KVH HD7 using Dish network

[Capt Dean]

Anyone currently using Dish on a HD7 satellite ? I have changed from Direct TV and have ordered needed Dish box to use on boat. I talked to KVH and they say i need a rep to come and reprogram satellite to track Dish signal. I am now being told Dish doesn't work well on boats from a rep that would do that. Anyone using Dish currently on a HD7 is the feedback i am looking for .
thanks

 

[Woodland Hills]

I watch dish on an HD5, will that help?

 

[Capt Dean]

I watch dish on an HD5, will that help?

not sure, are you using while underway and if so is it tracking fine when moving or changing locations. Was it set up by you or a rep so it can see dish satellite ? Wondering what is involved in set up

 

[catalinajack]

We have had Dish TV on board for nearly three years. We are live aboards. It works just fine with an Intellian dome. That guy is giving you bum dope. Find someone who knows what they are talking about. Am watching TV as I write this. I suppose it could be something peculiar with the KVH product. I would ask a lot of questions of this guy.

Anyone currently using Dish on a HD7 satellite ? I have changed from Direct TV and have ordered needed Dish box to use on boat. I talked to KVH and they say i need a rep to come and reprogram satellite to track Dish signal. I am now being told Dish doesn't work well on boats from a rep that would do that. Anyone using Dish currently on a HD7 is the feedback i am looking for .
thanks

 

[tpbrady]

I can see how it will take some modification to work with DISH since it was specifically designed for DirecTV. You would need to remove the DirecTV single wire multi switch and replace with a KVH Sat switch designed to spoof the DISH receiver it is looking 3 satellites instead of one. The ACU would have to be upgraded to work with the Sat Switch so it looked at the correct satellite for the program the receiver is looking for. You can really only use one receiver effectively on DISH.

Tom

 

[Woodland Hills]

I’m not sure what you mean by only using one receiver with Dish. The KVH will only see one satellite at a time, but as long as the channels on your different receivers are on that satellite they will get different channels. In practice, most cable channels are on satellite 129 and often the local channels are too, like in the South Florida area, so you won’t need to switch satellites very often.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

I can see how it will take some modification to work with DISH since it was specifically designed for DirecTV. You would need to remove the DirecTV single wire multi switch and replace with a KVH Sat switch designed to spoof the DISH receiver it is looking 3 satellites instead of one. The ACU would have to be upgraded to work with the Sat Switch so it looked at the correct satellite for the program the receiver is looking for. You can really only use one receiver effectively on DISH.

Tom

I have an older M-7 and I am currently with DircTV. However according to my instructions I can reset my MCP to Dish as long as I have a Dish receiver.

 

[tpbrady]

You an use more than one receiver at a time as long as the channels are on the same satellite. I don’t have any direct experience with the KVH sat switch, but with 2 receivers sending signaling information to the same switch, there may be some instability. For example just connecting a new receiver when the primary is operating will probably interrupt service to the primary as the new receiver starts up, restarts, or is reset.

 

[Capt Dean]

I can see how it will take some modification to work with DISH since it was specifically designed for DirecTV. You would need to remove the DirecTV single wire multi switch and replace with a KVH Sat switch designed to spoof the DISH receiver it is looking 3 satellites instead of one. The ACU would have to be upgraded to work with the Sat Switch so it looked at the correct satellite for the program the receiver is looking for. You can really only use one receiver effectively on DISH.

Tom

In talking with a rep who installs for KVH , he says there are two satellites Dish uses , 77 and 119. Not sure what all this means other than direct tv has three and I wont get as many channels with dish. He also says I will have to through a satellite search probably each time I move .
In referring to the acu switch And upgrade , I need laymen terms. Is that software ? I have been on KVH you tube and have found a how to for dish to set up and it looks like all just reprogramming the KVH box and having the KVH unit on and connected to dome. I would go back to direct tv and be done with it but am under a two year contract at dirt address which is going away to full time live aboard next month. Dish is sending a separate mobile style box for people on the move as home dish boxes won’t work in the move so says dish.

 

[Woodland Hills]

Your rep is wrong: I watch 129 exclusively and it tracks it constantly. The three Dish satellites I am aware of are 110, 119 and 129.

