Forums > Specific Focus > Technical Mexico

alleygata

Feb 12, 2003, 10:53 AM

Post #1 of 15 (3358 views)

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Satellite and address questions

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I just hate that this forum will be a paid subscription! I was scared to make the move to Mexico until I found you guys to help me and give me support. Now I'm scared again. It's a hard thing to do alone, at 50 and not speaking the language. I just can't justify the fee...it doesn't seem right. Most sites get sponsors. They're lucky they have so many visitors and I think it's a bad business decision to charge. Please let me know where everyone goes.

Okay my questions...If my address is "white house across from 303 Privado Lago Azul", how would I write that in Spanish? When addressing something, is the state added, like Districo de Mexico, MX? Will someone give me a sample address written out? Thanks!!!

I have DISH Network here in the US and own my satellite dish and box. Can I take these and have them hooked up to Direct TV in Mexico?

Allie

dmx

Feb 12, 2003, 12:12 PM

Post #2 of 15 (3307 views)

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Re: [alleygata] Satellite and address questions

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If you want to receive Direct Mexico you will need their receiver. Dish and direct are not compatable.

DavidG

Feb 12, 2003, 8:18 PM

Post #3 of 15 (3275 views)

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Re: [alleygata] Satellite and address questions

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I have DISH Network here in the US and own my satellite dish and box. Can I take these and have them hooked up to Direct TV in Mexico?

Allie

DirecTV in Mexico doesn't really have too much English programming. DISH Network works fine, depending on where you live in Mexico. You will have to keep a ficticious address in the US to keep the Dish Network folks happy.

Where are you heading in Mexico?

DavidG
Villa Dos, Cozumel
"I still believe in ignorance as my best defense"

(This post was edited by DavidG on Feb 12, 2003, 8:23 PM)

johanson / Moderator

Feb 12, 2003, 9:25 PM

Post #4 of 15 (3272 views)

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Re: [alleygata] Satellite and address questions

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Dish and US DirecTV will reach part way into Mexico. But these signals are pointed to the US and only spread so far into Mexico. So we have to know where you will be settling before we can better advise you how well the signals will come in. I know that here in Central Mexico near Guadalajara, the signals have pretty well dropped off and that you are going to get perhaps 40% of the available signals.

The only small dish system that works great this far south is Star Choice out of Canada. It also provides network programming out of the US

Hugito

Feb 13, 2003, 6:18 AM

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Re: [johanson] Satellite and address questions

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I am in PV and have both the Dish Network and Star Choice each using a small dish. They both work fine!

johanson / Moderator

Feb 13, 2003, 10:52 AM

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Re: [Hugito] Satellite and address questions

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For those who don't know, PV and Lake Chapala are not too far apart as far as satellite signals go. I know Star Choice works very well in both Lake Chapala and PV. I know that we in the Lake Chapala area have had problems with DirecTV and Dish, but that Dish seems to have a much better signal.

Are you getting all of the national channels Dish offers (of course you can't get the spot beams) or just some of them, like we do with US DirecTV?

For Star Choice an old Sky dish works great. What's that 90 cm or less?

What size dish are you using? Your comments would be greatly appreciated

Hugito

Feb 13, 2003, 11:02 AM

Post #7 of 15 (3249 views)

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Re: [johanson] Satellite and address questions

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I have Star Choice for the US networks that it affords us. We use the Dish Network is for its broader base of US programing. Both dishes are about the same size and are roughly the size of the DSS dishes in the US; maybe slightly larger.

By spot beam, are you referring to the offering by Dish Network, of local network service for selected cities? I have thought how nice it would be to have local news for our former home, but do not know how that works. I believe they charge about $7.00 US per month, which would just about eliminate any need for me to have Star Choice. Comments?

johanson / Moderator

Feb 13, 2003, 11:22 AM

Post #8 of 15 (3243 views)

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Re: [Hugito] Satellite and address questions

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Star Choice gives me my Seattle channels. I am told that the spot beam local channels offered by DISH have beems usually about 800 miles in diameter. I don't believe there would be any way you could get the spot beams from anywhere this far south. But I am only about 90% certain on this.

I understand that when your sat dish is pointed at one spot in the sky at 110 degrees West, that you are really looking at Echostar 5 and Echostar 8, and that one satellite has a stronger footprint this far south. What I don't know is whether you are able to get signals from only one or both Satellites. Do you know if you are getting all or about half of the available feeds?

With DirecTV you are actually pointing at 3 satellites, only one of which comes in well down here, the second is marginal and the 3rd isn't strong enough. I'm told with DirecTV and a 6 foot dish that you can watch signals from all three birds only as far south as Mazatlan

DavidG

Feb 13, 2003, 5:06 PM

Post #9 of 15 (3242 views)

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Re: [johanson] Satellite and address questions

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RE: DISH

I know it is different dependng on wher you are. I do have the answer to the spot beam problem though.

