Sat 129 Reception Problems on West Coast

[Avedis]

I recently had Dish installed with HD and I am finding that all the HD channels on the 129 satellite drop out every 30 minutes or so for 1-3 minutes and then come back. I do not have any problems with the HD channels that reside on the other satellites.

I have a Dish 1000 pointed at 110, 119 and 129. Sat 61 is not an option here on the Oregon coast as the elevation setting is 11 degrees which eliminates just about everyone this far west.

Dish will not return my emails when I ask about this problem. My Dish dealer out here says they are seeing the same problem and that others here are also.

Anyone know what's going on?

[Rob Glasser]

I think this thread might help explain the problems: http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=53697

The short answer is, Yes there are problems, No they are not fixed, but DISH is aware of them. When will they be fixed? No one knows. I'm hoping soon, it drives me nuts as well.

[OinkinOregon]

It may be worth your trouble to get an installer out to your house and verify that the 61.5 Sat. is not an option. Otherwise you are stuck with the problem you have for as long as it takes Dish to move another Sat to the 129 position, as the current 129 is suffering from a slow death and has for at least 3 years.

It is absolutely pitiful that DISH has not addressed this problem.

[Red Dwarf]

I went with a bigger dish 32" for 129 don't have any drop outs. My signal strength is around 90. The Dish 1000 is a poor performer on the west coast. I just talked to a installer and he said he doesn't bother with the 1000 anymore and puts up two 500s.

[hdaddikt]

I went with a bigger dish 32" for 129 don't have any drop outs. My signal strength is around 90. The Dish 1000 is a poor performer on the west coast. I just talked to a installer and he said he doesn't bother with the 1000 anymore and puts up two 500s.

That was my experience, here in the Central Valley. Tech said he had the 1000 in the truck, and unless I wanted it for cosmetic reasons, he would not recommend it. Granted, my 61.5 just makes it over the horizon. But it makes it with an average signal strength of 90. And 80+ on 110 and 119.
Installing the twin LNB on my 110/119 took care of the connections needed for the 622 upgrade (along with the separator and 2 diplexers).

[wisdom]

That was my experience, here in the Central Valley. Tech said he had the 1000 in the truck, and unless I wanted it for cosmetic reasons, he would not recommend it. Granted, my 61.5 just makes it over the horizon. But it makes it with an average signal strength of 90. And 80+ on 110 and 119.
Installing the twin LNB on my 110/119 took care of the connections needed for the 622 upgrade (along with the separator and 2 diplexers).

I'm in Stockton and my signal is 90 to 100 for 129 on a Dish 1000. Maybe I'm just lucky?

[hdaddikt]

I'm in Stockton and my signal is 90 to 100 for 129 on a Dish 1000. Maybe I'm just lucky?


Maybe, feedback seems to be spotty a best, up and down the coast. Our installer said, they lose a lot of gain on 119 when trying to get more out of 129.
You would not think the difference in our locations would make that much difference.

My 61.5 is just tickling the peak of Mt. Whitney... :)

Your mileage may vary...

[Mike D-CO5]

The elevation for my area for the 129 sat is 45 and on the dish 500 it is 48. The skew is different as well for the dish 500 vs the dish 1000.

I went ahead and used the dish 1000 for just the 129 sat, adjusted for skew and elevation and got a signal in the 80's on most of my hd channels. I used a dish 500 adjusted for elevation and skew for the 119/110 sats and I get strengths in the 100's on both 110 and 119 sats.

When I tried to use all three together on a dish 1000 I lost strength on all three sats with the 129 suffering the most. Until they fix the strength of the 129 sat or replace it with the spotbeam sat in 2007 or 2008 I will stay with the two dish setup .

[wisdom]

My 61.5 is just tickling the peak of Mt. Whitney... :)

My 61.5 is flat plain molesting my garage roof overhang. :lol: A 15 degree elevation is a no go for me.

[gsalem]

Maybe, feedback seems to be spotty a best, up and down the coast. Our installer said, they lose a lot of gain on 119 when trying to get more out of 129.
You would not think the difference in our locations would make that much difference.

