Upgrading old Dish 500 system to HD

[cberry]

I am a long time Dishnetwork customer with a Dish 500 dish (looking at 110 and 119 AT250), and two receivers (3900 and 4900). I want to upgrade to HD. I would like to end up with a VIP722 on my main HDTV, and the old 4900 on my old SDTV (the 3900 would no longer be used).

My questions are:

How can I accomplish this and how much should it cost?

What equipment would I need (new dish)?

Existing system has a section of RG59 cable to the main TV. Would this have to be replaced/rerouted with RG6?

How can I minimize my cost?

Can I install myself (I did install my existing system)?

Any help/info will be greatly appreciated, Chuck.

 

[oldford]

I am a long time Dishnetwork customer with a Dish 500 dish (looking at 110 and 119 AT250), and two receivers (3900 and 4900). I want to upgrade to HD. I would like to end up with a VIP722 on my main HDTV, and the old 4900 on my old SDTV (the 3900 would no longer be used).

My questions are:

How can I accomplish this and how much should it cost?
Call Dish or a local retailer and ask about "dishin it up" upgrades.

What equipment would I need (new dish)?
Probably at least a wing dish on 61.5 or a 1000/1000.2 depends where your locals are. Should be included in the upgrade.

Existing system has a section of RG59 cable to the main TV. Would this have to be replaced/rerouted with RG6?
Yes, but again - the installer should handle it.

How can I minimize my cost?
Not sure if you can do anything.

Can I install myself (I did install my existing system)?
Maybe, But Dish has a policy of requiring installation for HD upgrades. Some report getting around it, but it can be a hassle. I had my D500 and a wing for 61.5 all installed with a DP34 and 2 brand new lines of RG6 to the receiver location before the installer got here. All he had to do was plug in the cables, power up and get it authorized. The cost would have been the same if he had put up the new dish and run all the cables, I just like my work better.

Any help/info will be greatly appreciated, Chuck.

You could go look at the Dish website, not sure what the current deals are, and it varies some from customer to customer.

Good Luck, Eric

 

[Skibum]

My questions are:

How can I accomplish this and how much should it cost?

What equipment would I need (new dish)?

Existing system has a section of RG59 cable to the main TV. Would this have to be replaced/rerouted with RG6?

How can I minimize my cost?

Can I install myself (I did install my existing system)?

Any help/info will be greatly appreciated, Chuck.

1. Look into the Dish'n It Up promotion. Could be free or little charge with a new 24-month contract.
2. You'd need a 1000.2 dish to pick up the 129 or another dish to pick up the 61.5. Either way, you will need new LNB equipment.
3. Never EVER use RG-59 as signal in systems that use a Dish 500 or newer LNB equipment. It will eventually fail (not might, but WILL). RG-6 that is sweep-tested to 2.25 GHz or more is required cabling for Dish now.
4. I can only think of the Dish'n It Up, but my office doesn't do retail so I don't keep up with the promotions.
5. Probably, but a professional install of the new dish and receiver would be included with the Dish'n It Up promotion.

On a side note, why keep your 4900? The second tuner in the 722 is made for a SD television, you'd save $5/mo by having just one receiver (as long as it's plugged into a phone/Internet line), and you'd gain DVR functionality to boot!

 

[cberry]

OK, thanks guys for the good info!

Maybe this will get me off dead center and get the ball rolling.

 

[DSpud]

I am a long time Dishnetwork customer with a Dish 500 dish (looking at 110 and 119 AT250), and two receivers (3900 and 4900). I want to upgrade to HD. I would like to end up with a VIP722 on my main HDTV, and the old 4900 on my old SDTV (the 3900 would no longer be used).

My questions are:

How can I accomplish this and how much should it cost?

What equipment would I need (new dish)?

Existing system has a section of RG59 cable to the main TV. Would this have to be replaced/rerouted with RG6?

How can I minimize my cost?

Can I install myself (I did install my existing system)?

Any help/info will be greatly appreciated, Chuck.

I am assuming when you say you have a section of RG59 cable to the main tv, you mean between your reciever and your main tv. If your main TV is currently the HDTV, I recommend you look on the back of the box for what connections it accepts, most likely composite (yellow video, white, and red sound) cables and use that connection. This will at least give you a little better picture/sound until you upgrade your reciever.

When you upgrade to your 722, to get HD you will only be able to wire it with one of two connections, HDMI or Component (green, blue, red video; red and white sound).

Please do yourself a favor and promptly burn that RG59 cable. This is the only way you can insure that it will not infect your home theater system in the future. This will also insure that your friends and family will not be infected with it.

 

[bxl4]

OK we get it that you don't like RG-59

Can anyone describe the horrible failure mode that "WILL" occur?

I too have RG-59 that runs throughout my home and has miraculously piped the DISH signal for 10 years.

I realize that it isn't necessarily sweep tested to the higher frequency but I'm not exactly excited about ripping it all out just in case.

