We’re full timers domiciled in Box Elder, SD. Our 2007 5th wheel is equipped with the Winegard Movin’ View Digital Satellite mobile antenna for use while stationary (model MV3500A). We have never had satellite service before so we have no previous experience or knowledge of the technology involved.
We decided to see if we could get our existing dome to work before spending money on newer equipment. We aren't concerned about getting high def so figured we might be able to save some cash by not replacing it. We signed up with DirecTV through Sam’s club. The guy that signed us up talked to someone on the phone who said that they should be able to provide us with the equipment needed to use an older dome. A tech came out to our site and clearly had no idea what was needed but got on the phone and noted on the front of our owners manual that we needed a “a swm kit or HR24”. He made another appointment for a tech to come out the following week with the necessary equipment.
The 2nd tech arrived and told us that DirecTV no longer provides the receiver that we need and that we should contact a friend of his at Dish who he said could get us hooked up without any problem. Since we were planning to leave the area in just a few days, we decided to wait until we got to another longer term site before attempting to get service again.
We are now settled at a park in FL for a couple months so I decided to try again. I contacted DirecTV to see if I could get a better explanation of what the problem was and the person I talked with told me that I should sign up through Winegard who could provide the correct receiver.
I contacted Winegard last week and explained the problem and what equipment we have. He said that he would send us the receiver and we could install it ourselves. He also explained that we could use the DNS service to get either east or west coast network channels and said that he’d send us the paperwork that we needed to get that started.
The receiver arrived (it’s the HR24 according to the invoice) and I contacted Winegard to help me go through the installation procedure. They got me to the activation screen and said I should contact DirecTV to get the account activated.
I contacted DirecTV again and after talking with two people the third person finally seemed to know what was needed. She walked me through the activation screens but she kept insisting that the receiver appeared in their system as a high def receiver and that we need the SWM technology (a black box?) to use it. The system wouldn’t let us get past the activation screen where it connects with the satellites. It kept saying that we needed to restart or we needed a “waiver”. She finally suggested I get back with Winegard and tell them I need a different receiver. When I tried to reach Winegard again they were closed for the weekend.
Does it really have to be this difficult?? Would Dish be this hard? I’ve spent literally hours on the phone trying to get this figured out. I’ll try Winegard again tomorrow but I’m not feeling hopeful. Getting very frustrated.
-- Edited by Judy L on Sunday 15th of November 2015 12:08:56 PM
Clay L said
12:20 PM Nov 15, 2015
The H24 has both SD and HD capability. There are menu settings for both SD and HD dishes. SWM is only needed for HD SWM dishes. Newer dishes - not domes - such as the Slimline 3s SWM use the SWM menu settings. The old 18 round dishes and the non SWM Slimline dishes are set as required for the type of dish and below that setting Multi Switch is selected instead of SWM.
-- Edited by Clay L on Sunday 15th of November 2015 12:21:33 PM
ticat900 said
12:49 PM Nov 15, 2015
clay is giving u good technical information but YES Sat dish receivers and dishes and activation in a RV are difficult because unless you know and understand the systems and how they work you sol, lots of the Sat dish system phone people don't really know as much as u would think and most are trained to give informations on the newer systems which are all multi LNB(3 sats)hd systems/swm systems
Using SD24 I assume your Tv is a LCD HD compatable systems
It will simplify things if you get a 2007 era digital receiver system get new ones on amazon for 120$ area
-- Edited by ticat900 on Sunday 15th of November 2015 12:57:38 PM
Judy L said
12:50 PM Nov 15, 2015
They had me select #(2) 18 x 20, and use the multi switch.
ticat900 said
12:59 PM Nov 15, 2015
have you actually gotten to the point where you see a signal and can switch LNB and get a good signal? that's the most important step
forgot to mention make sure the 3500 is set for Direct TV as its also used for Dish net and Expressview!!!!!!!!!
