Equipment requirements for Dish HD

[hd4fr]

Hi, new guy looking for some general info for now. I will describe the current situation, and hope someone here can give me some direction.

We have had Dish for about 15 years now. We purchased equipment in Texas originally, and at that time, the dealer had no installers and I had to set up everything myself. It all came with a VHS video which made the installation easy. I used to Install telephone switching equipment in earlier years and found this a fairly simple task. As I recall, I had to line up on one sat only.

We moved from Texas to Michigan in '99 and I was sent a Dish 500 as part of Dishmover. I set this up myself, too, and had to get 110 and 119. Again, I found it very simple to do. The LNBs cabled to an SW44, and I cabled three rooms off it. We were running a 501 and two 301 receivers.

We later got a 625 DUO, and asked for our local channels (out of Toledo) and a Dish installer came and changed the dish to add 121 and put it on a DP34. So, we are aimed at 110, 119 and 121. This is our current configuration.

My questions are about going to HD, which seems to be necessary if we want to continue to watch TV in the future.

If we get a 722k, will it work with our current dish, or do we have to get one of the 1000's? We are currently only running one of the 301's, but still want to use it, and also want to use the 625. How would I have to configure the dish so we can use the 722k, 625 and 301? Do we have to aim at different satellites, and if so, will we lose our local Toledo stations, or is it just a matter of adding another dish?

Thanks for any direction.

Al

 

[Hall]

I don't believe the dish will need changed. I also think you meant 129 and not 121. Toledo's HD locals are on 129.

Otherwise, I don't think anything else needs changed.

 

[hd4fr]

Thanks, this may be good news... I always thought, for some reason we were picking up 121, but that may be because I didn't do that install. I checked my Point Dish menu just now, and you are right, I am locked on 129, but not 121. My bad.

We do not have HD now, though.

So you think if I get a 722k and put it on, it can do SD for now and we can subscribe to HD?

 

[lucky86]

121 stopped being used quite some time ago, just like 148 and 105

 

[garys]

If you haven't change anything since 1999, it is possible you may be pointed at 121, since you have not yet gotten an HD receiver, you can't be getting HD locals. Also, the 301 receivers have been discontinued and if you look to upgrade, Dish may make you replace it at no additional charge, either a 311 or maybe an additional HD receiver instead.

 

[Hall]

According to "The List" above, Toledo's SD locals are on 110'. I'm not sure why you have a dish picking up (3) satellite locations unless it was standard practice to install a 1000.x dish (future use ??).

You don't subscribe to HD with Dish. You can keep the channel package you have today and will simply get add'l channels, in HD.

 

[mike123abc]

You should contact Dirt here (or call Dish). Since you have been a customer for so long, you probably could get an upgrade to HD fairly cheaply, and probably a good deal on a hopper upgrade. If you have Dish do it they also take care of any dish and switch issues (do you have DP or DPP switches?).

 

[hd4fr]

According to "The List" above, Toledo's SD locals are on 110'. I'm not sure why you have a dish picking up (3) satellite locations unless it was standard practice to install a 1000.x dish (future use ??).

It's frustrating me now because Dish insisted they install the new dish, I think they called it "SuperDish," and it's snowing and I can't go look at the LNBF to see the part no., but I recall an LNBF quad and maybe a single or dual mounted on the arm, maybe I need to look for sure. It definitely has three inputs to the DP34. The Installer bolted it to a tree in my yard, ran the coax on top of the ground 20 feet or so to the side of the house, nailed it up my siding to the point it entered under the eaves near the peak, which is where I routed the old dish. He left the old dish on the roof, so I unbolted the new one from the tree and put it on the roof mast (after taking the 500 off, of course) and got a better lock.

This is why I would rather do these things myself.

 

[mike123abc]

It's frustrating me now because Dish insisted they install the new dish, I think they called it "SuperDish," and it's snowing and I can't go look at the LNBF to see the part no., but I recall an LNBF quad and maybe a single or dual mounted on the arm, maybe I need to look for sure. It definitely has three inputs to the DP34. The Installer bolted it to a tree in my yard, ran the coax on top of the ground 20 feet or so to the side of the house, nailed it up my siding to the point it entered under the eaves near the peak, which is where I routed the old dish. He left the old dish on the roof, so I unbolted the new one from the tree and put it on the roof mast (after taking the 500 off, of course) and got a better lock.

This is why I would rather do these things myself.

They say that, but if your current dish situation works and the installer cannot do a single dish solution based on LOS they will probably just change out the switch for a DPP one and leave the dishes as is.

 

[navychop]

Yes, you may come out ahead moving to a Hopper/Joey system. How many TVs are independently viewed (3?) and how many are HDTVs?

 

[navychop]

Bolted to a tree and ran coax on the ground? Let us hope you'll get a better install this time around.

BTW, the H/J system is quite a bit different in installation than the old equipment. You'll get a single or dual node and maybe a HIC, etc. Dish has become quite insistent on doing the installations itself, due to too many customer induced problems.

