Shaw Direct Signal in Az

[FernyD]

I am in Mesa and all channels on F2 are working for me. Just got here yesterday. Got a signal reset sent but it took a long time to work. My other buddy also came down yesterday and his system came up today, as well.

 

[TravelerG]

I am in Mesa and all channels on F2 are working for me. Just got here yesterday. Got a signal reset sent but it took a long time to work. My other buddy also came down yesterday and his system came up today, as well.

Thanks for letting me know!
Ok, so it must be something in my system that's goofy. At least I know I'm not chasing my tail. I'll check all my connections and double check that my Shaw account is active.
I will post if I find out what's wrong.
Thanks to everyone for the help so far

 

[bayguy]

Thanks for letting me know!
Ok, so it must be something in my system that's goofy. At least I know I'm not chasing my tail. I'll check all my connections and double check that my Shaw account is active.
I will post if I find out what's wrong.
Thanks to everyone for the help so far

Even if your Shaw acct isn't active you can get a couple channels and others would say unsubscribed. Some body here can tell you what channels are open I'm not up to date on that.

 

[TravelerG]

Even if your Shaw acct isn't active you can get a couple channels and others would say unsubscribed. Some body here can tell you what channels are open I'm not up to date on that.

Even if your Shaw acct isn't active you can get a couple channels and others would say unsubscribed. Some body here can tell you what channels are open I'm not up to date on that.

 

[TravelerG]

Success!
Long story short, I needed to be on a channel we for sure received down here in order to lock on to a signal at all (naive). I thought our system just sensed the satellite signal without regard to a channel... apparently not.
Anyway, channel 888 and 252 were the test channels that got me fixed up

 

[keithb]

I use the smaller 60cm dish down in PHX, I will be there next week and post numbers and channels from F2

 

[mellaby]

I use the smaller 60cm dish down in PHX, I will be there next week and post numbers and channels from F2

Success!
Long story short, I needed to be on a channel we for sure received down here in order to lock on to a signal at all (naive). I thought our system just sensed the satellite signal without regard to a channel... apparently not.
Anyway, channel 888 and 252 were the test channels that got me fixed up

Success!
Long story short, I needed to be on a channel we for sure received down here in order to lock on to a signal at all (naive). I thought our system just sensed the satellite signal without regard to a channel... apparently not.
Anyway, channel 888 and 252 were the test channels that got me fixed up

 

[mellaby]

This is the message I got from SD for activating my receiver:

The reconnection process has changed this year. Follow these four very important steps to get connected:

1. Make sure your set-top box and TV are plugged in and turned on.
2. Tune to channel 264 (press 2-6-4 on your Shaw Direct remote control), don’t worry if you don’t see a program or see a pop up message
3. Then, tune to channel 268 (press 2-6-8 on your Shaw Direct remote control), don’t worry if you don’t see a program or see a pop up message
4. Do not change the channel until you call us at 1-888-554-7827 from the phone number associated with your account. Follow the call prompts until directed to refresh your receiver. Once that’s complete, you’re all set. No need to speak to an agent.

I'm wondering if ch 264, 268 are on G1

 

[bayguy]

I'm wondering if ch 264, 268 are on G1

264 is APTN we lost that a long time ago when it went to G1. The Shaw list says 268 is "Inuit tV" I don't know that one or where it is.

 

[Keith Brannen]

268 is also on G1, so both are on G1.

 

[Moosehair]

I am in Mesa and all channels on F2 are working for me. Just got here yesterday. Got a signal reset sent but it took a long time to work. My other buddy also came down yesterday and his system came up today, as well.

Here in Prescott Arizona, F2 channels are disappearing rapidly. Just got the info from Shaw that the F2 To G1 conversion will be completed in February at the latest and sooner if possible. Sad to lose Canadian TV. Have enjoyed it for many, many years. Oh well.................

 

[bajasat]

Success!
Long story short, I needed to be on a channel we for sure received down here in order to lock on to a signal at all (naive). I thought our system just sensed the satellite signal without regard to a channel... apparently not.
Anyway, channel 888 and 252 were the test channels that got me fixed up

Channel 252 always does the trick when activating or refreshing a receiver.

