I'm trying to help a friend connect the said system to the 61.5 satellite only (no dishnetwork programming, just sky angel). We can't get a signal and are not sure if it is our poor aiming or a bad lnbf because when doing a check switch test it does not show it is connected unless we use my Dish500 Pro LNBF. Are there some special rules for making the switch work with a 500twin lnbf? Can we point the dish and get a signal without doing a check switch? Does the check switch test show the lnbfs to be connected witihout receiving a signal first? Thanks for the help.
Dish 500 Legacy Twin LNB 61.5 Connect
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you have to make sure that the coax is connected to the side of the lnbf that your trying to get the signal through to start, you also have to make sure that your mast is plumb and that your dish is skewed to 90 and that your elevation for your friends zipcode is set on his dish also, the check switch wont show the device type atached on a legacy lnbf until you have signal either. Disconect the line from the reciever and rerun the checkswitch to clear out the switch matrix to show all x's and reconnect then tune your friends dish with one at the dish and the other at the tv with the signal screen, be sure to have the 61.5 sat option checked and use telephones or walkie talkies to tell the guy doing the tuning when the signal comes in, you will want to have a minimal signal of %85 to minimize signal loss from adverse weather, the higher the signal the less chance of signal loss.
We've completed our third round of tedious attempts to get this working. I'm far from a professional but did install my own satellite a couple years ago and then after cancelling Dish Network I repointed my dish to 61.5. I didn't have much trouble before and didn't think we'd have any troubles. So much for thinking.
We cleared the matrix, we adjusted the mast to be plumb using the level on both the west and north side of the pole and on the horrozontal of the bracket (it was off slightly at first). We've checked all connections with other electronic components and are connecting directly to a small tv with just two sections of cable a total of 9 feet or so in length (one section is RG59 instead of RG6 but everyone says it should work that close to the TV). We've made sure we are using the satellite in connection on the system. We moved the dish in very small increments (1/4 inch or so) and stopped between each move. We're not in front of the dish. We have changed the elevation in increments of two degrees from 31-37. Our angle here is 34 (66736 zip code) and that's the angle I use at my house across the street. We've connected his lnbf to my system and received a signal. We've connected his system to my lnbf and dish and received the signal. And in this most recent round we used my lnbf on his system and dish to try and get it set up because his lnbf on my system had shown errors on the one lnbf while the other worked. We thought once the phone not being connected could be it so we kept that plugged in over the last 2 rounds. It's all been to no avail.
What are we missing? This last round we did bypass the grounding block, but don't see how that could be it. I read once about coverning the unused side of the lnbf. Should we do that? Is there anything else to check. The dish we have is old but it was used as little as 3 months ago for the 110 & 119 dishnetwork programming and worked fine. It can't be the dish itself can it. It's still got a good coat of paint on it. We did have troubles with my system finding his lnbf at one point but after restoring the factory defaults and running a check switch test for 61.5 the system found it. Thanks for any more ideas on what we may be failing at.
We cleared the matrix, we adjusted the mast to be plumb using the level on both the west and north side of the pole and on the horrozontal of the bracket (it was off slightly at first). We've checked all connections with other electronic components and are connecting directly to a small tv with just two sections of cable a total of 9 feet or so in length (one section is RG59 instead of RG6 but everyone says it should work that close to the TV). We've made sure we are using the satellite in connection on the system. We moved the dish in very small increments (1/4 inch or so) and stopped between each move. We're not in front of the dish. We have changed the elevation in increments of two degrees from 31-37. Our angle here is 34 (66736 zip code) and that's the angle I use at my house across the street. We've connected his lnbf to my system and received a signal. We've connected his system to my lnbf and dish and received the signal. And in this most recent round we used my lnbf on his system and dish to try and get it set up because his lnbf on my system had shown errors on the one lnbf while the other worked. We thought once the phone not being connected could be it so we kept that plugged in over the last 2 rounds. It's all been to no avail.
What are we missing? This last round we did bypass the grounding block, but don't see how that could be it. I read once about coverning the unused side of the lnbf. Should we do that? Is there anything else to check. The dish we have is old but it was used as little as 3 months ago for the 110 & 119 dishnetwork programming and worked fine. It can't be the dish itself can it. It's still got a good coat of paint on it. We did have troubles with my system finding his lnbf at one point but after restoring the factory defaults and running a check switch test for 61.5 the system found it. Thanks for any more ideas on what we may be failing at.
Try transponder 6 or 8 to test from, its probable that if you got an error from the lnbf on your reciever that its not going to give you a correct reading or show signal at all. Its also possible that his reciever may be bad but without being there and having the tools that I have I cant really tell you either, same goes for line of site and wether or not there is any contamination within the fittings on the coax and if the splice that your using is bad or not. What do you have thats connecting the two coax lines together? If its a splitter then your not going to get a proper reading if at all.
