so after much reading I finally bit the bullet and ordered the winegard portable satellite dome from dish tv.
it's been one problem after another since installation on Wednesday.
we lose the satellite signal at least every two hours, and it's down for another two to six hours after that.
we've moved it from place to place, run the cable from the back of the unit directly through a window to the dish vip 211z receiver, I unplug and replug, start from scratch over and over and over and no go.
I have spent well over 7 hours on the telephone with dish and winegard technicians and it's still working for maybe six hours max a day.
it is windy here, when I had it up on a table I could see it rocking slightly, so placed it back on the ground in case that was preventing it from latching onto the satellite.
the southern sky is not obstructed for the most part, though there are oil rigs nearby. the oil rigs don't move, and are a fretwork not solid.
I just don't know how to determine if there is something inherently wrong with the product or if it's local conditions.
any ideas?
thanks!
GENECOP said
04:18 PM May 11, 2014
Can only tell you that a little bit of movement from wind should not be causing all these problems...I have a meter that helps me lock on manually, you should be able to hook up a meter directly to the dish, if single strength is good then you know dish is good and the problem is wiring inside....that's my guess....
suse1023 said
04:33 PM May 11, 2014
thanks gene.
from where do I get the meter and what exactly is it called---I'm learning all this as I go, so thanks for your patience. that darn thing has been rotating since 1130 am today looking for the signal! switch installation gets finished but then it cant acquire the signal!
oh boy, as I type this we've got two out of five green bars--maybe just maybe....
-- Edited by suse1023 on Sunday 11th of May 2014 04:34:49 PM
0nTheRoad said
06:08 PM May 11, 2014
suse1023,
I have a Pathway, don't use it all the time, only when I can't get a signal with the roof mounted Trav'ler.
I also ordered the tripod stand when I got the X2, it comes with a screw-in anchor with a bungee to secure the dish/tripod from moving. That keeps the X2 from moving, even in a pretty brisk wind.
When I use only the primary port I can choose which satellite arc [East or West] I want to use, when you use both the primary and secondary ports [2 receivers] the X2 chooses itself. This can be annoying if the locals are only on one arc. In Florida the X2 would only link to the Eastern arc and the locals are only on the Western arc.
Once I locked onto the sats I would only lose the signal in heavy rain, otherwise no problems.
cherylbrv said
06:13 PM May 11, 2014
May I ask the cost of this system - initial layout and monthly?
There is no monthly fee for the X2, there may or may not be monthly fees for the DISH receivers depending on whether you lease or purchase them. In my case I purchased the receivers so my only monthly fees are for the DISH service and that varies on what you subscribe to. Could be as low as $40/mo.
The PathwayX2 is only one of many different antenna options, the least expensive option is a carryout like you see on the side of a house, the most expensive option is typically not of the roof mounted antennas yo see on RV's.
GENECOP said
09:33 PM May 11, 2014
Go to Amazon and search "SATELLITE FINDER METER".....it's a useful item and only cost about $8....keep us posted....
bjoyce said
09:14 AM May 12, 2014
If a meter does not do it, get the smartphone app "Dishpointer". It is called "DishPointer Augmented Reality" in iTunes and "DishPointer Pro" in the Android Play Store.
0nTheRoad said
09:43 AM May 12, 2014
Not sure what the meter will do for you with the X2, this antenna will search for the sats itself, there is no manual adjustment needed. Thats why you're paying the extra money!!
If you want to use a meter you can get a simple sat antenna but remember, if you are trying to get HD, there are multiple LNB's on the antenna [3 with DISH] and you have to align all 3 to get full coverage, this can be difficult, not to mention frustrating. If you just want SD you only need one LMB, this is much simpler to setup.
Bill and Linda said
12:07 PM May 13, 2014
suse1023 wrote:
so after much reading I finally bit the bullet and ordered the winegard portable satellite dome from dish tv.
it's been one problem after another since installation on Wednesday.
we lose the satellite signal at least every two hours, and it's down for another two to six hours after that.
we've moved it from place to place, run the cable from the back of the unit directly through a window to the dish vip 211z receiver, I unplug and replug, start from scratch over and over and over and no go.
