Lost Channels - Transponders with no signal

[yvan]

Hello,

I live in South Florida (Ft-Lauderdale) and just lost numerous channels with my Bell Express Vu satellite package. The transponders have changed for the channels that I have lost (almost 30 channels) and I am receiving channels from different transponders that I didn't have before... Does anyone know if this is a temporary change with BEV or if there is another solution...

I have synchronized the programming and restarted the digital boxes but with no success. With this change I have lost my favorite channels such as RDS, TSN, Sportsnet, Local channels in MTL and western Canada.

Thanks in advance for any input...

Yvan

 

[julesism]

yep, they did some shuffling....

http://www.vuproductions.ca/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7

For example, I used to get a low signal on tp7 which is where BBC World is. Now I get a strong signal on tp7.

I used to get a strong signal on tp 24 which is where TSN is. Now I get a weak signal.

Luckly, I get signal on all tp's so I'm not missing any channels. All you can do is go out and try to tweak your dish, or get a bigger one.

 

[Satellite Expert]

if there is another solution...



Yvan

Certainly is: EBay your equipment and change to SC.

 

[mojofilter]

I'm in Northern CA, and have similar problems. We're now getting many channels we didn't before, but have lost a few too. All I really need is RDS and Treehouse, but those are the few that are affected.

Julesism, you suggest getting a bigger dish. How big is big enough, given my location?

According to this, RDS isn't on Nimiq2: http://www.lyngsat-logo.com/tvsat/nimiq2.html

So I guess that's out of the question...

 

[mojofilter]

I'm in San Jose, CA and am experiencing virtually the same. I got back a whole bunch of channels/transponders that used to not be there, but lost the most important one: RDS. RDS doesn't appear to be available on Nimiq2, so I guess short of going to SC I'll have to try the bigger dish. Julesism, any idea how big is necessary from my location?

 

[carl033]

I'm in San Jose, CA and am experiencing virtually the same. I got back a whole bunch of channels/transponders that used to not be there, but lost the most important one: RDS. RDS doesn't appear to be available on Nimiq2, so I guess short of going to SC I'll have to try the bigger dish. Julesism, any idea how big is necessary from my location?

I'm in Nevada County, 150 miles northeast of you and have ordered a 100-cm Fortec dish. The transponders we just got back were always there but were on the Nimiq 3 satellite, which aims most of its power into Canada.
The ones you now have (3, 7, 9, 11, 17, 21, 23 and 25) were on the weaker satellite. With an old DirecTV 18X24" Phase II dish, I could just barely pick up a sniff of signal.
The 8 transponders we lost are either now on Nimiq 3 or that other one (Nimiq 4iR) they've just commissioned.
Too bad about the channels we lost, but we've got the Boston networks again.

 

[mguevrem]

Wondering about the next step to take

I am in San Francisco and am a bit annoyed at having lost most of the French TV and radio channels from Montreal. Since two days RDI, SRC and Super Ecran are gone, so are the German radio stations that curiously enough were on NIMIQ2... For some reason infomercial channels and PPV are still broadcasting strong!

After losing Euronews and Planete last month I am about to trow the towel and order SC. Before I commit myself I am wondering about giving a 100cm dish a try.

Has anyone reported signal using such a dish? Or has anyone started to compile the effective footprint of NIMIQ 4IR?

It may be worth to start a new tread for people to report signal strenght versus location...

 

[carl033]

I am in San Francisco and am a bit annoyed at having lost most of the French TV and radio channels from Montreal. Since two days RDI, SRC and Super Ecran are gone, so are the German radio stations that curiously enough were on NIMIQ2... For some reason infomercial channels and PPV are still broadcasting strong!

After losing Euronews and Planete last month I am about to trow the towel and order SC. Before I commit myself I am wondering about giving a 100cm dish a try.

Has anyone reported signal using such a dish? Or has anyone started to compile the effective footprint of NIMIQ 4IR?

It may be worth to start a new tread for people to report signal strenght versus location...

My 100-cm dish arrives next week. I'll post results here.

 

[clayface1000]

I would not recommend a larger dish. I did exactly that when the shifting first began -- I bought a 90cm and a nice Invacom LNB and spent no small amount of time setting it up. It brought back my missing HD signals -- for about two weeks. Then Expressvu shifted the signal even further north and I lost the very channels for which I bought all this stuff.

I wouldn't go through the effort unless you're willing to accept that at any given moment your channels may vanish again.

