Thread: Shaw/Starchoice Install

i have been asked to install a Shaw/Starchoice dish, this person is moving from one house to another, so the receiver is already active, just need the dish installed,

i have plenty experience aiming Bell and FTA but never did starchoice before, im assuming it will be a bit more difficult then bell because its linear,

any tips or advice before i potentially make an A$$ of myself? LOL j/k

is it best to use my own satellite finder? or is there a menu similar to a bell receiver that shows the signal strength? and what satellite your locked on? i have ZERO experience with shaw/starchoice receivers

It will be piece-a-cake for you.....

But it would be helpful to have a little more info about your hardware: what model receiver and what model dish? I'll make some assumptions, for now, though.

Use dishpointer.com to get the data for your location (azimuth, elevation, skew) and to see a graphic of the direction in which you should point the dish. Enter your location and select 111.1 AnikF2/Wildblue from the satellite dropdown box.

I'm assuming you're using the standard Shaw dish, either the 60e or 75e (the model is written on the ticket on the LNB). I'm also assuming you are using the quad LNB (has four outputs) Since the standard Shaw Dishes have a skew of 90 (instead of zero) when the dish is horizontal, you will need to add or subtract the dishpointer value to/from 90 to get your proper skew setting. For example, at my location, dishpointer gives a skew of -1.5 degrees, so 90 - 1.5 = 88.5 to be set on the Shaw Dish. If the dishpointer skew for your location is +15, for example, you would set 90 + 15 = 105 on your dish.

Set the correct elevation on the dish. The elevation mark is not the bolt; rather, it is the edge of the metal that is visible thru the slot....it may be marked with white paint.

Set the correct skew.

Set the receiver to channel 299 to get started. For the current generation of receivers the signal meter is Options 6-4-3-1 on all channels.

Point the dish in the direction indicated by dishpointer.com. You may have a signal meter reading of about 20 even if the antenna is totally mispointed. Rotate the dish slightly in azimuth, one way and the other, until the meter starts to climb, and continue to rotate back-and-forth until you get maximum signal. Depending upon your location, you should expect a signal of at least 65, and perhaps as high as 95. Note that when the dish is correctly pointed, the arm of the LNB will be looking at Anik F2, 111.1 (not at F1R). Note also that the signal meter is slow to react, so give it a few seconds after each movement of the dish.

Once the signal meter starts to climb you can enter "4128" in the Provider ID box (on the signal meter screen) and your signal strength bar should then be green if you are indeed pointed at the correct satellites. If it's red, then you are not looking at the Shaw satellites. When green, the satellite ID should read "A2". The step is not really necessary since your receiver is already authorized, so you can skip this step if you prefer and proceed as below.

Since your receiver is already authorized, and your signal meter is now maximized, you should now see a picture on all channels in your package as you should now be receiving signals from both satellites. You can verify this by noting whether your have a picture on channel 299 (from Anik F1R) and channel 701 (French channel from Anik F2).

You can then fine tune the system by using channels 299 and 701, pressing Options 6-4-7 for each channel, and noting the Ecb/No on line C of this screen. Note that it takes a few seconds for the data to appear on line C. Maximize the Ecb/No by tweaking the dish in all planes until your patience runs out.....but you should be able to attain values of at least +8.0, and perhaps as high as +10.0 in Canada, on channels 299 & 701. Note the these values will be about 2.0 lower for any HD channels that you might choose to check. You can do this step by tightening all clamps and forcing the dish gently against the clamps to see if you get a rise in the Ecb/No's. If the Ecb/No increases, loosen the clamp and tweak the dish. Maximizing the Ecb/No will minimize the chances of rain fade.

You're done!!

thanks josh, that was very helpful, i have written down some of your info to bring with me....

im not sure of the type of dish yet, have not seen it, i asked if it was oval or more round, and they told me its round, so im thinking it is one of the older dishes that are about 30-33 inches?? i believe these only point at one of the satellites, but could be wrong, im sure i will figure it out when i see the dish....

got it done in a couple of hours, thanks again for the info, it went well, pretty simple

Aiming a Shaw dish is like aiming a FTA dish

Glad ya got it working

Originally Posted by Iceberg

Aiming a Shaw dish is like aiming a FTA dish

Glad ya got it working

yeah pretty much....i guess my questions were more aimed toward the actual receiver itself because i didnt have any experience with them....only hitch was coming very close to slipping off the roof once, there was about 2 inches of snow the night before....my heart skipped a few beats....lol

been there almost done that too (but usually I am on the roof when there is a foot of snow and I'm cleaning off the roof)