DirecTV must be set to the "two" satellite, oval dish
setting. Refer to your receiver manual
-- Edited by ticat900 on Sunday 15th of November 2015 01:02:13 PM
-- Edited by ticat900 on Sunday 15th of November 2015 01:03:42 PM
No, when we get to the screen where you select the type of dish, etc. and the satellite dish does it's search, but then won't let us continue to the next screen. It gives the some options to change the settings, and re-run or get a waiver. The woman I was talking with didn't know about the waiver thing so we really couldn't resolve the problem. She seemed to think I need a different receiver.
ticat900 said
01:16 PM Nov 15, 2015
Judy L wrote:
No, when we get to the screen where you select the type of dish, etc. and the satellite dish does it's search, but then won't let us continue to the next screen. It gives the some options to change the settings, and re-run or get a waiver. The woman I was talking with didn't know about the waiver thing so we really couldn't resolve the problem. She seemed to think I need a different receiver.
no what??? did u set the receiver to the correct dish setting as I gave you? what kind of signal do u get?
you do realize you need a active account before you can get this system to work??
-- Edited by ticat900 on Sunday 15th of November 2015 01:31:54 PM
Cowdog353 said
01:18 PM Nov 15, 2015
If your trying to receive HD or SD with the HR 24 I believe you need to go through a SWM 8 device. Are you using a PI 29 power inserster?
Good information with pictures od set-ups are on winegard.com.
Can be a real bear to get everything right as no one knows much when you say RV!
Don't know much about Dish Network but I know the hookup to winegard systems a little more easy from the descriptions I've seen.
Jim
ticat900 said
01:26 PM Nov 15, 2015
Cowdog353 wrote:
If your trying to receive HD or SD with the HR 24 I believe you need to go through a SWM 8 device. Are you using a PI 29 power inserster? Good information with pictures od set-ups are on winegard.com. Can be a real bear to get everything right as no one knows much when you say RV! Don't know much about Dish Network but I know the hookup to winegard systems a little more easy from the descriptions I've seen.
Jim
shes using Direct tv (not dish) and the 3500 is SD only
Judy L said
01:31 PM Nov 15, 2015
ticat900 wrote:
have you actually gotten to the point where you see a signal and can switch LNB and get a good signal? that's the most important step
forgot to mention make sure the 3500 is set for Direct TV as its also used for Dish net and Expressview!!!!!!!!!
DirecTV must be set to the "two" satellite, oval dish
setting. Refer to your receiver manual
-- Edited by ticat900 on Sunday 15th of November 2015 01:02:13 PM
-- Edited by ticat900 on Sunday 15th of November 2015 01:03:42 PM
The 3500 is definitely set for DirecTV, the Dish Type is set at 02: 3-LNB (18x20) and switch type is on Multiswitch. When it hit continue it says that I need to Call an 800 # to re_send authorizations. Guess I'll try that again and see what happens.
ticat900 said
01:33 PM Nov 15, 2015
you do realize you need a active account before you can get this system to work??
Judy L said
01:35 PM Nov 15, 2015
Cowdog353 wrote:
If your trying to receive HD or SD with the HR 24 I believe you need to go through a SWM 8 device. Are you using a PI 29 power inserster? Good information with pictures od set-ups are on winegard.com. Can be a real bear to get everything right as no one knows much when you say RV! Don't know much about Dish Network but I know the hookup to winegard systems a little more easy from the descriptions I've seen.
Jim
Thanks Jim, I'm bracing myself for another call with DirecTV.
Cowdog353 said
01:37 PM Nov 15, 2015
Correction to my post you do not need SWM -8 when using reciever for SD.
You do have to select hide HD on the reciever menu.
Jim
Judy L said
01:38 PM Nov 15, 2015
ticat900 wrote:
you do realize you need a active account before you can get this system to work??
My account is showing as active on line now. Still can't get past the Satellite dish set up screen. It says "To complete your service activation, please call 800 388 6597 to re-send authorizations."
NorCal Dan said
01:47 PM Nov 15, 2015
Are you able to pick up any satellite's? If your not picking up any sat signals then the authorization will never reach your receiver.
And yes, anytime you call Direct and mention RV you can expect this type of support. The only thing they are good at is taking your money.
ticat900 said
01:53 PM Nov 15, 2015
Judy L wrote:
ticat900 wrote:
you do realize you need a active account before you can get this system to work??
