Recommendations for upgrade hardware?

[pattykay]

Thanks again. Too bad I can't buy you a drink -- I owe you one.

I also accept gift cards.

(Inside joke between me and bookworm370.)

 

[HipKat]

I'm pretty sure I remember reading that a Hopper 3 will work directly connected to a DPP 1000.2 LNB, but it would only have two tuners available instead of the 16 you would get with a Hybrid LNB or switch. You may also get some error messages on screen with that DPP configuration when setting it up, but technically it would still work.

No. It won't pass the check switch without putting red X's all over the matrix. I've accidentally connected one to a DPP LNBF, forgetting to swap it out for Hybrid, so I've seen it happen

 

[pattykay]

No. It won't pass the check switch without putting red X's all over the matrix. I've accidentally connected one to a DPP LNBF, forgetting to swap it out for Hybrid, so I've seen it happen

Thanks! Someone asked me about this kind of setup in a private conversation. I'll be sure to pass along the correct information.

 

[ethanlerma]

No. It won't pass the check switch without putting red X's all over the matrix. I've accidentally connected one to a DPP LNBF, forgetting to swap it out for Hybrid, so I've seen it happen

Expanding on this for future reference.

The DPX Hoppers (2000/Sling) will work with dual tuner DPP signals and even legacy signals for that matter, you will only have 2 and 1 tuner function respectively. The issue is that even after the check switch passes, the receiver will misbehave quite a lot because it will attempt to use its other tuners for other activities (Joeys, PiP, software/guide updates etc) despite knowing the 2nd and/or 3rd tuner is dark. This will lead to constant rebooting and random signal loss errors, even if you are trying to only use the Hopper on one TV as a single tuner receiver since there is no way to disable the other two tuners.

Wally’s will usually operate in single tuner mode, so pretty much anything from legacy to hybrid works. If connected to DPP or Hybrid the second tuner enables itself (contrary to popular belief, you do not need to pay for the EHD service for the second tuner to show up, but it won’t do much besides software/guide updates).

H-Duo will switch between hybrid and DPP mode when connected to the respective LNB/feed, haven’t tried using one on a legacy system but it would be interesting to see if it handles like a Hopper or a Wally since they are pretty much the same.

And finally H3, this one is interesting because it will refuse to work (or even acknowledge the presence of) anything that is not a hybrid signal, so if you plug something else in it will always return Switch None. My guess is that the software was designed specifically to do this so that people/techs would not accidentally try to replace a H2000/Sling without also replacing the DPP equipment, have 3 tuners be functional but only after a while have problems once 4+ tuners start to get used.

 

[pattykay]

Wally’s will usually operate in single tuner mode, so pretty much anything from legacy to hybrid works. If connected to DPP or Hybrid the second tuner enables itself (contrary to popular belief, you do not need to pay for the EHD service for the second tuner to show up, but it won’t do much besides software/guide updates).

It is also interesting to note that the second tuner on Wally can be disabled (even when connected to DPP or Hybrid) if you don't want it. This is usually done for MDU installations, so that more Wally receivers can be connected to a single switch (such as a DPH42) without having each Wally tie up two of the total available tuners from that switch. There is a special code that Dish places on each customer's account, that changes the model displayed on the Diagnostics screen from "Wally" to "Wally T" when the second tuner is disabled.

H-Duo will switch between hybrid and DPP mode when connected to the respective LNB/feed, haven’t tried using one on a legacy system but it would be interesting to see if it handles like a Hopper or a Wally since they are pretty much the same.

Hopper Duo has PIP, while Wally does not. So, my guess is that Hopper Duo would behave more like a Hopper (H2K or Sling).

I will also note that one time I was using a Hopper Duo to record three shows from the satellite at the same time. I spotted that when I went to the TV Activity screen. Two of those shows were from some of the four major broadcast local networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox) and were recording on the same tuner, while the third show was from a national cable channel. This was the first time I had seen the Hopper Duo do this. It surprised me, since I had not been aware that Hopper Duo even had that capability of recording the four major networks on one tuner like the other Hoppers.

So, while that was happening, I went to the Diagnostics screen that shows the satellite signal strength. I was even more surprised to find that it actually showed three tuners in the drop down box where you select which tuner you want to check, instead of the usual two tuners. That made me wonder if the Hopper Duo actually has a hidden third tuner that is disabled by default. That would be similar to how the second tuner in Wally was disabled when the Wally first came out, until Dish was ready to release the software necessary to enable the second Wally tuner. I have not been able to duplicate that Diagnostics screen behavior on Hopper Duo since then, though, so it could have simply been a software glitch.

 

[BLC1962]

Pulling out of memory, I think the 625 is 320gb. Might be wrong.

I would go with Patty’s suggestion, Wally’s and Hopper Duos are nearly identical, both are DPH based dual tuners that are able to also have a OTA tuner attached afterwards, only features I think you’ll miss with two Wally’s is the integrated instead of external HDD (which I would argue is a benefit), and the ability to add one extra Joey per Hopper, for a max of 4 TV’s (at that point just get a Hopper3). Also, getting the two Duos going will put you trough CSR roulette hell, even more so then us that run H3’s I believe. Two Wally’s on the other hand are a common setup so most agents should be able to get that working fine.

You are most likely paying $0+$7 or $0+$14 in equipment fees now, with Wally’s you are looking at $0+$5 and the two Duos $10+$10 or possibly $10+$5.

The Wally’s have a MSRP of $100, you can pick some up from Solid Signal or DishformyRv, the latter often runs promotions where you can get them for $40-$50, but no such offer at the moment. Duos are $130 a pop on Solid Signal at the moment.

