New To RV Dish

[JSheridan]

Moving right along.... Anyone know what this means? I've got the cable run from the 1000.2 to my 1st Wally. The cable test good all the way. I've got the dish pointed per dishpointer.com at 218.2 magnetic while taking the reading away from any interfering stuff (5th wheel, metal building, power lines, etc) and elevation 46.2 best I can read on the scale of the dish mount. Skew is 124 per app. I also verified the location of sats 110, 119, & 129 using DishPointer Pro, Sat Finder and Wingard TV Signal Finder. I'm very sure that I'm on or very near the sats. Just don't know rather to call Dish next or what.

That usually means that your dish isn't aligned.

Call your local retailer, if you have a good one.

 

[rvvaquero]

Moving right along.... Anyone know what this means? I've got the cable run from the 1000.2 to my 1st Wally. The cable test good all the way. I've got the dish pointed per dishpointer.com at 218.2 magnetic while taking the reading away from any interfering stuff (5th wheel, metal building, power lines, etc) and elevation 46.2 best I can read on the scale of the dish mount. Skew is 124 per app. I also verified the location of sats 110, 119, & 129 using DishPointer Pro, Sat Finder and Wingard TV Signal Finder. I'm very sure that I'm on or very near the sats. Just don't know rather to call Dish next or what.

If I'm misunderstanding what you're doing, just say so.

If you think you can set up the dish to the specs, then go inside and start watching TV, it doesn't work that way. There is very little room for error, and you'll need to tweak it just to get any kind of signal.

What I've done for years is this. Set the skew and tighten the bolts. Set the elevation and snug the bolts. Start either east or west of your target azimuth and slowly swing dish through the target zone. When you hit a signal, check to see if that is the correct satellite (119). Get the signal as best you can on azimuth. Then, tweak the elevation very carefully to achieve best signal. This should render you a usable signal on all three satellites. In 11 years of full time rv'ing and setting up the dish multiple times per year, I've never had to tweak the skew.

You will need some type of meter, it doesn't have to be an expensive one. I used the meter on the receiver for years, listening through an open window. Then, I bought one of those $10 things to use outside and would go inside and look at the receiver to verify. In any case, you can't just set it up with a compass and expect it to be right. JMO

 

[NYDutch]

Make sure you're using the right set points for the skew and elevation. The skew can usually be left alone once set, but tweaking the elevation up or down a little to dial in the signal is normal.

 

[masterdrago]

"never had to tweak the skew". "skew can be left alone once set". Very confusing. Every zip code I stick into Request Rejected comes up with all three different angles. I'm thinking that these points are meant for a/my single location - therefore once 124 is set for my backyard, it will not change. Correct? So, I'm hearing lock the skew, then get close with the compass and then smoothly jiggle through the azimuth after getting fairly close on the elevation. Problem for me is that I cannot seem to get to a page in the setup of the Wally that will give me any indication that I'm even close to a signal. And will not allow me to input a sat# or transponder. Question.... Can I use a known working but decommissioned ViP612 at the receiving end of the 1000.2? As a test instrument? Sorry to be such a novice but I do enjoy learning. And if I hire some bloke from Dish to come do it, I'll still be ignorant.

 

[masterdrago]

request rejected.... how obscene can you get? apparently you can click on the two words to get to that link.

 

[NYDutch]

Once the skew is set for your current location, it usually doesn't need to be touched again. If you're using the numbers from DishPointer.com, make sure you're using the settings from the "Multi-LNB" section near the bottom of the sat list. I don't know if the Wally menus match the Hopper menus, but if they do, the "Dish" page of the "Diagnostics" section should show you the signal strength for the satellite and transponder your dish is seeing. And yes, your deactivates 612 will work as a setup tool.

 

[masterdrago]

I'm finding that using a compass is only good to get a very rough fix on where the sat is located. Even the phone pointing apps are grossly effected by the nearby presence of metal structures, overhead power lines, etc. When I'm near the tripod, the reading is ~4 degrees different in azimuth from when I walk out 50' towards the indicated sat location given in a clear place. So I'm learning. I did not realize the beam down was so narrow.

 

[NYDutch]

I'm finding that using a compass is only good to get a very rough fix on where the sat is located. Even the phone pointing apps are grossly effected by the nearby presence of metal structures, overhead power lines, etc. When I'm near the tripod, the reading is ~4 degrees different in azimuth from when I walk out 50' towards the indicated sat location given in a clear place. So I'm learning. I did not realize the beam down was so narrow.

The apps, like the compass, use the earths magnetic field to align the sat indicators on the camera view, so yes, the magnetic sensor in your phone is affected by the same external forces.

