First Time Tuning For HD Advice Wanted

[Rebel Racing]

O.K. just answered my own question--the txpdr screen does change on its own. Now, still working on the 101, all I have are txpdrs 28 showing 91, #30 at 94 and 32 at 94 also. I asssume that I still need to dither it a lot more??

 

[raoul5788]

O.K. maybe this question will slightly redeem myself While aiming, which screen should I have up--the one that shows all 32 txpdrs OR the signal meter screen? Also, will the txpdr screen show real time or do I need to refresh it after each movement of the dish??

Thanks!!

The screen should refresh by itself. The signal meter screen may be easier to use for tuning since you can see it better. I used the transponder screen the last time I adjusted my dish. Maybe I should have tried the other one!

 

[Rebel Racing]

O.K. just answered my own question--the txpdr screen does change on its own. Now, still working on the 101, all I have are txpdrs 28 showing 91, #30 at 94 and 32 at 94 also. I asssume that I still need to dither it a lot more??

Starting to think that I have the 110 sat coming in since it is only those txpdr's showing. Used a cheap hand held meter to rough aim and had it pegged for the most part but I feel that I should have more than 3 reading. Maybe swing it a bit to the left???

 

[Rebel Racing]

Well, after 2 hr of tweaking it the left a pencil line width at a time I cannot get anything other than the above mentioned txpdrs--and they go to 0 with any movement at all. I even swung it to the right and no luck. Skew doesn't change things greatly either--I went 50' either side and still had 90+. Elevation affects it once I get more than 5' off. Looks like the round 18" is going back up tonight--this is getting old real fast. Probably have to pay an installer this week as I'm all our of ideas.

 

[raoul5788]

I'm assuming you checked the mast and made sure it is plumb. That is important. Recheck the elevation and skew settings on the dish. Double check the azimuth heading. Take a deep breath and try again! You can do it! Make sure you are pointing at the 101 satellite.

 

[Rebel Racing]

I'm assuming you checked the mast and made sure it is plumb. That is important. Recheck the elevation and skew settings on the dish. Double check the azimuth heading. Take a deep breath and try again! You can do it! Make sure you are pointing at the 101 satellite.

Yes, tripple checked the plumb every time I tightened the mast. Elevation and skew checked also. I even laid several lines of tape on the roof to paralell the general direction of the lnb arm of the old dish to give me an idea of the general direction to follow and then confirmed it with the compass. Logic would tell me that I am on the 110 bird ( since I only have the 28,30,32 txpdrs--and they are all above 90 but all the others are dead zero) but no matter how small of change I make to the AZ, I loose the 3 txpdrs and don't get anything else as I GRADUALLY swing to the left. I even tried going to the right the same way but do not get anything at all. 11 yrs ago I aimed the round dish and it took maybe an hour and I got the 101 almost right away. I knew that the 99 and 103 would take some time to fine tune but I am baffled why I cannot even find the 101. Is there any other way to know if you are on the 101 a opposed to others???????

 

[efbrune]

You do know that you have to change the elevation when you move to dish to the east. I'm assuming that you are on the 110 bird, so if you move the dish to the east you will have to raise the elevation.

I'm not trying to a smart @ss or anything.

 

[Rebel Racing]

You do know that you have to change the elevation when you move to dish to the east. I'm assuming that you are on the 110 bird, so if you move the dish to the east you will have to raise the elevation.

I'm not trying to a smart @ss or anything.

No offence taken at all. I didn't know for sure or not. I did add more ele. while I had 90's on those three txpdrs and it only casued those numbers to go down and then away--maybe I should of continued and the 101 would come in??? Any ide of how much more ele it would take compared to the 110 as I swing east? Any help is appreciated!!!

 

[harshness]

Quite so........& no delete button.

If you edit the message, you'll be presented with a delete button.

 

[harshness]

Step 1: Make use of dishpointer.com to get your azimuth, elevation and tilt numbers.

Step 2: Set the elevation and tilt on the scales provided according to the numbers from dishpointer. The closer you get, the faster this will go.

Step 3: If you haven't completed steps 1 and 2, do them now. They aren't difficult and failure to do them diligently will result in much time wasted.

Step 4: Check plumb on your mast with a good level. It is not just important, it is imperative. It is possible to set everything up with a cocked mast, but you would need special equipment to pull it off.

Step 5: If you've performed steps 1 and 2 correctly and swing the dish, you should see 101W about where a magnetic compass says it should be.