My 61.5 is just tickling the peak of Mt. Whitney... :)

Your mileage may vary...

I have a 61.5 on my roof in San Francisco and get low 90s. I did need a
sat-finder to get such high strength. It is a funny set-up. The dish points
downward! :D

I see people in the Bay Area on the thread... Is it the going assumption that
San Francisco HD Locals will be only be on 129? (I will need to move my 61.5
to 129 then).

George

[Mikef5]

I have a 61.5 on my roof in San Francisco and get low 90s. I did need a
sat-finder to get such high strength. It is a funny set-up. The dish points
downward! :D

I see people in the Bay Area on the thread... Is it the going assumption that
San Francisco HD Locals will be only be on 129? (I will need to move my 61.5
to 129 then).

George
It looks like the S.F. HD Locals will be on 119 except for KRON and KICU which will be on 129 and should be going active soon. This is what I've been waiting for before I make the escape from Comcast.

Laters,
Mikef5

[gsalem]

It looks like the S.F. HD Locals will be on 119 except for KRON and KICU which will be on 129 and should be going active soon. This is what I've been waiting for before I make the escape from Comcast.

Laters,
Mikef5

If true, I'll be jumping for joy. :)

I get a pretty strong 61.5 and, on it, international and CBS-HD East. I can
live with KRON/KICU OTA and take the rest from 110.

Thanks,

George

[stansher]

I am in McMinnville Or. I decided to use a seperate dish for 129. I have a 500 and 2 300 dishes. At first ,i was having a large fluxuation in the signal strength. I tweaked the dish and that has helped a lot. I rarely loose the signal.
Tp
3 75
11 78
19 74
23 77
30 78
31 88

Dish is aware of the problem and has been attempting to keep the satellite at the proper azmith to keep the signal from dropping as much. I at times have noticed swings from 40 to 88 on TP31
I also use 148 and find that even though the signal is low, it is stable.

[Roger2010]

I have a possible workaround solution for all of you having 129 problems. I too had freezing, pixelation, or just simply no picture at all. I use 129 to watch my HD channels. My set-up is/was VIP 622, DPP44 Switch, Super Dish pointed at 110, 119, 121, and separate 24" inch dish pointed at 129. Feeling frustrated with the whole thing and about to take a hammer to the system, I contacted my installer once again to assist me in a solution. Dish offers nothing in regards to this issue, other than stupid advice, like make sure your system is grounded, don't use a power bar, maybe there's something wrong with your cable, and so on. I am in Blaine, Wa on the Pacific Coast. Under the for-mentioned set-up the highest transponder signal I would get was around 82 and the lowest transponder signal was around 65. When 129 would drop out of orbit the problems started. I would typically lose transponder strength anywhere from 10-40 points depending on the transponder, which in my view is causing the problems I am experiencing. My installer and I tried putting in a 30" Wineguard dish in replacement of the 24" dish. So far so good!!! My highest transponder strength is 98 and lowest is 78. Again so far when the sat loses orbit transponder strength still drops anywhere from 5-25 points, but it doesn't seem to be affecting my picture quality anymore!!! Installation is 1 week old, but so far I am a happy camper:)

[OinkinOregon]

but I have mine pointed at 61.5 until Dish fixes 129. Since I live in the boonies and can't get local HD signal, I have chosen the more reliable 61.5 until Eugene locals are up in HD. With my luck the Eugene locals will be placed on the weakest transponder on the weakest Satellite and will require me to purchase a 10 foot dish to get signal lock.:grin:

The whole thing with 129 is LUDICROUS!! :D

[CodeRedJM]

This posting may be kind of long, But here are a bunch of answers to many of your questions, etc... This is all I know...

I'm a full time independent dish network tech, And certified field service specialist, and have been for several years (Have dishes up from wa/ore coast to idaho, albany to canadian border), HERE IS THE TRUTH

YES, 2 of the 4 gyros holding 129 in place are BROKEN. The satellite wobbles and is pointed at a wrong angle to us so no repositioning of your dish will solve this!

Dish has been, is, and will be denying this all. Everyone is having the same problem. The 2nd dish gives an average of 5%-10% higher signal than the 1000. Don't assume your installer is stupid because he says replacing with the 2nd dish won't improve your signal! For instance, In my normal service area, I check certain transponders on 129 (some lower signal ones, some higher), If I see an average signal of 67 or below, I add the 2nd dish. There ARE times when the dish 1000 is already peaked very well, I've put up the 2nd dish and cannot even hit the same signal! (signal +/- 1 or 2 can be a fraction of a hair of movement), If I see a signal of 68 or above, I advise a 2nd dish will not help.

Also, when talking about this problem as a whole and the fact the satellite WILL NOT stay locked on, a signal raise of 5 will likely not do a whole lot, The problem will still be there. Of course you people who have put up your own larger dish to 129 will receiver higher signal and have less problems (I dont have any personal experience w/ this I only install standard dish equip-- Makes me happy you've found something to help you out), One other bit of advice for pointing the 2nd dish directly to 129: try flipping the skew ALL the way both directions (yes, the dish looks crazy and like its pointed at the nextdoor house not the sky), I've managed to get several points higher signal this way (itll still point well just have the elev/azimuth correct) and btw use a meter theyre cheap on ebay dont hollar into the house to someone watching the bar!


The problem has been going on since the beginning of the new mpeg-4 recvs, NO ONE can get an answer out of dish as to when itll be fixed (OR any other information--even to us techs they tell NOTHING!) The reason I know about the gyros is our company manager (through insane luck or divine intervention, take your pick) ONE TIME got ahold of someone high-up @ dish after getting into a screaming match with various csr's/managers and demanded an answer. That's when we found out about the gyros (most ppl dont know this)

Most of us techs are at the point now (at least my fellow subs) where every new install or upgrade for mpeg-4 recvs, I am BRUTALLY honest with the customer (sure itll get me in trouble eventually), And I manage to talk EVERY SINGLE CUSTOMER into cancelling the install/upgrade after giving them the whole story.

Most of those who do have it (trust me the average amount of scheduled trouble calls on 129 systems is at least 5---ive been to the same customer's home 5-6 times and been the 8th tech there who has to tell them sorry nothing I can do), Everyone is ripping their hair out, Most have managed to get credit on their bill by screaming enough to the csc, I even had one customer today tell me he bitched enough that they let him out of contract for the 211 upgrade, Removed the dish 1000 and the 211, Creditted his ENTIRE BILL for 5 months, etc, etc... Very rare.

In conclusion-- The 2nd dish will improve signal slightly, Those who have access to a larger custom dish will benefit, Dish will not even admit or tell the techs WHEN this will be fixed (which tells me it could possibly be a very long time---but theyre losing reputation quick)


BTW: You people going on about dishs good customer service vs. directv, 75%of Dish's calls are to a call center in INDIA! It blew my mind to read what was posted about how much better dishs is than directv! I am 90% sure that its a requirement of employment as a dish csr your IQ must not be over 65, Try calling on a sunday morning sometime when theyre REALLY hung over.

[rsprague]

Interesting info regarding the 129. I live in the Sierra Nevada mountians of Northern Calif. I've had the Dish 1000, with the 211 running since last Feb. Very few problems for me personally. My signal runs between 55 and 60 most of the time on the 129. I almost always get a great picture in both HD and SD. Maybe I'm lucky or just happen to live in a perfect location for the best shot at the 129? Have you found in your installs that geographic location can make a difference? I read daily the horror stories and problems that people are having with the 129, and just keep waiting for mine to screw up on me, but after 6 months I'm still doing fine with the 1000, 211, 129, etc.
Great post and thanks for the info

[Red Dwarf]

I would say your readings are typical. The problem of having readings in the 60s is rain fade. I have zero problems (I'm in the Los Angeles area) by going to a larger dish 32". I'll take that over Directv any day. Better PVR more hd etc.

