Old DirecTV Dish and a new Digiwave Receiver

[SherlocktheBeagle]

Hi Folks....very newbie question here and a bit of a shaggy-dog story.

There is an old DirectTV dish mounted to my chimney (about 25' up). It's been there since we bought the house 9 years ago. I've always wondered if it could work and when I found a Digiwave HD9003PVR in a local electronics shop for $70, I thought I'd try. There is a single co-axial cable coming down from the dish with what appears to be a groundwire as well. I attached the co-ax cable (there was no terminal to attach the ground), and hooked it up to the TV.

I do get a signal (86% strength). The dish appears to be a single LNB, so in the drop-down menu on the Digiwave for "LNB type" on the receiver, I put in "Unicable A", IF Channel "1" and Center Freq of 1210. Upon scanning, the receiver detected hundreds of channels (most of them scrambled), on both the C-Band and Ku Band for Galaxy 3C at 95.0W. Yay. it works.

Here's the really weird thing. The ONLY FTA channel I'm getting is a continuous loop 30 minute long Dish Network infomercial. This infomercial is playing on all of the unscrambled channels.

So the question to the group is: Have I missed a key step somewhere or made a newbie mistake (highly likely) and what would you do differently? Oh...and how did Dish Network get its infomercial onto DirecTV's satellite?

Many thanks

 

[FaT Air]

Well, being a dish 'dish' it's probably aimed at a dish service satellite. Tip off= hundreds of channels but only a loop that's not scrambled. How do you know it's aimed at G3?? Another thing, Bet your "C band" is identical to the Ku. It's possible to be confused. The lnbf sends 950Mhz to 2400Mhz down the coax. The receiver doesn't know what band it originated on. See LNB LO Frequency - 101 . You'll have to determine exactly what LNBF is on the dish to program the receiver correctly, and to see if it's usable for FTA. This will require looking at it and getting a model number. While there, might as well take it down. Get 'used to it' at ground level.
Pictures & measurements of the dish, LNBF model# will disclose if it's FTA capable.

 

[Anole]

If the dish has a single cable and has been up for 9 years, it's not likely a candate for FTA use.
It is too small and has a circular LNBF made for the DBS band.
A photo would confirm.

edit:
Don't risk your life going up on the roof.
Get a proper dish, and install it where you don't need a ladder for access.
Go ahead and experiment and learn with the existing dish but don't expect any more from it.

 

[SherlocktheBeagle]

Thanks Fellas! Helpful advice. much appreciated.

 

[Tron]

The dish is too small for FTA, and the LNB is the wrong type. That dish is meant to receive DBS-band signals.

I wonder why it was installed so high and in such a difficult to reach location... Line of sight issues perhaps? Might be a good idea to do a site survey before installing any larger dish you purchase. Make sure there are no trees, buildings, or other obstructions between your dish location and the satellite you wish to receive.

 

[Anole]

Oh I've seen DBS dishes around here (DirecTV & DishNet), installed on chimneys of two story houses.
And with such a clear LOS, the dish would've worked laying in the ground!
I don't know what these installers have to prove.