Direcway Satellite Help?????????
- Thread starter DeLoach
- Start date
- Latest activity Latest activity:
- Replies 12
- Views 6K
You have to have a professional install it. DirecWay will not allow you to activate it yourself, only someone that is certified. They are very tricky to setup and not as easy as the satellite television dishes to get a signal.
Stargazer
Thanks for the reply...... The system is already activated. I recently moved and just need to find the satellite. Need ideas on pin pointing it. I paid for the equipment and the installers want $150.00 for the first hour and $75.00 each additional hour to reset. If they send the same idiot out that installed it the first time I'll be broke....lol
Thanks for the reply...... The system is already activated. I recently moved and just need to find the satellite. Need ideas on pin pointing it. I paid for the equipment and the installers want $150.00 for the first hour and $75.00 each additional hour to reset. If they send the same idiot out that installed it the first time I'll be broke....lol
I dont know if their system automatically detects that he has moved and that they would require an installer to come out to keep your service on. Does anyone else know about this or not? I do know that if you do not install it correctly then you will cause interference with the other satellites up there and that they will trace it back to you and have it shut down. You might have to just shop around to try and find someone that will do it for cheaper or do it for a flat fee.
I have read things online about people having direcway in rvs' I do not think the FCC allows self installs on direcway. the pros use things like this: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=11726&item=5754198272&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW
See if you can get a flat fee installer.
See if you can get a flat fee installer.
Pointing your 6000 is really easy.
Find the bolts that hold the dish side to side movement. There are 3 5/16” carriage bolts clamping the bracket to the post. Put a mark on the post and the bracket for a reference point then loosen them just enough to move the dish. Turn on the computer and run the setup program, »192.168.0.1/fs/registration/setup.html and select the middle option “Antenna pointing”, Click ‘next’ and make a note of the Elevation Azimuth and Polarization. Click display signal strength and you should see a bar display. If you can’t see the display from the antenna have someone watch it while you adjust the antenna. Slowly move it one way a little and if it goes up keep moving till you get a maximum reading. If this gets you back into the 70s lock up the clamp and enjoy. If not you may have to adjust the elevation. This is more difficult without a little tool to make small adjustments but it can be done. Before you start look at the elev scale and note the reading. It should be near the same as what you noted in the setup section. There are 2 bolts that hole the elev adjustment. Before you loosen them push the top of the dish just a little and see if that changes the strength up or down. If it goes down push on the bottom and it should go up. If it goes down again it doesn’t need to be adjusted. If you need to adjust the elev hold the dish up with both hands and have someone loosen the nuts a little at a time till you can move it a slightly (like 1 degree or less at a time). Peak the sig and lock these bolts up. I see you are on the net now so no need to adjust polarization. Just exit from this program and find a better way to spend your $100.00. You can’t do any harm so the worst you can do is fail to get it adjusted and then have to spend the money to have it adjusted.
Sometimes you will find a TX7 error after pointing. This means the receiver lost signal while you were pointing and has shut the transmitter off. Go back to the point where you exited out of the setup program and when you close the sig strength display click next then automatic. It is very unlikely your x pol has changed so this will simply check the x pol setting. It should pass and reset your transmitter. Close and exit. If it fails try it a few times to see if you can get a pass. If it won’t pass call back here and we will go to the next step.
By the way, it is legal for you to point the dish after it has been installed by a certified installer.
Good luck
OPI numeric codes
first digit
0 - steady - signal strength
1 - flashing - XPOL queue
2 - flashing - XPOL fail
2 - steady - XPOL pass
Signal Strength - second and third digits
0-29 not locked
30 wrong sat
31-99 right sat
3 digit codes
8L8 - 13 volts
8H8 - 18 volts
Notes:
On the 6000 you will need to check the enable OPI box on the pointing screens.
On the newer 6000 systems (grey dish) you will also need a filter, see the on-line manuals section for how to install it.
On the 4000 you will need to have "/pointing /manual" following the program in the shortcut before you launch the pointing program and click the enable OPI box in the pointing setup.
Find the bolts that hold the dish side to side movement. There are 3 5/16” carriage bolts clamping the bracket to the post. Put a mark on the post and the bracket for a reference point then loosen them just enough to move the dish. Turn on the computer and run the setup program, »192.168.0.1/fs/registration/setup.html and select the middle option “Antenna pointing”, Click ‘next’ and make a note of the Elevation Azimuth and Polarization. Click display signal strength and you should see a bar display. If you can’t see the display from the antenna have someone watch it while you adjust the antenna. Slowly move it one way a little and if it goes up keep moving till you get a maximum reading. If this gets you back into the 70s lock up the clamp and enjoy. If not you may have to adjust the elevation. This is more difficult without a little tool to make small adjustments but it can be done. Before you start look at the elev scale and note the reading. It should be near the same as what you noted in the setup section. There are 2 bolts that hole the elev adjustment. Before you loosen them push the top of the dish just a little and see if that changes the strength up or down. If it goes down push on the bottom and it should go up. If it goes down again it doesn’t need to be adjusted. If you need to adjust the elev hold the dish up with both hands and have someone loosen the nuts a little at a time till you can move it a slightly (like 1 degree or less at a time). Peak the sig and lock these bolts up. I see you are on the net now so no need to adjust polarization. Just exit from this program and find a better way to spend your $100.00. You can’t do any harm so the worst you can do is fail to get it adjusted and then have to spend the money to have it adjusted.