[CodeRedJM]

Yes, Geographically I have noticed (some) difference. As for your lack of problems, You are one of the EXTREME few. However, The further north you go, The lower the satellite is in the sky and more succeptable to obstructions as well as a further distance through the actual atmosphere (whereas if satellite more towards above you, not alot of difference in distance, but less distance thru atmosphere conditions because of the angle).

And another thing, I dont know why people go on about weather conditions/rain fade. I've installed MANY thousands of dish systems (and have been a dish subscriber since the beginning) and I can tell you weather has VERY LITTLE to do with it, It takes a major major storm to knock it out, But consider this--- The receiver locks onto the satellite at a signal of 43-44, Everything above this is simply a buffered area, Now a signal of say 45 or 50 or 55 it takes very little to knock out this buffer and lose the lock, thus losing part of the data stream, causing pixellation or having to lock back onto the sat completely 'aquiring sat signal'. According to dish network standards, A signal of 70-75 is the required amount for a dish system to stay locked onto the sats and function normally in almost all weather conditions/without obstructions. One of the strange things about 129 is the signal fluctuates like CRAZY most of the time. Sit and watch the signal bar go from 80 to 40, to 60, to 40, to 50, to 40, to 80 all in a matter of 20 seconds. That's why I think the satellite itsself is "wobbling" alot because of the broken gyros, But thats just speculation, As someone said earlier its being held in place by thrusters, it'd make sense...

I personally never do an installation below 89/87 (119/110 sats), My averaged signal overall in this area is around 107/103 (119/110) give or take. I all but refuse to do a 129 install/upgrade altogether now. If the customer still wants it after I lay all this on them, And I do, brutally honest, I will do it because they've now made an informed decision, Which is more than dish gives.

People along the coast seem to have it worse for some reason (speaking of 129 again) in fact, I believe I have personally been to Avedis's house (looks like the person who started this thread, im new to forums)

Anyway, I keep telling myself itll HAVE TO BE fixed soon, Theyre losing customers like crazy and gaining alot of distrust.

Also, This other thing going around about HD decoders and that one company makes them all, And that comcast/direct/dish are all having same problems and engineers are co-operating, etc, etc, I don't know much about that but I BELIEVE that has to do with the lip-sync part of it, One thing I have noticed many times the network channels (particularly) have the lipsync out of whack, Whether receiving from dish, digital antenna, or otherwise.

[rsprague]

I do have the lip sync issues on the HD local networks out of Sacramento, Ca probably 60-70 percent of the time. The other 26 or so dedicated HD channels are just fine most all the time. I do hope they get that problem straightened out soon..
I have an SD receiver I switch to when the lip sync become unbearable.

[Wrecker06]

Changes are coming. :) hang in there.

[Lyle_JP]

It looks like the S.F. HD Locals will be on 119 except for KRON and KICU which will be on 129 and should be going active soon. This is what I've been waiting for before I make the escape from Comcast.

I get why we need KICU in HD (after all, it's where the Fox programming goes when the Giants are playing), but KRON instead of KBHK? Why are we getting MNTV in HD before the CW?

[Lyle_JP]

I have a Dish 300 for my 129 feed and get signals in the mid to high 70s, which the installer assures me is "good" for that sat. He told me that low 60s is the norm for 129 off of a Dish 1000 in the Bay Area.

[Jim5506]

Just announced on Tech Chat on DishNetwork - They are going to boost the power of certain transponders on 129 Wednesday.

[HDlover]

I get why we need KICU in HD (after all, it's where the Fox programming goes when the Giants are playing), but KRON instead of KBHK? Why are we getting MNTV in HD before the CW?
KRON is showing the new FOX HD network but we do need KBHK also.

[Rob Glasser]

Just announced on Tech Chat on DishNetwork - They are going to boost the power of certain transponders on 129 Wednesday.

Yes, very cool. Hopefully it will help, however they also indicated for those of us in the Northwest we're still probably going to need a second Dish.

