Q: Why are satellites used for TV broadcast and what do they do? 

A: This is a simplified answer to help you understand. Since the earth is round, you can't transmit a signal across the United States without hitting the planet itself. The satellites are in a geosynchronous orbit, 22,300 miles above the equator. In other words, if the space shuttle puts the satellite over Kansas, the satellite will always remain over Kansas, travelling with the planet. The TV signal is digitally compressed and sent to the satellites, where it is amplified by about 120 watts and then sent back toward the middle of the United States at over 12 GHz. This means you can pick up the signal from anywhere in the country as long as you have a clear view of the satellite. 
Since trees and other obstructions can block the signal, the "look angle" or exactly where you aim the dish is very important and it depends on where you are located. The azimuth, or East/West angle and the elevation vary a great deal. Basically, those on the East coast aim the dish to the southwest and those on the West coast aim the dish southeast. The further North, the lower the elevation angle. In Texas the look angle would be very close to South and possibly more than 50 degrees elevation. In Maine, the look angle would be somewhere toward the southwest and might be 27 degrees elevation. If you have any doubts, Click here for the exact coordinates 

Q: I have trees that might be in the way; how can I find out for sure before I order?

A: This came from Penny, a single mom, who installed her own system. She made a very accurate siting tool to be sure she missed the trees. Here's what Penny said:
1. I used plastic protractor and drew the elevation angle on a piece of paper.
2. I folded the paper, like a little tent, and scotch taped it to a level.
3. I also taped a compass on the level and by holding the level like a rifle, I could see exactly where to aim my dish. 
In case you have a tree problem, the little mount that comes with the dish is the same diameter as 1 5/8" OD pipe. You may be able to attach a piece of pipe to the end of the house to get over the trees, just be sure the pipe is plumb.
You may also be able put mount the dish on a pipe in the ground about 100 feet away from the house to clear trees. 

Q: If I put the dish on an outside wall, will the roof overhang cause a problem? 

A: The signal comes in about 20 degrees above the dish. Therefore, a large overhang could block the signal if the dish is too high and too close. If you have a large overhang, have someone hold the dish in place and take a good look at the side view to be sure you have clearance. 

Q: Which receivers have the DishPro technology? 

A: The 301, 501, 508, 510 and the 721 are all DishPro technology. 

Q: Can I add a new DishPro receiver to a Dish 500 that doesn't have a DP LNB? 

A: Yes. All DishPro receivers are backward compatible, meaning that they will work in an installation with the original LNBF's and switches. The software in the DishPro receivers will determine which components you have and function accordingly. 

Q: Can I add an older receiver or a 6000 HDTV receiver to a new DishPro LNB? 

A: Any receiver that doesn't have 301, 501, 508, 510 or 721 in the part number is called a legacy receiver. You can use a legacy receiver with the new DishPro LNB, but you will need a Legacy adapter to change the frequency. The little adapter goes behind the receiver and is connected with a piece of RG-6 cable. Another piece of RG-6 cable goes from the adapter to the DP LNB. 

Q: What if I want HDTV or Foreign channels?

A: The Dish 500 picks up both 110 and 119 satellites (orbital position) for all the regular programming. HDTV, foreign channels and some new local channels are broadcast on satellites located at 61.5 and 148. You just choose the one that gives you the best unobstructed view. However, to pick up three satellites, you will need an 18 inch dish with an LNB in addition to the Dish 500 and a way to seamlessly connect both dishes to your receiver(s). 
How you connect the two dishes depends on which type of LNB you have on the Dish 500. If you have the standard TWIN LNB (that doesn't have DP or DishPro printed on it), for one receiver you would connect one output from the Twin LNB to an SW-21 switch and one output from the LNB on the 18 inch dish to the other side of the SW-21 switch. For two receivers, you need a dual LNB on the 18 inch dish and a second SW-21 switch. 
For more than two legacy receivers and a second dish, you can use the legacy Quad LNB and two SW-21 switches to bring the signal from both dishes to two receivers. To have HDTV and/or international channels on up to 4 receivers, you could also use SW-64 switch. The SW-64 switch has 6 inputs and 4 outputs for up to 4 receivers.
If you have a new DP Twin LNB, or the DP Quad LNB you can use the new DP-34 switch to connect the two dishes. The DP-34 switch has two inputs for the DP Twin or DP Quad and a third input for a DP single LNB. There are four outputs on the DP-34 switch to connect up to four receivers and all the receivers will be able to receive programming from all three satellites. You can actually stack the DP-34 switches to connect up to 12 receivers, with or without the second dish. The DP Twin with the DP-34 switch is less expensive than adding the DP Quad LNB, but if you already have the DP Quad LNB you can use the DP-34 switch with it. The standard LNB's will not work with the DP-34 switch.

Q: What does the satellite receiver do?

A: The receiver receives the information from the dish and LNB and decompresses the digital channels. The output to your TV is either, S-Video, the raw audio video (RCA type connectors) or to either channel 3 or channel 4, if your TV doesn't have the other connectors. Digital Dolby is also available for your home theater sound system on the better Dish Network receivers. 