Why are you wasting time with a rep when you can call KVH directly with your HD7 serial number and get accurate information?

We have an ancient HD5 dish and after contacting KVH directly all we needed to do was replace one circuit board with a newer one and we got HD via Dish network. We have old discontinued VP 211 boxes with external hard drives and have full DVR capability, this cost a one-time $40 charge.

 

[tpbrady]

DISH splits their service into the eastern and western ARC. I believe the eastern ARC uses 77, 110, 119 and western ARC is 110, 119, 129. 129 has all the HD channels so that is why only one satellite is generally in use. If you are subscribed to local channels or look for a channel that has no HD equivalent, you will possibly need service off of 110 and 119.

 

[Capt Dean]

Your rep is wrong: I watch 129 exclusively and it tracks it constantly. The three Dish satellites I am aware of are 110, 119 and 129.

Why are you wasting time with a rep when you can call KVH directly with your HD7 serial number and get accurate information?

We have an ancient HD5 dish and after contacting KVH directly all we needed to do was replace one circuit board with a newer one and we got HD via Dish network. We have old discontinued VP 211 boxes with external hard drives and have full DVR capability, this cost a one-time $40 charge.

I did call KVH and was told pre 2016 HD7 would need a rep to do what i need and was told no more. Its the rep who then told me Dish is an issue wiht his past experiences but that they may have gotten better by now . I am emailed KVH to try and get more detail and awaiting answer. Learned my lesson already stay with Direct TV. KVH did say the HD 7 was built for Direct TV in mind when created.

 

[tiltrider1]

It’s been a while since I last researched this subject but I don’t believe much has changed. DirectTv and Dish use more than one Satellite. DirectTV’s satellites are so close together that if you have a large enough dish you can pick all of them up at the same time. This is an advantage if you are recording or watching multiple programs at the same time on different Satellites. DirectTV uses both Ka and ku band, this requires a larger and more expensive satellite receiver if you want HD TV. For now you can get standard tv from DirectTV on ku band but this is scheduled to come to an end in the near future. Meaning most of us with smaller satellite receivers will be forced to Dish to get any reception.

All Dish programming is on ku band but Dish’s 3 satellites have wide separation. This means even with bigger receivers you can only watch one satellite at a time. It’s not accurate to say all the good programming is on satellite 129. Most good programming is on 129 but lots of the sport channels are on 110 and 119. This becomes a problem when trying to record or watch multiple satellites at the same time.

With Dish there is a delay when you go from one channel to another if you change satalites, if both channels are on the same satellite then there is no delay.

Both Dish and DirectTV offer similar programming options but they are not exactly the same. Some will prefer DirectTV and some will prefer Dish.

Dish let’s you rent month by month. DirectTV requires annual contract.

Your Rep is giving you a biased opinion. Don’t know if it’s from ignorance or just his personal preferences but if Dish has the features you want then it’s a very small programming change to your receiver to focus on different satellites.

There are many more programming options in the world than just DirectTV & Dish. Both KVH and Intellian can be programmed to watch satellites all over the world but you need a subscription just like Dish and DirectTV.

 

[Woodland Hills]

When do you think there will be new content on the sports channels?

 

[Lollygag1]

The KVH or authorized tech will need to be reprogrammed to receive DISH. Also depending on where you live geographically will determine what satellites they will pick up. The 110, 119 and 129 can be accessed from anywhere but if you are on the West coast you are likely also going to access programming via 148. or 77 on the East coast.

 

[catalinajack]

I’m not sure what you mean by only using one receiver with Dish. The KVH will only see one satellite at a time, but as long as the channels on your different receivers are on that satellite they will get different channels. In practice, most cable channels are on satellite 129 and often the local channels are too, like in the South Florida area, so you won’t need to switch satellites very often.

Woodland, your assertions are full of misinformation. Not everone lives in or cruises in South Florida. First off, local channels are on different satellites depending on the area of the country. Second, many cable stations are found on only one of three birds. Third, whether KVH or Intellian, yes, the tracking dish can focus only one bird at a time. When the user changes channels, the tracking dish will automatically re-focus to a different bird although it may a minute or two to happen. Then there is the issue of the Eastern Arc and Western Arc of satellite arrays. The Eastern has birds at 61.5 degrees, 72, and 77. The Western Arc is at 110, 119, and 129. In my area (Baltimore) the locals are on 61.5 of the Eastern Arc or 110 of the Western Arc. Does it make a difference? Yeah, it does. Only the 61.5 bird delivers a high defintion signal for the local channels.