[bobc469]

I recently had Dish installed with HD and I am finding that all the HD channels on the 129 satellite drop out every 30 minutes or so for 1-3 minutes and then come back. I do not have any problems with the HD channels that reside on the other satellites.

I have a Dish 1000 pointed at 110, 119 and 129. Sat 61 is not an option here on the Oregon coast as the elevation setting is 11 degrees which eliminates just about everyone this far west.

Dish will not return my emails when I ask about this problem. My Dish dealer out here says they are seeing the same problem and that others here are also.

Anyone know what's going on?

I live in the Astoria area further north of you on the Oregon coast and I receive the 61.5 signal with minimal problems. It is more likely to be affected by rain fade than the 110/119 dish but is viewable the majority of the time.

If you have a clear view to the east 61.5 might work for you, the 11 degree is really low, it looks like the dish is pointing below the horizon, but it works for me.

BC

[harsh]

Just announced on Tech Chat on DishNetwork - They are going to boost the power of certain transponders on 129 Wednesday.Perhaps more importantly, they announced a new 24" 129 only dish for those in the Pacific Northwest.

It would seem that E5 will be with us for a while.

[levibluewa]

That was the latest try here along with a low-noise LNB. It boosted the signal from 62 to 78-80, but every 20-30 minutes the signal drops to 40 with pixellation and picture loss. The upgrade was on June 14th and I still haven't been able to watch a complete National Geographic program without picture loss. I am however being billed for the upgrade each month--gee, what a surprise. I'm hoping that boosting the signals as promised on Charlie Chat will help. Re the thread--Has DISH ever solved a Problem--I'm still waiting, & paying :(

[Slordak]

A Dish Network representative just told me that I had "no option", and that I absolutely had to use a Dish 1000 if I wanted to receive the programming on the 129 satellite. I explained to him that I was going to ask the technician to simply re-point my 61.5 dish to 129, but he got snippy with me and told me that the technician would also explain to me that it wouldn't work.

Gaaahhh.

[Lyle_JP]

A Dish Network representative just told me that I had "no option", and that I absolutely had to use a Dish 1000 if I wanted to receive the programming on the 129 satellite. I explained to him that I was going to ask the technician to simply re-point my 61.5 dish to 129, but he got snippy with me and told me that the technician would also explain to me that it wouldn't work.

I had the identical experience. Don't worry, the installer, not the CSR, has the final say, and the installer is going to be much happier re-aiming a Dish 300 than he will be trying to peak a Dish 1000.

[ebaltz]

Have th signals been "boosted" yet (as per the tech chat)? Anyone seeing higher numbers yet?

[maduser74]

Hi All,

This is my first post and wanted to say that i am also in the same situation...I just upgraded to HD package yesterday and the installer came and installed Dish1000.

I don't see 4 HD channels at all.. mostly the ones that are in transponder 30. (KungFu, HDNews, Rave and one more i forgot the name)

Before my ugrade i had 2 dish500, 1 with 110, 119 and 2nd with 148 for international programming. I believe i had SW21 switch there.

After upgrade yesterday i have 1 Dish1000 with 110, 119 and 129 and 1 Dish500 with 148 for international programming. I think i have DP44 switch. I don't have multiple TVs at my house.. Just 1 VIP622 connected to a 50" RPTV.

My question is if i reposition the Dish500 satellite to 61.5 instead of 148, will be able to watch all HD channels ? I checked on the international channel (SUNTV) is also available at 61.5 so i can still receive that right ?

I live in Scotts Valley, CA i.e. SanJose/Monterey area.

Appreciate any input, so that i can ask the professional to change it.

Thanks

[P Smith]

If you can see that spot in sky at 94 degree East and 15 degree elevation, then yes - move the separate dish for 61.5W; using additional 2xDP21 switches you could get all 5 sats.

[elbodude]

Hi All,

This is my first post and wanted to say that i am also in the same situation...I just upgraded to HD package yesterday and the installer came and installed Dish1000.

