Satellite TV setup - RV-Dreams Community Forum

Thunder · RV-Dreams Family Member

Satellite TV setup

Guiler85 · RV-Dreams Family Member

No special tools or gadgets here, just a compass and walkie talkies. My husband is outside tweaking the dish and I'm inside letting him know what's on the TV screen. :)

thebearII · RV-Dreams Family Member

I use a torpedo level to make sure the tripod upright and dish mount are level & plumb....this is very important and will make finding the satellite easy once you have the correct, azimuth, elevation and skew(for multi sat dishes) adjusted.

I use a 7/16 wrench for the nuts on the dish and mount. I use a couple of 9/16 wrenches for the tripod nuts & bolts

I set the dish receiver on the install dish selection and make sure I input the correct zip code, open the window so I can hear from outside while adjusting the dish and then listen for the tone to hit the high pitch as I adjust the dish from side to side in small increments. Occaisionally, I will move the dish up and down slightly if I'm unable to locate the satellite when moving side to side.

I can usually find the correct satellite in a couple of minutes. Once I do, I lock everything down.

I struggled the first several times in setting up the dish, until I discovered how important it is to have the tripod and dish mount as level and plumb as possible.

Speedhitch · RV-Dreams Family Member

Sherri and I have used ours for a year now and when we set it up we don't have to move it more than twice to hit right on. I really don't see any need for special equipment or devices to get set up unless you are not sure which way south is. As Bear says you do need the wrench to tighten the screws etc but other than that when you have done it several times it will get easier.

Joe and Sherri

Dachiegirl · RV-Dreams Family Member

Same here, except no walkie talkies, just me yelling "94...98...87..." (signal meters numbers!) *laughing*

TXRVr · RV-Dreams Family Member

The problem with using a zip code is the geographical area that it may cover. In rural areas, one zip code might cover hundreds of square miles. Secondly, a campground’s zip code is based on the mailing address which may not be the physical location. So when using zip codes that are this broad based, it is a bit more difficult to find a signal.

Even tho the satellite receiver spits out different azimuths and elevation settings most of the time, once you do find a good signal, you should rarely have to change the elevation on the dish when you move. The exception would be going from low to mountain areas and vice versa.

There are expensive meters on the market, but for the RVer something in the $15-20 range will work well. You can find numerous ones by doing an internet search. They all work off the same principle of detecting signal strength and displaying it on a meter face. Buying the more expensive ones is perhaps a waste of money. We all typically used them to get in the ball park with a signal and then revert to the signal audio from the tv set. Or, as mentioned in some cases, the wife’s yelling it. smile

There are times when you won’t get an unobstructed path to the satellite, but can still get minimal signals. This is really were a meter comes in handy. If you are going to buy one, then I’d suggest getting one with both visual and audio indications of signal strength.

Judy · RV-Dreams Family Member

We have a tripod and use Direct TV dh has no problems once you use it a few times. He never needs any gaget or help from me and even at times just sets it out and low and behold its right on!! This has happened several times in the almost 3 yrs of fulltiming. He bought a signal meter when we got it an now it just sits in the drawer. When we want a local news station in a city that we are in we simply call Direct and they have it in for us.
southwestjudy

Dachiegirl · RV-Dreams Family Member

Hi Judy! We also have a tripod and Direct tv. What do you mean you "call Direct and they have it in for you"? We have gone all this time not having local channels when we are out of our home area. Hubby told me thats the way it had to be!
He is in so much trouble! lol

DaveSam · RV-Dreams Family Member

We used to call Direct TV and change service locations so we could get local channels until they caught us doing that. They informed us that it is against FCC law and that we had to get the NY and LA stations as we were moving in our RV all the time. We still get the Dallas local channels when we are in Texas but no local channels when we are traveling.

NorCal Dan · RV-Dreams Family Member

When we move I call DirecTv with our new location and they switch me to the locals for that area. I do get DNS service but I don't think that has anything to do with it. I only call about 3 or 4 times a year but have not had a problem. I wonder what FCC law says you can't get local stations...

Here's a tidbit for people who have been receiving HD service using the old technology:

Customers with HD DNS channels will start to see crawls on their HD DNS channels starting Wednesday. These are intended to communicate to MPEG2 customers the urgency of them needing to switch out their MPEG2 hardware to MPEG4 hardware.
The crawls will appear at the top of each hour initially and may be throttled up depending on how many customers react and how quickly.

The crawl will have a message something like this “THIS CHANNEL WILL BE MOVING. PLEASE TUNE TO CHANNEL 85 FOR MORE INFORMATION.”

It will direct customers to channel 85 which will explain the need for a 5 LNB dish, and a MPEG4 HD receiver.

The slide will ask customers to view:
New Lineup:
CBSWHD – Channel 391
NBCWHD – Channel 393
ABCWHD – Channel 397
FOXWHD – Channel 399

If the customer receives an error message or searching for satellite, they will need to call for the upgrade.

The message is directed for customers in the Western Half of the United States right now in order to migrate these folks to MPEG4 and reclaim that MPEG2 bandwidth.

I have seen one ad in a magazine for the new 5 LNB dish for tripod mounting. When I was getting my coach setup they would not sell me the new dish for using with a tripod, to big and heavy they said. So I got the old 3 NB dish and now use that for my backup if I get parked where I don't have a south view for the roof mounted dish.

travelinbob · RV-Dreams Family Member

NorCal Dan has it right.
I simply call DTV and tell them I've moved. They do not need to know I'm in a RV. I tell them I do not need anyone to come set me up and to keep my billing address the same. They have me zero'd in after a few minutes on the phone. I stay on the phone with them until I see my stations change. I only do this a few times a year.
Bob

Jack Mayer · RV-Dreams Family Member

Direct is consolidating ALL HD programming to the 99/101/103 satellites. They are moving whatever was on 110 and 119 to those birds. You can get everything from the 99/101/103 sats right now - there is redundant broadcasting for those that have the "old" 5lnb dishes. But you only need the new SL3 (slimline) to get all the HD. The program guide is broadcast on 101.

This makes pointing the tripod much easier, since the spread in the sky is now very small.

If you have locals then you still need the 5 lnb dish in many areas. But for RVers that want HD you can now get the SL3. The dish itself is the same as the 5lnb....jsut the head is different. So you need a good mounting method. There are various tripods that have been adapted from the Internet sats for this purpose.

Pair the new HR23 HD dvr with this and you are in business. The 21 and 22 also will work well, but they require the separate BBC box to handle the KA band sats (99/103). It is built into the 23. The 21,22, and 23 do not have OTA (over the air) passthru capability (only the 20 does and it is not available), so you need a $50 add on box to do that if you want to record OTA HD.