 

[Electronic Wizards]

Just to note to anyone viewing this thread still. We are shaw's unofficial installation team down here in phoenix. They will be shutting down the anik f2 satellite in february as you probably already know. but also they have changed their activation channels to only operate off the G1 satellite, so make sure you activate your new receivers in canada before you bring them down, otherwise they will not be able to activate once you bring them down here. We are too far south to pick up signal from the G1 satellite. Also, you should have the 75cm dish down here as it has a 25% stronger signal than the 60cm dish. You need a signal strength of at least 65% for the system to work and the 60cm dish only gets 65-70% signal at best down here so when the wind blows, your signal is likely to cut out. If anyone needs our services feel free to give us a call at 602-751-4500. we service from wickenburg to mesa and anywhere in between.

 

[stonemountain]

I've noticed some bizarre behavior down here in the Southeast U.S. I was getting remaining channels fairly well, but signal strength had dropped to 70, so I tweaked my 75cm dish this evening and obtained a 93 signal on 252 and other channels such as CBC Toronto and TCM, were working fine. A few minutes later, my channel guide changed and I lost CBC Toronto and Vancouver in the listings. The US East Coast locals are shown on the channel guide as 77-80 and also 204-207, but I get a "lost signal" message on all of those channels. BBC News now shows as channel 140, also "lost signal." The channels I do get (including CBC Winnipeg and some of the French channels including SuperEcran 1 and 2) still come in quite well, with signals around 90. I'd seen this new/odd channel guide before during the past week. After I tweaked the dish, I had my old line-up again, but it reverted to the new channel lineup after a few minutes. Are they sending out new mapping instructions on F2?

And I can no longer tune to Channel 252, direct entry of the channel number does not change the channel, it appears to be unrecognized. I'm now not sure what channel to use to tweak the dish since everything is getting jumbled up.

Also, during the brief time that I had my previous channel listing, I noticed that some channels, such as KTLA, which have moved to G1, were showing a signal of 0, but with a strength between -2 and -3 dB, with occasional drops to -10 dB. Does this suggest that I might get the new signal at my location if I had the new receiver? Telesat's extended ku-band footprint map shows me maybe a couple of hundred miles south of the "46" line, much closer than folks in Arizona. It's probably hopeless, but maybe someone more knowledgeable has some thoughts...

 

[stonemountain]

This morning, my program guide is back to its previous state, with CBC Toronto and Vancouver back. But I still wonder about what appears to be a weak signal from G1 on my 600-series receiver. Grateful for any thoughts as to how much signal strength is needed to be usable.

 

[harshness]

As the satellite moves either side of its orbital slot, it is going to trip outside your dish's window. Tweaking the aim when the satellite is at an extreme will make this worse. The ideal is to split the difference and even when you manage that, there will likely still be periods of signal loss.

 

[stonemountain]

As the satellite moves either side of its orbital slot, it is going to trip outside your dish's window. Tweaking the aim when the satellite is at an extreme will make this worse. The ideal is to split the difference and even when you manage that, there will likely still be periods of signal loss.

Thanks, but I am aware of the wobble and its effect on reception. I've been observing it for months. I specifically chose to realign at a time when the satellite was not in one of its extreme positions. Any loss of signal I observed last night was due to the change in the channel guide or mapping. Channels listed on the unfamiliar channel guide came in as normal when my habitual channel guide returned.

I was hoping for some explanation of why the channel guide changed back and forth -- and any thoughts on the weak signals I am receiving from the non-wobbling G1 satellite.

 

[harshness]

I was hoping for some explanation of why the channel guide changed back and forth -- and any thoughts on the weak signals I am receiving from the non-wobbling G1 satellite.

You're giving us conflicting stories: Are you in the Southeast of the US or are you in the Southeast corner of Canada? It has been established that G1 is effectively invisible from the Southern half of the US.

 

[stonemountain]

No "conflicting stories" have been given. I'd specifically referenced the numbered Telesat footprint map in an earlier, detailed post.

 

[harshness]

I'd specifically referenced the numbered Telesat footprint map in an earlier, detailed post.

Is it this map you obliquely referenced?

This isn't any more optimistic than the Satbeams map. The calculator shows that an 80cm dish is required for an EIRP of 46 (i.e. Bowling Green, KY) and you're well outside of that contour -- perhaps in meter+ dish land. Consider yourself very fortunate that you can get a signal at all.

On the other hand, since the 600 doesn't process the latest encoding or compression schemes, it seems that won't matter.