Eastern US spots feeds / poor satellite choice.

[BryanSat88]

I recently re-subscribed after a couple year hiatus using cable. One of the big selling points was that local channels for my area were now available via spot beams. Well, the installer put a new 3 lnb dish up at the peak of house's roof and announced that, due to some trees (a few houses away), that my signal from the 119 satellite is marginal (and the leaves aren't even on the trees yet!). In a couple months I will likely be without any local spot feeds. I know the spot beam satellites are big $$$, but it seems poorly planned that East Coast spot beams are coming from a satellite past the west coast. The 119 satellite is only about 22 deg above the horizon (which isn't much considering the trees and mountains in this area). I guess I could live in NH or Maine and it would be even worse.

I am considering a new, careful site survey when the leaves are on fully to see if I can use another dish from another location on my house to get around the trees (which aren't even that tall). Anyone know of a resolution (national feeds???) or a future move of the East Coast spot satellite feeds. I guess I will be stuck using OTA for locals again (and their R-15 DVR won't record OTA), so I have to dust off the VCR again.

 

[jcrandall]

The SD locals are on 119 in many markets. The HD locals are on 99 or 101, if offered in your market. They are targeting most markets in HD by the end of 2008. There is a new spotbeam HD satellite going up around March 2008, should be operational early this summer

That may solve your problem, provided you upgrade your R15 to an HD-DVR. Get an HR20, and you can use the antenna HD in the mean time.

 

[charper1]

"New" 3 LNB dish? I thought everyone stopped those a while back; you should have received the NEW 5 LNB dish. Now that being said, I am not sure if this will help you or not, but I would bet finding a new location for the dish might help unless you are 110% sold on the location it is in now.

 

[BryanSat88]

They installed the 3 lnb dish in December 2007, maybe because I didn't subscribe to any HD channels yet. I am not set on the position of the dish, but I have decided to wait until the foliage is in before having the dish potentially moved. I think the installer mounted the dish and then realized the trees were slightly taller than he thought blocking 119. He was too lazy to move it (it is December in the Northeast). Orbital positions 99-110 are easily reachable with no tree problems, but getting down to 119 is more west than south for me (magnetically) and only 22 degrees off the horizon. There are some 75' trees about 3 houses away in that direction from me.

 

[jcrandall]

Well, you can move the dish when the leaves come out, or if you decide you want HD they will upgrade you to the bigger 5lnb dish. Assuming Albany has or gets HD locals, you'd be set, they would be on 99 or 103.

 

[iwc5893]

"New" 3 LNB dish? I thought everyone stopped those a while back; you should have received the NEW 5 LNB dish. Now that being said, I am not sure if this will help you or not, but I would bet finding a new location for the dish might help unless you are 110% sold on the location it is in now.

The 5LNB comes with HD services, not SD. I do agree with the rest of your statement, though.

 

[charper1]

Oh; I thought the 5LNB dish was a standard install now regardless; my bad.

 

[dishrich]

Oh; I thought the 5LNB dish was a standard install now regardless; my bad.

No, as a matter of fact in our market, which is on 72.5, they are still ONLY installing round dishes for 101 on SD only installs - 'cause that's all D* pays for on SD only

 

[Indiana627]

Albany HD locals went live on 1/3/08 and includes ABC, CBS, FOX & NBC. You'll need the new 5 LNB Slimline dish and an MPEG4 capable receiver to get them. These will come off either the 99 or 103 satellite, so that may help will your sight issues. Your remaining SD locals will still be on the 119 sat (but the 5 LNB Slimline can see all the sats).

DirecTV - Investor Relations - News Release

 

[jimisham]

Here's a link to a web site that will help you find a spot where the dish can see all three satellites using the sun.

Place satellite dish using sun or moon

The best time to check is around the end of the first week in March and October.