Q: What if I don't have a phone jack near the receiver?

A: It's normally fairly easy to install another phone jack, but if it's too difficult at your home, we do have wireless phone jacks for $69 each. 

Q: We have TV's in different rooms and we want to watch satellite channels in all the rooms. Can we connect the LNB to our existing cable box outside? 

A: No. The receiver sends information to the LNB that won't get past the cable splitter. Therefore, the RG-6 cable from the LNB, or the DP34 switch at the dish must go directly to the satellite receiver(s). The only exceptions would be diplexers to combine the LNB signal with a regular TV antenna. 

Q: How do I get the satellite channels on my other TV's?

A: Assuming you have all the rooms connected together with your existing cable wiring, you can connect the satellite receiver "Out to TV" output to any cable jack in the wall. Then when you switch any TV in your house to the appropriate channel, that TV will receive the satellite channel. If you don't have the S-Video, or the Video and Left and Right Audio RCA jacks on the back of the main TV, you can use a two way splitter from the "Out to TV" to connect the main TV and the cable jack in the wall. In this example, all connected TV's will get the same satellite channel. 
A Dish 500 system comes with one receiver and a remote control. To watch two different satellite channels on different TV's at the same time, you will need a Dish 500 system and a second receiver. For three different satellite channels, you need the Dish 500 system and two extra receivers. For four different satellite channels, you need the Dish 500 system and 3 extra receivers. 

Q: I have several TV's and plan on getting two satellite receivers. How can all the extra TV's, without receivers, get the signal from either of my receivers? 

A: With two or more satellite receivers in different rooms, to get the signal to other TV's, make the same connections as described above to the TV's where the receivers are located. Then, set one receiver output to channel 3 or channel 4 and connect it to the cable jack going to other rooms. Since the frequencies of the channel 3 and 4 output is so close, to avoid interference between the receivers, use a modulator like the USM-8 ($54). This allows you to change the receiver output to any channel between 14 and 28. Then, if all the rooms are connected together, the other TV's will have the choice of any receiver by switching to the appropriate channel. 

Q: How do I connect my existing local TV antenna?

A: With an older TV, you may only have one cable type connection on the back of the set. In this case, you connect the cable from the local TV antenna to the TV antenna input on the back of the satellite receiver, as shown in the instructions. Then, you can switch back and forth from satellite to local channels with the satellite receiver remote control. Of course this means that all connected TV's will be limited to whatever you select on the main TV.
With a newer TV, you should connect the satellite receiver to the S-Video, or the Video and Left and Right Audio RCA jacks on the back of the set. Then, connect the local antenna to the cable input on the TV set. When you switch the Video inputs on the TV, i.e. Video 1 to Video 2 etc., you will switch from satellite to local channels. This gives you the best audio/video.

Q: I can receive both local channels 3 and channel 4 - now what?

A: If you receive both local channels 3 & 4 or want to use channel 3 or 4 to send your VCR or 2nd satellite receiver signal to other TV's in other rooms, you'll need to use a modulator and good quality two way splitters, instead of a signal combiner. Even with one receiver, modulators deliver better quality and allow you to change the output to a wide variety of channels, instead of just 3 or 4. Then you use a two way splitter in reverse. I.E., connect the modulated output from the satellite receiver (or other source) to one side of a two way splitter and the local antenna to the other side. Then, all connected TV's will receive the satellite receiver and local channels. If all the rooms are connected, you can output to any cable outlet in the wall.
You could use 3 modulators for 3 different components and a 3 way splitter, or more if necessary. We offer the USM-8 UHF modulators for $40 which allows you to tune the audio/video to output (mono) of the receiver to any channel between 14 to 28. These are normally all that you need for extra TV's in the kitchen or bedrooms. Digital modulators are available for about $110 for higher number channels and easier tuning. Digital Stereo modulators are also available, but they cost more than extra receivers (up to $599 for high end models).

Q: Can I use one cable to bring in the signal from my local antenna and the LNB at the dish. 

A: Yes. For each receiver, you will need two high quality, diplexers, $6.50 each, to combine the local TV antenna with the signal from the LNB. 
A diplexer combines the cable from a TV antenna with the satellite signal. It looks like a two way splitter, with one output cable connector on one side and two input cables on the other side. Connect the output(s) of the Twin LNB or the outputs from the SW-21, SW-44 or SW-64 switches and the local antenna to a diplexer outside, near the dish. The cable from the LNB or switch goes to the 950 - 2150 MHz side of the diplexer outside and the antenna cable to the other side. Bring the one cable into the house, near the main receiver. Add the second diplexer there and connect the 950 - 2150 MHz side of the second diplexer to satellite receiver (Satellite IN) and the other side to a two way splitter. For multiple satellite receivers, you can use a splitter from the TV antenna to supply the signal to more diplexers. Diplexers can not be used to split the signal from the LNB to add more receivers.