Direct TV only for Tailgating HELP

[dodge]

Some of tyhe newer Directv Receivers work let you pull up a menu until it sees 101. I beleive the d11's and d12's do this. Get an old receiver that has an audible signal meter beeper screen, the D 11's and D12's do not have an audible signal strength screen where as a lot of the old rca DRD 420 and olders do. The audible makes it easy to aim.

 

[Sharpie]

hmmm not remote or button response doesn't sound good o me. I hesitate to offer anything else for fear of harming it more.

Since my receiver was doing the same thing I was worried when I hooked it back up at home. But, it turned on and worked like nothing had happened. Could it be that the signal is so low that it can't even register a reading, so the receiver is constantly scanning to find a signal?

 

[charper1]

Some of tyhe newer Directv Receivers work let you pull up a menu until it sees 101. I beleive the d11's and d12's do this. Get an old receiver that has an audible signal meter beeper screen, the D 11's and D12's do not have an audible signal strength screen where as a lot of the old rca DRD 420 and olders do. The audible makes it easy to aim.

Ahh, great info!

 

[Sharpie]

Some of tyhe newer Directv Receivers work let you pull up a menu until it sees 101. I beleive the d11's and d12's do this. Get an old receiver that has an audible signal meter beeper screen, the D 11's and D12's do not have an audible signal strength screen where as a lot of the old rca DRD 420 and olders do. The audible makes it easy to aim.

Thanks for the info Dodge. Man, that makes pointing the dish pretty damn hard now.

 

[uscboy]

Always set up and test the stuff in your backyard before bringing it down to a tailgate.

That's unfortunate though if you have a box that won't let you get to the menu. If you can
test it out with another receiver at home that does let you into the menu to see signal
strength, that might help out.

Then if you can lock in your elevation and tilt on your dish (make sure your mounting pole is
level), you will just have to make sure your mount at the tailgate is level then slowly spin
your dish until you lock on and the receiver that doesn't let you in the menu starts
downloading data. Though honestly I'd still replace the that receiver... having the signal
strength meter is almost essential.

 

[Sharpie]

Thanks for all the help, I truly appreciate it. I have another question if you guys don't mind. I have the new 5 lnb and H20 receiver and when I look at the setup it tells me the azimuth, elevation, etc. I live about 4 miles away from where I tailgate so, can I use these figures off my permanent house setup for the tailgating setup? Even if the dish would be different (3 lnb), I will make sure there is a clear path to the sky and the post is level. Unfortunately, I have no choice but to use a receiver that has to "lock" on to a signal before the setup screen appears.

 

[iwc5893]

Thanks for all the help, I truly appreciate it. I have another question if you guys don't mind. I have the new 5 lnb and H20 receiver and when I look at the setup it tells me the azimuth, elevation, etc. I live about 4 miles away from where I tailgate so, can I use these figures off my permanent house setup for the tailgating setup? Even if the dish would be different (3 lnb), I will make sure there is a clear path to the sky and the post is level. Unfortunately, I have no choice but to use a receiver that has to "lock" on to a signal before the setup screen appears.

No. While the settings won't change going four miles or so, the 5 LNB dish points to the 101 sat whereas the 3 LNB dish points to the 110. The easiest way to get the correct settings is to repeat the sat setup and tell it to use the 3 LNB dish and write down this info. Make sure you do this process again to reset the receiver to the 5 LNB when you are done.

 

[shmeff]

sharpie, have you tried pushing the exit button on the remote when the sfss screan is up? i could be wrong but i think that will kick you out of that screan allowing you to access the menu.

 

[Sharpie]

sharpie, have you tried pushing the exit button on the remote when the sfss screan is up? i could be wrong but i think that will kick you out of that screan allowing you to access the menu.

I tried that but it did not do anything. I pushed every damn button on that remote with no success.

 

[shmeff]

What model? Just for sheets n giggles you should try again. I’ve been to many service calls where I have been able to exit from the blue sfss screen. I just tested on a d11-500 from my stock and was able to exit. I suppose it's possible there are model(s) this will not work with.

 

[salokin10]

Sat-Go

Get one of these!

http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPage.jsp?assetId=3090001

I got one two weeks ago and it worked great at our tailgate. Setup is a breeze and you will make a lot of new friends wanting to watch the games. I guess the only drawback is that you can't get HD programming, but if I'm complaining that I can't watch a football game in HD at my tailgate party, then I'm just way too spoiled. The Sat-Go is a bit pricey though.

 

[Sharpie]

Get one of these!

http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPage.jsp?assetId=3090001

I got one two weeks ago and it worked great at our tailgate. Setup is a breeze and you will make a lot of new friends wanting to watch the games. I guess the only drawback is that you can't get HD programming, but if I'm complaining that I can't watch a football game in HD at my tailgate party, then I'm just way too spoiled. The Sat-Go is a bit pricey though.

Call me spoiled, but I want something with a larger screen. Our current setup was to be with a 42 inch LCD from LG. Let me tell ya, it sucked not having satellite. I thought setup would be so easy.