I have spent well over 7 hours on the telephone with dish and winegard technicians and it's still working for maybe six hours max a day.
it is windy here, when I had it up on a table I could see it rocking slightly, so placed it back on the ground in case that was preventing it from latching onto the satellite.
the southern sky is not obstructed for the most part, though there are oil rigs nearby. the oil rigs don't move, and are a fretwork not solid.
I just don't know how to determine if there is something inherently wrong with the product or if it's local conditions.
any ideas?
thanks!
Based on the symptoms you describe above, especially the part where it works and then it doesn't and the part where you are sure there are no obstructions, I'd suggest a bad cable or bad center pin connection in the coax. Is the center pin of the coax making good connection at each point? Is the coax crimped going through a window so something like that. If it works solid sometimes and then not and there are no obstructions, that sounds like a cable / connection problem. Just a guess based on what you are describing. But I must add "not blocked for the most part" doesn't mean the sky is not blocked. When dealing with dish and the required multiple satellites widely spaced, "for the most part" may not be good enough. My 2 cents.
igotjam said
06:41 PM May 23, 2016
Wish I had done this search before buying the pathway 2 three months ago. Same problems as original poster. Buying new dish next week....the pathway is junk.
so after much reading I finally bit the bullet and ordered the winegard portable satellite dome from dish tv.
it's been one problem after another since installation on Wednesday.
we lose the satellite signal at least every two hours, and it's down for another two to six hours after that.
we've moved it from place to place, run the cable from the back of the unit directly through a window to the dish vip 211z receiver, I unplug and replug, start from scratch over and over and over and no go.
I have spent well over 7 hours on the telephone with dish and winegard technicians and it's still working for maybe six hours max a day.
it is windy here, when I had it up on a table I could see it rocking slightly, so placed it back on the ground in case that was preventing it from latching onto the satellite.
the southern sky is not obstructed for the most part, though there are oil rigs nearby. the oil rigs don't move, and are a fretwork not solid.
I just don't know how to determine if there is something inherently wrong with the product or if it's local conditions.
any ideas?
thanks!
thanks gene.
from where do I get the meter and what exactly is it called---I'm learning all this as I go, so thanks for your patience.
that darn thing has been rotating since 1130 am today looking for the signal!
switch installation gets finished but then it cant acquire the signal!
oh boy, as I type this we've got two out of five green bars--maybe just maybe....
-- Edited by suse1023 on Sunday 11th of May 2014 04:34:49 PM
I have a Pathway, don't use it all the time, only when I can't get a signal with the roof mounted Trav'ler.
I also ordered the tripod stand when I got the X2, it comes with a screw-in anchor with a bungee to secure the dish/tripod from moving. That keeps the X2 from moving, even in a pretty brisk wind.
When I use only the primary port I can choose which satellite arc [East or West] I want to use, when you use both the primary and secondary ports [2 receivers] the X2 chooses itself. This can be annoying if the locals are only on one arc. In Florida the X2 would only link to the Eastern arc and the locals are only on the Western arc.
Once I locked onto the sats I would only lose the signal in heavy rain, otherwise no problems.
There is no monthly fee for the X2, there may or may not be monthly fees for the DISH receivers depending on whether you lease or purchase them. In my case I purchased the receivers so my only monthly fees are for the DISH service and that varies on what you subscribe to. Could be as low as $40/mo.
The PathwayX2 is only one of many different antenna options, the least expensive option is a carryout like you see on the side of a house, the most expensive option is typically not of the roof mounted antennas yo see on RV's.
Go to Amazon and search "SATELLITE FINDER METER".....it's a useful item and only cost about $8....keep us posted....
If you want to use a meter you can get a simple sat antenna but remember, if you are trying to get HD, there are multiple LNB's on the antenna [3 with DISH] and you have to align all 3 to get full coverage, this can be difficult, not to mention frustrating. If you just want SD you only need one LMB, this is much simpler to setup.
Based on the symptoms you describe above, especially the part where it works and then it doesn't and the part where you are sure there are no obstructions, I'd suggest a bad cable or bad center pin connection in the coax. Is the center pin of the coax making good connection at each point? Is the coax crimped going through a window so something like that. If it works solid sometimes and then not and there are no obstructions, that sounds like a cable / connection problem. Just a guess based on what you are describing. But I must add "not blocked for the most part" doesn't mean the sky is not blocked. When dealing with dish and the required multiple satellites widely spaced, "for the most part" may not be good enough. My 2 cents.