The rest is dialing in.

Failing to perform each step in order will likely have a less than optimal result.


Self-installing is overrated.

 

[harshness]

Logic would tell me that I am on the 110 bird ( since I only have the 28,30,32 txpdrs--and they are all above 90 but all the others are dead zero) but no matter how small of change I make to the AZ, I loose the 3 txpdrs and don't get anything else as I GRADUALLY swing to the left.

Logic should also tell you that if you can see 110W with your current settings, you're elevation is around 3.8 degrees too low. That's not an auspicious start.

What are you using for azimuth, elevation and tilt?

 

[Rebel Racing]

Logic should also tell you that if you can see 110W with your current settings, you're elevation is around 3.8 degrees too low. That's not an auspicious start.

What are you using for azimuth, elevation and tilt?

O.K. just got the 101!!! Signal strength on most of the 32 are in the 60-80 range--not nearly good enough I know but I have a starting point.Is there aspecific txpdr that I should be tuning for or just a general over big number on most of them??

 

[Rebel Racing]

O.K. just got the 101!!! Signal strength on most of the 32 are in the 60-80 range--not nearly good enough I know but I have a starting point.Is there aspecific txpdr that I should be tuning for or just a general over big number on most of them??

Update.............tweaking the AZ I have all in the 90+ with 4 at 100 and the lowest at 76 and an 89. Maybe start to tweak the EL. now?? Still working the 101.

Another update: Somehow got to a status page and seen this: a small box with an "X" at 99 in the odd line but a check mark for the 101 and 103 with 3 checks on the even line for all three birds. I was only tweaking the 101 but maybe I have it close on the others?? Should I be concerned about the odd line that has an X for 99?? Also, it said that no signal was found for tuner 2. Do I need to change it to 2 tuners on the setup since I only have the one receiver (HR24)?? Confused over that.

Thanks!!

 

[Mr Tony]

yes change it to two tuners

If it shows an X in one I wouldnt worry. I had the same issue and the Transponders worked fine. Sometimes a red button reboot fixes that once everything is aimed properly

 

[Rebel Racing]

yes change it to two tuners

If it shows an X in one I wouldnt worry. I had the same issue and the Transponders worked fine. Sometimes a red button reboot fixes that once everything is aimed properly

O.K. cool.. I haven't even tried tweaking the 99 or 103 but I guess it is close. Not going to mess any more tonight since it's dark but I assume that if I can get higher number on the 99/103 then it should be good in bad weather. About the 2 tuner switch---once changed it will allow me to watch one chanel and record another??

Thanks!!

 

[Mr Tony]

yes once you change it to 2 tuners you can do that

Do a RBR (red button reboot)...then see what the signals show across the board. (99c, 103ca, 103cb & 101). 99s & 103s are spotbeams and may show good or zero. this is normal depending on location

 

[Rebel Racing]

yes once you change it to 2 tuners you can do that

Do a RBR (red button reboot)...then see what the signals show across the board. (99c, 103ca, 103cb & 101). 99s & 103s are spotbeams and may show good or zero. this is normal depending on location

Sounds good--thanks for all the help!! I'm sure that I will bug you guys for more info but at this point I think that we are on the right track.

 

[raoul5788]

Sounds good--thanks for all the help!! I'm sure that I will bug you guys for more info but at this point I think that we are on the right track.

It's a lot more fun when you start getting it to work yourself, isn't it! I'm excited for you!

 

[Rebel Racing]

It's a lot more fun when you start getting it to work yourself, isn't it! I'm excited for you!

Your'e right...........it's so easy to pick up the phone and pay someone to do stuff like this but you don't realy learn and you skip the part of the feeling of accomplishment. Done the same thing with auto repair and home improvements over the years. I'm not so stubborn that if it's way above my skill level I'll still get a pro but if I can take an educated stab at it I feel a lot better with the end result.

 

[Rebel Racing]

Should I mess with it??????

The 101 is all above 90 with 5-7 at 100.

Checking the 99c, I get a low of 77 and a high of 92 with an average of 84.

Checking the 103cb, low of 85 high of 91 average of 87.

The spot beams at 99s and 103s are all over the board but I think that is normal.

Question.........since the picture has been fine for several days, should I fine tune anything or leave well enough alone? I haven't been through a storm yet so I can't say if it will fade though. Any thoughts???