Quickest Sat Dish Setup - RV-Dreams Community Forum

The Bear II · RV-Dreams Family Member

Quickest Sat Dish Setup

lindy · RV-Dreams Family Member

After trying to aim a Dish dish 3 or 4 times, I said the heck with this and bought the dish Tailgater system. Set the dish in place point the handle north, plug in and run the switch check on the receiver and then wait for the system/programing to down load. Never easier!!!!

Rob_Fla · RV-Dreams Family Member

We still use a TriPod and aim it manually.
Typically takes about 5 minutes.
I use the DishPointer App on my I Phone and a AccuTek III Meter so I can peak all 3 satellite for HD Service.
We move every couple of weeks or so, took a few times to get proficient, but now no big deal.
Have about 60' of cable on the dish so I can move it around when trees are in the way.

Bill and Linda · RV-Dreams Family Member

Yep, the secret to dish pointing, if you want to call it that, is a perfectly plumb tripod such that you can put in the elevation number based on your location and then elevation will be real close. But that only works if the tripod is perfectly plumb. Then finding the azimuth based on a compass heading becomes much easier. A signal meter at the dish, IMO, is also a real big help as opposed to the DW yelling out the window. :)

TXRVr · RV-Dreams Family Member

Depending on which part of the US one typically travels, the two adjustments will not need to be changed much. As an example, I've been in the mid-west this summer and when moving those two have been in a range of 48-53 degrees elevation and 185 - 210 side to side. I always start with elevation since it is a much narrower range to get locked in.

I'm going to open a can of worms, but I'd like some suggestions as to the best satellite signal finder - preferable under $25. I lost my headset type signal generator. It was a 30 second breeze to get a lock on the signal with that, but unfortunately I can find no one who makes them any longer.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Rick,

I don't know what you had before, so this is a shot in the dark.

Bestway Satellite Finder with free Accessories

Not sure about this one as it doesn't have a meter, just an audible tone.

Bestway Sat Beeper

Bestways Homepage

Terry

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

I have a Dish Tailgator.....old style with remotes so .....run outside put it down ...handle north....go inside set sattalite....done.....and Fine adjustments can be done from inside!!

TXRVr · RV-Dreams Family Member

Terry and Jo wrote:
Rick,

Bestway Sat Beeper

Terry

Terry> Although it had a headset instead of the ear bud the Sat Beeper is what I had that worked exceptionally well. I assumed that they were no longer being made. Thank you, thank you. You are now in my will!!!

Lucky> It would be nice, but I'm way too cheap to buy that.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Rick,

You are quite welcome. It is always a pleasure to be able to exercise my "Google-fu" to find a product or service that helps people out. I'd say that I've not broken out in a sweat doing all this, but we do have one air conditioner that isn't working at the moment. Fortunately, the temps are only in the low 90's outside.

As for being in your will, don't bother, unless it involves firearms and ammunition. Then I'll accept it.

Terry

TXRVr · RV-Dreams Family Member

Terry> I order two of the sat beepers today in case I get another senior moment and lose another one.

No problem on most of the guns and ammo, but you can't have the 8mm German Mouser that my Dad took off a battle field prisoner nor the late 1700's cap and ball Navy revolver my grandfather gave me.

Sorry to hear about your a.c. issue. I will offer a temp fix suggestion. This came from a similar problem I had a couple years ago. I bought a 5000 BTU, $100 window unit from Wally World and put it in a slide out window. It was red neck engineering but worked like a charm for the two months that we were in one location. I sold it after we got home for a bit more than half what I paid for it.

Rich

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Rick,

I wouldn't give up those firearms either. While I don't have any hand-me-downs from family, I do have an old cap and ball muzzle loader in a "carbine-style" that I picked up in Afghanistan back in the '60's. I bought the rifle, some tools, a powder scale, a powder horn, a shield and a saber for about $10 U.S. money. Lots of the guys were taking three day passes and going to Kabul to get stuff.

As for the A/C, we decided to go to Home Depot and buy a portable air conditioner. It cost around $300, but I don't have to find a way to install it in a window or jerry-rig a vent system for it. It comes with a vent system. When we were out to get it, our pickup's thermometer said it was 97 outside. The new A/C has cooled us down to about 86 degrees in the living/kitchen/dining room area. Alicia and Slade with Rolling Retreats in Elk City will be through tomorrow or Monday and Slade will check out the roof mounted Dometic then.

Who knows, we may keep this portable A/C, at least until we finally retire here and maybe travel to where we don't even need an air conditioner.

Terry

The Bear II · RV-Dreams Family Member

Update: That's what I get for Bragging

That sat system worked great for about a week and then died. I was back at home and my DW was stuck at the RV with no QVC, HSN, Reality Shows...etc. A friend tried to revive the setup but couldn't get a signal from the dish. He made sure the setup was plumb, correct azimuth and elevation but no signal.

I eneded up having to make the trip down to San Diego to try and fix the sat plus the bottom hinge on the door for the fridge broke off. I tried for a couple of hours but couldn't get a signal. I was able to fix the door.

I went back home and got the sat dish and receiver from the house (known working setup) and took it back down to San Diego. Set it up and no signal.....that's weird. I gave up and went to the nearby Dish supplier and bought a Tailgater Antenna. Put it on the roof and within 5 minutes had sat tv again. She sadi "You can fix anything...." yeah right if you throw money at a problem it can be fixed.