 

[RandallA]

Can anyone describe the horrible failure mode that "WILL" occur?

I too have RG-59 that runs throughout my home and has miraculously piped the DISH signal for 10 years.

I realize that it isn't necessarily sweep tested to the higher frequency but I'm not exactly excited about ripping it all out just in case.

If you have Legacy equipment RG-59 works just fine and that's probably what you have since you've been with E* for 10 yrs. Dish Pro is another story and needs RG-6 rated to at least 2250 GHz.

 

[slicked25]

Well that's interesting. I've never had any problems what so ever until upgrading to HD. I just noticed I have the R59 that's going from VIP222 out ch 3-4 to the TV. I guess I'll have to go buy an RG-6 cable to see if it stop all the check swithches.

 

[RandallA]

"I just noticed I have the R59 that's going from VIP222 out ch 3-4 to the TV"

RG59 for TV2 or ch3-4 for TV1 is not a problem either. RG6 is required from the LNBs to the receiver.

 

[KAB]

When you order HD and an HD receiver, they will install all the necessary equipment at No Charge...or at least they did back in November.

 

[harshness]

Can anyone describe the horrible failure mode that "WILL" occur?

It actually comes down to the smaller center conductor in RG59 not being able to carry the power required for a three slot DPP LNB assembly.

 

[slicked25]

"I just noticed I have the R59 that's going from VIP222 out ch 3-4 to the TV"

RG59 for TV2 or ch3-4 for TV1 is not a problem either. RG6 is required from the LNBs to the receiver.

Man, I give up. lol My old tv that I had connected for the 322 dual tuner #2 just died on me that's up stairs where I have been having all this trouble and not so much the VIP222. I noticed coming out of the diplexer that's up stairs were two R59 cables that were preinstalled by the cable company back in the '80's and one RG6 cable that's coming from the satelite. The dish installer kept saying after the second time he'd been here that he thought it was the line causing all my check switch problems but at the time I assumed cable was cable like a dog's a dog. So now I have to go buy a new TV so the dual don't start acting crazy but I do believe that the two R59 leading to each room are shot especially one of them that's missing an end.

 

[vegassatellite]

RG59 will carry the 18v at 600 milliamps that DPP requires. The problem is the increased voltage drop associated with RG59. You won't get reliable operation if the run of RG59 is a good distance. However, if you had a dish outside the wall from your receiver and were using 59 to connect the two, you would be alright.

 

[bxl4]

Rg-59

OK, voltage drop. I get that. Thank you.

 

[iwannarock1]

Can I install myself (I did install my existing system)?

Any help/info will be greatly appreciated, Chuck.

Several reasons they don't let you install it yourself. A big one......they're going to charge you the same for the 722 whether you install it yourself, or they send out a tech. But when you screw it up and can't align the dish right, and hook it up wrong....they're going to charge you an additional $99 for a service call to have me come out and fix it right. Then you're going to be real mad at Dish, for letting you try and install it yourself.

 

[Andrewwski]

It's not voltage drops, it's actually that RG59 does not pass high frequencies well over long distances.

For shorter runs you may find it works well, for longer runs it's more hit-and-miss.

 

[vegassatellite]

It's not voltage drops, it's actually that RG59 does not pass high frequencies well over long distances.

For shorter runs you may find it works well, for longer runs it's more hit-and-miss.

Ok. And what are signals made of?

Here's a hint:

DbmV.

The signal drop can be quite a bit and still provide a signal the box can decode. However, once the voltage supplied to the LNB drops too low, the LNB won't operate.

 

[iwannarock1]

Ok. And what are signals made of?

Here's a hint:

DbmV.

The signal drop can be quite a bit and still provide a signal the box can decode. However, once the voltage supplied to the LNB drops too low, the LNB won't operate.

YEAH, what he said.

Why would anybody argue about RJ59? It is the ENEMY ........except for backfeeds

 

[vegassatellite]

YEAH, what he said.

Why would anybody argue about RJ59? It is the ENEMY ........except for backfeeds

I agree but it isn't to the extent everyone makes it out to be. A few feet inline isn't going to trash the OP's hope of getting HD.

 

[slicked25]

Not to hijack but I’m frustrated and can’t figure it out. OK earlier today in this thread I said my old TV broke so I went and bought another one from Wal-Mart LCD for the bedroom. So I pulled the working TV that was in my bedroom and put it out in #2 on the dual 322. The Wal-Mart TV works fine but can not get a signal for TV#2. I’ve gone through menu 6, 1, 5 and tried several channels but it’s nothing but snow. I’ve also tried two other RG6 cables that I had for #2 and it’s still snowy. I’ve got the Red Holland diplexer that’s upstairs and switched it out with the one that’s hooked up to the HDTV downstairs that’s outside mounted on the house. The only thing that I haven’t done is try the Wal-Mart TV for TV#2 and put the other heavy one back in my room. TV#2 had a working signal earlier today.