Can I Add 61.5 to my current system?

[greenemister]

He is my current config:
Dish 500 with three lnbf, on for 110, 119, and 129
129 reception sucks
(I live in Angleton Texas, south of Houston)
All three go to a DPP44 switch
Receivers:
vip622, 921, and 500 series DVR's

I found an old 18" dish with a single lnb (neither are DP Plus) that I had before the 500 dish came out. I also found a dual DP Plus lnb that I am not sure works.

Can I mount the legacy dish and lnb, point it to 61.5, run the feed to the DPP44 and have all my receivers grab it?

Thanks!

 

[Hall]

A Dish500 can't see the 129' satellite. A Dish1000 can though but it doesn't need a multiswitch as it has one built in.

Anyway, how many open inputs does the DPP44 have ?? If it's got (1), I'm pretty sure you can use it. The Dish Pro stuff, I believe, can handle legacy equipment.

 

[greenemister]

I thought the dish was a 500

It has three lnbf's and my 622 and 921 can see them, just not well. I am reading horror stories about 129, so I thought I would point another dish to 61.5. To answer your other question, the DPP44 has one available port (#4)

Thanks!

 

[garys]

You may be receiving some channels from 129 that you will not get on 61.5. You may want to try to disconnect 129 and point the 300 at 129 into the input currently used for 129. There have been many people who have tried the setup you described only to have 129 override the 61.5 signal anyway. If you don't lose anything, 61.5 does have a higher signal, then point to 61.5.

 

[Hall]

There have been many people who have tried the setup you described only to have 129 override the 61.5 signal anyway. If you don't lose anything, 61.5 does have a higher signal, then point to 61.5.

That's true. It appears that if a channel is on 129 and 61.5, even though 61.5 may be stronger, it is overridden by the 129 signal.

 

[RandallA]

"A Dish500 can't see the 129' satellite."

Huh, of course it can if you use a DP Dual or DP Single lnbs. A D500 can see any single orbital location, 119 and 110 and 119 and 129.

To the OP, you can use the 18' dish or D300 but you need a DP Dual or DP single lnb. Just run a cable to the DPP44 switch and run check switch.

 

[Hall]

"A Dish500 can't see the 129' satellite."

Huh, of course it can...

How do you interpret "Dish 500 with three lnbf, on for 110, 119, and 129" ?? Does he have (2) Dish 500s, one pointed at 110 & 119 and the other at 129 ?? If you're saying it can see all (3) locations, that's news to me.

 

[greenemister]

Update

Ok, here is what I have done so far.
The original dish is a 1000 with three LNBF's. I take it that they are for 129, 119 and 110.
Running point dish: 129 locked at SS of 79, 119 locked at 89, 110 locked at 91

Installed 18" dish with DP LNBF (two outputs), pointed it to 122 azimuth and 40 elevation (as per chart for my zip code 77515) Connected one output of the DP LNBF from the 18" legacy dish to the 4th input on the DPP44.

Ran check switch on the VIP-622, the 110, 119, and 129 showed ok. Port 4 Says "Conn" in the Trans field, the Satellite field has an X (not a red one), and the Device field says "Dual". This is true for both inputs on the 622.

Do I need to run both outputs from the LNBF to a SW 21 and send that to the port 4 of the DPP44? Or do I just need to try the other output of the LNBF?

The SS on 61.5 shows to be 91, but the text below says Wrong Sat 110 West. Am I just pointing to the wrong satellite?

Or do I have the wrond LNBF (aren't the universal for any satellite?)

Thanks for the help guys!

 

[garys]

SW21 is legacy equipment, it will not work with DPP lnb's and switches. It is possible you are not reading high enough signal. 61.5 is almost 90 degrees to the left of 119, Try to point to 61.5 by bypassing the DPP44 switch, once found then wire through the DPP44.

 

[RandallA]

How do you interpret "Dish 500 with three lnbf, on for 110, 119, and 129" ?? Does he have (2) Dish 500s, one pointed at 110 & 119 and the other at 129 ?? If you're saying it can see all (3) locations, that's news to me.

and you're absolutely right. I just read your post and when you said: "A Dish500 can't see the 129' satellite" I jumped all over it. My apologies but your statement is still wrong.

 

[RandallA]

"The SS on 61.5 shows to be 91, but the text below says Wrong Sat 110 West. Am I just pointing to the wrong satellite?"

Definitely the wrong satellite you need to swing it to the left or east of 110.

 

[greenemister]

still having trouble

#1 Ok, maybe I am confused. With the mast mounted straight up, (the part where the dish clamps, the elevation numbers on the side of the clamp in no way match what my elevation for 61.5 should be (40) When I just eyeball the dish, the numbers on the side of the clamp say 65 or so.

So my question is this. Is elevation in this use of the sense related to the horizon? The elevations for 110 and 119 are 47 an 52 respectively, so I just made sure the secondary dish is aimed a little lower than that.

I am pretty sure I have the secondary dish pointed at the right azimuth, it is about 90 degrees to the left of my dish 1000

#2 Are DP LNBF's interchangable for any satellite? Or do I have to get a DP LNBF specific for 61.5?

#3 From what DPP44 wiring diagrams I can find, all show that in multi-dish configuration, the 1000 (mine) must be wired tin the following manner:
Port 1 = 110 or 119
Port 2 = 110 or 119
Port 3 = Secondary Dish LNBF
Port 4 = 129

Does this make a difference?

I know this is probably sat 101 for most of you, but I am getting tired of climbing up and down my ladder, and I do not have a signal meter, so I have to go look at the Point Dish Screen on my 622

Here is my current configuration:

DPP44 Input
Port 1 = 110
Port 2 = 119
Port 3 = 129
Port 4 = 61.5 from old dish with DP Dual LNBF

DPP44 Output
Port 1 = Vip-622
Port 2 = 921
Port 3 = 500 Series DVR

Thanks again for all the help!

 

[TheKrell]

#1 Yes, the elevation angle is relative to the horizon. But use the markings on the dish assembly; do not eyeball the dish! The LNBF is offset from the central axis, so that's why your eyeball of the dish and the elevation angles don't match.

The azimuth being about 90 degrees away from the dish 1000 is approximately right. However, that being the case, I can't explain your "wrong satellite" message. Switch matrix not cleared?

#2 I believe DP LNBF's are interchangable.

#3 I don't think that matters, but I'm guessing from knowledge of other switches.

I don't really think you can align your dish without some feedback from either a meter or somebody in front of a receiver. I find the station-to-station feature of most dual-handset wireless phones works well. That's assuming you have another family member to sit in front of the TV and read out SS.

 

[greenemister]

Thanks Krell

I believe I have an alignment issue with the dish 1000. When I disconnected everything from the DPP44, then connected 110 and 119 in port 1 and 2, everything checked out fine. But, then I connected the LNBF for 129, ran check switch again, and I get bad SS from it as the HD channels pixelate quite a bit. That is why I am trying to peak to 61.5 with another dish. I might also have a bad 921 receiver, I have to reboot it every day. I will get a meter and try to peak to 61.5 since I do not have anybody to help.
Thanks again.
John