Dish 500+ Installation Help

[JB884]

Well, I finally got a chance to get the Dish 500+ up on the roof and tried to get it aligned today but didn't have much success. Briefly had a flash of 10% on 119 but then couldn't get it back. Looking for some advice on what I might be doing wrong.

According to the the manual my setting should be 243 AZ, 26 EL, 123 SKEW. Dishpointer.com says the settings should be 240 AZ, 28 EL, 123 SKEW. So I tried getting a signal in between elevations of about 24 to 30 with no luck. Anyone with experience know how true the scales are on the Dish 500+? Do they tend to be off one way or the other?

How critical is the skew to getting a signal? I have it set to exactly 123, and from reading the manual they say to not play with it for the initial adjustment, just change the AZ/EL.

I have the receiver hooked up directly to the 119 LNB, no switch, and was checking signal strength on transponder 14. Should I be doing something different?

Thanks,
JB

 

[Dah-Henny]

I'd go with dishpointer's numbers, and go slow, because the receivers are a bit slow to respond to dish movements.

 

[kb2vgp]

I have to ask first, do you have clear line of sight? You need to check for both 119 and 110 satellites. If you have good line of sight for 119, 118.7 will also be good since they are basically next to each other in the sky. Second, what are you using for a meter? Make sure your mast is plumb before you begin trying to point your dish, or that will give you problems. You are correct in beginning with the 119 satellite TP 14 to aim in. Start from either the left or right and slowly turn the dish until you get a signal. Once you have the highest signal, tighten the bolts enough so the dish won't rotate left of right, then pull up or down on the reflector to see if you bring in a higher signal with elevation. Once you have it, tighten the bolts enough to make minor adjustments and check the 110 satellite and finally the 118.7 satellite with the transponder your channels will be on. I successfully did this using an old 301 receiver for my meter and I've got my highest signals I've ever had. The only thing to keep in mind with that, is the 301 receiver didn't respond as quickly as a super buddy satellite meter. Hope this helps!

Once, you have your dish peaked, tighten all bolts so that nothing will move especially with wind!

 

[Frank7004]

10min with a super buddy and a half way retarded tech would have that done for you.

It's $15 with the service plan.

 

[JB884]

I have to ask first, do you have clear line of sight? You need to check for both 119 and 110 satellites. If you have good line of sight for 119, 118.7 will also be good since they are basically next to each other in the sky. Second, what are you using for a meter? Make sure your mast is plumb before you begin trying to point your dish, or that will give you problems. You are correct in beginning with the 119 satellite TP 14 to aim in. Start from either the left or right and slowly turn the dish until you get a signal. Once you have the highest signal, tighten the bolts enough so the dish won't rotate left of right, then pull up or down on the reflector to see if you bring in a higher signal with elevation. Once you have it, tighten the bolts enough to make minor adjustments and check the 110 satellite and finally the 118.7 satellite with the transponder your channels will be on. I successfully did this using an old 301 receiver for my meter and I've got my highest signals I've ever had. The only thing to keep in mind with that, is the 301 receiver didn't respond as quickly as a super buddy satellite meter. Hope this helps!

Once, you have your dish peaked, tighten all bolts so that nothing will move especially with wind!

Yes, I am pretty sure I have a clear line of sight. There are some trees in the area, but the dish is up on the roof and I should be clearing them easily. I have a FTA dish in a similar location mounted on the side of the house and it has line of sight.

As for a meter, I am just going by the signal strength screen in the receiver. I suppose I could get one of those cheap $20 meters, but I don't really think that would be of much help?

I see your also located in NY area, did you find you elevation/skew setting to be accurate as provided by Dish? Or are they up or down a couple degrees? I do remember when I installed an older DirecTV dish the elevation they told me was about 5 degrees too high.

Thanks,
JB

 

[JB884]

10min with a super buddy and a half way retarded tech would have that done for you.

It's $15 with the service plan.

Wow that was a real insightful comment. Really answered the questions I had.

Since I have acquired the equipment myself, I don't get free installation nor do I have a service plan. Hence I am installing the dish myself.

 

[Frank7004]

Get on the service plan. Not trying to be rude but it's cheap and effective.

Hell, even $95 would have to be worth your time. At least it would to me.

 

[dlk2002]

Well, I finally got a chance to get the Dish 500+ up on the roof and tried to get it aligned today but didn't have much success. Briefly had a flash of 10% on 119 but then couldn't get it back. Looking for some advice on what I might be doing wrong.

According to the the manual my setting should be 243 AZ, 26 EL, 123 SKEW. Dishpointer.com says the settings should be 240 AZ, 28 EL, 123 SKEW. So I tried getting a signal in between elevations of about 24 to 30 with no luck. Anyone with experience know how true the scales are on the Dish 500+? Do they tend to be off one way or the other?

How critical is the skew to getting a signal? I have it set to exactly 123, and from reading the manual they say to not play with it for the initial adjustment, just change the AZ/EL.

I have the receiver hooked up directly to the 119 LNB, no switch, and was checking signal strength on transponder 14. Should I be doing something different?

