Help installing 5 LNB dish for Direct TV

[RickyTicki]

I am trying install a new dish myself and upgrade from my existing standard dish. Can anyone give me the main obstacles of installing the new HD slimline dish. I got a HD DVR and the Dish from a friend who moved. So I really do not want to pay for someone to install the new dish for me.

Any suggestions would be very appreciated. I currently have my dish installed on a 2ndry roof that is over a kitchen sun room. It faces direclty to the SW and has no obstructions.

Do I need to get a sat finder? Thanks!!!!!

 

[JamesJ]

http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=91923

there is a thread in our Hd section right now going on about the very same question-see if that helps any!

 

[EricS]

It would be a good idea to use a sat finder, preferably one that can be set the ber to log format for fine tuning...........ka band requires precise pointing..........get your mast level and plumb, be sure you catch a truss line with your center holes......this is not optional! Also be sure you use both monopoles for added support........tighten collar bolts enough to take the play out of it but loose enough to still easily turn, set elevation, and tighten inside nut on elevation adjustment, leave two outside nuts loose.....rotate back and forth to find your high point, and then lock down collar bolts......turn elevation adjustment on dither with 1/2 inch nutdriver to obtain highest strength, once you peak, set tick dial to zero and then make two full rotations counter clockwise.....record what your signal is......then begin rotating dial clockwise, carefully tracking number of turns down to the tenth, passing your original start point and stopping when you get to exact low point you hit when making the first two rotations counter clockwise, now take the number of turns it required to reach this point (for example maybe you went two to the left, and then had to go 5 to the right to get to the same low point, 5 would be the number we want) now divide that number in half and after setting dial back to zero again, turn counter clockwise until you get to that half number of rations, 2 1/2 by my example........lock down elevation bolts....then follow same process for azimuth after loosing two nuts under front of dither mechanism........hope this helps.........skew can usually be preset, but may need to adjust to peak out 119.....

 

[Jimbo]

It would be a good idea to use a sat finder, preferably one that can be set the ber to log format for fine tuning...........ka band requires precise pointing..........get your mast level and plumb, be sure you catch a truss line with your center holes......this is not optional! Also be sure you use both monopoles for added support........tighten collar bolts enough to take the play out of it but loose enough to still easily turn, set elevation, and tighten inside nut on elevation adjustment, leave two outside nuts loose.....rotate back and forth to find your high point, and then lock down collar bolts......turn elevation adjustment on dither with 1/2 inch nutdriver to obtain highest strength, once you peak, set tick dial to zero and then make two full rotations counter clockwise.....record what your signal is......then begin rotating dial clockwise, carefully tracking number of turns down to the tenth, passing your original start point and stopping when you get to exact low point you hit when making the first two rotations counter clockwise, now take the number of turns it required to reach this point (for example maybe you went two to the left, and then had to go 5 to the right to get to the same low point, 5 would be the number we want) now divide that number in half and after setting dial back to zero again, turn counter clockwise until you get to that half number of rations, 2 1/2 by my example........lock down elevation bolts....then follow same process for azimuth after loosing two nuts under front of dither mechanism........hope this helps.........skew can usually be preset, but may need to adjust to peak out 119.....

Nice post EricS

Jimbo

 

[Todd Humphrey]

Trying to turn an adjustment bolt one way, then another then divide and split the difference can be very hard if you are not familier with satellite dishes. It can take at least 1 complete turn of the rod to take up the slack before the dish begins to move, which throws off your whole calculation. That method looks great on a training video, and many will swear by it. I am even sure that with enough experiance someone might get pretty good using that method, but after being called to a lot of homes and having re-fine tune 5-LNB dishes that were "professionally installed" by DTV, I have my doubts that it reliably works 100% of the time.

Having a meter is fine to get you roughed in, but you will have to measure the actually signal quality level to nail down the best spot. If you want to buy a $300+ meter to do this, then go ahead. Otherwise you will need to rough-in your signal and then use the receivers built in meter. This meter does not measure the strength of the signal but rather the quality of the data stream. Yes a stronger signal usually yields a better signal quality, but not always.

There are four basic ways to adjust your dish using the receivers meter.

1) The yelling back and forth method (AKA the relationship killer) - Not recommended

2) Cranking the volume up on the TV so you can hear it at your dish location. OK, if your dish is close enough. Even better if you can see your TV.

3) Running a coax from the receiver to a TV co-located at the dish, also works, although a little awkward in bad weather

4) My favorite trick, Use two-way radios or even a baby monitor. Turn the volume up on the TV a little and set one radio to voice activate. Use the other radio to listen to the signal quality level as you make VERY SMALL movements on the dish.

Start off with everything snuggled down. Using one finger, apply slight pressure to the dish to push it left to right and up and down. You will need to wait 1-3 seconds before the receivers signal meter responds, this is because the receiver has to process the data. A true signal level meter responses immediately because it is not processing data. It is only measuring the strength of the signal and the quality of the data stream.
Once you have an idea of which way the dish has to go, loosen the bolts only enough to allow you to move the dish. If you loosen too much, the dish will flop around. Keep the bolts snug and slop free.
Once you have the best signal quality carefully secure all bolts. Then, check your dish by shaking the dish pretty hard. It is not uncommon for a dish mount to tighten in such a manner that it can slip to a new position when under stress. I call this the shake down test.

 

[EricS]

Actually on the slim line there is no slack in the dither adjustment bolts, and the point of making two rotations as opposed to one, counterclockwise, is to compensate for any play.........the idea is to find a drop point one direction, find the matching drop point the other, and then split the difference.........one thing you said is accurate, just because it was proffessionally installed doesn't mean it is set properly, lol........as a factory tech I can vouch for that point.......

 

[Joe Diamond]

Hey Todd,
I have used all those methods. My personal favorite is the baby monitor because you can leave it on while you work and the cx often forgets it is broadcasting their conversations.........got a cool stories.
Awhile ago I picked up the trick of tuning the 23 transponder on the 101 sat and this gave peaked signals on the 119 ,110 & 101........from these I have been able to dibble in the other two sats. Until yesterday.
No amount of tuning gave me any signal on transponders 23,25 or 29 on the 119 while installing an H 20-600 through a 5 lnb ka/ku non slimline. All the channels were there including the HDs & HD locals. Have there been changes up there? Is it a goofy box? Should I retweak the dish?

Joe