Standard LNB?

[autolycus]

What is the standard LNB at this point? Is it the DSWM with 13 tuners? (and then in some markets it might be the new 3D2 or 3D2RB)

I ask because I think I'm going to call to upgrade to a Genie (and hopefully get some monthly discounts since I've been off contract for a while) but I want to keep the 3 HR2x's that I already have (HR20-700, HR21-200, HR23-700). I know my current LNB is the 8-tuner SWM version, and I would prefer to not end up with a standard 4-cable LNB and SWM-16. If the standard install is at least the DSWM (3D1), I will just let the tech install it along with the genie. Otherwise, if there's a chance the tech won't have at least the 3D1 in his van, I'll go on and order a 3D1 or 3D2 off eBay to have ready to go.

Also, I will probably remove at least one of the DVRs once I have gotten through all of the recordings on it. Which one should I focus on first? I'm under the impression that the quality (speed, reliability, etc.) hierarchy is HR-24, HR-20, and HR-22 or HR-23 being worst. Is that generally correct?

Thanks for the info!

 

[raoul5788]

I don't know if the 13 tuner lnb is part of a standard install, one of the installers here will chime in soon to answer that. You might want to get a spare off eBay anyway. As to the dvr question, the HR24 is the best of the rest, then the 20. I don't know about the other two, never had either.

 

[Jimbo]

The Standard is Not the LNBs you've mentioned, most of them that you mentioned are either brand new or still in testing.

As for your set up, once your done with your recorded viewing, I would go with a Genie 44/54, if your gonna keep any of the HR's you currently have, I would keep the HR24 1st and the HR20 2nd.

 

[autolycus]

Well, ended up with a decent enough retention deal, including ~$40/month off my current service, and completely free hardware update. I have an install appointment set for about a week from now. Order is for a genie and a genie mini. I had said I wanted to keep the DVRs on the account, but I think they set up the order as "replacement" for 2 of the DVRs. I'm guessing that means the order would not include any changes to my current LNB since a genie (with mini) + 1 DVR is only 7 tuners. So I'll go on and order a new LNB off eBay. I can replace it myself easily enough, and I'll just ask the tech to double check the dish's aim while he's here.

I assume the tech won't have any problem with me leaving the DVRs active on my account, will he? It didn't sound like there would be any recovery necessary. In fact, the retention person said I "owned" the DVRs, but I think she just meant that I can hang on to them and not send them back. I'm pretty sure they're leased boxes, but I might check with ACT just in case I'm somehow not remembering getting anything other than leased boxes.

 

[twizt3dsist3r]

It depends on what market you are in to determine what lnb is standard

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[autolycus]

It depends on what market you are in to determine what lnb is standard

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I'm in the Atlanta area. I wasn't able to find anything about what is being installed here. I know the RB one is being installed in a lot of the northeast and that the 21-tuner is being installed in several regions. Does anybody know what is typically being installed here? Or at least what will be usually be in a van?

 

[Zashel]

get the lnb anyway. and you can check the sat signal yourself pretty easily, just go menu > settings > menu & settings > satellite > check signal strength > "-" > and check 99 and 103 CA/CB satellites. if they're high 80-100 you're pretty much fine. if you install it on your own, just make sure to the satellite setup screen on the receivers and change it from swm3/5 to DSWM.

 

[dishrich]

It depends on what market you are in to determine what lnb is standard

And unfortunately, the 13 tuner DSWM 3 is not available in most markets AT ALL, regardless of how many tuners you have; they are still putting in SWM16 switches if you're above 8 tuners in those cases.
I just had a lady here who got their (2) HR2x's upgraded on a repair to HR24's (thank GOD!); they also already have a Genie, which puts them at 9 tuners. Because of where the dish sits, when they got their Genie upgrade, it was going to be a pain to do the legacy LNB/SWM16 switch deal, & the tech here said they have never had the 13 DSWM available here yet, so they just had the previous tech leave one of the DVR's with only 1 tuner, which the lady said was fine. Fast forward a couple day's later & they tried to record & watch 2 different shows on the single-tuner DVR, which I then reminded them about the single-tuner deal.

So seeing where this was going to lead up to, I went on e-bay & got her a new 13 DSWM LNB for only $30 (even included the PS & an 8-way splitter) & popped it on her dish today & they were happy to have the extra tuner back for such little money out-of-pocket.

 

[HoTat2]

Yeah ... uneven distribution for sure. As its just the opposite here in the LA market ...

1st gen. 3DS and 2nd gen. 3D2 are now the standard installs. (No sign of any RB LNBs yet of course)

SWiM-8 and -16s with legacy LNBs for 9+ tuner installs are rapidly becoming a thing of the past here except for new 95W dish HD customers.

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[autolycus]

Just to close the loop on this one in case someone stumbles on it via search...

The install appointment was this afternoon. I had gotten a 3D1 DSWM LNB in advance and had put it on myself a couple days ago. The signal levels were higher by anywhere from 2-8 points on any transponders that were in the 80s or low 90s.

So the tech showed up, and I found out that the order had been put in as a swap, rather than an add. That caused some delay while he did a work order change. That also took longer than normal because he had never seen a DSWM LNB and wasn't sure what to make of it, or the fact that it's not what my account shows. In the end, he agreed to do the install after I showed him how everything was wired and he had confirmed that DirecTV was ok with him proceeding. He did re-peak the dish aim first. The system had passed the tests before the peaking but he wasn't happy with the readings on 99cb. Everything is now mid-high 90s, so he was able to improve things.

The moral of the story is definitely that the SWM16 is still the only setup for >8 tuners in this area, and anybody who wants something else might be best served to get it from eBay or SolidSignal in advance, as had been suggested to me.

Oh, and I ended up with an HR54-700 and a C51-500 for those that track those things.