Thanks,
JB

Send me a pm with city and state with the exact dish with LNB (Eye) type. If you are using a 500+ that would require 500+ LNB . 27 AZ is not very high and it can be very deceiving. Send me the info or heck, even a picture of the dish. If you are adding 118.7 and 110 you will need a switch.

 

[kb2vgp]

Yes, I am pretty sure I have a clear line of sight. There are some trees in the area, but the dish is up on the roof and I should be clearing them easily. I have a FTA dish in a similar location mounted on the side of the house and it has line of sight.

As for a meter, I am just going by the signal strength screen in the receiver. I suppose I could get one of those cheap $20 meters, but I don't really think that would be of much help?

I see your also located in NY area, did you find you elevation/skew setting to be accurate as provided by Dish? Or are they up or down a couple degrees? I do remember when I installed an older DirecTV dish the elevation they told me was about 5 degrees too high.

Thanks,
JB

If your not sure about line of sight, you'll know in the spring when the foliage comes back! I've done a few installs early on where i thought that I was clearing trees until i relocated the dish to another spot!

As far as the meter, the receiver will work just remember that the signal strength on receivers respond slower than dedicated meters. The key is to make very minor movements until you get a signal and then tighten the dish just enough so you can't freely move the dish so you can peak the dish for maximum signal. The best thing to do, is if you have a small tv, take that and the receiver out to the dish with you while making the adjustments.

As far as the skew, AZ and EL goes the skew provided will be good set at 123. I've actually twisted that around on a peaked dish and a few degrees difference won't make or break the signal. The AZ and EL are roughly accurate and once you find the signal, you will have to tighten the dish down where you have the highest signal. The best thing to do, is work left to right first finding your highest signal and lock your dish so it won't move. Next, with the EL just slightly loosened, tilt the dish up or down to where the signal is highest vertically. Now the dish should be peaked. Once you've done that, tighten your nuts so you don't lose your peaked signal and check the signal from the other satellites. With the bolts still tight, you should be able to push up, down, left and right on the reflector to verify that you are receiving the highest possible signal. Once you've done that then you can really clamp down on all the bolts on the dish. Since you've already tried it once and found a signal, you should be able to find the signal once again, just make sure it's from the correct satellite you're looking for!

Let me know if you have any more questions and how you make out!

I just reviewed your original post and saw that you only had a brief signal and then couldn't find it again. My thoughts are the receiver is responding too slow to your movements or you don't have good line of sight to the 119 satellite. Here in NYS the 119 satellite is at an EL of about 24 where the 110 is about 30. I'm not sure about your particular setup, but it could be and issue. You also mentioned you had an FTA dish in a similar location, what orbital is that pointed to? If it is pointed more southerly, it will be at a higher elevation.

 

[JB884]

If your not sure about line of sight, you'll know in the spring when the foliage comes back! I've done a few installs early on where i thought that I was clearing trees until i relocated the dish to another spot!

As far as the meter, the receiver will work just remember that the signal strength on receivers respond slower than dedicated meters. The key is to make very minor movements until you get a signal and then tighten the dish just enough so you can't freely move the dish so you can peak the dish for maximum signal. The best thing to do, is if you have a small tv, take that and the receiver out to the dish with you while making the adjustments.

As far as the skew, AZ and EL goes the skew provided will be good set at 123. I've actually twisted that around on a peaked dish and a few degrees difference won't make or break the signal. The AZ and EL are roughly accurate and once you find the signal, you will have to tighten the dish down where you have the highest signal. The best thing to do, is work left to right first finding your highest signal and lock your dish so it won't move. Next, with the EL just slightly loosened, tilt the dish up or down to where the signal is highest vertically. Now the dish should be peaked. Once you've done that, tighten your nuts so you don't lose your peaked signal and check the signal from the other satellites. With the bolts still tight, you should be able to push up, down, left and right on the reflector to verify that you are receiving the highest possible signal. Once you've done that then you can really clamp down on all the bolts on the dish. Since you've already tried it once and found a signal, you should be able to find the signal once again, just make sure it's from the correct satellite you're looking for!

Let me know if you have any more questions and how you make out!

I just reviewed your original post and saw that you only had a brief signal and then couldn't find it again. My thoughts are the receiver is responding too slow to your movements or you don't have good line of sight to the 119 satellite. Here in NYS the 119 satellite is at an EL of about 24 where the 110 is about 30. I'm not sure about your particular setup, but it could be and issue. You also mentioned you had an FTA dish in a similar location, what orbital is that pointed to? If it is pointed more southerly, it will be at a higher elevation.

Thanks for the response. As for the line of sight, I previously had a DirecTV dish at the location for 101W (this is on the peak of the roof on a tripod) and was receiving maximum signal from that satellite. As you know that satellite is higher in the sky, but from my preliminary site survey I didn't think the trees would be an issue.

The FTA dish which is mounted on the side of the house was able to receive signals well from 105W and since the Dish 500+ is up on the peak of the roof on a tripod, probably 15ft higher and in a better area with regards to the trees I didn't think that would be an issue.