If your US address is in an area where DISH offers local channels then you can't use that address because the spot beam will limit you. What you do is establish a physical address in the US. Preferably in the middle of nowhere.....not near any big cities or within range of any local television programing. You give DISH this address as your "physical address". It is not any problem for your billing address to be in another state, but not in Mexico. If you "live" in the middle of nowhere you can select either Los Angeles, or Ney York networks for $5.99 a month CBS NBC ABC FOX. These are not spot beamed. They are on the 119.

Here I am pointed just at one satellite....the 119. On the 119 I receieve the networks mentioned above plus Showtime and around 100 other channels. I can order pay-per-views etc etc.

You'll have to check and see if you can get a view of the 119.
DavidG
Villa Dos, Cozumel
"I still believe in ignorance as my best defense"

johanson / Moderator

Feb 13, 2003, 6:19 PM

Post #10 of 15 (3231 views)

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Re: [DavidG] Satellite and address questions

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Dave I wrote an article in the Guadalajara Reporter talking about DirecTV and Dish and how the signals drop off as you go south and about how hard it is to pick up the channels from DirecTV especially this far south. I had researched this talking to Satellite dealers and users (including myself) WE had pretty well given up on them in this area. I therefore assumed the same results West of me on the Coast and probably so commented

Then I hear from several readers that although the signals may not come in the Guad/Lake Chapala area, they come in a lot better 200 miles west and perhaps 50 North in the Greater PV area but that they drop off another couple of 100 miles further Southeast along the coast.

I don't know if they have more efficient dishes than us or if the footprint just happens to be stronger there. The more I hear from you guys, the more jagged the footprint edge seems to be. Apparently the dish signals do reach farther south in both locations. I sure hope we get enough input so that we can develop some type of data base. I'll tell you one thing XM radio comes in real well down here

IS your vonage working yet? We've got broadband here and a neighbor and friend is only waiting for a part or two before he tries. If it works then, maybe I will try it as well.

DavidG

Feb 13, 2003, 7:47 PM

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Re: [johanson] Satellite and address questions

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Yep, around here DirectV US wont work at all. Everybody here uses DISH. We use a 1.2 m DirecTV antenna, or larger. Mine is the 1.2 and I am very satified. I get a 75 or higher signal on most transponders.

My Vonage works great when hooked to the infinitum....even the 256 version is sufficient. However my house is 15km from town and no phone lines available. So I have Infinitum at a house in town. Then we are using 802.11 radio to send the signal the 15km to my house. We had it working last week about 80% of the time. We changed a few things to try and make it even better........now it doesn't work at all.

No problem with the Vonage.....it works exactly like advertised. The problem is sending the signal the 15km by 802.11
DavidG
Villa Dos, Cozumel
"I still believe in ignorance as my best defense"

johanson / Moderator

Feb 13, 2003, 8:12 PM

Post #12 of 15 (3228 views)

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Re: [DavidG] Satellite and address questions

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They say a true 96 Kb/sec is enough bandwidth for vonage. Although I live 1 Km from the Ajijic telephone exchange where ADSL has been offered now for the last 5 months or so, I have been using my 802.11b link to the WISP. Although I only need a 15 Db 2.4 gig dish pointed to the WISP I have a 24 Db dish that I can point in several directions to various repeaters, one 20 miles away. all originating from the same WISP. You can tell I am a ham radio operator. The one twenty miles away is not as reliable or as fast as the closer antenna. You might got to http://www.netstumbler.com/nation.php. They have a great dishpointing software program you might want to use.

Perhaps 15% of the clients at www.lagunanet.net.mx are wireless. The web page sucks. Its being re-written as we speak. I've got two different towers each with pcmcia adaptors, and each with a pcmcia card, but only one antenna. I shall terminate this conversation as I promised the webmaster that I would proof-read his FAQ section

Good luck with your 802.11b

Pete

DavidG

Feb 13, 2003, 9:38 PM

Post #13 of 15 (3233 views)

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Re: [johanson] Satellite and address questions

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Pete,

Last week the the WISP was using a 24 dbi grid antenna. On my house was a 19dbi grid. It was working with about a 35% signal strength. We were also sharing the bandwidth with many other users and experiencing a little crowding. We set up a new link from a different tower a little closer, this time using a 19 dbi grid on both locations. Can only get 1-5% signal and "no association. We also changed from vertical to horizontal polarization. Anyway......it's not working. Any suggestions? How critical is "pointing"?
DavidG
Villa Dos, Cozumel
"I still believe in ignorance as my best defense"

(This post was edited by DavidG on Feb 13, 2003, 9:42 PM)

alleygata

Feb 14, 2003, 9:38 AM

Post #14 of 15 (3227 views)

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Re: [DavidG] Satellite and address questions

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I'm headed for Valle de Bravo, Districo de Mexico. One hour WSW of Toluca. Taking my satellite dish across the border on a tourest visa may be pushing it a bit, ya' think?

johanson / Moderator

Feb 14, 2003, 10:54 AM

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Re: [DavidG] Satellite and address questions

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Pointing can make a big difference. That's why its nice to have a signal strength meter.The URL for network stumbler I mentioned above has one built in. Also I don't know which is better Horizontal or vertical polorization. Also there are 11 channel available for 802.11b try changing channels if you suspect interference.