Needing to transfer to East Arc, couple questions..

[HipKat]

I'm debating what to do next:
1) Purchase the DPP 500+ LNB for my Dish 500+ antenna and attach a DP single for getting 129 to see if it improves any. I will use my present post.
2) Put another pipe in the ground and get 61.5 to replace 129. My Detroit locals are on 61.5 and most all the HD we watch is there too.
3) Purchase an East LNB for my 1000.2 and just point it that way. Just not sure my signal levels on 72 are really great either, see my above post.
Good to have options....

If your locals are on 61.5, you can solve everything by going all-in on Eastern Arc with a new 1000.2 Dish and Eastern Arc LNBF, if you don't care about anything on the 118. Otherwise, I'd get the 500+ Dish and instead of adding the 129, use the 500 Dish for the 61 OR add the 129 AND the 61 which would require a 44 Switch - which will help with the High Def channels in rainy weather that are on both the 129 and the 61.5. Or, you can use the 500+ with a 1000.2 Eastern Arc and a 44 Switch and maximize your HD channels and get the SD MPEG 4 Channels.

Kinda crazy to do all that, but you could...

 

[pattykay]

Kinda crazy to do all that, but you could...

If you think that's crazy, my setup has the full Dish 1000+ (old style with a DPP44 switch) for Western Arc, plus a separate 1000.4 dish for Eastern Arc. An extra cable from the DP dual 129 LNB on the 1000+ dish goes to the input on the 1000.4 dish, giving me a mixed-arc setup on any ViP receiver I hook up to it. (I also have a spare cable from the DP dual 110 LNB on the 1000+ dish, just in case I ever want to switch my mixed-arc setup to include 110 instead of 129.) From the Western Arc DPP44 switch, I can hook up any legacy or ViP receivers that still work. (I have a deactivated 512 that still works for free preview channels.) Then, that DPP44 also feeds a DPH42 switch for my Hopper 3. Crazy, yes, but I do have plenty of redundancy in my system just in case anything ever goes wrong. All I have to do is move some cables to different ports, and I am back in business, unless a major disaster takes out both of my dishes at once. In that event, I would have much more important things than watching TV to deal with anyway.

 

[bcsman]

So if I were to replace my present western arc antenna, 1000.2, with the Dish 500+ setup what theoretically should I be looking at for signal gain if any? The larger dish should give me some increase but if anyone has done this in the past you probably have some idea.

 

[HipKat]

So if I were to replace my present western arc antenna, 1000.2, with the Dish 500+ setup what theoretically should I be looking at for signal gain if any? The larger dish should give me some increase but if anyone has done this in the past you probably have some idea.

You may not not notice much gain in pointing but you'll have better response in rain and snow

 

[bcsman]

You may not not notice much gain in pointing but you'll have better response in rain and snow

Then that would be a plus for me. With so many trees and a 2 story farm house all around my property there just aren't any good spots to point a dish, unless I run a cable for a long distance, then lose signal that way too. I'll have to figure out my best plan, thanks for all your input and advise......

 

[NYDutch]

Then that would be a plus for me. With so many trees and a 2 story farm house all around my property there just aren't any good spots to point a dish, unless I run a cable for a long distance, then lose signal that way too. I'll have to figure out my best plan, thanks for all your input and advise......

I've tested my 1000.4 signal levels with 50 ft of RG6 and then 350 ft of RG6 in 50 ft sections with only about a 2 point drop in levels.

 

[TheKrell]

I've tested my 1000.4 signal levels with 50 ft of RG6 and then 350 ft of RG6 in 50 ft sections with only about a 2 point drop in levels.

Dumb question time... Are these analog signals going down the coax to the receiver? How about the DISEQC instructions.

 

[NYDutch]

Dumb question time... Are these analog signals going down the coax to the receiver? How about the DISEQC instructions.

This is overly simplistic, but the measured signal level is for the analog RF carrier that's modulated with the digital information carrying the programming and other data that's received at the LNB. The LNB converts the received carrier high frequencies to lower frequencies that feed the receiver more efficiently. Of course with multiple LNB's with built-in switching, stacking, etc, it gets a whole lot more complex than that before anything shows up on your TV screen.

 

[pattykay]

So if I were to replace my present western arc antenna, 1000.2, with the Dish 500+ setup what theoretically should I be looking at for signal gain if any? The larger dish should give me some increase but if anyone has done this in the past you probably have some idea.

You may not not notice much gain in pointing but you'll have better response in rain and snow

Then that would be a plus for me. With so many trees and a 2 story farm house all around my property there just aren't any good spots to point a dish, unless I run a cable for a long distance, then lose signal that way too. I'll have to figure out my best plan, thanks for all your input and advise......

