# Lost 129 sat after a storm!



## rustynails (Apr 24, 2008)

Two weeks ago we had some severe storms and I lost sat 129. I am using a 1000.2 for 110, 119 and 129 with a vip722. When originally installed last december, the numbers for 129 were low, somewhere in the 40's. My numbers were high for 110 and 119, but can't recall what they were right off hand.

I installed my first E system over 10 years ago and I know that there was just a small window for satellite reception. 

I called E and did some troubleshooting like resetting the receiver but to no avail. A tech came out wednesday to troubleshoot the problem. He gets on the roof with his trusty meter and cordless screwdriver and makes some adjustments. He comes down and says I have trees in the way so he can't get 129. I ask him is it just a coincidence that the bad weather and the tree blocking line of sight to 129 occurred at the same time. He says yes. (Before the bad weather I had reception on 129) He never tried to fine tune the dish to see if he could get a signal using my receiver. In the original install of the 1000.2, it was done in the dark and the tech had me watch the receiver signal while he positioned the dish.

I said isn't 61.5 a mirror of 129 and he says yes, you have done your homework. I told him I come to this site very often for help and advise. He first says that there are too many trees and power lines in the way for reception of the 61.5 sat. He then takes his meter into the front yard and says he can get a signal if I wanted a dish installed there. I told him it didn't matter if it was in the front yard or not. He proceeds to dig a hole and then cements the pole with a dish 500. He digs a trench and runs the wire from the roof to the new dish. THEN he goes inside to check for a signal on my receiver. ( I would have made darn sure the receiver was getting reception before I dug a hole and ran the wire!) Sure enough there was no signal and the receiver could not find 61.5. He installed the dish under the power lines and decided to move it over a few feet to see if that would work. He tried the receiver again and still no signal.

It puzzles my why he gets a good signal on his meter outside and the receiver cant even find 61.5!

Another tech is coming out this sunday for a second opinion on the line of sight issue. Is there anything I should tell the tech or be aware of when he comes out? What if I can't get 129 or 61.5? There is a lot of HD programming on those sats. My locals are on 110.

Would I have better luck with D in getting signals?

Sorry for the long post.


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## Lincoln6Echo (Jul 11, 2007)

Well, I'm no expert, but a dish relocation may be in the works. But I don't see what power lines would have to do with poor/no reception. 

I know on our dish which is installed on the northeast corner of the roof pointing just off the edge of the big ass oak tree we have in the front yard. I tend to lose 129 during the slightest rains. So I'm kind of dreading when most channels go to HD, unless Charlie starts putting HD channels on 110 and 119, which I assume they'll do eventually when HD becomes the broadcasting standard next February.


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

I lost 61.5° after a storm brought down a branch in a tree. I cut away what I thought was in the way, and thought I needed a repoint ... until I removed the rest of the fallen branch. I thought it was below the sight of the dish ... I was mistaken.

Second opinions are good ... and it sounds like there may be some physical damage and it doesn't sound like the tech was 100% on the other decisions he made ... hopefully the next guy does better.


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## mattfast1 (Mar 26, 2008)

Lincoln6Echo said:


> which I assume they'll do eventually when HD becomes the broadcasting standard next February.


Not so much. Broadcasting digitally is NOT synonymous with broadcasting in HD. Digital broadcasts DO enable HD broadcasts, however.

The nation's Digital Transition just means that you won't be able to receive analog OTA broadcasts. No change to Dish (or Direct, or cable) signals.


James Long said:


> Second opinions are good ... and it sounds like there may be some physical damage and it doesn't sound like the tech was 100% on the other decisions he made ... hopefully the next guy does better.


Normally when a second opinion is needed for NLOS issues, they send out a Field Service Manager (FSM). Normally they can find signal where lesser techs cannot. If you did receive signal before from 129, they should be able to get you 129 again (or at least 61.5).


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## SattManager (Apr 15, 2008)

To what James said.... the storm could have caused a branch/limb to move into a spot where it previously was not affecting the 129 signal. As for powerlines affecting the signal i am not sure how much it would affect a DBS system but i know for a fact as a Wildblue/HughesNet trainer that it can severly affect the signal of satellite internet. It seems like the 129 has alot of issues from many of the posts i see on here. I am glad i dont need it for my HD.

Good luck with the second opinion.


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## rustynails (Apr 24, 2008)

Ok, I waited on the tech to come to my house this morning until noon. I then called E and they say there was no tech scheduled to come to my house Sunday or anytime. I ask them how is this possible because I told E that I couldn't take another day off of work. He says we can schedule me for next Thursday afternoon and I reluctantly agreed.

