Originally Posted by
BenC
A few notes about satellite television from DirecTV:
1) the "110 adapter" is a Tracstar systems item, allowing the dish to know when you are selecting a channel on the satellite at 110 degrees. It is, however, at this time virtually obsolete. DirecTV has very little programming on satellite 110 right now. I am sure this will change in the near future.
2) There is NOT currently, and will not be in the forseeable future, ANY in-motion dish that receives HD programming from DirecTV. The reason:
DirecTV, in the last 1-1/2 years, launched two new satellites to convey their HD service channels. Due to bandwidth considerations, they chose Ka band rather than Ku, which is what all the other satellites in the western hemisphere receive and beam back to earth. To receive the signals from these new satellites, Directv put out the Slimline 5 dish, with separate LNBF's for the Ka frequency spectrum built into the feed horn. As well, they look at all five DirecTV satellites. 99, 101, 103, 110, and 119 degrees Longitude.
In-motion dishes have only a small parabolic reflector and a single LNBF. They were able, up to that point, of switching between different satellites. Now, however, since the LNBF's are different for the 99 and 103 degree satellites (the new Ka band Sat's), they cannot receive the signal. They can still switch to 110 and 119 degree satellites and receive whatever DirecTV choses to put on these satellites, but can NOT receive signal from 99 and 103, the HD satellites.
Note: Dish Network chose to keep the extra satellites they put into space on the same frequency band as all the rest, hence, you CAN receive HD and all SD channels via in-motion on Dish Network.
Hope some of my rambling helps clarify the current satellite television issues of today.