I don't see 4 HD channels at all.. mostly the ones that are in transponder 30. (KungFu, HDNews, Rave and one more i forgot the name)

Before my ugrade i had 2 dish500, 1 with 110, 119 and 2nd with 148 for international programming. I believe i had SW21 switch there.

After upgrade yesterday i have 1 Dish1000 with 110, 119 and 129 and 1 Dish500 with 148 for international programming. I think i have DP44 switch. I don't have multiple TVs at my house.. Just 1 VIP622 connected to a 50" RPTV.

My question is if i reposition the Dish500 satellite to 61.5 instead of 148, will be able to watch all HD channels ? I checked on the international channel (SUNTV) is also available at 61.5 so i can still receive that right ?

I live in Scotts Valley, CA i.e. SanJose/Monterey area.

Appreciate any input, so that i can ask the professional to change it.

Thanks


I got my Dish1000 last week and, so far, can see all the HD channels. My signal on 129 is around 65. I am in Santa Clara.

[Larry Kenney]

A Dish Network representative just told me that I had "no option", and that I absolutely had to use a Dish 1000 if I wanted to receive the programming on the 129 satellite. I explained to him that I was going to ask the technician to simply re-point my 61.5 dish to 129, but he got snippy with me and told me that the technician would also explain to me that it wouldn't work.

Gaaahhh.

If you have the 61.5 dish, you're getting the same channels as you will with 129. The two sats have the same HD channels. If you want to change because 61.5 isn't good for you, then you need to talk to another rep! Two dishes work a lot better than the Dish 1000!

I had a Dish 500 for 110 and 119 and a Dish 300 for 148. They moved the San Francisco locals off of 148, so I had them move the dish that was on 148 over to the 129 position. All I lost is KCBS-HD out of LA. I didn't really need it, since we get KPIX locally. The 300 works fine for me on 129 here in San Francisco. I get signals between 72 and 87 except for one transponder. Tp 21 is only 61. I haven't lost any signals yet.

Larry

[Slordak]

Larry, to response to the 61.5 vs. 129 issue, the problem is that the Chicago-area high definition locals are on 129. Otherwise, yes, I would be quite content with just leaving my existing dishes completely alone.

I will try and convince the installer to just re-point my 61.5 dish. As folks noted above, it is technically less work for them, and will help avoid any compromises on signal strength...

[levibluewa]

Signal level on 129/22 remains the same here. If they've done anything but talk it isn't noticable. Re the thread--"Has DISH ever solved a problem"--not yet!

[James Long]

They have solved other problems. Stay tuned -

BTW: Watch for transponder changes. What was on 129/22 may be somewhere else or be going somewhere else as part of the fix. Lots of shuffling on 129 this week.

[levibluewa]

Thanks James...I do hope you're right !!!

[dendavis]

My installer was quite happy to tweak the 148 dish to pick up 129, leaving the first dish of my DISH 500 array pointed to pick up 110/119. He was quite candid about the problems the LA area installers are having with trying to stretch the DISH 1000 to cover 110/119/129. He got a signal reading of 94 on the 129 verification. I have had zero drop out problems since install.

[Slordak]

After explaining things to my installer, the installer tentatively agreed to re-point my 61.5 dish to 129 instead of removing everything and installing a brand new Dish 1000. He kept coming up with excuses along the way, though:

1) They couldn't do it because I would need a switch, and they won't provide a DPP-44 when they can get the job done with a Dish 1000. I noted that I already had a DP-34 on the roof.
2) They couldn't do it because I would have to have two cable runs, since I couldn't use the DPP separator. I noted that I already had two cable runs, since I was replacing an existing 921 receiver with a 622.
3) They couldn't do it because I would lose CBS-HD from New York when removing the 61.5 location. I explained that I would gladly give up CBS-HD from New York for my local CBS-HD affiliate in Chicago (from 129).