My account is showing as active on line now. Still can't get past the Satellite dish set up screen. It says "To complete your service activation, please call 800 388 6597 to re-send authorizations."
well then call and have it reauthorized BUT You must realize that the DISH has to be set up and receiving a signal otherwise the account wont activate!!!
Judy L said
02:23 PM Nov 15, 2015
Talked again with DirecTV and actually started to receive a signal for a few seconds. Then it cut out and has a message saying "771-Signal loss on Saltellite In2. Solution 1 - Check Cables. The guy on the phone thinks that I should have two incoming satellite cables. One for the signal and one for recording. I don't think I have the 2nd one. There are only 3 cables labeled Satellite, Ext Satellite and To TV. He suggested I talk with Winegard again tomorrow.
ticat900 said
02:28 PM Nov 15, 2015
Judy L wrote:
Talked again with DirecTV and actually started to receive a signal for a few seconds. Then it cut out and has a message saying "771-Signal loss on Saltellite In2. Solution 1 - Check Cables. The guy on the phone thinks that I should have two incoming satellite cables. One for the signal and one for recording. I don't think I have the 2nd one. There are only 3 cables labeled Satellite, Ext Satellite and To TV. He suggested I talk with Winegard again tomorrow.
hes talking about a new style HD system theres no recording cable capability(directly) from your sat dish you sound like you have a bad coax connection somewhere in the system
those are critical (coax connections) obviously your getting a weak/bad signal and most likely 99% of your set up problem going forward
Judy L said
02:44 PM Nov 15, 2015
Is there any way to test the connection that plugs into the receiver? It's a rebuilt receiver, could that be the problem?
ticat900 said
02:54 PM Nov 15, 2015
Judy L wrote:
Is there any way to test the connection that plugs into the receiver? It's a rebuilt receiver, could that be the problem?
I don't have any advice on that and anythings possible although I doubt its the receiver have you checked all the for signal ? maybe the dish program is off?
not tracking correctly or have u tried signal search on each sat? 119°, 110°, 101°
Judy L said
03:49 PM Nov 15, 2015
I can't seem to get rid of the Signal Loss 771 message on my screen. Called DirecTV help # provided in the message and they suggested turning the switch to the satellite on and off but it didn't help. They say I'll need to call Winegard or take it in to an dealer to work on.
ticat900 said
04:03 PM Nov 15, 2015
Judy L wrote:
I can't seem to get rid of the Signal Loss 771 message on my screen. Called DirecTV help # provided in the message and they suggested turning the switch to the satellite on and off but it didn't help. They say I'll need to call Winegard or take it in to an dealer to work on.
did u try unplugging and rebooting the receiver? first thing I would be doing????
also 771 signal loss is a non communication between receiver and sat antenna
-- Edited by ticat900 on Sunday 15th of November 2015 04:07:44 PM
Judy L said
04:11 PM Nov 15, 2015
There's a reset button. I'll try that after dinner.
ticat900 said
04:23 PM Nov 15, 2015
Judy L wrote:
There's a reset button. I'll try that after dinner.
could be but unplug and replug always works best;
Judy L said
05:19 PM Nov 15, 2015
I tried both the reset and unplugging the receiver. Both times it went through the review of satellite position/info and ended up back at the same Signal Loss message 771. Guess I'll call Winegard in the a.m. and see what they suggest.
Thanks everyone for all your efforts to help.
ticat900 said
07:21 PM Nov 15, 2015
Judy L wrote:
I tried both the reset and unplugging the receiver. Both times it went through the review of satellite position/info and ended up back at the same Signal Loss message 771. Guess I'll call Winegard in the a.m. and see what they suggest.
Thanks everyone for all your efforts to help.
its not communicating between the Roof sat antenna and the receiver so either 1) the dish is not programed correctly(does not aline with the sat properly) 2) bad coax connections somewhere or3) bad receiver
The other question is are you running the dish through a video control centre box ? the one where u switch from cable to sat to over the air antenna or VCR/CD player
-- Edited by ticat900 on Sunday 15th of November 2015 07:22:34 PM
Judy L said
07:47 PM Nov 15, 2015
With regard to your question "are you running the dish through a video control centre box ? the one where u switch from cable to sat to over the air antenna or VCR/CD player" the answer is no, I decided to make the installation as simple as I could and ran it directly to the to the TV. I took the video control box out of the loop. We don't really have a need for a control box since we don't currently use any sort of vcr/cd or blue ray player. At some point in the future I might decide to try to add some other items but first want to get the satellite dvr/receiver working.
