Only getting sat 129

[mikemc53]

OK, I am clueless to how satellite TV works but I am trying. Hope I can make this post easy enough to understand.

I live in a heavily wooded area with many high trees. Had Dish come out a few weeks ago for initial service and was told that they could not get a good line of sight so it was a no go.I have a neighbor who set up his own dish (he has a Dish account at his other home) so I figured that even if I couldn’t get everything, something is better than nothing, so I would try to set up my own.

I ordered the pay as you go thing with the dish my rv program and I have the 211z receiver and the 1000.2 dish. I found one spot where I was getting a signal using just the signal meter that came with the package. I’m pretty sure I have the settings (azimuth, elevation and skew) pretty close so I decided to do the install with the dish process.

Setting my satellite on 119 I was getting a signal but it would say “Not locked, wrong satellite 129, Echostar…. When I changed the satellite to 129 I can get an OK signal (52 is the best I could do but it is in the green) but I can’t get 119 or 110. Obviously this severely limits my choice of viewing.

I spoke to Dish and they seem to think that this might be all I can get unless I move to another location (or cut down a bunch of trees). So I asked them what channels I can get with the 129 satellite – currently I have just the basic package but would be willing to upgrade if I can get enough coverage with 129. They told me that they don’t have that information readily available. This part I don’t understand. How could they not have that info?

What I would like to know, if anyone here might be able to help, is whether or not there are any adjustments I can make to tune in 119 (and 110 if available) and does anybody here know how I can find a channel lineup for 129 if indeed I can’t get more satellites?

Windy question, I know, but I am struggling a bit with this.

Thanks gang.

 

[KE4EST]

Welcome to SatelliteGuys!!
Try rotating your dish on the pole to the east just a little bit and raise the elevation a couple of degrees.
If you are standing behind the dish, 119 will be a little to the left and a little up from 129.

 

[ChadT41]

Go to dishpointer.com to see how reliable a signal you can get.

 

[garys]

You may be getting 129 on the wrong eye of you lnb(s). Cover both outside eyes and aim for 119. Once you find it, uncover the others and fine tune for 110 and 129.

 

[Tampa8]

First you did great as an attempt to get DISH on your own.

I have some suggestions but some of it depends on what city your locals come from.

You can go to this link http://www.satelliteguys.us/thelist/index.php?page=sub (From Satelliteguys) and see what channels are on what Satellite. Locals are spotbeams and only available to a limited area generally to the area of the Market intended. But you will see some other cable channels on a spotbeam those are not intended for you nor will you get them. So to see what channels you get other than locals you will be looking for channels that are CONUS.

If you have HD not just SD 129 may be enough for you if it is all you can get in addition your locals or locals you can get with a little help from us are there. Go to the link and see what is on the 129 satellite.

Have you tried to get the Eastern Arc instead? Those can be easier to get because they are higher in the sky and the only satellites you would need are 61.5 and 72.7. Your locals are there also or again with some help from us can be there too. For either ARC is it possible trimming a few trees would make a difference?

(The two DISH satellite Arc's are Western, 110/119/129 and 118 for International. The Eastern Arc where the Arc is more to the South is 61.5/72.7/77 but you don't need 77.

As garys said you do have to make sure you are really seeing the Satellite you think you are.

 

[Jim5506]

If you have a smart phone, you can download one of the free Satfinder apps and stand behind your dish point it up to the sky and see which satellites are in the open sky.

If Dish initially said you could not get service because of trees, that may actually be your problem, you need at least a 20 degree sweep across the sky to receive all three necessary WA satellites.

If you do have one spot that is open to the sky, you may be able to get 2 satellites by having 2 separate dishes mounted 3-4 feet apart, looking through the same hole in the trees, but each at the necessary satellite.

 

[mikemc53]

Well, everyone, thanks for the responses! I am now getting 119 and 129 which seems to give me pretty much everything in the package that I have ordered (America's Top 200 w/locals). I am still having a problem getting locals, which do not even show up on my guide. I have notified Dish and they say it is fixed but when I download the guide they are still not there. Is it possible that my locals are running through sat 110 which I haven't been able to fine tune in just yet? Even at that I would expect they would show in the guide, wouldn't they? Not a huge deal but really curious.

Thoughts?

 

[TheKrell]

OK, you presumably get Traverse City, MI locals, which are... Ah... They're on 110 for SD and 61.5 for HD. This might be a blessing in disguise because the Eastern Arc satellites are much higher in the sky and more south east than the WA satellites you are trying to use now.

 

[Tampa8]

Where did I read that info before?

 

[TheKrell]

Where did I read that info before?

My post was more specific. What I want to see is the OP returning to tell us what he's up to.

 

[mikemc53]

My dish is for satellites 110, 119 and 129 and though the eastern arc sats might present better potential I have less access than one might think - simply due to the current layout of the trees where I am at. I can receive enough locals through an antenna feed but I was wondering whether or not 119 and/or 129 carried my locals - which would have allowed me access without switching back and forth. Going forward I will continue to attempt tweaks, or further down the road I will possibly remove some timber and then I will be able to access all three sats.