Switching from Bell to Shaw in Southern US

[2k1Toaster]

Hello All,

We have had Bell since 2007 and with Bell's newer restrictive birds, the two options we are debating is (1) putting in 2 larger dishes for reception of Bell or (2) ditching Bell and and going with Shaw.

From what I gather, Shaw has 3 satellites: Anik F1-R, F2, and G1.The Anik G1 is at 107 I believe and it is the newer one that is more similar to Nimiq 2 in its footprint. Anik F1-R is also at 107? F1-R can be received down into Belize, but G1 drops off a few hundred miles south of the border. Anik F2 at 111 also goes down to Belize. I have heard references to a bird at 103 for shaw... is there a fourth sat there?

I currently have a 1.2m dish and a 45cm dish. If I go with shaw, I will likely get a 75cm elliptical dish as well ("free" with package). These sats pick up Bell (or at least did) just fine. Shaw uses KU as well so they should work correct? I have heard that Shaw is very difficult to aim, a few millimeters off and you go from a good signal to nothing. But the satellite dish itself should work correct?

My feeling is that I should point the 1.2m dish at 107 and pick up F1-R and G1. Then point the 75e or 45 at 111 to get F2. Any reason this will not work? Will I need any special LNB to do this? I want to reuse as much as I have from my Bell setup. Obviously I can't use the receivers, but hopefully the switches and dishes can be used.

Also I have heard rumblings that since G1 was activated, something changed with the programming or with the LNB requirement? You need a 600 series receiver to take advantage of something, what I am not sure.

I am thinking I am going to buy 2 DSR600HD receivers (single tuners, small basic boxes) and then 1 DSR630HD receiver (dual tuner DVR). I think I have read that 4 tuners on a single switch is OK.

Any confirmations or suggestions on the above would be appreciated. Since June of last year we have been paying Bell over $100 USD a month and not able to view a single channel. It is time to do something, and if that means ditching Bell, so be it. As long as CBC HD comes in and we get Hockey Night in Canada it will all be worth it. Thankyou in advance!

 

[miguelaqui]

You will be able to get CBC in HD in problem with that 75e dish and the lab that will come with it. As far as your current dishes, one of them can be used; throw out the 45cm. The lnb that will come with the 75e dish will not work if you want to use the 120cm dish. If you want to use the 120cm dish, you will need a special lnb for sat 107; this can be purchased from kusat.com. You might have to buy the mounting bracket for the 120cm dish, depending on what you have now.

As far as 111, you cab use the 75e dish, but you will need another LNB, kusat has them, and another bracket, kusat has that too. It was a pain for me to point the 75e for 111 using the 75e, but I connected the original lnb, and then replaced it with the single and was able to make it happen.

As far as with switch, what kind of refer do you plan on getting?

 

[Jables]

If you're really in the southern US, you won't get G1. A 75 cm stock dish with the old quad dual-look LNB will serve you just fine.

 

[miguelaqui]

You are about where I am in regards to G1, but you MIGHT get something on G1 with the 120cm. It would be a little tedious because you will have to buy different LNBs and brackets. If I were you, I would get the 75e and see what your signal looks like on G1.

 

[2k1Toaster]

Well I pick up Nimiq4 on 82 in the daytime with 50's to 60's signal strength with the 1.2m. Because of the Nimiq4 wobble I lose it at night time. The G1 footprint is much more southern than the Nimiq4 footprint so I am fairly confident I can pick it up at least in the day time. From what I gather it is just local channel HD right now, but I know they like to swap channels to different transponders, or at least Bell does.

Any advice on which LNB and brackets from kusat to buy? That's where I am getting everything else.

With the 75e, do I point it at both 111 and 107 so it picks up both? Or does G1 supersede F1-R and if you get one you don't need the other?

 

[2k1Toaster]

I'm going to order the Shaw system. Try with the "default" 75e setup and see what I get. Then if needed point the 1.2m at G1. It appears that I can't use the DishNetwork/Bell switches I have with Shaw, or at least that is what I have been reading. So I'll just pick up a new quad switch made for Shaw (DGS-4401), it is only $32CDN. I am also going to pick up a few LNB kits and single LNBs (F1-X offset LNB and F2 offset LNB) so that I have them in addition to the triple that comes in the default install kit. Hopefully between these and what I have I can jerry-rig something.

 

[miguelaqui]

Because of my expensive lesson on dishes and dB gain, I will be able to tell you whether or not the 1.2 meter dish would do any good, if you want to wait on buying tge LNB and switch.