heyjohnm said
07:16 AM Nov 16, 2015
Judy,
There are switches in the dome antenna that must be set to the proper sequence for either Dish or Direct TV. Have you verified that they are set for Direct TV? Not hard to do, but you would have go on the roof and take the dome off of the antenna to do it. Note that the antenna is shipped with the switches in the proper configuration for Direct TV, but if the prior owner had Dish, or if you don't know, you would need to ensure proper switch setting for it to work correctly.
JohnM
-- Edited by heyjohnm on Monday 16th of November 2015 09:51:44 AM
ticat900 said
09:51 AM Nov 16, 2015
heyjohnm wrote:
Judy,
There are dip switches in the dome antenna that must be set to the proper sequence for either Dish or Direct TV. Have you verified that they are set for Direct TV? Not hard to do, but you would have go on the roof and take the dome off of the antenna to do it.
JohnM
yes that was discussed early in the postings
OP response was quote:The 3500 is definitely set for DirecTV
-- Edited by ticat900 on Monday 16th of November 2015 10:10:23 AM
-- Edited by ticat900 on Monday 16th of November 2015 10:12:20 AM
heyjohnm said
10:11 AM Nov 16, 2015
ticat900 wrote:
heyjohnm wrote:
Judy,
There are dip switches in the dome antenna that must be set to the proper sequence for either Dish or Direct TV. Have you verified that they are set for Direct TV? Not hard to do, but you would have go on the roof and take the dome off of the antenna to do it.
JohnM
if you were to read previous posts you will see this has been already well covered(gone over)
My bad! While I noted your posts refering to the proper settings, I did not see confirmation that they we properly set, hence the post. I see now that there was confirmation that the 3500 was properly set. Movin' On.
Judy L said
12:30 PM Nov 16, 2015
Thanks John and Paul. I decided I needed a break from this so went for a bike ride this a.m. As soon as I finish my lunch I'm going to climb up and double check the settings and connections on the roof. Once I do that and confirm that it's ok (it was reset by the first tech that came out several weeks ago) then I'm going to call Winegard and see if they have suggestions. I'll keep you posted.
Judy L said
04:55 PM Nov 16, 2015
Finally, it's working. The Winegard folks helped me go through the set up again and the only thing we changed was on the Satellite set up page from dual to single. She didn't think that should make any difference but it worked when we were finished. What a relief! Now we need to read up on how to use the recording feature and we're set. Thanks again to everyone for your help and support.
2riker2go said
05:42 PM Nov 16, 2015
Judy L wrote:
Finally, it's working. The Winegard folks helped me go through the set up again and the only thing we changed was on the Satellite set up page from dual to single. She didn't think that should make any difference but it worked when we were finished. What a relief! Now we need to read up on how to use the recording feature and we're set. Thanks again to everyone for your help and support.
Awesome news! I need a "like" button! Glad you got it all figured out.
Judy L said
06:22 PM Nov 16, 2015
Thanks Jessica. Me to!!
Camper Chronicles said
02:06 PM Nov 23, 2015
Judy we got Direct TV and within 30 days sent it all back for a full refund. Why? Because we were constantly having to do a complete download to watch stuff, it never worked as advertised, and when you couldn't watch two different things on two different TV's despite having two boxes we said enough. After a year I don't regret it in the slightest, We put the money into our internet budget and we stream TV or watch it live. In general we have had very good luck with getting network TV for free through the antenna. I am not saying our way is for everyone, but we our big TV watchers and it just wasn't worth the hassle. Oh and I should mention my husband ran his own television station for awhile and is the most TV savvy person I know and he spent hours on the phone with them as well...so don't feel bad.
Trace
-- Edited by Lee and Trace on Monday 23rd of November 2015 02:07:01 PM
BiggarView said
02:34 PM Nov 23, 2015
The idea of dumping the satellite and putting that budget item into more data to stream programs occurred to me about a year ago as a viable alternative to Satellite as media source. Glad to hear that option is working out for you Trace. 80-100 dollars a month will buy a lot of streaming on top of "regular usage" that 20-30GB will provide.... and it should only get better as time goes by. Those digital antennas are getting better too. The future bodes well for us "yet to be" FTers.
