lost 110

[glgeek]

greetings,

well, after a couple of weeks of loosing and regaining 110, it is gone for good.
also 119 kind of comes and goes. some of the transponders work and some don't. at one time i saw an error that said there was a problem with the switch.
so, i am thinking that i should replace the SW21 switch.
does that sound like a logical place to start provided that the connections and cable are good?
if so, could you reccomend a vendor to buy it?

TIA
bruce

 

[vegassatellite]

Sounds like some trees grew in the way or possibly bloomed and now blocked the signal. You can try hooking the receiver direct to one of the LNBs and seeing if you get any signal. Transponders with stronger signals will not unlock before the weaker transponders do.

dishpointer.com has a wonderful tool that will use a google satellite map image of your property and it will superimpose a line to the satellites on it so you can see where the signals come in from. It will also give you an elevation for each. To check if your elevation is good and not blocked, you can cut a 2x4 at the same angle as the elevation. Then, while holding it level, look up the cut and see if any trees appear beyond it. If so, you got tree issues.

 

[glgeek]

thank you for the reply.

turns out the mounting plate was loose and the dish was listing.
tightened it back up and am now getting signals in the upper 60s.
got 110 back.

however, it is time to remount this dish. right now it is a single point mount bolted into a rafter. i can relocate it so that it mounts to a lower roof and then attaches to the facia of the upper roof, giving it 2 points of attachment. so, i have a couple questions.

within the next year i will be going from the dish 500 to 1000.X when i do HD. will the new dish mount to the same mast that i install now? i was going to go to home depot and get a chain link fence post that is 1 5/8" (i remember somewhere that it is the same dimension as what i have now). it would be nice that i would not have to do this all over again a year from now. what size mast do the 1000.X dishes use?

and, i remember seeing here on this board a link to a vendor who made some really nice dish mounts but can't find it again. does anyone know of the vendor link? they had some good soffit and facia mounts.

thank you for all your help,
bruce

 

[Stargazer]

Time to get the chainsaw out.

 

[vegassatellite]

Time to get the chainsaw out.

Did you even read the replies to this thread?

within the next year i will be going from the dish 500 to 1000.X when i do HD. will the new dish mount to the same mast that i install now?

The 500, 1000, 1000.2, 500+, 1000+, Eastern Arc (1000.4) dishes all use a mounting bracket that is 1 5/8" outside diameter. The major difference in the masts is that the larger the dish, the heavier gauge of the metal and also the mast is slightly longer to allow greater turning radius on the azimuth. If you get a chain link fence post, get one with a heavier gauge to prevent torquing under loads imposed by wind on larger dishes. If you're really looking to future proof your pole mount, you might consider sinking a 2" (or whatever DirecTV's slimline uses) and then just install a reducer at the top. You'll get a heavier gauge that way without losing the ability to go bigger should a different dish standard come along.

 

[glgeek]

thank you for the reply. that is exactly what is was looking for.

i made a sextant from a protractor, string and a straw and sighted the trees while i was up there. the top of the trees are at 20 degrees at about 40 feet away. i have a few years before they become a problem.

thanx again for the info !!!!!

bruce

 

[vegassatellite]

i made a sextant from a protractor, string and a straw and sighted the trees while i was up there.

MacGuyver would be proud!

 

[TheKrell]

Your fencepost idea has me worried. If you use a mast significantly taller than the stubby one that came with your 500, I can personally guarantee it will blow over in high winds. I find tripods objectionable, but guy wires are nearly invisible and work quite well.

 

[vegassatellite]

Your fencepost idea has me worried. If you use a mast significantly taller than the stubby one that came with your 500, I can personally guarantee it will blow over in high winds. I find tripods objectionable, but guy wires are nearly invisible and work quite well.

He said he was considering a fence post that was 1 5/8". I take that to mean that he meant a fence pole 1 5/8". No mounting bracket in that case, just a run of the mill pole mount.

 

[glgeek]

He said he was considering a fence post that was 1 5/8". I take that to mean that he meant a fence pole 1 5/8". No mounting bracket in that case, just a run of the mill pole mount.

what i was planning is to use a 1 5/8" dia. fence pole and attach it to the mounting plate that was included with the original dish on the top of the garage roof. and then, about 3 feet up, secure this same pole in a second location by attaching it to the side of the facia of the roof above. then, the dish would be mounted about 2' above that attachment point.

this would anchor the pole in 2 places and keep it plumb.

hope that makes sense.

bruce