HD question

tarnold wrote:
I'm just a little squmish about investing in a portable with this "talk" about Direct SD maybe going away when I have Direct in two stick houses.

Then switch to DISH.

Got that. But why cannot they make a portable to do that? Would it be size restrictive? I'm just a little squmish about investing in a portable with this "talk" about Direct SD maybe going away when I have Direct in two stick houses.

tarnold wrote:
In a gentle way, please explain why on a portable satellite you can receive HD on Dish but not Direct from the same sat dish just by slipping a few switches? Can they not make a portable sat to do this?

Simple. To a radio antenna FREQUENCY is very important. For example in the old days a VHF Television antenna,, a Dipole, was around 9 feet across, (for channel 2) with sorter arms for higher frequencies Channel 7 for example is only about a yard across for the same type of antenna. Note that's seriously rounded.

Dish uses 3 satellites, all broadcast in the same band, so the same antenna can (if properly pointed) see all 3 satellites.. All the portable "DOME" has to do is move a bit to see any one of the three.

DirecTV however, uses three satellites as well, but in two DIFFERENT bands, one for SD one for HD.. So watching HD on a dome is kind of like trying to listen to your favorite FM radio station.... On an AM RADIO.. Out of band, won't work, can't work.

Of course if you use the proper Multi-LNB Dish,,, that works.

Sure, inquisitive minds would like to know. Not too detailed if you don't mind.

tarnold wrote:
So cannot Winegard for example, not put the KA LNB under a dome?

No, sorry. If you want all the dirty details (which will not change anything) let me know.

So cannot Winegard for example, not put the KA LNB under a dome?

and FYI... for directv.. some local channels are on Non HD birds...and some local channels are on ONLY HD birds..

both Myrtle beach and Charleston Sc.must have HD antenna but many other cities only need the 18 inch disk..

I found this out in December...

I needed to replace my 18 inch with a directv HD dish.

to receive HD on directv.. you must align to 3 satellites..

DirecTV uses 2 satellites that broadcast on KA band for HD. The LNB inside a dome (or a stand alone single LNB) can receive only KU band broadcasts. The 3 Dish satellites all broadcast on KU.