Satellite service in Alaska

[fasanjager]

Question for those that have traveled from the lower 48 to Alaska. Has anyone had TV satellite service while inAlaska and if so what company, dish network or direct, and what portable satellite system were you using.
Thanks

[RKassl]

Just got back from AK. Tailgater and Dish 500 system will not work in Alaska. Dish specs per local Dish rep in Homer starts at 30" in diameter. The Tailgater did not work north of Calgary (fooling it thinking we were in Montana).

[richfaa]

As long as you can "see" the satellite you will get service . Example directv Anchorage is 10 el, 102 az. That is kind of low but if you can see it the signal will be there. The more north the lower the elevation till you are pointed at the ground/////

[Ishler]

I hate to disagree with Rich but that is no longer true. The new satellites have a foot print that focuses on the US with separate transponders for Alaska Hawaii and PR. Those areas may be on different satellites. A website like Satelliteguys.us has a lot of information and footprint maps for the various satellites.

[Irlpguy]

To say that as long as you can see the satellite you will be able to get it is not entirely true. The lesser the angle for reception of a satellite signal the greater the need for a larger dish. Small dishes simply will not receive sufficient signal under those conditions.
The other factor is the LNB, you will receive the satellites that were available when the LNB was built, however if it was not designed for a new one coming on line, then you again will not get the signal even if you are right under the satellite.

One of our satellite providers recently put a new HD satellite in service, thousands of LNB's are having to be replaced to receive that new satellite. It's footprint has been greatly reduced for coverage in the US compared to the other two owned by Shaw and will not be available to Canadian subscribers very far south of the 49th.

There is much more to receiving a satellite than simply seeing it, as mentioned there are websites that provide considerable information on the subject.

[richfaa]

Did not know about the new sat's/ still got to see the bird to receive signal. Did not know there were sats higher in the sky For far North reception.

Dishpointer.com still shows my system Directtv 99/101/103 very low on the horizon Nome at 2.2 elevation. Will do more research on the subject.

[Irlpguy]

Here is a rather interesting website that I have researched some time ago.
The map shows the coverage area of Direct TV along with the antenna size and the required signal strength it must receive for you to get reception.
If you look at a portable system with an antenna of less than 24" you need a minimum signal of 50 dbW to receive the programming.

That size does not cover very far to the North as you can see by the colored coverage lines.

The Winguard Traveller dish I have is a 32" dish which allows me a much greater coverage area because it can capture more signal.

Website: http://www.kvh.com/Pages/Satellite-C...US-Marine.aspx

[richfaa]

My SL3 Directv dish is 32 inches and directv says it should work IF we can get a clear shot at the 99/101/103 sat. I saved that web site, thanks..I am not going to spend any more $$ to get reception in Alaska.

[richfaa]

[quote]Originally posted by richfaa

My SL3 Directv dish is 32 inches and directv says it should work IF we can get a clear shot at the 99/101/103 sat. I saved that web site, thanks..I am not going to spend any more $$ to get reception in Alaska. We are not planning a trip to Nome in the near future.