Getting HD was a big mistake.(Solved, Warped Dish)

[tpinck]

Aroundthe first of the year we took the leap from SD to HD programming. At the timewe were in Goose Creek, SC and the service was very good since then not so
much. First off we are fulltime RVers and travel coast to coast often, ever 3or 4 months. Since leaving goose Creek we have not been able to get sat 129 to
come in. I did move sites while at Goose Creek and had no problem repointingthe dish. Even after we returned to the Charleston AFB we could not lock 129.
Thing have gone downhill from there.

With the old dish 500 system I seldom had any problem locking in 110 and 119,only when tree coverage was extreme. Here I am sitting at Ellsworth AFB with a
clear view not trees, or other obstructions and the signal strength for 110 isin the yellow when it shows up at all. 129 is totally AWOL.

I did have a difficulty in El Paso, TX with very high winds and the dish wasblown over. I have tried several times to locate a new dish but with shipping
exceeding my stay limits have had not luck. Contacting Dish resulted in beingtold that because we are mobile they cannot send a tech out, although they had
no problem doing so to upgrade me from SD to HD.

So Currently we have the VIP722-DVR-HD with 2 OTA modules ( neither of whichhave I been able to get to work without the dish attached). The black western
arch LNB 110,119,129 that works whenever it feels like it.

Oh I do use DishPoint for the android to align the dish and also usedishpointer.com for addition information. I also have used tinfoil over 2 of
the LNB's to peak each signal.

At this point I would like to drop all HD and go back to my reliable dish 500system with it's reliable DVR.

Ok enough of the rant ---- sorry.

What can I do to improve the reliability of what I currently have?

 

[Scherrman]

If I were an RVer I'd go with the tailgater, 211k and EHD.

 

[sca]

what does your switch matrix say? did you run a checkswitch?
you may have it pointed completely wrong with 129 port picking up 119
the 1k2 dish is not exactly a mistake, it just takes a lot more practice to aim.
give more details to get advice.

 

[Tampa8]

129 is harder to get, so if you are used to a quick aim for 119/110 I can see how it seems hard to get. If it's possible the 211K tailgater is tailor made for what you are doing. I don't know if it's feasible to switch to that set-up. I have seen posts of Dish sending a tech to a mobile location, but I have no experience with that.

 

[sca]

we go to rv parks ALL the time. someone just has to call.

 

[tpinck]

Thanks for all the replys.
I have consistantly run the switch check and it indicates that 119 and 110 are in input 1 and 2 but no 129. The dish is on a tripod and I set it up at each stop. I use the dishpoint application on my androad phone to check position and line-of-sight. I also have a Align-a-site attached to the dish that I setup after inputting the zip code in screen 6,1,1. I use an inline signal strength meter to peak the signal. I then run a switch check and keep peaking the dish until I get both 119 and 110 at least. Some times 119 is on input 1 and 110 on input 2 and X on input 3, a couple of times I have gotten 119 on input1, X on input2, and 110 on input3.

I have looked at the 211K and the carry-out -antenna both use on one LNB and we typically record at least 2 shows at once. which could be on 110 for one and 119 for the other. I think the switch times would be an issue. I have thought about getting 2 of them and set each as a seperate input to the receiver, not sure if it would work and a lot of money spent if it did not.

One of the main reasons in getting HD was for my wife, she wanted the Opra channel.

 

[Tampa8]

One of the main reasons in getting HD was for my wife, she wanted the Opra channel.

Wow, so now we know, that's the person watching.

 

[navychop]

Wow, so now we know, that's the person watching.

But it seems she won't be watching much longer.

 

[the mack]

you may have better luck with a 1000.2 or 1000.4 Eastern Arc dish as the satellites are higher in the sky in the east half of the country....

 

[papalittle]

Are you adjusting the skew setting at each new location? if you have the skew setting right and you get the 119 in the first slot and 110 in the second you should get the 129. Double check your skew. and forget about using the settings menu on the receiver since it does not list the 1000 dishes.

 

[JM42]

If it's always 129, maybe a bad LNB? Have you tried another?

 

[osu1991]

If you're using the settings from the dish pointer screen on the receiver, then that's part of your problem. Those are for a Dish 500 not a Dish 1000. The skew and elevation will be different with the bigger dish

 

[kirbybear]

If you are a full time RVer , why not get DISH DNS and then you only need 110 & 119.

 

[tpinck]

Thanks for all the replys. Yes I am adjusting the skews each stop. I have been able to get 119 in more easly than 110 and never 129. I am thinking that when the dish got blown over it might be a little warped or the LNBs could have bee damaged. Here at Ellsworth AFB, near Rapid City, SD I used AZ of 194, elv 37 and sku 106. I have even covered the 119 and 110 LNBs with aluminum foil and using an inline winguard signal strenght meter peeak the signal azmouth and elevation. then locked it down and peaked the skew. still negative on 129?