Eventually I was able to argue my case and they agreed to do it, but the installer had a lot of trouble actually getting 129 with the dish. It took him probably about 5 or 6 tries, but he did finally peak it at about 85 or 86. Of course on the paper work he then had to lie and claim he had installed a Dish 1000, and then he simultaneously claimed he had installed two dishes and a DP-34 (when in fact all he had done was use my existing equipment), so it made no sense, but since it was free, I just signed off.

Everything is good now... 110/119 using existing Dish 500, and pretty decent signal strength with the second dish pointing at 129. If we ever have to go up to 4 orbital locations, I guess then I'll need the Dish 1000 :)

[vtek63]

any updates on this? thinking about getting dish hd, but i would like to wait to see if this problem gets resolved.

i am around the sacramento area. anybody else in this area have dish hd with a dish1000 with or without any problems?

[elbodude]

any updates on this? thinking about getting dish hd, but i would like to wait to see if this problem gets resolved.

i am around the sacramento area. anybody else in this area have dish hd with a dish1000 with or without any problems?

I am in Santa Clara...no problems yet (knock on wood). Sac is a bit more North, so your mileage may vary.

I have a buddy in Rocklin with a dish1000 and no problems either.

[wyattg]

any updates on this? thinking about getting dish hd, but i would like to wait to see if this problem gets resolved.

i am around the sacramento area. anybody else in this area have dish hd with a dish1000 with or without any problems?

I am in Rancho Murieta and have a Dish1000. After having a second tech out after my intial upgrade I can say the signal is pretty low but there have not been any major issues. Though once a big storm rolls through I may be singing a different tune.

[Benhath]

Yes, very cool. Hopefully it will help, however they also indicated for those of us in the Northwest we're still probably going to need a second Dish.

THis is my first post. I have the Platinum package with a 622. I finally emailed Echostar QA as well as the email for Customer Service regarding the 129 issue after having had techs out a couple of times. I am on the central Oregon coast and have the second dish for 129 only. Dropouts still occur. To quote an email sent in reply to me, they indicated that RAVE, Kung Fu, and HDNWS are all on transponder 30. This transponder is currently running in medium power. RAVE and the other two channels are scheduled to be moved to either a high-power transponder, or a transponder with better performance on September 7th. They then stated that they have confidence that this will improve my signal. They also indicated that they would be installing a 24" dish. That hasn't happened yet.

Meanwhile, the lead tech scheduler that would be installing the 24" dish told me that the dish wouldn't help much and that the real problem is a problem with one of the thrusters on the satellite and as a result, the satellite tumbles in orbit. He indicated that this would explain the variation in strength from 75 down to below 40 (and 0 in some cases) and then a gradual build back to 75 on a regular basis.
I am scheduled for a 24" dish next Thursday, the 14th. If this helps to shorten the lengths of the dropouts, then it would have been worth it.
But if he is right, then it would appear that Echostar has a different problem on its hands; what would they do if a satellite completely failed?

Here's hoping that they find a definite solution soon.

[Mike D-CO5]

Next year there will be a replacement satellite launched for the 129 slot. Till then it has to be the 24 " side sat dish. Unless you only need national hd channels. Then possibly a 24" side sat dish to 61.5? IF you can see it from there on the west coast. Some people say they can get it even in L. A. .

[jacmyoung]

any updates on this? thinking about getting dish hd, but i would like to wait to see if this problem gets resolved.

i am around the sacramento area. anybody else in this area have dish hd with a dish1000 with or without any problems?

Same here in Sac, had 1000 for two months, 129 signals in the low 70's. Had not noticed any loss but then the rain has yet to come, cross my fingers.

[levibluewa]

Just noticed this morning that National Geographic HD has been moved to transponder 30...the signal level which I watched briefly was maxing at 92. A couple of nights ago before the transponder change (22) the signal was maxing at 80, but while I was watching it pixelated and froze--signal level was down to 40; it recovered in approximately 2 minutes, which was better than before--before the 24" dish was installed. With the original install--20" dish aimed at the 129 the picture would pixelate and drop off and be gone for maybe 5 minutes about every half-hour. So I guess we can chalk that up as some progress! To be continued.

Bruce