Fixing Lost Odd Transponder Problem in USA border, Canada and Mexico

[Casacabanas]

Since mid-October many people along U.S. borders and in Canada/Mexico have lost all DirecTV channels carried on odd numbered transponders. I found a suggested fix on a Baja California bulletin board. I do not know the source of this suggestion, but I would like to know if anyone has tried it and whether it was successful. Here it is:

"Insight into changes at DTV.

From what I can tell from these threads is that most, if not all of these people live down in Mexico. We do have lots of customers who have vacation houses down there that can get our programming, but not legally. They are doing this on their own. In order to receive our signal, they need large dishes, which have very narrow beam evens are located. In order to see the odds again, they will either need to repoint their dishes, or add a second dish and an AB switch, one dish odd polawidths. On Oct 12, we moved programming from D1R and D2 to D8, all at 101, which was all of the odd transponders, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, & 31. The beam squint on D8 is tighter than it was on D1R or D2, so what most likely happened, beacuse of the tighter beam width of their dishes, they can now only see one satellite, D1R, where the rity, second dish even polarity. We do not remove transponders from our customers. This is not an issue in the US where we are using smaller dishes. This is not a DIRECTV issue, but theirs"

 

[charper1]

You are exactly correct; the beam are tighter to the CONUS as they should be as users outside of those borders are not legally receiving DirecTV US programming even though they may very well be subscribers inside the US borders.

It may seem harsh, but sometime there may very well be export trade and/or licencing issues involved. In many non-US locations DirecTV does offer an alternative service such as DirecTV LA. Those people outside of the US should look into the legal services provided to those locations.

 

[cheebs]

You are exactly correct; the beam are tighter to the CONUS as they should be as users outside of those borders are not legally receiving DirecTV US programming even though they may very well be subscribers inside the US borders.
It may seem harsh, but sometime there may very well be export trade and/or licencing issues involved. In many non-US locations DirecTV does offer an alternative service such as DirecTV LA. Those people outside of the US should look into the legal services provided to those locations.

While in theory this is the ideal way to go -- buy an allowed DTH service in the conutry you're at, in reality it's much different. The offerings from GLA for exampple, are vastly inferior to those directly from the US or Canada like E*, D* EV and SC.

All primetime shows are a full season (if not a year) behind, there are ZERO HD offerings, movies are OLD OLD OLD and Pq leaves quite a bit to be desired.

Sadly, there are many grandfathered laws in Central America and Mexico that give distribution rights to some very old-fashioned and technology-backwards companies.

Even with NAFTA and CAFTA, TV is one of the products that wasn't even fully discussed, and in CAFTA's case, fully and intentionally excluded.

I can only guess at how many people would be willing to pay for a FULLY LEGAL service comparable to D* or E* in Latin America, but I'm willing to bet it would be in the hundreds of thousands, if not more.

 

[charper1]

No one said the services would be the same in offerings or cost, BUT it is the LEGAL way. AND it stops the presumption (or rumoring) that there is some sort of signal problems with the DirecTV birds.

 

[Casacabanas]

One clarifying point: the diminution and/or loss of odd-numbered transponders is occurring even inside the U.S. boundaries. Along the California coast, the signal strength of these transponders on our and various neighbors' antenna system has fallen from the high 80s and low 90s to the 40s and 50s. At these levels, we get transmission interruptions. Fortunately, the even numbered transponders, which I have heard are still on the old satellite, are producing strong signals. While DirecTV is not required to provide a strong signal outside of the U.S., it is supposed to provide high quality service to us in California. Our hope is that enough people in our state will shift to a competing service that DirecTV will decide to fix its satellite problem.

 

[charper1]

the diminution and/or loss of odd-numbered transponders is occurring even inside the U.S. boundaries. Along the California coast, the signal strength of these transponders on our and various neighbors' antenna system has fallen from the high 80s and low 90s to the 40s and 50s.

DirecTV is based in El Segundo they would see the same thing as would a few hundered thousand subscribers and I am willing to bet they don't. I visit my cousins in Miami and San Diego many times per year (I just got back from SD and a rental with DirecTV in Malibu) my my ex-boss is in Danforth, ME (far NE) and there is NO DIMINISHING SIGNAL of CONUS service in any of these locations. I have seen the signal meters in the upper 80's and low 90's with my own eyes. Maybe you need to repeak or check for equipment failures in the LNB(s) or in RG6 runs.

Our hope is that enough people in our state will shift to a competing service that DirecTV will decide to fix its satellite problem.

You guys should stop trying to make it out that there is a major DirecTV signal/transponder power failure just because people OUTSIDE of the intended CONUS are having issues receiving signals they were NEVER intended to receive. Why should legal 15 million+ satisfied users switch because illegal users can't watch? Why are you guys so intent on making a case that there is a satellite problem? Buy a legal system for your area or move into the CONUS. These threads are so dead tired.

 

[fkostyn]

I would like to hear if anyone from the San Franscisco / Bay Area is having a problem - which is where it would be if Casacabanas's neighbors are having issues. (Always remember, google is your friend....)

 

[charper1]

Would Fairfax or San Rafael be close enough?

 

[akira97]

so what i'm hearing is that since i live in canada i have to have a second dish pointed to dtv8 @ 101 but what size dish i was using 100cm up until oct 13 when i lost everthing..
ans what type of LNB do i need. l live on the alberta boarder in canada

 

[cheebs]

akira97 try 150 or 180 cm... should work where you're located. Here in Guatemala we were able to recover lost xponders by switching from 180cm to 240cm.

Actually even with a higher-quality LNB we were able to recover a viewable (but marginal) signal with the 180cm dishes. The 240's just gave us a little extra rainfade margin.

 

[rabaja]

Cheebs, so what I think you are saying is that you can stay with one dish,,one dish only is that correct,, but you had to change the size. We are in the baja,, using 1.2 meter dishs,,no one that I know of has said anything about getting the channels back here in the baja with a bigger dish,,, if anyone has heard anything please let us know,, what they did ,,what size dish,, hate to have to go to dish ,,or sky,, any help is appricated,,, thanks for your input cheebs,