 

[happy]

Get a directtv Sat to go reciever.
it has a 19inch LCD with built in dish and it costs $1500.
it will give sat and tv in one portable unit and it works pretty good

 

[HDinCincy]

Hi all,
I'm now a D* subscriber but was with E* for over 5 years. I've been tailgating with both systems and the D* is MUCH easier to aim than echo was. I have HD but have not attempted that at my tailgates. this is a fantastic mount which allows you to "plumb" the post easily. I totally agree with others that say to practice at home.That is a MUST.
So, anyway, I suggest a single lnb dish(my installer gave me one) and the D11 rec'r. Lock in your settings at home and then as long as your pole is plumb all you have to do is use a compass and point. No elevation, etc. EVERYTHING (not in HD) is at 101 so it's a piece of cake. I use a 32" vizio and while admittedly it ain't HD, it's good. One reason it looks better (to my eye) than home is it's only a few feet from the dish to the receiver to the TV. No loss. I know, I know, it's digital there should be no loss, but honestly it seems to look better.
Last summer I took my dish system on a houseboat at Lake Cumberland and even tied up in a cove in the middle of "nowhere' we were able to watch Ohio St. vs Texas. pretty cool. I was roughly 200 miles south of Cincy but still in the DMA getting Cincy locals.
It's not rocket science but a good mount, a decent compass and practice make perfect. BTW, the D11 DOES have audible feedback. in the setup page look for "view meters"
BTW, if you are already a D* subscriber, all of this joy should cost you $0/extra.

This board automatically disabled the link I inserted about mounts. The one I use is the bullseye (it's designed for RV) Google it.

 

[DiamondNeil]

Another n00b question here. I bought a 2lnb dish / tripod mount and have been trying painfully to test this out before I head to the races this next weekend.

I recently subscribed to DTV last month and got the NFL ticket and the premier package. I have HD in my living room but just the regular D11 tuners in my bedrooms. I am using one of the d11 tuners from a bedroom and a small LCD tv along with a honda eu2000i generator to power everything.

Here's the issue. I am not sure which dish to select to setup in the menu. The options I get are:

Round
Oval 2lnb
Oval 3lnb


My dish appears to be oval with 2 lnb's when physically viewing it, but in the setup screen, the image they portray is different than mine. The oval dish in the menu is set oval horizontally, while mine is vertical. So first question, is mine a "round" or "oval" dish.

When I selected oval 2lnb, I was able to get 100% signal on the 119 sat, but nothing on the 101. The setup would not complete saying there was a tuner error. When I switched the setup to "round", it only let me try to find the 101 sat, and for the life of me I could not get 1% signal. I used the setup and entered my zipcode (32935) and used thesettings they listed. I understand the tilt of the dish, and azimuth is the direction to point, but what is "elevation"?


I am so sorry for the length and maybe the confusion this post causes but would love any help you guys can offer a n00b.

 

[HDinCincy]

DiamondN,
I would love to help but I'm not familiar with the dish you're talking about. As I stated before, the round dish with (apparently) only one lnb is super simple to align. At home, I have the newest slimline and when I pull the D11 and go tailgating, there is NO setup to do. I don't have to choose a dish or anything. I first off all set the dish to the point in the sky that I know if close. I have previously set the elevation and locked it. The round dish only has two adjustments. Then i connect the D11 and wait about 2 minutes. The power light goes out and then I hit the powerup button on the remote. If the sat is not locked, I go to menu and select signal meters which gives me audible feedback through the attached TV. I'm sure the dish you have will allow 101 reception. It almost sounds like a Dishnetwork dish you are describing. They have to "pitch" the dish to allow mulit-sat reception which tends to complicate remote setup. I would suggest you use the audible meter feature and just be patient changing elevation. you'll find it eventually. Sometimes I've been amazed at how easy it is but other times, not so much. Good Luck!

 

[Sharpie]

Okay, I have another dumb question. I am going to try the satellite again this weekend. Here is the dumb question. What satellite do I need set my settings at, 101 or 110? I will using a 3lnb dish. I want to get the Big Ten Network and of course, ESPN and ESPN2. Here is my checklist of things to do:

Make sure pole is both plumb and level
No obstructions in line of sight
Set azimuth and tilt. (will use compass for azimuth)
Pray, everything works right.

This is what I will be setting the dish to:

Satellite Position 101
City Latitude 40
City Longitude 88
Satellite Azimuth 199.4 (will figure in declination on compass)
Satellite Elevation 41.7

So it is satellite 101 right and not 110, or does it matter?

 

[shmeff]

When aligning the triple sat to receive the 101, 110, and 119 the coordinates point the dish to the 110. If you do not need any of the channels from the 110, or the 119 you can set the tilt to 90 and select the basic dish in the receiver menu to get the coordinates to point the dish to the 101. This may make it easier to lock onto the 101. This will also make the need for a perfectly plum mast less crucial.

 

[Sharpie]

When aligning the triple sat to receive the 101, 110, and 119 the coordinates point the dish to the 110. If you do not need any of the channels from the 110, or the 119 you can set the tilt to 90 and select the basic dish in the receiver menu to get the coordinates to point the dish to the 101. This may make it easier to lock onto the 101. This will also make the need for a perfectly plum mast less crucial.

Were does one find the channels that are on the 110? If the channels I need are on the 101 satellite and it is easier to get, then that is the satellite I will search out. Thanks for all the help

 

[shmeff]

Don’t know where BTN comes from but ESPNs are off 101. Someone more in-the-know may help. Not 100% sure but I think 110, and 119 is HD, Spanish, and religious.