Dish network question

[DC_MC]

A friend has just set up his rig near us. He's in trees and his older dome style dish won't work. We have an extra portable dish that is a newer one with 3 lnb's. Will this work for him even if his receiver is older and he isn't using 3 satellites?

[wa8yxm]

DC&MC wrote:
Thanks that answers my question. One more thing. We used to set up a portable dish back when we had Direct, but since we changed to a Dish we have a traveler on the roof and haven't done the portable yet. How do we know the headings ti aim it. The menu for Dish is entirely different than our old Direct.

If you had DirecTV (not DirecHDTV) then you had only two settings, Azimuth and Elevation.> With Dish (or DirecHDTV) you have three, the third is SKEW or TILT (same thing different words) depending on the service. (I'm typing this in generic by the way which is why, From now on I will only use SKEW (Dish)

Go to the antenna p;ointing page... on DISH you press MENU and I think it's 3-1-1 but not sure.

Enter the ZIP CODE of your parking spot.. If not sure you can google it.

The unit should already have a satellite selected likely 110 or 119

Now it will give you 3 numbers.. Azimuth, Elevation and SKEW

Out to the antenna and loosen the SKEW setting, set it to the suggested number and tighten down the bolt

Now do the same with elevation only tighten only snug, not tight

Now, I like to start a bit east of the suggest Azimuth and slowly swing to the west while watching the receiver on a portable receiver, DISH has the very best antenna pointing software, it is as good as a Bird-Dog professional meter in fact.. Watch the green/red bar when it greens up stop.. The unit will display the number (and as I recall name but it's been a while) of the Satellite it found and either stay green, or turn red and say WRONG SAT

If you are aiming for 119 and it "locked" on something smaller.. More west please.. Higher Go back east.

Once you peak on 119, then push/pull a bit on the top of the dish to see if you can get a higher reading, if you can adjust elevation and then azimuth, you may need to do this 3 or 4 times.. Finally lock it down and go to CHECK SWITCH.. you should be good.

[happycamper002]

bbaker2001 wrote:
My sister was the drama teacher at Keizer

You could invite your sis to join the forum.
She could improve or even embellish the performing arts skill of some members.

Not just the drama portion but also their comic skill. As you are probably aware, we are not in short supply of clowns.

A fun place...I tell you that-- or you can telegraph that info to your sister.

Enjoy the fun.

[bbaker2001]

My sister was the drama teacher at Keizer

[happycamper002]

Bill.Satellite wrote:

Great answer! Who knew it was you plan to use a portable to clear the trees!!! Duh!

What I post is my 2 cents and nothing more. Please don't read anything into my post that's not there. If you disagree, that's OK.
Can't we all just get along?


Things were going well until I read the riposte: "DUH!"

Funny!

[RoyB]

When I was using a portable dish setup for DIRECTV I used one of those TONE units. IT mad a tone noise when it was pointing at the satellite... Just point it to the SOUTHEASTERN skies.


When you started getting a signal then you could keep turning down the sensitivity until you maxed out the signal.

I could never tell the difference between picking up the DIRECTV sugnal of the DISH signal until I hooked up the TV... If I got no TV reception with the signal maxed out then I knew I was on the wrong satellite.

I forget which way it but the satellites are inorbit of the Earth over the equator... One network is due south of SAN DIEGO CA and the other is due SOUTH from Houston TX... I think DIRECTV is south of Houston TX...

I used one of these portable dish platforms and could lock down the AZ SETTING so I only had to be on a level platform and just rotate the dish to find the DIRECTV SAT signal...

ALL PHOTOs here from GOOGLE Images

This portable dish was neat as I could wrap up my two 150-feet long RG cables around the base... I would set this on the hard plastic covered truck bed cover and then I would always have to stow the dish antenna when I left the area... Never got it stolen on me doing it this way...

I used the two RG cable from a dual head on the satellite dish so I could feed a SAT TV signals to two SAT RCVRS in the RV trailer with one at the living room TV and the other one in the bedroom... Did this for a couple of years until the NATIONAL BROADCAST came out with their digital high def TV station in 2009 I think it was... Found the local digital HDTV transmitting stations from the local towns gave me a much better TV signal than I got from from SAT TV. It was also free to the public... This is what I do today when not at a camp ground with CABLE TV from the pedestal.

Roy Ken

[Bill_Satellite]

DC&MC wrote:
That's why we're using a portable, to get out from under trees. Duh

Great answer! Who knew it was you plan to use a portable to clear the trees!!! Duh!

[Bill_Satellite]

Google (or play store or iStore) Dish Pointer Pro as an app for your smart phone. It will show you exactly where the necessary satellites are located.

[DC_MC]

That's why we're using a portable, to get out from under trees. Duh

[Second_Chance]

Another antenna won't help if you can't get it out from under the trees. Any antenna needs line-of-sight to the satellites.

Rob

[DC_MC]

Thanks that answers my question. One more thing. We used to set up a portable dish back when we had Direct, but since we changed to a Dish we have a traveler on the roof and haven't done the portable yet. How do we know the headings ti aim it. The menu for Dish is entirely different than our old Direct.

[Bill_Satellite]

Yes, but only if it is a Dish 3 LNB antenna and not a DirecTV 3 LNB antenna.

[We_Cant_Wait]

Yes, the receiver doesn't care how many LNB's only that it is getting the signal it wants.