Brian
Judy L said
03:57 PM Nov 23, 2015
So far we haven't had any problems with using the new satellite system now that it's set up. I haven't tried recording anything yet and still need to take the time to learn how to use it. We'll see how that goes.
Before we signed up for satellite, we used mostly air and internet streaming for TV. After the double data deal last year we were able to stream one or maybe two shows a week if we were conservative on our other use but because we made plans to spend part of this winter in a park that doesn't offer cable and has very poor air reception, we decided to trying using the dome that came with the trailer. We didn't want to spend much on equipment until we decided if we really think it's worth it. We mostly watch network and pbs shows so we don't really care about all the extra channels.
Brian, I hope you're right that our internet options will continue getting better. I really like being able to watch the shows that we want at times that are convenient to us. Guess that's why I need to get busy and learn how to use that recorder.
JonRV said
06:02 PM Nov 27, 2015
Not a fan! We have our phones to tether when we need to watch anything. Hassle free so far.
We’re full timers domiciled in Box Elder, SD. Our 2007 5th wheel is equipped with the Winegard Movin’ View Digital Satellite mobile antenna for use while stationary (model MV3500A). We have never had satellite service before so we have no previous experience or knowledge of the technology involved.
We decided to see if we could get our existing dome to work before spending money on newer equipment. We aren't concerned about getting high def so figured we might be able to save some cash by not replacing it. We signed up with DirecTV through Sam’s club. The guy that signed us up talked to someone on the phone who said that they should be able to provide us with the equipment needed to use an older dome. A tech came out to our site and clearly had no idea what was needed but got on the phone and noted on the front of our owners manual that we needed a “a swm kit or HR24”. He made another appointment for a tech to come out the following week with the necessary equipment.
The 2nd tech arrived and told us that DirecTV no longer provides the receiver that we need and that we should contact a friend of his at Dish who he said could get us hooked up without any problem. Since we were planning to leave the area in just a few days, we decided to wait until we got to another longer term site before attempting to get service again.
We are now settled at a park in FL for a couple months so I decided to try again. I contacted DirecTV to see if I could get a better explanation of what the problem was and the person I talked with told me that I should sign up through Winegard who could provide the correct receiver.
I contacted Winegard last week and explained the problem and what equipment we have. He said that he would send us the receiver and we could install it ourselves. He also explained that we could use the DNS service to get either east or west coast network channels and said that he’d send us the paperwork that we needed to get that started.
The receiver arrived (it’s the HR24 according to the invoice) and I contacted Winegard to help me go through the installation procedure. They got me to the activation screen and said I should contact DirecTV to get the account activated.
I contacted DirecTV again and after talking with two people the third person finally seemed to know what was needed. She walked me through the activation screens but she kept insisting that the receiver appeared in their system as a high def receiver and that we need the SWM technology (a black box?) to use it. The system wouldn’t let us get past the activation screen where it connects with the satellites. It kept saying that we needed to restart or we needed a “waiver”. She finally suggested I get back with Winegard and tell them I need a different receiver. When I tried to reach Winegard again they were closed for the weekend.
Does it really have to be this difficult?? Would Dish be this hard? I’ve spent literally hours on the phone trying to get this figured out. I’ll try Winegard again tomorrow but I’m not feeling hopeful. Getting very frustrated.
-- Edited by Judy L on Sunday 15th of November 2015 12:08:56 PM
The H24 has both SD and HD capability. There are menu settings for both SD and HD dishes. SWM is only needed for HD SWM dishes.
Newer dishes - not domes - such as the Slimline 3s SWM use the SWM menu settings. The old 18 round dishes and the non SWM Slimline dishes are set as required for the type of dish and below that setting Multi Switch is selected instead of SWM.