So the next day I got angry and worked on the original dish, after about 45 minutes I finally got a signal by just moving it from side to side and then up and down and then side and up then side and down. Eventhough I and my friend both had double and triple checked the dish to make sure we had it plumb and adjusted correctly no signal. I really don't know what worked. It was too dark by the time I got a signal to look at how far off I was from the adjustments.

Anyway, I wished I hadn't bragged about how quick the original setup was....Murphy struck me down.

RVRon · RV-Dreams Family Member

Heaping difficulty on myself I use a Dish Network 1000.2 antenna. Of course I want HD everything so I need to pick up 3 satellites at the same time. Like others have said the secret is to set up the tripod perfectly plumb and be very accurate with the dish settings. I have to not only have direction (azimuth) but also elevation and skew. After about 100 setups I have it down to the point where I can get the whole thing operational in about 15 minutes. If you have the direction nailed and have the elevation accurate it should only be necessary to rotate the dish side to side to peak the signal. I use a simple signal strength meter for this. If they ever come out with a Tailgater type of setup that is priced economically AND will pick up more than one satellite at a time I might consider it.

Racerguy · RV-Dreams Family Member

I had mine down pat also except for the last couple months we were on the road I had an exceptionally hard time getting it dialed in.I just wrote it off that I was not not feeling well caused the problem.When I hired someone to install it on our condo here in Arizona he worked with it for a while and finally asked me.Have you dropped this a few times or something? I told him the wind had blown it over a few times.He said you must have been lucky finding a signal because the arm was bent several degrees out of whack.It wasn't visible to the naked eye but when we compared a new one side by side you could see a big difference.So long story short if you are having trouble and have no visible obstructions in the way stop and ask yourself if you have ever dropped it or had the wind blow it over. It was the 1000.2 which made it harder.

-- Edited by Racerguy on Thursday 25th of July 2013 03:01:36 PM

RVRon · RV-Dreams Family Member

Racerguy, we had a similar situation with our dish setup. After trying to set up the dish at 3 different campgrounds with a clear view of the sky I could only get 2 of the 3 satellites that I needed. I could move the dish to get any 2 of the 3 but not all 3 at the same time. I finally gave up and called a local technician. He at first thought either the dish or the arm was bent but that wasn't the case. What it turned out to be was that one of the receiver horns (LNB) wasn't working so I was only receiving a signal from the other two. Looking closely I saw some red paint scrapes on the side of the LNB. Since we have nothing red anywhere on our RV I finally figured that it was probably someone mowing the lawn somewhere that had whacked the antenna. It cost about $100 to replace that LNB so now that I know how fragile they are I disassemble the dish from the arm and "Ellen B." rides comfy and protected on the bed when we move!

cpaulsen · RV-Dreams Family Member

RVRon wrote:
Racerguy, we had a similar situation with our dish setup. After trying to set up the dish at 3 different campgrounds with a clear view of the sky I could only get 2 of the 3 satellites that I needed. I could move the dish to get any 2 of the 3 but not all 3 at the same time. I finally gave up and called a local technician. He at first thought either the dish or the arm was bent but that wasn't the case. What it turned out to be was that one of the receiver horns (LNB) wasn't working so I was only receiving a signal from the other two. Looking closely I saw some red paint scrapes on the side of the LNB. Since we have nothing red anywhere on our RV I finally figured that it was probably someone mowing the lawn somewhere that had whacked the antenna. It cost about $100 to replace that LNB so now that I know how fragile they are I disassemble the dish from the arm and "Ellen B." rides comfy and protected on the bed when we move!

That is an expensive LNB. I just got a free Dish 1000.4 with the 3 LNB's. I was ready to buy one for 30.00 for the whole setup from a Dish dealer till this one showed up.

RVRon · RV-Dreams Family Member

cpaulsen wrote:
RVRon wrote:
Racerguy, we had a similar situation with our dish setup. After trying to set up the dish at 3 different campgrounds with a clear view of the sky I could only get 2 of the 3 satellites that I needed. I could move the dish to get any 2 of the 3 but not all 3 at the same time. I finally gave up and called a local technician. He at first thought either the dish or the arm was bent but that wasn't the case. What it turned out to be was that one of the receiver horns (LNB) wasn't working so I was only receiving a signal from the other two. Looking closely I saw some red paint scrapes on the side of the LNB. Since we have nothing red anywhere on our RV I finally figured that it was probably someone mowing the lawn somewhere that had whacked the antenna. It cost about $100 to replace that LNB so now that I know how fragile they are I disassemble the dish from the arm and "Ellen B." rides comfy and protected on the bed when we move!
That is an expensive LNB. I just got a free Dish 1000.4 with the 3 LNB's. I was ready to buy one for 30.00 for the whole setup from a Dish dealer till this one showed up.

Oh yeah... I think I paid less than $50 for the entire dish setup, used from a guy on Craigslist. It's a lot more expensive when you have a technician come to your campsite, diagnose the problem and supply the parts.

Frac999 · RV-Dreams Family Member

I solved my dish setup problem and went out and had a traveler installed on top the 5th wheel. Just push the button