 

[catalinajack]

Not certain what you mean by not being able to use more than one receiver effectively. We use an Intellian dish with two TVs and two receivers. With a push of a button on the ACU (Antenna Control Unit) one or the other receiver is made dominant. The TV wired to the dominant receiver can direct the dish to any of the three satellites thus making all of the channels available on that receiver. But, the other receiver can only tune in stations on the particular satellite to which the dominant receiver has directed. On a boat, most folks will be watching only one or the other TV so not a problem.

I can see how it will take some modification to work with DISH since it was specifically designed for DirecTV. You would need to remove the DirecTV single wire multi switch and replace with a KVH Sat switch designed to spoof the DISH receiver it is looking 3 satellites instead of one. The ACU would have to be upgraded to work with the Sat Switch so it looked at the correct satellite for the program the receiver is looking for. You can really only use one receiver effectively on DISH.

Tom

 

[catalinajack]

In talking with a rep who installs for KVH , he says there are two satellites Dish uses , 77 and 119. Not sure what all this means other than direct tv has three and I wont get as many channels with dish. He also says I will have to through a satellite search probably each time I move .
In referring to the acu switch And upgrade , I need laymen terms. Is that software ? I have been on KVH you tube and have found a how to for dish to set up and it looks like all just reprogramming the KVH box and having the KVH unit on and connected to dome. I would go back to direct tv and be done with it but am under a two year contract at dirt address which is going away to full time live aboard next month. Dish is sending a separate mobile style box for people on the move as home dish boxes won’t work in the move so says dish.

The KVH you talked to does not know what he is taking about. Dish uses all three satellites all the time. The Western Arc has birds at 110 degrees on the horizon, 119, and 129. The Eastern Arc has birds at 61.5 degrees, 72, and 77.

 

[catalinajack]

DISH splits their service into the eastern and western ARC. I believe the eastern ARC uses 77, 110, 119 and western ARC is 110, 119, 129. 129 has all the HD channels so that is why only one satellite is generally in use. If you are subscribed to local channels or look for a channel that has no HD equivalent, you will possibly need service off of 110 and 119.

More misinformation. The Eastern Arc is 61.5, 72, and 77. The Western Arc is 110, 119, and 129. And 129 most certainly does not have all of the HD signals. That may be true in some areas but not all. For example, HD for the local channels in the Baltimore service area is available only on Eastern Arc 61.5. SD can be had on Western Arc 110.

 

[catalinajack]

Retrofitting a KVH to obtain DishTV, in my opinion, is risky. You will spend a lot on money cobbling together equipment not designed for the task and which may not end up doing all that is required to get all that is desired. Perhaps it can be made to work. If it were I, and it was, I would get myself an Intellian and be confident that it will work. A KVH came with our boat when we bought it. I threw it in the dumpster and started with new. It just plain works.

 

[Woodland Hills]

It depends on how much you want to spend and what you are starting with. We spent $1000 on a circuit board and now we get Dish in HD. Another $150 and we added DVRs to our Dish boxes. It just depends how you prioritize things: for us this works just fine. There is no sports programming anymore and we wouldn’t watch it if there was, so satellite 129 is all we need. We aren’t interested in the cable offerings on the other satellites.

 

[catalinajack]

Works for you, great. My point in commenting about what you said for Sat. 129 was for those folks who want more than what you get from 129. Plus, the locals that are important to many folks. And HD for locals in many areas. Woodland, there are many here, as you know, who are looking for answers. Your contribution, while well-intended, was largely misleading for folks looking for a "complete package". In no way did I intend to be insulting. Hope you were not offended.

It depends on how much you want to spend and what you are starting with. We spent $1000 on a circuit board and now we get Dish in HD. Another $150 and we added DVRs to our Dish boxes. It just depends how you prioritize things: for us this works just fine. There is no sports programming anymore and we wouldn’t watch it if there was, so satellite 129 is all we need. We aren’t interested in the cable offerings on the other satellites.