Thanks for the posts. We'll certainly try the different transponders. As for the splice, we're just using one of those straight connectors with two male ends to attach the two cords directly together. That's not a splitter is it? It's the same kind of thing as on the coax grounding block that we have bypassed for testing.
I'm thinking now of trying both his system and his lnb at my house since my satellite is properly pointed. That should tell us if it is all in our aiming or line of sight unless . . . I have a question about the fact that his system has an old yellow smart card instead of the newer blue card. Dish Network said they'd send a new one to him as soon as he activated. Does that have anything to do with being able to properly program the system to receive from 61.5?
I'll remember that the legacy dual lnbf is the way to go if we have to order a new lnbf. Thanks again to all for the help.
I'm thinking now of trying both his system and his lnb at my house since my satellite is properly pointed. That should tell us if it is all in our aiming or line of sight unless . . . I have a question about the fact that his system has an old yellow smart card instead of the newer blue card. Dish Network said they'd send a new one to him as soon as he activated. Does that have anything to do with being able to properly program the system to receive from 61.5?
I'll remember that the legacy dual lnbf is the way to go if we have to order a new lnbf. Thanks again to all for the help.
lestasha said:
yellow is newer also was this lnb working with this receiver? Also is the 500 set to flat skew? make sure mast is plumb and elevation is set correct. I've got some legacy duals I will ship you for a couple of bucks plus shipping if you want but should be able to get one from a dealer used for $5 or $10
We have the skew flat though interestingly mine at home was still set at 113 and I had little troubles finding the satellite. The bubble on our level for "plumbing" the mast is between the lines all the way around now. We've changed the elevation in increments trying to find the satellite. The azimuth is 128 and the elevation 34 for our 66736 area code.
As for the offer for the lnbf, I may get back with you if our troubleshooting on Monday at my house determines we have need for it. The lnbf was working with this system before service was discontinued a few months ago.
By the way, is there an easy way without buying special tools to mirror the azimuth on my working dish (pointed to 61.5) with the one we put up at my friends house? I'm thinking if we could lock his system and lnbf in on my dish here and aim his dish properly before plugging in the system again at his house we may have better luck.
I was going to try using a right angle of some sort first on my dish by placing one arm of the angle to one side of the mast mounting bracket behind the mast and then use the measurment on the other arm to mark a spot up on the the mast just below the bracket of the dish itself and then use a measuring tape to measure the length from the marked spot to the center spot where the dish's mounting bracket comes together. I could then try to do the same on my friend's mount and dish in order to know where to aim his dish. We would then either be in luck or we would know barring connection troubles (which we've already tested) that something is still pulling our aim off.
Any better ideas on how to do this would be appreciated. We likely won't get to it for two or three days. Thanks.
As for the offer for the lnbf, I may get back with you if our troubleshooting on Monday at my house determines we have need for it. The lnbf was working with this system before service was discontinued a few months ago.
By the way, is there an easy way without buying special tools to mirror the azimuth on my working dish (pointed to 61.5) with the one we put up at my friends house? I'm thinking if we could lock his system and lnbf in on my dish here and aim his dish properly before plugging in the system again at his house we may have better luck.
I was going to try using a right angle of some sort first on my dish by placing one arm of the angle to one side of the mast mounting bracket behind the mast and then use the measurment on the other arm to mark a spot up on the the mast just below the bracket of the dish itself and then use a measuring tape to measure the length from the marked spot to the center spot where the dish's mounting bracket comes together. I could then try to do the same on my friend's mount and dish in order to know where to aim his dish. We would then either be in luck or we would know barring connection troubles (which we've already tested) that something is still pulling our aim off.
Any better ideas on how to do this would be appreciated. We likely won't get to it for two or three days. Thanks.
I said, ". . . then use a measuring tape to measure the length from the marked spot to the center spot where the dish's mounting bracket comes together." Make that ". . . then use a measuring tape to measure the length around the pole from the marked spot to the center spot where the dish's mounting bracket comes together."
This is getting complicated!
This is getting complicated!
I think your elevation is off, 34 seems low to me, try setting it at 36 and use a new coax jumper to test off of, somethings giving you and your friend problems finding and or verifying this satellite. If after doing this and you dont get it I think your friend is gonna have to break down and spend some cash to have a tech come out to get his system up and running.
The Twin LNB is designed for the 110/119. It can be used for the 61.5, but you need to do a couple of extra things. Cover the 110 side of the Twin with duct tape or a piece of aluminum foil. If you are using a 500 Twin, there is no point in doing a check switch until you get a signal. Keep in mind that you can also use a D* LNB whn looking for only the 61.5. This may make things a little easier. Make sure that if you are trying to tune in with a legacy, you need to have cleared the DP switch matrix or the receiver will not see the legacy LNB.
We've tried the higher elevation and reset the matrix. The specs say to use 34 elevation but mine is set at 35 and a half. I figured my pole was off a little. I'm glad to know we don't have to do a check switch before getting a signal. We will try covering the 110 side. I agree that some money may have to be spent if this final round doesn't come up with something. Still haven't tried again due to busy schedules. Thanks again for all the advice.
