SatC/SatB and HBO-HD

[markkent]

I'm a DirecTV HBO subscriber, with just sat A and B
LNB in a three-position dish. I noticed last Friday
that HBO-HD had no signal. I ignored it. I noticed
Saturday evening that HBO-HD was back, but tonight it
was gone (Channel not available).

So, I called DirecTV, went through one CSR and got
to an advanced techie. He couldn't make it work
and wanted to send someone out for a service call ($70+).

While on the phone, I saw that thread about three
HD channels on one transponder, on Sat C, including
HBO-HD:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?threadid=444673

So, I mentioned this to the CSR asking whether
my problems could have anything to do with HBO-HD
appearing on Sat C, and he said "yeah, it could..."

But, if HBO-HD moved to Sat C (only) then did they
tell us subscribers about it, ahead of time?
And, if so, how?

Thanks,
-mark

[litzdog911]

They didn't tell subscribers ahead of time, but I think DirecTV's web site makes it very clear that you need to "see" all three satellites for any of the HD packages. DirecTV used to provide the Sat C Upgrade Kit for just the cost of shipping (around $8) if you needed it for your HD package.

[markkent]

IIRC, that required a big time commitment.... I think to sign for the
HD package you needed the Total Choice for something like $35/mo.
So, it makes the free+$8 shipping not seem so free.

I got D* for HBO-HD only. I pay $12/month. I don't want to
cave in and pay for a zillion channels I'll never watch.

I'm sure there must be plenty of others like me since this was a big
topic back in late 2001, early 2002.

Thanks,
-mark

[markkent]

I got a sat-c kit, but I discovered that since I had no sat-c lnb installed
over the past few years that the lead for the sat c coax is corroded
and gone... the dual leads for sat b and sat a look fine.

The unit in the dish arm is a sealed switch with no manufacturer labels
on it. 5 inputs, two for 119, two for 101 and one for 110.
Four outputs. The dish is the one D* shipped for ParaTodos,
made by KTI (Kaul Tronics Inc).,

The switch does not look like it can be serviced by me.
It is sealed pretty well... should I be able to open it and
replace the connector for sat C?

If not, what do I replace it with?

Thanks,
-mark

[greywolf]

It's best to replace the entire dish with a new Phase III.

[markkent]

>> It's best to replace the dish with a new Phase III.

Hmmm, looks like I'll end up with a new and unused Sat C kit...

The PhaseIII dishes that google spits out are 18x20...
my current dish is 18x23... do I care about the three inches?

Thanks,
-mark

[danco]

The PhaseIII dishes that google spits out are 18x20...
my current dish is 18x23... do I care about the three inches?

Nah...the dish is designed such that each of the 3 LNBs *sees* an 18" diameter reflector.

Best Buy has what you're looking for for $60:
Phase III Dish @ Best Buy (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=1063225191589&skuId=6032704&type=product&cmp=++)

Other sources should be about the same.

—Dan

[markkent]

OK, so back in September I ended up jamming a
half-inch length of copper wire in the corroded
hole where the Sat-C LNB should have screwed in
and I was careful to make sure things lined up so
I got contact and a pretty good Sat C signal
(in the 60s).

Earlier this month I started to have big problems on
the HD carried on Sat-C, so I figured my kludge must
be failing... so I got a PhaseIII dish.

After replacing the old dish with the new
all-in-one unit, I get Sat A and B in the 90s
(on a Zenith DTV1080) and Sat C around 78.

The HD is better... but it still goes though periods
where it looks like every second frame is dropped and/or
the audio gets way out of synch and/or I get audio drops.

The signal seems to stay up there in the high 70s even
during these problems.

Anyone have any ideas about what might be causing this?

Thanks,
-mark

[greywolf]

The Sat B signal is so strong it can step on the Sat C signal that's piggybacked onto it. Try adjusting the dish to reduce the Sat B signal a few points. You should be able to get the Sat C solidly into the 80s and still get Sat B in the low 90s.

[markkent]

Thanks for the tip. I covered my sat-B LNB with foil
and got a 0 sat-B signal and my sat-C signal jumped to 84.

Then I watched one of the remaining HD channels
(possibly HDNET Movies) for a while and the same thing happened.
The biggest flaw is the stuttering that develops where it seems like frames
are dropped and the audio gets way out of synch (2 seconds).

I'm going to peak the sat-C signal with the B lnb covered and also run
a new cable...

Thanks,
-mark

[greywolf]

You don't have your equipment listed in your profile. What model of receiver do you have? What you describe sounds more like a receiver problem than a signal quality problem