This is just one of many many problems I have had with customer service. I am hoping in the back of my mind that they can't get 129 or 61.5 so I can go to D even though E has the better dvr. Of course there is no guarantee that D could find all the Sat's needed. I'm just glad my locals aren't on 129!


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## bhamster (Feb 11, 2006)

Dump Dish and go with Directv The dvr thing is a wash..


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## icmoney (Jul 29, 2006)

bhamster said:


> Dump Dish and go with Directv The dvr thing is a wash..


* FAIL *


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## rustynails (Apr 24, 2008)

A tech came out to my house today for a second opinion on the line of sight issue with sat 129. He agreed with the first tech that trees were in the way and I just got spotty reception at times depending on the weather. Also sat 61.5 was out of the question.

D is comming out this saturday and if they can get line of sight I will be a D customer. I am going with the Choice Extra with 200 channels and 35 in HD with the HD DVR and locals. Its a 24 month commitment but I don't care as long as I get HD programming. I will get $18 off each month for a year so I think it is about the same as with E but a few more channels.

I really loved the VIP722, but when you can't get HD programming its time to go elsewhere. I have no hard feelings about E even though I had plenty of frustration with customer service.

I guess that I will soon be spending more time in the D forums but will drop in here to see what is going on with E.


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## normang (Nov 14, 2002)

I am not sure whether D* has that much different in sat locations, you may still wind up with a LOS problem unless you can trim the blockage, or find a way to raise the dish higher so that it eliminates the LOS issue.


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## rustynails (Apr 24, 2008)

normang said:


> I am not sure whether D* has that much different in sat locations, you may still wind up with a LOS problem unless you can trim the blockage, or find a way to raise the dish higher so that it eliminates the LOS issue.


Im not sure either about the sats for D but from what I have read they are more to the east than 129 and that is what I need. They are 99, 101, 103, 110 and 119w. The major tree that is causing the trouble would cost a lot of money to cut down but that may be an option if D cannot get their 5 sats. I would really hate to got to cable!


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## BNUMM (Dec 24, 2006)

If you weren't having problems with the 119 sat. you should be OK with D*.


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## normang (Nov 14, 2002)

Your other option is to raise the dish up on a mast to clear your obstruction. Depending on how your property is laid out, I've seen some installs near Ground level on short masts with buried cables to the house, so if there were some place you could mount a Dish and have a reasonable length cable run to avoid the obstruction, you may have a work around.


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## rustynails (Apr 24, 2008)

normang said:


> Your other option is to raise the dish up on a mast to clear your obstruction. Depending on how your property is laid out, I've seen some installs near Ground level on short masts with buried cables to the house, so if there were some place you could mount a Dish and have a reasonable length cable run to avoid the obstruction, you may have a work around.


I currently have the dish on top of the house and the offending tree is to the southwest of my house and is too tall and wide to get over it or around it. The tech said in jest that he could put a pole in the front yard next to the tree but that really wasn't feasable due to it being sat 129 and have to run 2 cables. If it were sat 61.5 he could just run one cable.

Im not totally opposed to cutting the tree down but we are talking about a lot of money. If D can't get a line of sight then I will consider having the tree cut down because I really don't want to go the Charter cable route. The tech even told me don't go with cable because he used to work there and the picture quality is awfull.


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## scoobyxj (Apr 15, 2008)

A wing dish for the 129 would use the same LNBF as a wing dish for the 61.5. If you have a 1000.2 LNBF on your current LOS problem dish It should be swapped out for a DPP Twin, and if you Have a DPP Twin and a DP Dual on there now he could just pull the Dual and reuse it on the wing. Running a single cable from the wing to the DPP Twin input port. You could also be using DP LNBF's whitch would still only require one cable from the wing to your switch.


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## rustynails (Apr 24, 2008)

scoobyxj said:


> A wing dish for the 129 would use the same LNBF as a wing dish for the 61.5. If you have a 1000.2 LNBF on your current LOS problem dish It should be swapped out for a DPP Twin, and if you Have a DPP Twin and a DP Dual on there now he could just pull the Dual and reuse it on the wing. Running a single cable from the wing to the DPP Twin input port. You could also be using DP LNBF's whitch would still only require one cable from the wing to your switch.


That may or may not have worked but the techs didn't offer to do what you proposed so I had D installed today and there was no line of sight issues at all!
I don't like the HR21 as well as the VIP722 but I guess that I will get used to it. I never did like D's programming guide and there is no pip for the dvr. I will reserve judgment on the HD picture quality until I have watched more programming.


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