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Technology Stocks : Echostar Comm. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Frank Byers who wrote (551)	1/5/1998 3:42:00 PM
From: Frank Byers	Respond to of 1394

New sales figures for December are in!! dbsdish.com Looks like we are VERY close to matching DirectTV on a monthly sales basis. This is quite exciting, especially given the dramatic difference in marketing spending for DirectTV and Echostar, and the fact that we had equipment shortages in December. Let it roll..... FB

To: Frank Byers who wrote (551)	1/5/1998 7:18:00 PM
From: Jeffrey B	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1394

Frank, to further elaborate, there are currently 3 different dish kits. Actually only two of them are available. The SWAJ is for the "basic" system/ reciever that has an auxilary jack on the rear of the receiver. The SW21 is for basic systems/receiver without the auxilary jack. The SW42 is for dual systems using two receivers. The SWAJ has as switch that is used indoors and connected right at the receiver. With the other two kits, the switch is mounted outdoors, in place of the grounding block. We had to fight tooth and nail to get SWAJ's and SW42's, but no SW21's to be had yet. Also, there "supposedly" is a kit, SW62, that is designed for dual systems, using three dishes ( for 119, 61.5, and 148 degree slots)..I guess we really shouldn't think about that third slot yet :-)- Jeff

To: Frank Byers who wrote (551)	1/5/1998 8:30:00 PM
From: John J. Thrall	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1394

Thanks again for the post that seems to have started all this capacity discussion, dbsdish.com Lets assume that the majority of users will only have one fixed dish. Then according to the chart, DBS (Direct TV/USSB) has 50% more bandwith then Echostar. I'm not sure how this translates, but if the two are using roughly the same decoding technology then that translates to 50% more channels. A few questions to all on the thread: 1. Where are these sports channels going to go? Right now my system has HTS activated and 2 Fox alternate stations + 2 ESPN alternate stations. 2. If they had additional channel capability, why aren't they using it for PPV movies. Right now they only offer 8 or 9 at a time, vs. DBS's advertised 50+ a night! PPV movies seem like an obvious revenue source, and I for one would probably buy more if there was a better selection. 3. Does anyone know anything about TEMPO. The table lists them as having the other 11 frequency licenses at 119 degrees, the location of Echostar I and II. In the near term DISH looks to take flight as more in the investment community find out about subscriber growth and the local TV situation (still very low volume). And in the long term I'm sure DISH has a plan for implementing increased channel capacity (software upgrades, etc.) I'd just like to know what the plan is. I'll hang out over at the DBS thread for a while nd find out the differences in package offerings. Also, maybe we can ask "Charlie" about future plans on the next Charliechat. But this two dish or movable dish business is for the birds. Thanks again for your informative posts, John