 

[mojofilter]

I poked around a bit, and it appears that both the Nimiq3 and Nimiq4iR are at 91 degrees, but are older satellites on their last legs with not much of a footprint. Apparently a Nimiq4 and 5 will be launched in 2008 and 2009, maybe to replace the 3 and 4iR? So clayface1000's warning should be well considered. Still, I would be very interested to see carl033's results with the 100cm dish.

 

[julesism]

I poked around a bit, and it appears that both the Nimiq3 and Nimiq4iR are at 91 degrees...

1 and 4 are @ 91
2 and 3 are @ 82

that's per the link I mentioned in my eairler post.

 

[Bountykiller]

Can someone please state what exactly is now on Nimiq 4 and whats now on Nimiq1 (transponder wise)...? Notably, it isnt that the birds are old so much.. it's more that the footprint was designed for the US. It is shaped accordingly.

-B

 

[carl033]

Can someone please state what exactly is now on Nimiq 4 and whats now on Nimiq1 (transponder wise)...? Notably, it isnt that the birds are old so much.. it's more that the footprint was designed for the US. It is shaped accordingly.

-B

That's right. When Nimiq 3 (now known as Nimiq 4i) was commissioned by BEV, there were weak signal complaints from Canadians in the northern latitudes. BEV then re-aimed the satellite more to the north, and that's when the 8 transponders on it disappeared in the southeast and southwest US.

What is now on Nimiq 4iR is mostly what was on Nimiq 1, transponders 4, 8, 10, 12, 18, 22, 24 and 26.

 

[Clancy]

As has been mentioned before, a Star Choice system has ample signal anywhere in North America including Mexico.
Bev has Boston for eastern locals and Star Choice has Buffalo,NY or Detroit for eastern locals.
Check out their web site for more info.
Recommend their larger size dish. None of the Bell or Dish Network equipment will receive Star Choice. Have to get Star Choice equipment.

 

[Bountykiller]

So nimiq 1 is running everything else now that is it @ 91 outside of transponders 4, 8, 10, 12, 18, 22, 24 and 26?

-B

 

[rossb]

More fun... lose some, win some...

So nimiq 1 is running everything else now is it @ 91 outside of transponders 4, 8, 10, 12, 18, 22, 24 and 26?

-B

Short answer: Yes....

Re larger dish - larger WILL work, but to make a really noticeable difference in gain (signal strength) you have to get into BUD (Big Ugly Dish) territory. Here in the Caribbean, an 8' (2.4m) is called for - but even then, I'm missing about 9 transponsers...

Curiously, though, for us the TP's on the old DTV satellites peg the signal strength at/near 100%... :

 

[carl033]

Short answer: Yes....

Re larger dish - larger WILL work, but to make a really noticeable difference in gain (signal strength) you have to get into BUD (Big Ugly Dish) territory. Here in the Caribbean, an 8' (2.4m) is called for - but even then, I'm missing about 9 transponsers...

Curiously, though, for us the TP's on the old DTV satellites peg the signal strength at/near 100%... :

That's because of the transponder swap. Tps 3, 7, 9, 11, 17, 21, 23 and 25 were moved from Nimiq 4i to Nimiq 1. I'm not sure why they just didn't move them directly over to the replacement (Nimiq 4iR). But maybe the replacement satellite just has left-hand CP antennas, and thus they had to substitute even-numbered transponders.

 

[Bountykiller]

Rossb. Yeah.. a BUD is needed where i am too. 2.4 m as well. Same deal, Nimiq 1 is horrid signal for us here and the old us ones due to being pushed northward put us in what was floridas section of the footprint.... perfect signal and you could get it on an 18 incher here. Nimiq 1 though, not so easy. I wish they would get a replacement there already or in our case (bad for others) put two of the Directv birds at 91 and remove nimiq1 ! ;0

-B

 

[yvan]

Now that the transponder switch has been clarified... Would I be wasting my time in trying to reach the signal to Nimiq 1 to reach the transponders that were lost?

All my favorite channels are gone and I would be willing to sacrifice the existing transponders to retrieve the ones that were lost... I live in a South Florida community were BUD would not be approved by the home owners association which means I am limited to the 18" dish that I have...

 

[carl033]

Now that the transponder switch has been clarified... Would I be wasting my time in trying to reach the signal to Nimiq 1 to reach the transponders that were lost?

All my favorite channels are gone and I would be willing to sacrifice the existing transponders to retrieve the ones that were lost... I live in a South Florida community were BUD would not be approved by the home owners association which means I am limited to the 18" dish that I have...

Federal law pre-emps local zoning and CCIRs. You can go as large as one meter, but community rules may dictate where you can mount it.