[Kapeman]

I asked this question before, but it got buried in the thread.


Other than HD LIL what ,if any, plans are there for the 103 bird?

My signal on the 99 sat is good, but I only get 40-50 on the 103 sat.


Also, if I want to upgrade to the new slimline dish in the future, what are my options?


Thanks!

 

[Earl Bonovich]

99 and 103 are going to be the core sats for the future of the HD programming on DirecTV.

Right now the two birds up there are "temporarily" borrowed for Hughes Sat systems. They are Spaceway 1 and Spaceway 2.

Two new sats are scheduled to launch in Q2 of 2007... which will replace those. They are more powerfull sats, and more specific to DirecTV goals for those two sat slots.

Right now both 99 and 103 are SPOT beamed, so it is very possible you are getting low readings on the one, as they are not really "directed" towards you.

Just like on the 101.. you will get 0's for some transponders, as those are the spot beam transponders that are not covering your area.

 

[cybrsurfer]

If DirecTV already installed the AT-9 for free, I would doubt they are going to take it down and install the Slimline simply because it's the latest. Unless you want to pay to have the latest. I think both models perform the same, with the exception of appearances and Slimline being smaller.

 

[cybrsurfer]

99 and 103 are going to be the core sats for the future of the HD programming on DirecTV.

Right now the two birds up there are "temporarily" borrowed for Hughes Sat systems. They are Spaceway 1 and Spaceway 2.

Two new sats are scheduled to launch in Q2 of 2007... which will replace those. They are more powerfull sats, and more specific to DirecTV goals for those two sat slots.

Right now both 99 and 103 are SPOT beamed, so it is very possible you are getting low readings on the one, as they are not really "directed" towards you.

Just like on the 101.. you will get 0's for some transponders, as those are the spot beam transponders that are not covering your area.

You should be able to get all CONUS transponders on satellites like 101,110,119 that are for the US market. Personally I have lived in three states, and have had older receivers up to the latest and I have always gotten all transponders on 101. Even with the original dish pointed just for the 101.

CONUS=Contintental United States

 

[Earl Bonovich]

You should be able to get all CONUS transponders on satellites like 101,110,119 that are for the US market. Personally I have lived in three states, and have had older receivers up to the latest and I have always gotten all transponders on 101. Even with the original dish pointed just for the 101.

CONUS=Contintental United States

There is more then 1 SAT in the 101 slot.

There is the CONUS beams, but then there are also the spot beams.

 

[cybrsurfer]

There is more then 1 SAT in the 101 slot.

There is the CONUS beams, but then there are also the spot beams.

Okay there are 4 satellites in the 101 spot, I'm surprised they don't interfere with one another, they must use a different transmission frequency to avoid conflicts.:lol:

 

[paulman182]

A few of the transponders at 101 show 0 on my signal strength. I'm at work and can't say which ones.

I'm not missing any channels in Total Choice Premier with Sunday Ticket, so I assume this is normal.

 

[Earl Bonovich]

Okay there are 4 satellites in the 101 spot, I'm surprised they don't interfere with one another, they must use a different transmission frequency to avoid conflicts.:lol:

In the "big picture" I know there are more then 2...but I don't know how many (accross all the providers up there.

 

[f300v10]

99 and 103 are going to be the core sats for the future of the HD programming on DirecTV.

Right now the two birds up there are "temporarily" borrowed for Hughes Sat systems. They are Spaceway 1 and Spaceway 2.

Two new sats are scheduled to launch in Q2 of 2007... which will replace those. They are more powerfull sats, and more specific to DirecTV goals for those two sat slots.

Right now both 99 and 103 are SPOT beamed, so it is very possible you are getting low readings on the one, as they are not really "directed" towards you.

Just like on the 101.. you will get 0's for some transponders, as those are the spot beam transponders that are not covering your area.

Earl, D* owns both Spaceway1 and 2, and they are not going away when D* 10 and 11 are up. There will be 4 total KU sats, 2 at 99 and 2 at 103. The 1500 local and 150 national HD channels assumes Spaceway 1&2 + DirecTV 10&11 are up.

Here are the details from D*'s Jan. 6 2005 press release:

" Local HD programming in the first group of markets will be available mid-year following the successful launch of the Spaceway 1 and Spaceway 2 satellites in the second quarter. The launch of these satellites and two others -- DIRECTV 10 and DIRECTV 11, scheduled to go aloft in early 2007 -- will play a vital role in the dramatic expansion of programming capacity for DIRECTV, announced last September.

The Boeing-built Spaceway 1 and 2 satellites will have the capacity for more than 500 local HD channels, bringing local HD programming to most of the U.S. population, and will enable DIRECTV to continue to expand standard-definition local offerings and other enhancements. DIRECTV 10 and 11 will have the capacity for more than 1,000 additional local HD channels and more than 150 national HD channels and other new programming offerings. All four satellites will use spot-beam technology to deliver local channels."

 

[Kapeman]

So, if D* uses 103 in the future for national HD channels, I will be subject to a lot of rain fade on those due to a weaker signal strength.

Is that basically it?

 

[bobnielsen]

So, if D* uses 103 in the future for national HD channels, I will be subject to a lot of rain fade on those due to a weaker signal strength.

Is that basically it?

Not necessarily. It depends on the power transmitted and antenna gain in addition to frequency. The transponders you see with low signal strengths are narrow spot beams aimed at locations other than yours. The national HD channels to be added at 99 and 103 will have beams which cover much larger areas than the spotbeams.

 

[davidrumm]

Not necessarily. The lower signals now only show that the spot beams are not reaching your area in full strength as they will be for other areas. Once D10 and D11 sats are up then you should check your signal again to see what kind of a signal you are getting at that time. This will determine if you will have problems then. It is not really feasible at this time to determine dish alignment, however since the 99 is good and the 101, 110 and 119 are good then the 103 should be good also.

 

[Earl Bonovich]

Earl, D* owns both Spaceway1 and 2, and they are not going away when D* 10 and 11 are up. There will be 4 total KU sats, 2 at 99 and 2 at 103. The 1500 local and 150 national HD channels assumes Spaceway 1&2 + DirecTV 10&11 are up.

Hmm.... I could have sworn Spaceway 1 & 2 where on "loan" from Hughes Sat Systems.

Thanks for the correction.

 

[Kapeman]

Not necessarily. It depends on the power transmitted and antenna gain in addition to frequency. The transponders you see with low signal strengths are narrow spot beams aimed at locations other than yours. The national HD channels to be added at 99 and 103 will have beams which cover much larger areas than the spotbeams.

Thanks.

You answered both parts of the two part question.