Ok fine people, We have now covered the 110 side of the twin 500 legacy lnbf and are using a new coax cable approx. 15 feet long that leads straight from the lnbf to the system without any connectors or grounding blocks and have tried to clear the matrix and reaim still to no avail. We know that it should work because we connected both his lnbf and his system onto my dish and it worked without doing a checkswitch or anything.
We've got two questions before we give up or of course would take new suggestions to try. Does the phone line have to be connected to point the dish? (we think not and didn't use it last time) And secondly can you tell us or point us to info that will help us ensure that we have cleared the matrix properly since we are using a legacy lnbf and need that done. And tell us if we need to do a check switch test afterwards before aiming (I gathered from someone here that we do not need to). And are we to shut the system off after clearing the matrix or are we to leave it on? I think we've done both. What we see when doing check switch is a message that switch not detected and then these lines:
input 1 1 2 2
sattellite x x x x
polarity x x x x
When we turn the system on and off we always see the message on screen that says progress 1 of 5 and something about looking for the default satellite signal but of course it can not even get through the first test. Is that a sign the matrix is not cleared? Also is clearing the matrix the same as clearing the memory that I read about somewhere else? Thanks again all.
We've got two questions before we give up or of course would take new suggestions to try. Does the phone line have to be connected to point the dish? (we think not and didn't use it last time) And secondly can you tell us or point us to info that will help us ensure that we have cleared the matrix properly since we are using a legacy lnbf and need that done. And tell us if we need to do a check switch test afterwards before aiming (I gathered from someone here that we do not need to). And are we to shut the system off after clearing the matrix or are we to leave it on? I think we've done both. What we see when doing check switch is a message that switch not detected and then these lines:
input 1 1 2 2
sattellite x x x x
polarity x x x x
When we turn the system on and off we always see the message on screen that says progress 1 of 5 and something about looking for the default satellite signal but of course it can not even get through the first test. Is that a sign the matrix is not cleared? Also is clearing the matrix the same as clearing the memory that I read about somewhere else? Thanks again all.
Sorry about the jumbled question in paragraph 2 above. I do understand that clearing out the matrix is doing a check switch without the satellite cable and lnbf attached. What I didn't know is if I need to turn the system off and on again before trying to aim the dish.
I also want to know if the matrix screen I described is what I should see if the matrix has been cleared properly. We've tried to no avail with so many angles and elevation combinations that I am wondering if the matrix has not been cleared properly. Thanks again.
One more thing, the best we can tell the tip of one tree branch about 30 yards away could be in the line of sight. That wouldn't keep us from from getting a signal would it? I've seen lots of dishes up with a lot more branches in line of sight than that.
I also want to know if the matrix screen I described is what I should see if the matrix has been cleared properly. We've tried to no avail with so many angles and elevation combinations that I am wondering if the matrix has not been cleared properly. Thanks again.
One more thing, the best we can tell the tip of one tree branch about 30 yards away could be in the line of sight. That wouldn't keep us from from getting a signal would it? I've seen lots of dishes up with a lot more branches in line of sight than that.
Yes, a tree branch would cause an LOS problem. As for the switch check, that is what you get when you do a check switch with a 500Twin connected and no signal anyway. Did you try your LNB on his receiver as well? also, if you are using a single sat LNB, try tuning it in with your LNB and then swap his in.
Yes we've tried my LNB on his receiver too, but it is a twin 500 dish pro and we couldn't get the signal with it either except when using it on my already pointed dish.
The obvious answer is a crooked mast, but we've checked and rechecked that and have tried elevations from 28-48 and swept the dish through the correct azimuth numerous times. I guess we're left with the branch possibility and will next try remounting the dish elsewhere. If that doesn't help I guess it's time to call the nearest professional so he can come and tell us what dumb mistake we are making. Anyway, thanks again for posting.
The obvious answer is a crooked mast, but we've checked and rechecked that and have tried elevations from 28-48 and swept the dish through the correct azimuth numerous times. I guess we're left with the branch possibility and will next try remounting the dish elsewhere. If that doesn't help I guess it's time to call the nearest professional so he can come and tell us what dumb mistake we are making. Anyway, thanks again for posting.
Lestasha, what type of reciver does your friend have?? If it is a 2800 or ends in 00 you need to you legacy equipmet. If it's a 301 or 311 then you can use either DishPro or Legacy. If you're still not detecting signal, maybe you should take your reciever to your friends house and try it there.
My friend's is a 301 just like mine though his lnbf is a legacy vs my dishpro. We've had his lnbf on my dish connected to my system at my house and have had both his lnbf and system on my dish at my house. Both scenarios worked and it's been my assumption that using his lnbf on my system would be no different than taking my system to his house, but then again could his system have troubles only with pointing the dish? That's another option I hadn't considered.