I think you may be right about the receiver responding too slow to the movements. Also from reviewing information on dishpointer.com it appears I may have been aiming too far west when looking for the signal. I only worked on it for a brief period since it was so cold out and I just wanted to confirm here that I would indeed be able to use the receiver as a meter by setting the satellite to 119 and transponder 14 since it didn't list my dish type in the menus.

I will be giving it a try again soon when the snow melts again and I will let you know how it works out.

Thanks
JB

 

[Jimmerinwi]

If you have a compass, you can use that to find the approximate location in the sky you should aim the dish.

 

[kb2vgp]

Let me know how you make out when you do get to aim it. I can tell you from experience that a you can aim a dish using a receiver, it's just not as easy as with a meter though. I've pointed my 500+ dish and even 61.5 dish using an old 301 receiver. I have the receiver and a small tv with me right out at the dish while I was aiming, easy setup for a diy'er! Although from having used the super buddy satellite meter, I'd prefer that but I don't have $600-$700 to spend on a meter for just aiming my own dish! Good luck!

 

[vash1090]

Here's a tip nobody mentioned, make sure that you're pointing off the correct port. If the receiver is new, it will only pick up 119 feed. If you have a regular 500+ dish, point with the port labeled 2D. If you somehow have the new DPP 500+, just use port 1.

As previously mentioned, 27 elevation is quite low. Here our 1k4 EA is at 33 elevation and that's enough of a hassle even with a super buddy.

 

[kb2vgp]

Here's a tip nobody mentioned, make sure that you're pointing off the correct port. If the receiver is new, it will only pick up 119 feed. If you have a regular 500+ dish, point with the port labeled 2D. If you somehow have the new DPP 500+, just use port 1.

As previously mentioned, 27 elevation is quite low. Here our 1k4 EA is at 33 elevation and that's enough of a hassle even with a super buddy.

If you read the original post he did have it connected to the 119 port. You are correct though in that he will have to use a receiver that has previously been activated or he will only get the 119 satellite. Also, is there a new plus dish I haven't heard about? I haven't heard of a DPPlus 500+ dish.

In regards to the elevation, 27 is about right for where the OP lives. Remember he is pointing at 110, 118.7 and 119, not at EA. EA for his location should be around 38 degrees pointing almost due south.

 

[vash1090]

If you read the original post he did have it connected to the 119 port. You are correct though in that he will have to use a receiver that has previously been activated or he will only get the 119 satellite. Also, is there a new plus dish I haven't heard about? I haven't heard of a DPPlus 500+ dish.

In regards to the elevation, 27 is about right for where the OP lives. Remember he is pointing at 110, 118.7 and 119, not at EA. EA for his location should be around 38 degrees pointing almost due south.

I'd really hate for it to sound like you're patronizing me. I know the orbital slots for 500+, and there is a new LNB coming out. It was in the DNS ATM a few weeks ago. Won't be used until the old ones are gone. The reason I mentioned EA was obviously because I said it's at 33 elevation from here, and I once had the 61.5 blocked by the neighbor kid's basketball hoop, so it's pretty low.

Are you sure he is connected to the 119 port? You can pick up 119 with the dual for 110 just the same. Or 119 can also be mimicked by 72.7 or 91.

 

[JB884]

Hello Guys,

Yes, I did have the receiver hooked up to port 2D looking for a signal on 119.

I was not aware that the receiver would only recognize a signal from 119 initially. Good thing I wasn't trying to get a signal from 110.

Still haven't been able to do anything further, had 10 inches of snow on Friday and waiting for that to melt. Maybe sometime later this week.

Thanks,
JB

 

[JB884]

Finally got a brief chance to get up on the roof and play with the dish. Hooked up to port 2D (119 LNB) I found satellite 110, of course not what I was looking for but as soon as I got that it started pouring out. Obviously I need to move the dish further West as I should be locking 119.

Question: I locked 110 with the dish at an elevation of about 27. Does this mean I need to lower the elevation and move West to get 119 and then 110 should fall into place off of the 110 LNB? Or should I just have to move the dish West and leave the elevation at 27?

Thanks,
JB

 

[HIFI]

Finally got a brief chance to get up on the roof and play with the dish. Hooked up to port 2D (119 LNB) I found satellite 110, of course not what I was looking for but as soon as I got that it started pouring out. Obviously I need to move the dish further West as I should be locking 119.

Question: I locked 110 with the dish at an elevation of about 27. Does this mean I need to lower the elevation and move West to get 119 and then 110 should fall into place off of the 110 LNB? Or should I just have to move the dish West and leave the elevation at 27?

Thanks,
JB

lower your elevation 4 degrees and swing west.

 

[JB884]

Thanks, I will be giving that a try hopefully today.

JB

 

[JB884]

lower your elevation 4 degrees and swing west.

You were right on. Dropped the elevation down around 4 degrees and locked 119. Hooked everything up, ran the check switch and all 3 birds are locked in. May do some fine tuning when the weather gets a little better.

Thanks to all for the assistance.

JB