Sometimes you will find a TX7 error after pointing. This means the receiver lost signal while you were pointing and has shut the transmitter off. Go back to the point where you exited out of the setup program and when you close the sig strength display click next then automatic. It is very unlikely your x pol has changed so this will simply check the x pol setting. It should pass and reset your transmitter. Close and exit. If it fails try it a few times to see if you can get a pass. If it won’t pass call back here and we will go to the next step.
By the way, it is legal for you to point the dish after it has been installed by a certified installer.
Good luck
OPI numeric codes
first digit
0 - steady - signal strength
1 - flashing - XPOL queue
2 - flashing - XPOL fail
2 - steady - XPOL pass
Signal Strength - second and third digits
0-29 not locked
30 wrong sat
31-99 right sat
3 digit codes
8L8 - 13 volts
8H8 - 18 volts
Notes:
On the 6000 you will need to check the enable OPI box on the pointing screens.
On the newer 6000 systems (grey dish) you will also need a filter, see the on-line manuals section for how to install it.
On the 4000 you will need to have "/pointing /manual" following the program in the shortcut before you launch the pointing program and click the enable OPI box in the pointing setup.
I am certified for DirecWay installs. They must be set up by trained personnel and they are affected by the location if you move it very far from the initial install. You must go through the antenna alignment and the cross pol check before they will power up to full speed and capability.
You are better served hiring it done on a per job basis.
Good luck!
You are better served hiring it done on a per job basis.
Good luck!
pointing a direcway dish
what BS.. i have seen many people in RV's with these dish's on tri-pod and you mean to tell me that they are all Direcway installers....right
i understand that it is a little harder that a reg dish, but you look up were to poiny it get s singal meter and do it. i watch my installer do it and i feel i could too.
i have found web site that show you this
i did find a good web site but it on my computer at work.anyway do a google search.the web site i found even sell's the tri pod and meter
what BS.. i have seen many people in RV's with these dish's on tri-pod and you mean to tell me that they are all Direcway installers....right
i understand that it is a little harder that a reg dish, but you look up were to poiny it get s singal meter and do it. i watch my installer do it and i feel i could too.
i have found web site that show you this
i did find a good web site but it on my computer at work.anyway do a google search.the web site i found even sell's the tri pod and meter
You have to find which satellite you're assigned to from the Direcway software; DirecWay uses several (G4 is one). I'm on G4 and get 58 signal level on a good day...but as my OL says, "if it rains it goes down, if it rains in Maryland it goes down, if a bird flies over and f*rts it goes down"...I might need to drop a couple of limbs off the maple tree it looks past or relocate the dish a few feet east.
I did tweak mine up and got my signal up to 63 from 48 where the installer left it, but that's not the same as setting up at a new location. I'm pretty sure that an old microwave installer/tech (I used to be one) with an FCC General Radiotelephone Certificate would be a legal way to go.* That's all I needed to work on microwave comm gear in the oil patch.
* BTW this only applies to a 2-way Direcway system as the transmitter is the only thing that requires a license to work on. The one-way system uplinks on a dialup circuit.
If you can determine what the compass heading was at the old house that would help get it close enough to get a signal. Since they use a vertical pole the skew wouldn't need to be reset if the new mount isn't oriented the same as the old. Funny how most houses are set square north & south.
However Direcway might get crabby anyway. DirecTV gave me a lot of hassle about relocating a DirecTV system and they used to charge $150 to reactivate a used box for a new user.
I did tweak mine up and got my signal up to 63 from 48 where the installer left it, but that's not the same as setting up at a new location. I'm pretty sure that an old microwave installer/tech (I used to be one) with an FCC General Radiotelephone Certificate would be a legal way to go.* That's all I needed to work on microwave comm gear in the oil patch.
* BTW this only applies to a 2-way Direcway system as the transmitter is the only thing that requires a license to work on. The one-way system uplinks on a dialup circuit.
If you can determine what the compass heading was at the old house that would help get it close enough to get a signal. Since they use a vertical pole the skew wouldn't need to be reset if the new mount isn't oriented the same as the old. Funny how most houses are set square north & south.
However Direcway might get crabby anyway. DirecTV gave me a lot of hassle about relocating a DirecTV system and they used to charge $150 to reactivate a used box for a new user.