 

[Teehar]

If indeed it is a superdish,then it would be pointed at 121.Chances are you will need a different dish.

 

[MaryB@SlingTV]

Hi, new guy looking for some general info for now. I will describe the current situation, and hope someone here can give me some direction.

We have had Dish for about 15 years now. We purchased equipment in Texas originally, and at that time, the dealer had no installers and I had to set up everything myself. It all came with a VHS video which made the installation easy. I used to Install telephone switching equipment in earlier years and found this a fairly simple task. As I recall, I had to line up on one sat only.

We moved from Texas to Michigan in '99 and I was sent a Dish 500 as part of Dishmover. I set this up myself, too, and had to get 110 and 119. Again, I found it very simple to do. The LNBs cabled to an SW44, and I cabled three rooms off it. We were running a 501 and two 301 receivers.

We later got a 625 DUO, and asked for our local channels (out of Toledo) and a Dish installer came and changed the dish to add 121 and put it on a DP34. So, we are aimed at 110, 119 and 121. This is our current configuration.

My questions are about going to HD, which seems to be necessary if we want to continue to watch TV in the future.

If we get a 722k, will it work with our current dish, or do we have to get one of the 1000's? We are currently only running one of the 301's, but still want to use it, and also want to use the 625. How would I have to configure the dish so we can use the 722k, 625 and 301? Do we have to aim at different satellites, and if so, will we lose our local Toledo stations, or is it just a matter of adding another dish?

Thanks for any direction.

Al

Hi, can you please PM me your account or phone number and I will look at your account and see if I can assist you further. Thank you!

 

[Hall]

If indeed it is a superdish,then it would be pointed at 121.Chances are you will need a different dish.

Yeap, as I recall, there were (2) different SuperDish models, one pointing at 105/110/119 and the other at 110/119/121. I had the one pointing at 105 for my (SD) locals.

His SD locals are currently on 110 but maybe they weren't in the past (?).

Wait.... He said he checked the menus on one of the receivers and it says he's pointed at 129.

 

[KKlare]

Congratulations Mary Catherine on 2 years with Sat guys and gals. Noticed your join date of 12/29/10. Thanks to DIRT.
-Ken

 

[navychop]

Wow. It seems like it was only yesterday........

 

[hd4fr]

So many responses, and I thought it was an easy question to answer. Just goes to show ya.

There is a DP34, the only switch. My Check Switch screen shows 110, 119, 121 Feed, Dual, Feed.

The Hopper/Joey may be an option sometime in the future. If it is the way to go, I'm there.

Besides the coax in the grass episode, there is another "amusing" story. We got a 501 so we could DVR, and that I picked up at the dealer and set it up myself. Since we had the old 500 with an SW44, it had a power insertion on the first receiver, and what I read said it had to be within as I recall 12" from the switch. I installed it in the attic, but no power outlet was up there, so I ran an extension cord to it on a temp basis, intending to put an outlet up there "someday."

Well, one day I looked at what getting power to the attic would take. I thought of trying moving the power insertion down by the receiver behind the entertainment center, because if it worked there, I would have saved a whole lot of work. It did just fine back there and so I left it there and forgot about it.

Then, we got the 625, the installer (a different one) could not get a good Check Switch. He spent a couple of hours troubleshooting, with support on the phone and all, and they decided to try another receiver. He didn't have a spare, so he left, saying they were sending a new receiver and to call when it came and someone would come out and set it up.

After he left, I wanted to get the thing working, so I tried it again, and still no good. I went through the setup, checking everything, looking in the book (yeah, I know, that's cheating) and noticed something about power insertion not being required because the receiver powered the switch. Then I remembered the power insertion behind. I removed it, and everything was fine. I called support and cancelled the new receiver and service call.

I don't fault the installer. It was an honest mistake, but he should have checked the coax connection at the wall and would have noticed it. I didn't check the coax either, because the 501 ran fine on it, so I made possibly the same assumption. Like I said, I had to cheat by reading the book to find it, and then remember that the power insertion was there.

The guy at fault was the one who bolted the dish to the tree and installed the DP34. He did not ask where the power for the old SW44 was when he put it in. Since SW44's aren't around any more, I doubt anyone would see this problem again, but it was a good case of trouble.

Thanks to all who answered my questions.

 

[hd4fr]

I'm sorry, Hall, I was wrong about 129. It shows green on the Point Dish screen, but not locked. The Check Switch is as above, 110,119,121. I guess I will need a dish after all, if not sooner, the later. So, which one would get the Satellites I need to point to so I can decide if I want to give Dish another shot at doing it right, or just spring for the thing myself?

 

[the mack]

there is a repoint kit for the super dish, but you probably would be better off with a 1000.2 as it uses dish pro plus technology, which means you only need 1 line to dual tuner receivers....

 

[Hall]

You need a 1000.x* dish that picks up 110/119/129. Programming is mixed between 110/119, your SD locals are on 110, and your HD locals and add'l HD channels are on 129.

Others can chime in on the exact ".x" that you need. I'm on my phone and it's harder to check here...