Local Channel Question.....Hope For An Answer.....Dish CS Not Helpful

[MDB in SE La]

Well after doing a search, thinking I'd find the answer to my question, here is my question. Since 96 I've been with E* and local stations in SE Texas made it impossible to get any local stations since the xmtrs are less than 25 or 30 miles away. Here is my problem. In the next 2 or 3 weeks I'll be moving to the Hammond-Ponchatoula, La area which is in the New Orleans, La area and WILL qualify for locals. Only thing is I don't have any desire to get New Orleans stations. I'd like to get Houston, Tx Locals.

I called Dish CS.....she must have been new.....when I ask if I qualified for New Orleans stations, but since I was from SE Texas, could I get the Houston Tx locals. She said no but I could put up an OTA antenna and pick up the Houston Locals. Dead silence, she was serious. I ask her was she sure. She backed it up with of course I'm sure, you could pick up the local New Orleans channels and the OTA would be able to pick up the Houston Channels. Guys, I don't drink, I am not drunk, she really did say it. I told her that there wasn't any OTA antenna that I knew of that would pick up Houston from that area which would be around 350 miles as the crow flies. I didn't even go into the curvature of the earth limiting direct signals further than 130 or 140 miles away either(I think that's what I remember reading the earth's curvature limit was)

Anyone know if you have to settle for the locals where you qualify or can you specify another city. Really haven't thought about East or West coast feeds like I've read just mainly was wishing for Houston, Tx because it would come closer to giving me local where I have lived for nearly 50 years.
Thanks for any help.

 

[bone74]

unfortunatly you probably will have to settle for your nawlins locals.. they may have a couple channels you qualify for from another city... my locals come out of youngstown oh .. and i live in pa i would rather have Pittsburgh locals but the fcc wont let me. I only got ABC CBS FOX NBC out of youngstown.....I called them and asked if could get WB or UPN they check and gave me a choice of Boston or NY or Chicago feed.... maybe you could qualify for a houston one... try and let me know..

 

[TNGTony]

The only way to get locals from an area other than the one you live in is to lie. This is what is euphamistically called "moving" on these boards. You have to "move" to the area you want locals from to get them. HOWEVER....you also have to be able to physically receive the signal from the spot beam those locals are on. Most Houston channels are on spot beam 10 transponder 5 at 119°. Telemundo, TeleFutura, Azteca and two independets are at 148°. Looking at an older spot beam map, http://ekb.dbstalk.com/pictures/echo7.gif) the spot beam does not reach inside Louisiana at all. So essentially the only Houston channels that you could get are the ones at 148 even if you "move".

See www.dishchannelchart.com for all the channel locations on Dish's satellites.

See ya
Tony

 

[TNGTony]

BTW, the local markets are determined by county. Here is the way they looked last TV season

The out of market channels that Bone74 is talking about are the Superstations package and they come from Boston (WSBK UPN 38), NYC (WWOR UPN 9 & WPIX WB 11), Denver (KWGN WB2) and Los Angeles (KTLA WB 5). WGN WB9 out of Chicago has not been available for years! WGN Superstation (a different channel with no WB content) is part of AT120.

See ya
Tony