A little backround first-
Standard installation in Hawaii is a 24" DISH 300 setup @ 119 for core programming. However, since inaugeration of service here, a second dish for 110 has served to receive AT-180, etc. and all of the programming available with a DISH 500. DISH has never actively promoted this option beyond a $75 rebate and has not supplied the larger dishs needed nor provided any guidelines as to what size was appropriate. By experience, it was found that a 30" was the minimum required, "minimum" being the operative word here.
There happened to be a lot of old 30" Alphastar dishs laying around as well as some 36" SkyVista(DISH's temporary medium power service to Hawaii and Alaska). With a bit of fiddling, the Alphastar's worked fine, albiet any serious weather would knock out 110 fairly rapidly. The SkyVista's worked quite well but would still drop out before the 24"s @ 119.
The problem is, ever since the activation of E10 @ 110, the situation has deteriorated rapidly and severely. The 30" dishs are virtually useless with subs receiving maybe half of the programming they once enjoyed if they're lucky! Programming BTW, they are still paying for. A 36" dish is better, but still some channels are unavailable with many others prone to drop in and out at random. I have a 1m dish and while I can usually receive all the channels, for at least a few there's big trouble with anything more severe than a few puffy clouds in the sky.
Here's the technical details with my 1m @ 110 with DISH Pro LN duel LNB through a DP-34 switch to a DVR 522.
Transponders 18, 20 & 26, no signal whatsoever. I assume these are simply unused at this time. No problem.
Transponders 12, 27 & 29, signal 100-105, locked "spotbeam".
Transponders 4, 23, 25 & 31, signal 100-115, show green "name not acquired" then red, "not locked".
Transponders 3 & 10, signal 46-49, intermittant "locked".
All the rest show signal 55-70, most high 60s and "locked".
So, if you've gotten this far, does anybody have any solutions or suggestions? I'm an independent DISH dealer and cannot get any answers from DISH. They refuse to acknowledge there even is a problem. When my subs call it's the same story. One told me the tech CSR essentially called him a liar. When they're being more polite, they suggest the wiring needs to be checked or the dish realigned, but that's not the problem. Or they tell them they need a bigger dish and that in fact a 30" could never have worked at all, despite the fact they HAVE worked for these subs, many for more than five years.
As you can imagine, I'm a little sick of going 'round and 'round on this. I'm sure it shows. Any help from the peanut gallery would be greatly appreciated.
A couple more things if you're interested.
In Hawaii, we're resigned on not getting, at least not immediately, all the convenieces you take for granted and assume you have a right to in the mainland. It's OK, we're used to it and it's worth it for the trade-offs.:yesman: However, we do expect that in due course we will be provided with at least comparable amenities. It took longer for DISH to get here at all even with core 119 service and much longer still for Direct to offer any service and there still is no Sirius, XM or OnStar available here. The only reason DISH and I assume Direct is here at all is because the FCC forced them to provide service to ALL 50 states. My understanding is the FCC has conceded to DISH and Direct that service here may be provided on a delayed basis. That is, as more services are provided to the lower 48, Hawaii(and Alaska) will be upgraded also so while we may not ever catch up, we will not fall behind any further either. This does not seem to be the case, at least with DISH. While services to the mainland are enhanced and increased, services to Hawaii are staying the same or even being reduced.
HDTV? Don't even ask!
Just like anywhere else, HDTVs are being marketed with a passion here. And as should come as no surprise, more and more people are buying them, just like anywhere else. With a second dish @ 110, HD was available here from DISH essentially on the same basis it was in the mainland. The "HD Pak" of a dozen or so HD feeds was available from 110. I think we couldn't get CBS or something. That is, until the activation of E10. Although the HD Pak remained mirrored on 110, no new subs could be activated and for a while they wouldn't even ship HD receivers to Hawaii. To add insult to injury, anyone opting for an HD receiver was hit with a $6.00 "access fee" for having an HD receiver without subscribing to HD programming even though the HD Pak was still receivable but DISH simply wouldn't activate it.:icon_stup
Legal issues.
We had to fight tooth and nail to get any DBS service here at all. It essentially came down to our Congressional reps and the state pressuring the FCC to provide us with at least a modicum of the services DBS provides to the rest of the 50 states. Perhaps it would be decided differently today, but we ARE a state and the FCC is legally bound to consider our interests as well as Arizona, Indiana or Connecticut. Nobody wants to, but may be necessary to take action again.
OK, sorry for the rant. I used to hang out in Potpourri until it was recently emasculated and changed to the "OT". So I guess you're stuck with me at least for a little while.:grin:
