Dish Network currently has 9 satellites in geo-stationary orbit 22 300 miles above the Earth. Of these, 2 of them are used to deliver "core" programming services. These are the "America's Top X" packages.
The primary core satellite location is the 119° location, which delievers the America's Top 60, America's Top 60 Plus as well as the America's Top 120 packages and some others. If you only want to receive one of these 3 packages, you do not need the SUPERDISH or DISH 500 system, and only need a single dish solution.
The other "core" satellite location is the 110° location, which is used to deliver the remaining channels in the America's Top 180 package as well as local channel programming for most existing markets. If you only want to receive programming from these 2 satellites, then you need a DISH500 system.
Dish Network also has a new satellite located at the 121° orbital location, which it uses to broadcast High Definition programming, locals to some markets and also its international programming, which is also mirrored at its 61.5° and 148° locations. Reception of these required a second dish, so Dish Network wanted a single dish soluition. However, the satellite at the 121° location is a medium power FSS Ku band satellite, which is different from the other DBS satellites that it uses. Because of this, it requires a different LNBF and larger Dish in order to receive it.
The SUPERDISH is a 36" X 20" oval dish that has a twin "DBS" style LNBF for reception of the signals at 110° and 119° as well as a single "FSS" style LNBF for reception of the signals at the 121° location. A special Dish switcher is used to switch and combine the signals into the receiver.
Echostar has a SUPERDISH Upgrade offer available to its existing customers.
Because the complete "core" programming and local channel services are delivered from 2 different satellites, you need to receive signal from both satellites in order to receive the programming. In the past, this required the use of a second dish. However it was discovered that the satellites are close enough to each other to receive signals from both on a sigle, redesigned oval dish with 2 LNBF's.