-- Edited by Clay L on Sunday 15th of November 2015 12:21:33 PM
clay is giving u good technical information but YES Sat dish receivers and dishes and activation in a RV are difficult because unless you know and understand the systems and how they work you sol, lots of the Sat dish system phone people don't really know as much as u would think and most are trained to give informations on the newer systems which are all multi LNB(3 sats)hd systems/swm systems
Using SD24 I assume your Tv is a LCD HD compatable systems
It will simplify things if you get a 2007 era digital receiver system get new ones on amazon for 120$ area
-- Edited by ticat900 on Sunday 15th of November 2015 12:57:38 PM
They had me select #(2) 18 x 20, and use the multi switch.
have you actually gotten to the point where you see a signal and can switch LNB and get a good signal? that's the most important step
forgot to mention make sure the 3500 is set for Direct TV as its also used for Dish net and Expressview!!!!!!!!!
-- Edited by ticat900 on Sunday 15th of November 2015 01:02:13 PM
-- Edited by ticat900 on Sunday 15th of November 2015 01:03:42 PM
No, when we get to the screen where you select the type of dish, etc. and the satellite dish does it's search, but then won't let us continue to the next screen. It gives the some options to change the settings, and re-run or get a waiver. The woman I was talking with didn't know about the waiver thing so we really couldn't resolve the problem. She seemed to think I need a different receiver.
no what??? did u set the receiver to the correct dish setting as I gave you? what kind of signal do u get?
you do realize you need a active account before you can get this system to work??
-- Edited by ticat900 on Sunday 15th of November 2015 01:31:54 PM
Good information with pictures od set-ups are on winegard.com.
Can be a real bear to get everything right as no one knows much when you say RV!
Don't know much about Dish Network but I know the hookup to winegard systems a little more easy from the descriptions I've seen.
Jim
shes using Direct tv (not dish) and the 3500 is SD only
The 3500 is definitely set for DirecTV, the Dish Type is set at 02: 3-LNB (18x20) and switch type is on Multiswitch. When it hit continue it says that I need to Call an 800 # to re_send authorizations. Guess I'll try that again and see what happens.
Thanks Jim, I'm bracing myself for another call with DirecTV.
You do have to select hide HD on the reciever menu.
Jim
My account is showing as active on line now. Still can't get past the Satellite dish set up screen. It says "To complete your service activation, please call 800 388 6597 to re-send authorizations."
And yes, anytime you call Direct and mention RV you can expect this type of support. The only thing they are good at is taking your money.
well then call and have it reauthorized BUT You must realize that the DISH has to be set up and receiving a signal otherwise the account wont activate!!!
Talked again with DirecTV and actually started to receive a signal for a few seconds. Then it cut out and has a message saying "771-Signal loss on Saltellite In2. Solution 1 - Check Cables. The guy on the phone thinks that I should have two incoming satellite cables. One for the signal and one for recording. I don't think I have the 2nd one. There are only 3 cables labeled Satellite, Ext Satellite and To TV. He suggested I talk with Winegard again tomorrow.
hes talking about a new style HD system theres no recording cable capability(directly) from your sat dish you sound like you have a bad coax connection somewhere in the system
those are critical (coax connections) obviously your getting a weak/bad signal and most likely 99% of your set up problem going forward
Is there any way to test the connection that plugs into the receiver? It's a rebuilt receiver, could that be the problem?
I don't have any advice on that and anythings possible although I doubt its the receiver have you checked all the for signal ? maybe the dish program is off?
not tracking correctly or have u tried signal search on each sat? 119°, 110°, 101°
I can't seem to get rid of the Signal Loss 771 message on my screen. Called DirecTV help # provided in the message and they suggested turning the switch to the satellite on and off but it didn't help. They say I'll need to call Winegard or take it in to an dealer to work on.
did u try unplugging and rebooting the receiver? first thing I would be doing????
also 771 signal loss is a non communication between receiver and sat antenna
-- Edited by ticat900 on Sunday 15th of November 2015 04:07:44 PM
There's a reset button. I'll try that after dinner.
could be but unplug and replug always works best;
I tried both the reset and unplugging the receiver. Both times it went through the review of satellite position/info and ended up back at the same Signal Loss message 771. Guess I'll call Winegard in the a.m. and see what they suggest.