I've tested my 1000.4 signal levels with 50 ft of RG6 and then 350 ft of RG6 in 50 ft sections with only about a 2 point drop in levels.

So, bottom line, the gain from the larger dish pretty much just offsets the loss from the longer cable, so it is a wash. However, if that is the only way that you can get a reliable signal (no obstructions) then it is still very much worth it.

 

[bcsman]

So, bottom line, the gain from the larger dish pretty much just offsets the loss from the longer cable, so it is a wash. However, if that is the only way that you can get a reliable signal (no obstructions) then it is still very much worth it.

No I would be replacing my Dish 1000.2 with the Dish 500+ in the same spot so there would be no extra cable run. There is only around 50' or less where it's located now. The extra cable was if I moved everything to an area of better obstructions. So use the larger dish with the same cable length....sorry if I was not very clear.

 

[bcsman]

So I ordered the DPP500+ LNB today. Here's my plan, when I get this I'm gonna mount this on my portable antenna mast and put it right next to my 1000.2 setup and add a DP single for 129. Then I can compare readings from last weekend to see if I get any improvements on all 3 west arc sats. If my 129 readings don't improve enough, which I'm thinking they won't, I will plant another pole to get 61.5 and use that to replace 129. My Detroit locals are on that sat. If my readings get better on 110 and 119 at least I will replace the 1000.2 with the 500+ and go from there.....

 

[chainblu]

Good luck. Let us know how it works out.

 

[bcsman]

Well sucks to be me, got my LNB and had it setup on my antenna stand ready to do some checking. Then last night had a serious storm pass thru with alot of wind and this is what I now have. Ordered another this morning, crap....

 

[bcsman]

Got my new LNB assembly today, very fast shipping so hopefully this weekend gonna setup to see what the larger dish gives me. Gonna have to wait when the wind isnt gusting, not ruining another LNB. Antenna and mast are inside my garage now and the new LNB wont go on until its testing time....

 

[bcsman]

OK so in between storms I setup the dish 500+ with the 129 wing and no matter what I did on a switch test only recognize 119 and 129. I got around 50 signal strength on both these sats. I pick up a signal where 110 should be but it shows as 129 and gets aroound 45 on signal. My question is how I setup for the switch test. I have a VIP-211K and on the install page I can select 300, 500, Super. Then on the next page there is an option for Super or Alternate. For this Dish 500+ what options should I select for the test? I will add I set this up in an area there should be good viewing for these sats.

 

[pattykay]

OK so in between storms I setup the dish 500+ with the 129 wing and no matter what I did on a switch test only recognize 119 and 129. I got around 50 signal strength on both these sats. I pick up a signal where 110 should be but it shows as 129 and gets aroound 45 on signal. My question is how I setup for the switch test. I have a VIP-211K and on the install page I can select 300, 500, Super. Then on the next page there is an option for Super or Alternate. For this Dish 500+ what options should I select for the test? I will add I set this up in an area there should be good viewing for these sats.

Technically with the 129 LNB added, this would make your dish a 1000+. That dish selection option has never listed any of the Dish 1000's. I guess Dish stopped expecting people to do self-installs around the same time that they switched to using the 1000's as their standard dishes. Anyway, the only purpose of that selection is to get the screen to show the proper skew, azimuth, and elevation settings for your dish, which is info I assume you already have. You can leave that selection set for 300, since it does not actually affect the Check Switch.

Super should only be selected if you are using a dish that includes either the 105 or 121 satellites, which yours doesn't. Alternate should only be selected for the types of dishes used in Alaska and Hawaii, if I remember correctly. So, make sure both of those are not checked, as that selection will affect the Check Switch process.

 

[Jim5506]

Cover the two outside lnb's with tin foil or a can and see if the center lnb is seeing 119.

The 110 lnb saying it has 129 usually means your dish is pointed too far West.

Looking from the lnb toward the dish, the 129 lnb is on the right.

 

[bcsman]

Funny thing I took a Dish 500 out to the same spot and also locked onto 119 and 129. Even tried to swing the dish back to try and catch 110 and got no signal. I'm doing something wrong. Tell me, when the switch check locks on to 2 sats and names them are they always correct? If my Dish 500 say 119 and 129 is it really those says???

 

[TheKrell]

Tell me, when the switch check locks on to 2 sats and names them are they always correct?

In my experience they are. It requires a lock first. But then the sat should show up derived from the actual data from that sat.

 

[bcsman]

In my experience they are. It requires a lock first. But then the sat should show up derived from the actual data from that sat.

That was my view too but there are folks here alot smarter than me so asking. So there's no way that I was locked onto 110 and 119 but my VIP shows 119 and 129? Just weird both my Dish 500 and 1000+ showed the same thing. I have to go back to square 1 and do like Jim5506 suggested......thanks