You most likely have a DPP 500 dish, which is compatible with Wally’s/Duos but you will be missing 80% of your HD channels, so I would see if Dish can replace this one for free otherwise you can look for a DPP 1000.2 EA or WA depending on your needs/market.

Overall, you are spending slightly more on the Wally setup (let’s say you go for a 1TB HDD of around $50, so $150 upfront per box) but saving massively in the long run, since the Duos would both have a monthly DVR fee while Wally’s are just a single $40 payment per account to activate DVR features.

I have a Wally on my RV and I have the DVR option enabled with a 1TB external hard-drive. Maybe I am wrong, but it is my understanding that the Wally is a single tuner. I do know if I want to record something with the Wally you cannot change channels, you must watch what is being recorded regardless if it is on the same satellite or not. Pretty much makes it useless for anything except time shifting which for my RV usage is fine but may not work out in a residential setting where you want to watch something while recording something else. Someone please correct me if I am incorrect on the tuner count in a Wally but if you Google it that is what everything I can find says.

 

[TheKrell]

I have a Wally on my RV and I have the DVR option enabled with a 1TB external hard-drive. Maybe I am wrong, but it is my understanding that the Wally is a single tuner.

No, it's dual tuner with an external disk. What dish does your RV have?

 

[BarnRat]

No, it's dual tuner with an external disk. What dish does your RV have?

Thank you. I'm counting on the Wally behaving like my current DVR 625 boxes, which are dual tuners.

 

[BLC1962]

No, it's dual tuner with an external disk. What dish does your RV have?

I use the Pathway X2. Below is what I am reading on the Dish website which is why I am saying it is a single tuner. There are many other articles I can point to. Again, I am not saying I am right and you are wrong, but I have yet to find any mention anywhere that the Wally is dual tuner. If you use the OTA adapter then you would gain the tuners in the OTA adapter, but I am still only finding data supporting that the Wally has only one satellite signal tuner.

 

[pattykay]

This has been an issue with the Pathway X2, ever since the dual-tuner Wally functionality was first launched, way back with software version U430:

Wally U430 update with Pathway X2

We understand that the U430 update added the ability to record on one satellite channel while viewing on another. That doesn't appear to work for us. We have a hard drive, Pathway X2, and an OTA dongle. We record 1 satellite and 1 OTA all the time but want to do that with 2 satellite...

www.satelliteguys.us

From another thread on the Wally software from around the same time:

With the recent software release dual tuner functionality has been launched on Wally.
This will not impact customers unless they have an external hard drive.

With an EHD they can record one show and watch another simultaneously.

This will work when the Wally is connected to a DPP LNBF or a DPH 42 switch.

When using a DP LNBF or a DP switch Wally will operate as a single tuner.

The bold is the key. You need the right type of LNB and/or switch to make this work.

 

[BLC1962]

This has been an issue with the Pathway X2, ever since the dual-tuner Wally functionality was first launched, way back with software version U430:

Wally U430 update with Pathway X2

We understand that the U430 update added the ability to record on one satellite channel while viewing on another. That doesn't appear to work for us. We have a hard drive, Pathway X2, and an OTA dongle. We record 1 satellite and 1 OTA all the time but want to do that with 2 satellite...

www.satelliteguys.us

From another thread on the Wally software from around the same time:

The bold is the key. You need the right type of LNB and/or switch to make this work.

Thanks. I guess it is an issue with the type dish I have. I assume because of the ability to receive only one satellite at a time to eliminate confusion. I stand corrected.

 

[TheKrell]

Does the Pathway X2 support a DPP LNB?

 

[pattykay]

Does the Pathway X2 support a DPP LNB?

I don't think it's the LNB in that case, but rather a software limitation on the receiver, due to that dish only aiming at a single satellite. There would be no way to prevent someone from setting timers to record shows on the opposite satellite from the one that is being used for the main viewing/recording. That would cause the same kinds of problems that ethanlerma described for Hoppers in the first paragraph of post number 64. The software solution for Wally with the Pathway X2 is to limit the Wally to single tuner mode, so it will only attempt to use one satellite at a time.

 

[TheKrell]

I don't think it's the LNB in that case, but rather a software limitation on the receiver, due to that dish only aiming at a single satellite.

I'll take that as a "No". It cannot take a DPP LNB. There is an automatic dish that can handle the DPP LNBs, but I guess it's not the Pathway X2.

 

[ethanlerma]

I'll take that as a "No". It cannot take a DPP LNB. There is an automatic dish that can handle the DPP LNBs, but I guess it's not the Pathway X2.

You are thinking of the Winegard Trav’ler, which is essentially a motorized 1000.2 .

 

[BarnRat]

After all the great help and answers to my questions in this thread, Dish does not have any Wallys in stock so I'm going with a Hopper-Joey configuration. But I really appreciate those that helped me. Thank you.

 

[BarnRat]

OK, I'm there. Hopper 3 and Joey 3. Whew!!!

Thanks to all!

 

[navychop]

No Wallys in stock. Suspicious, I am .

 

[BarnRat]

No Wallys in stock. Suspicious, I am .

Yeah, I felt the same way. When I asked when they might get some more in, the tech support guy didn't know. But then again, I know nothing about how Dish operates.

 

[HipKat]

Yeah, I felt the same way. When I asked when they might get some more in, the tech support guy didn't know. But then again, I know nothing about how Dish operates.

I don't think anyone does but yah, we have been out of them in my office for a while