 

[masterdrago]

Just a side note. It was not even possible to use the Wally as a signal/sat finder until it is activated.... and you cannot activate it until it is locked on a satellite. NICE!! I took the old ViP612 out into the RV and hooked it up. Was able to get to the point dish menu but even that was confusing with all the tuner, transponder and other tabs that needed to be set. I finally got 55 on the meter using Super Dish (no 1000.2 in the drop down). Other options were 300 or 500 - kept wanting me to point to sats 21 or other. Was a real PIA getting the dish lined up on that pencil beam and only managed to lock on 119 &129. I then hooked up the Wally and did a switch check. Went through the setup and got Dish Network to activate after a 20+ minute hold. I'll activate #2 Wally tomorrow and try to slip the 1000.2 a little east to hopefully pick up all 3 birds. Had no idea it would be this twichy to point it. $800 for a meter still not an option!!

 

[masterdrago]

Two more questions. 1) How far should I need to rotate the azimuth to "see" sat 110? I'm thinking ~2 degrees. Appears that I'm only seeing 119 & 129. 2) Can I use a bit of grease under the flange of the mast where it rides on the cavity of the heavy duty tripod to smooth the rotation adjustment? Also, I made a small mod to the tripod to allow the mast to mount perpendicular to the top. There was a small rise caused by the index scale.

 

[reubenray]

On my mast I used a magic marker to put a line across the top and straight down the shaft to the bottom. This allows me to line up the dish and then the mast to the degree scale plate.

 

[Jim5506]

If you are pointing the 110 lnb at 119, then you need to rotate your azimuth 8-10 degrees east and maybe raise the elevation a degree or two.

 

[masterdrago]

With the hook up shown in the image, I've got signal strength of 52-55 on all three sats (110, 119, & 129). If I split it with the separator shown in the pix (separator was on the back of my ViP612), I have zero signal strength. When it was on the 612 while I was pointing the 1000.2, the signal strength was the same (~50-55). Could I have screwed up the separator when bending the cables? Is that the right gizmo to use - separator, splitter, duplexer or something else at the RV hookup?

 

[masterdrago]

Forgot the pix

 

[JSheridan]

With the hook up shown in the image, I've got signal strength of 52-55 on all three sats (110, 119, & 129). If I split it with the separator shown in the pix (separator was on the back of my ViP612), I have zero signal strength. When it was on the 612 while I was pointing the 1000.2, the signal strength was the same (~50-55). Could I have screwed up the separator when bending the cables? Is that the right gizmo to use - separator, splitter, duplexer or something else at the RV hookup?

That separator is for a 612, 222, 322, 722 or other dual tuner receiver. It won't work for 2 Wally's.

If you have a DPP LNB then you need a separate wire from the LNB for each Wally.

If you have a Hybrid LNB you can use one wire from the LNB to a DISH Channel Stack Splitter.

 

[masterdrago]

Let me make sure I am reading this correctly. From my DPP LNB which has 3 outputs and one input, I run two RG-6 cables into the convenience center of the RV and hook those two RG-6 cables to the two (bedroom, living room) connectors each going to one Wally. So the big question that jumps into my mind is which two connections on the DPP LNB? Will not that only get me two satellites - I'm getting 3 sats now on only the number 1 connector of the DPP LNB. Is this issue solved by running the "check installation" to get to the auto check switches function? I'm beginning to learn Greek, so keep hitting me!

 

[masterdrago]

One more. If I have two short pigtails of RG-6 connected to #1, #2, or #3 in the DPP LNB so I can connect the double long run of RG-6 to the convenience center, will it matter if they get swapped to different Wallys after tearing down and setting up again?

 

[masterdrago]

Or should I tag them in some way so they always get connected precisely the same way every time?

 

[JSheridan]

Let me make sure I am reading this correctly. From my DPP LNB which has 3 outputs and one input, I run two RG-6 cables into the convenience center of the RV and hook those two RG-6 cables to the two (bedroom, living room) connectors each going to one Wally. So the big question that jumps into my mind is which two connections on the DPP LNB? Will not that only get me two satellites - I'm getting 3 sats now on only the number 1 connector of the DPP LNB. Is this issue solved by running the "check installation" to get to the auto check switches function? I'm beginning to learn Greek, so keep hitting me!

One wire from any of the three output ports on the DPP LNB to each receiver will get you all three of your satellites. It doesn't matter which one of the three ports you're connected to.

 

[masterdrago]

I think I got the idea that I could do this with only one coax from the DPP LNB from Brussam in post #40