Satellites and DISH TV for Dummies (Which I have been)

[JudyJB]

I bought my satellite two-and-a-half years ago from Camping World in Florida. Previous to that, I had always had cable, so I really did not entirely know what I was doing. I did know that a manually adjustable satellite was not for me because that usually involves a lot of looking things up and having a second person inside while the other person is outside adjusting things. An automatic satellite that I could place on the ground outside was not possible because I have a lot of small storage bays, instead of one large one, so no place to put it except inside, which I did not like.

So, I bought a Winegard Mini Roadtrip, had it mounted on my roof, and then signed up for DISH TV and went merrily on my way. Since almost all of my travel so far has been west and south, it worked fine. In fact, it even worked in Ontario in July. (Once in a while a tree gets in the way, but I had always been told to make sure there was a clear space to the southeast.) I also knew that the farther north you went, the lower the satellite was on the horizon, so I expected some problems in New England. This was seldom a problem in the desert or plains where there was nothing to block my view anyway, but makes a big difference in places with trees.

HOWEVER, I have learned a lot of details since then that I did not know before. Here is a quick summary. If you know all this, just skip it:

1. First, I learned that DISH TV has two satellite systems: an eastern arc and a western arc. My satellite was set up for the western arc, even though I bought it in Florida.

2. My particular brand and model is set for three satellites, which I found out by finding and downloading the owner’s manual, which I somehow lost as soon as I bought my satellite. Probably figured I would never need it! It uses 110W, 119W, and 126W. Apparently, you can set it to other satellites, but it is limited because it is a cheaper satellite. Also, there are pins you have to set by climbing up on the roof and taking the cover off. Not my style since I am likely to fall.

3. I had always been told by DISH TV technical assistance that my satellite should be aimed southeast, so I have spent all this time picking sites with clear spaces to the southeast. WRONG! Actually, the western arc in the eastern part of the country is southwest, not southeast. (The guys on the phone never bothered until last month to actually ask me which satellite dish I owned, and I never volunteered it because I did not know there was a difference.)

4. In addition, accessing the western arc when you are in the east means that the satellites are so low that a shrub might block their signals. (Slight exaggeration, but not much.) Actually, it is good that I have it on the roof instead of on the ground because that gives it more height. .

5. Most importantly, I have found a couple of web sites that have neat pointing devices specifically for DISH TV. Here is one that works with Google Maps: http://www.dishpointer.com/. It is also available for my iPhone and I am going to download it. Now I can put in an address, set it to my three satellites, and know exactly the direction they are located, so I can do a better job of picking a campsite.

As you might guess, I really like TV. The noise acts as company and helps me get back to sleep at night when I wake up. I also like specific programs, especially documentaries, and miss them if I can’t watch them.

Hope this helps some of you.

[avalen]

Thank you, some good info

[retiredhappy]

I've always had Dish and it always pointed southwest so I was wondering when you said southeast. I've always had two 119 and 110. 119 is for all those stations that are NOT local to the area. 110 is for the local stations ABC, NBC, etc. When I was fulltiming I bought a separate package so I could get either East coast or West coast "locals". I picked West coast so I got I think it was, San Francisco or Los Angeles for my "local" news. I just took my receivers from my home when I traveled. Unless you tell them Dish doesn't know where you are.

[Gentleladybear]

I found this summer that if you go north, from the southwest sat signal you can't use it. The Tech support of Dish took 2 months to finally tell me that. I got tired of so many places not working with my st so finally disconnected it.

[JudyJB]

Yes, the farther north you go, the harder it is to get a signal. Mostly, it means the signal is lower on the horizon, so you need shorter or no trees in your way. Going north AND east is the worst, however.

I had no trouble using my Dish Satellite in Washington state and Oregon last year, but I had picked my sites ahead of time very carefully. Right now, I am in Massachusetts and am getting a good signal, but I have nothing to the southwest of me for 1,000 feet---no trees at all because I am next to a salt marsh and wide river.