Dish Sat. Spot Beam Question

bluwtr49 wrote:
Question for those that understand Sat. spot beams for local channels.

We just set up in Idaho Falls, ID for the next 10 days and Dish nicely moved my service address to get the IF locals. OK so far but looking through my daily recording schedule I noticed that two of the programs I want are not being broadcast by the local ABC affiliate. Now I know from prior experience that once I have the I.F. locals I will continue to get them all the way to Boise and down into northern NV. Since my next stops will be the Boise area and Jackpot, NV this kind of makes sense.

So, with that in mind I was thinking about asking dish to move my feed to the Boise locals but, when I looked a a Dish spot map it appears there are three different spot beam that cover Boise but only one that covers both. Since most of the CS reps I get on the phone only follow a scrip I'm hesitant to make the call until I have a better handle on just how these spot beam really work and what I really should ask Dish.

Appreciate any thoughts on this subject. It's not a critical issue of course but an intriguing one.

rgatijnet1 wrote:
Here is the Western Spot beams for DirecTV

Ed_Gee wrote:
Don't know if you have accessed this site, but it should be helpful in choosing which Dish Spot beams you can use in your location.
http://satmaps.satelliteguys.us/
Looks like you have a couple choices that would provide sufficient signal for your location. Just be sure that the local ABC in the spot beam you chose carries your desired programming.
Note to all: This website shows both DirecTV and Dish spot beams so is useful to others too.

hsteinle wrote:
Upfront-I have Direct AFTER dropping Dish several years ago--BUT 'spot beam' technology is the same for both. Spot beams can be 'spotty' (pun intended) at best; for BOTH Dish AND Direct. Some spot beams have a WIDE coverage--for example Phx for direct can be obtained as far away as Rocky Point Mexico and Las Vegas NV but NOT much farther west than the edge of Tucson and not much further north than just past Flagstaff. In Denver and Colorado Springs area the spot-beams overlap so if you are in C. Springs for example and call direct and tell them that is where you are they will ONLY let you hook up with c. springs. BUT if you call direct and give them a Denver address, even though you are in C. springs--bingo you get the Denver channels instead of the crappier C. Springs channels. The key is the 'address' you give the 'phone person' as to which spot beam you get--at least that is the game you play with direct, maybe Dish will give you want you want BUT doubt it because that is one of the reasons they got in trouble several years ago with the FCC and lost being able to offer their own distant stations and had to go with an outside vendor. I agree with Roy B--usually you don't need to change your 'spot beam' provider if you have 'distant network' coverage because you can usually get the locals via OTA AND it is HD. If you want to 'record' a ABC, CBS, etc program, just record it off the 'distant' corresponding channel, and yet for local news and weather-look at the OTA channel for that area.

bluwtr49 wrote:
Thanks for all your replies. Still thinking about how I want to approach Dish with this question. Under any circumstance most of your comments have been very educational.