if possible. I get 89-92 signal strenth on all transponders on 61.5 now.

Installation is due today from 12 noon to 5 pm. I love the narrow window they give. Just another day off from work, I guess. I've disconnected the 6000, have all cables in place and just waiting.

Shelly

 

[rdinkel]

Having both 61.5 and 129 makes a good insurance policy for no loss of HD service. If one drops off the receiver automatically switches to the other feed. Have had both for almost two years now. Originally added 61.5 for CBS-HD East, but when Charlie took that away I kept the extra feed as insurance.

 

[shelly]

I appreciate all the feedback. I was more of a regular poster back in the original Voom days and had lost touch with recent developments with Dish HD.

It's all moot, anyway, for today as I just got a call that the installer's truck broke down and I have been resceduled for Thurday am. At least they called me at 2:30 so I don't have to wait around until 5.

I hooked the cables back and have returned to watcing the Voom + HD pak that I have had with my mpeg 2 6000.

Shelly

 

[MikeD-C05]

You can do a check switch with the 129 lnb covered with foil and then the receiver will only see 110/119/& 61.5 using a dish 1000.2.

 

[Jim5506]

The Dish receiver selects the priority of 129 and 61.5 by your zipcode.

If you are in an area where HD locals are carried on 61.5, it is primary, otherwise 129 is always preferred.

You can cover the 129 lnb and run check switch, but when the receiver does its nightly thing, it will switch back to 129 if it sees it's there.

 

[shelly]

The Dish receiver selects the priority of 129 and 61.5 by your zipcode.

If you are in an area where HD locals are carried on 61.5, it is primary, otherwise 129 is always preferred.

You can cover the 129 lnb and run check switch, but when the receiver does its nightly thing, it will switch back to 129 if it sees it's there.

Since I am on the West coast 12 miles inland from the ocean, it looks then that I will be stuck with 129. I only say stuck based on the threads I have read here about the variations in signal strength on 129.

When I started with Dish HD, there was only 61.5 which I managed to get from my mountain top location, then came 148 for the West coast and now it seems that 129 is the one.

Thanks again.

Shelly

 

[Jim5506]

If you have LOS for 61.5, you can use it for HD if you totally disconnect 129.

 

[shelly]

If you have LOS for 61.5, you can use it for HD if you totally disconnect 129.

Then I will suggest this o the installer. I get high 80's, low 90's on transponders of 61.5.

Does the lnb have to be changed out on that dish as I have a Legacy system now?

Shelly

 

[cebbigh]

The Dish receiver selects the priority of 129 and 61.5 by your zipcode.

If you are in an area where HD locals are carried on 61.5, it is primary, otherwise 129 is always preferred.

You can cover the 129 lnb and run check switch, but when the receiver does its nightly thing, it will switch back to 129 if it sees it's there.

Is that based on the zip code that you enter during setup or what you provide Dish as your service address? I was told by an installer that it would just pick the stronger signal. If I had only known all the trouble I'd have with 129 I would have just kept pointed at 61.5 ... all the time money and headache I'd have saved!

 

[mike123abc]

The receiver does not use zip code to pick 129/61.5, you do not even have to have your zip code in the receiver. The selection of 129 vs 61.5 (when both have the same channel) appears to be the order they are in the system table that Dish puts out. They can switch the order back and forth as they delete old entries and add new ones (like when they move channels around to different transponders).

One way to tell for sure which satellite you are using is to disconnect the cable at the back of the receiver and see which satellite is used in the acquiring satellite pop up screen.

 

[sA :: Shaggy]

One way to tell for sure which satellite you are using is to disconnect the cable at the back of the receiver and see which satellite is used in the acquiring satellite pop up screen.

not true thats the hard way, you can also just click on the channel so its playing in the back round then go to menu 6-1-1 and look at which sat is showing up in the install screen. works for me.

 

[RandallA]

Shelly,

Keep the dish at 61.5, don't let the installer take it away. When they install the 1000.2 ask the installer if he could swap the legacy lnb on the 61.5 with a Dish Pro lnb (very important) and connect it to the 1000.2. Once the installer is gone, cover the 129 eye (lnb) with aluminun foil and run check switch on the receiver. You'll be receiving the HD channels from 61.5.

The most important thing is to swap the lnb at 61.5 since it's legacy. You'll need a Dish Pro Dual lnb. If he doesn't want to give it to you, buy it online or eBay:

The Dish Store - Powered by Metro25

Come back if you have more questions.

 

[shelly]

Thanks for the important information and for the info you sent me in the PMs.

I just went out to look at the 61.5 dish. It seems that all I would have to do is remove one screw on the underside and slide it off to swap out the lnb if I had to do it myself. Is this correct?

Shelly

Shelly,

Keep the dish at 61.5, don't let the installer take it away. When they install the 1000.2 ask the installer if he could swap the legacy lnb on the 61.5 with a Dish Pro lnb (very important) and connect it to the 1000.2. Once the installer is gone, cover the 129 eye (lnb) with aluminun foil and run check switch on the receiver. You'll be receiving the HD channels from 61.5.

The most important thing is to swap the lnb at 61.5 since it's legacy. You'll need a Dish Pro Dual lnb. If he doesn't want to give it to you, buy it online or eBay:

The Dish Store - Powered by Metro25

Come back if you have more questions.

 

[RandallA]

"remove one screw on the underside and slide it off to swap out the lnb if I had to do it myself. Is this correct?"

If the dish is already aligned, yes that's correct. You'll need a cable to go from the 300 dish at 61.5 to the satellite in for the 1000.2 lnb. Run check switch on the receiver and you're done.

 

[MikeD-C05]

The Dish receiver selects the priority of 129 and 61.5 by your zipcode.

If you are in an area where HD locals are carried on 61.5, it is primary, otherwise 129 is always preferred.

You can cover the 129 lnb and run check switch, but when the receiver does its nightly thing, it will switch back to 129 if it sees it's there.

IF the 129 sat is not in the check switch matrix, after you run a check switch with the 129 lnb covered with foil, it can't switch back. It won't recognize a satellite that isn't in the check switch you run. IT will show an X where the 129 is supposed to be.