Thanks everyone for all your efforts to help.
its not communicating between the Roof sat antenna and the receiver so either 1) the dish is not programed correctly(does not aline with the sat properly) 2) bad coax connections somewhere or3) bad receiver
The other question is are you running the dish through a video control centre box ? the one where u switch from cable to sat to over the air antenna or VCR/CD player
-- Edited by ticat900 on Sunday 15th of November 2015 07:22:34 PM
With regard to your question "are you running the dish through a video control centre box ? the one where u switch from cable to sat to over the air antenna or VCR/CD player" the answer is no, I decided to make the installation as simple as I could and ran it directly to the to the TV. I took the video control box out of the loop. We don't really have a need for a control box since we don't currently use any sort of vcr/cd or blue ray player. At some point in the future I might decide to try to add some other items but first want to get the satellite dvr/receiver working.
Judy,
There are switches in the dome antenna that must be set to the proper sequence for either Dish or Direct TV. Have you verified that they are set for Direct TV? Not hard to do, but you would have go on the roof and take the dome off of the antenna to do it. Note that the antenna is shipped with the switches in the proper configuration for Direct TV, but if the prior owner had Dish, or if you don't know, you would need to ensure proper switch setting for it to work correctly.
JohnM
-- Edited by heyjohnm on Monday 16th of November 2015 09:51:44 AM
yes that was discussed early in the postings
OP response was quote:The 3500 is definitely set for DirecTV
-- Edited by ticat900 on Monday 16th of November 2015 10:10:23 AM
-- Edited by ticat900 on Monday 16th of November 2015 10:12:20 AM
My bad! While I noted your posts refering to the proper settings, I did not see confirmation that they we properly set, hence the post. I see now that there was confirmation that the 3500 was properly set. Movin' On.
Thanks John and Paul. I decided I needed a break from this so went for a bike ride this a.m. As soon as I finish my lunch I'm going to climb up and double check the settings and connections on the roof. Once I do that and confirm that it's ok (it was reset by the first tech that came out several weeks ago) then I'm going to call Winegard and see if they have suggestions. I'll keep you posted.
Finally, it's working. The Winegard folks helped me go through the set up again and the only thing we changed was on the Satellite set up page from dual to single. She didn't think that should make any difference but it worked when we were finished. What a relief! Now we need to read up on how to use the recording feature and we're set. Thanks again to everyone for your help and support.
Awesome news! I need a "like" button! Glad you got it all figured out.
Thanks Jessica. Me to!!
Judy we got Direct TV and within 30 days sent it all back for a full refund. Why? Because we were constantly having to do a complete download to watch stuff, it never worked as advertised, and when you couldn't watch two different things on two different TV's despite having two boxes we said enough. After a year I don't regret it in the slightest, We put the money into our internet budget and we stream TV or watch it live. In general we have had very good luck with getting network TV for free through the antenna. I am not saying our way is for everyone, but we our big TV watchers and it just wasn't worth the hassle. Oh and I should mention my husband ran his own television station for awhile and is the most TV savvy person I know and he spent hours on the phone with them as well...so don't feel bad.
Trace
-- Edited by Lee and Trace on Monday 23rd of November 2015 02:07:01 PM
The idea of dumping the satellite and putting that budget item into more data to stream programs occurred to me about a year ago as a viable alternative to Satellite as media source. Glad to hear that option is working out for you Trace. 80-100 dollars a month will buy a lot of streaming on top of "regular usage" that 20-30GB will provide.... and it should only get better as time goes by. Those digital antennas are getting better too. The future bodes well for us "yet to be" FTers.
Brian
So far we haven't had any problems with using the new satellite system now that it's set up. I haven't tried recording anything yet and still need to take the time to learn how to use it. We'll see how that goes.
Before we signed up for satellite, we used mostly air and internet streaming for TV. After the double data deal last year we were able to stream one or maybe two shows a week if we were conservative on our other use but because we made plans to spend part of this winter in a park that doesn't offer cable and has very poor air reception, we decided to trying using the dome that came with the trailer. We didn't want to spend much on equipment until we decided if we really think it's worth it. We mostly watch network and pbs shows so we don't really care about all the extra channels.
Brian, I hope you're right that our internet options will continue getting better. I really like being able to watch the shows that we want at times that are convenient to us. Guess that's why I need to get busy and learn how to use that recorder.