I found a dealer here in Rapid City, SD that I will contact today to see if I can get a new dish with or without the LNB.

I believe that I should stick with the Western arch as we spend a month in Levermore, CA and a month in Charleston, SC and take upto 2 months to go between them.

papalittle good point about the not having the 1000 dish I have been using settings for the 500.

 

[tpinck]

Again good point I just did not think about the size of the dish. This stop I used dishpointer.com and the setings for 1000.2, 119, 110 and 119. Although I use the poindish app on my android phone the number are too hard to read. At one time I had an amp for my PC that gave me the settings, I should see if that is available still. We don't always have a good internet connection with our aircard, but more and more campgrounds have wifi available.

 

[tpinck]

I bit the bullet and had the local dealer send out a tech, as it worked out the best $99 I have spent. He determined that the dish was warpped. After getting sat 129 locked on, as I read out the numbers the re-bent the disk to peak the signal. When complete the signal strengts went from 25 to 43 for sat 129, sat 110 is around 32 and sat 119 is 46. All good number and great picture and yes OPN is now available. I talked to the dealer and I can get a replacement 1000.2 dish for $49.00 and will pick it up tomorrow. I will be ready at the next stop if I have problems again. He was kind enough to give me a lot po pointers on pointing the dish without a bird-dog like meter. Actually his bird-dog died and he had to use an old style in-line meter to do the alignment, I took lots of notes.

 

[sperry85]

I bit the bullet and had the local dealer send out a tech, as it worked out the best $99 I have spent. He determined that the dish was warpped. After getting sat 129 locked on, as I read out the numbers the re-bent the disk to peak the signal. When complete the signal strengts went from 25 to 43 for sat 129, sat 110 is around 32 and sat 119 is 46. All good number and great picture and yes OPN is now available. I talked to the dealer and I can get a replacement 1000.2 dish for $49.00 and will pick it up tomorrow. I will be ready at the next stop if I have problems again. He was kind enough to give me a lot po pointers on pointing the dish without a bird-dog like meter. Actually his bird-dog died and he had to use an old style in-line meter to do the alignment, I took lots of notes.

I'm not sure where you are or what transponders your system uses but signals below 50 are not good. A properly peaked dish in my area should have 85-90 on 119 transponder 16 or 21. 75-82 on 110 transponder 11. 75-80 on 129 transponder 21. These are with a 1000.2 WA. A 1000.4 WA will get 2-4 points higher.

The tech should have replaced your dishkit, not bend it back to where he thinks it should be. Especially if you paid 100 bucks for him to come out.

Here are your dish settings by zipcode..
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&...J5dGVjaHRyYWluaW5nfGd4OjUxN2UyMzU2Y2MyODM5NGU

 

[CK SatGuy]

The OP said earlier he was in Rapid City, SD. In that area, 50s and 60s on the meter is actually pretty good.

110 min: 54-60; Avg: 63-68
119 min: 50-61; Avg: 59-71
129 min: 40-41; Avg: 45-47

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ArjTkH327MqqdGZqLUtBS1ZRUXdSNmhNeFl3V2pERmc&hl=en#gid=8

 

[Brussam]

If I were an RVer I'd go with the tailgater, 211k and EHD.

A VIP211K is a poor substitute for a VIP722 starting with the lack of TV2.

If you are a full time RVer , why not get DISH DNS and then you only need 110 & 119.

Even with DNS, the HD Channels are on 129.

you may have better luck with a 1000.2 or 1000.4 Eastern Arc dish as the satellites are higher in the sky in the east half of the country....

For most of the country, the best is the Western Arc when you travel around.

As mentioned, you cannot use the receiver settings for a DishPro 1000 dish. You have to use the settings in the manual I have a spreadsheet with a lookup function at DishSettings, middle of the page.

You really don't need to use tin foil on the 110 and 129 LNBFs. You have to be sure that the cable you have your meter on is selection the 119 LNBF. If you are using pass-thru on the meter, then have the receiver set to 119 on both tuners. I prefer to have a meter that generates a 22KHz signal which forces the 119 LNBF selection to the cable the meter is connected to. The meter costs a little more but makes life a lot easier especially when you have to setup the dish a long distance (150"+) from the RV.

Actually the tin foil can really mess you up if the 119 LNBF isn't selected. A floating cable connection can easily be 110 and you have that covered up. You will spend a long time looking for a satellite that way.

Dish technicians will only enter a house on wheels for installations, not service calls. If fact if your register your RV to get DNS, you cannot have a service plan. I don't agree with this policy but that is the way it is now.

When I got the Hopper upgrade, I had to go through a local dealer because I was an RV. Hoppers are great for RVs as now the TV2 can be HD also for a few bucks more.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Glad you are fixed!