Primestar Dish & DirecTV Triple-LNB

fontman · #1 (**permalink**) 07-24-2004, 12:30 PM

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Hi guys - I'm new to the forums, but I need to pick your brains here. I have an old oval Primestar dish which I successfully had running a single DirecTV LNB for about 4-5 years now. I recently wanted to upgrade to HDTV so I went out and bought a triple-LNB and tried to mount it to the Primestar dish. After 2-3 different tries I'm still getting no signal strength on my old box.

Here's the question - do I need a new HDTV satellite receiver for it to work with the new triple-LNB or should I still see signal strength on an old satellite receiver box? (Old box is a Sony SAT-B3.) I'm wondering if my problem is whether I have the triple-LNB positioned wrong or if it's just not possible to get signal strength off of my old receiver and that I need to buy a new HDTV receiver in order to get the signal.

That make sense? (I hope...)

Thanks!

al · #2 (**permalink**) 07-24-2004, 04:32 PM

Your Primestar dish antenna has no tilt setting, therefore a Phase 3 LNBF will not be able to "see" all three orbital locations.

fontman · #3 (**permalink**) 07-24-2004, 04:38 PM

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, I thought about that when I put it on. So I assume my best course of action is to just take down the Primestar dish and use the pre-existing mount to put up the DirecTV dish then. Anyone else think differently?

mini1 · #4 (**permalink**) 07-24-2004, 04:46 PM

From what I can see your receiver is not even an HD receiver. you can't receive HD without an HD tuner, that is step #1 for a newbie. Second, you need to get rid of your old, super outdated dish. You just waisted all that time and money trying to install a tri-LNB set-up with an old Dish, you could have called DirecTV and got an entire Dish for free with an HD package subsctiption. I also have a feeling you don't even have an HDTV, and you are one that thinks they can just somehow upgrade to HD and get the programming for free and it will somehow make your old analog TV become an HDTV overnight. I might be wrong, but thats what it sounds like here.

fontman · #5 (**permalink**) 07-24-2004, 05:59 PM

LOL mini1 too funny. Well, I'm not that much of a newbie. I know I can't get HDTV without a receiver and compatible HDTV monitor. I recently bought a nice 40 inch Sony XBR so I'm in the process of working on getting HDTV programming. That was the reason for me trying to get the triple-LNB to work with the old dish. I have the new dish so I'll just go ahead and mount it in the place of the Primestar dish now. As far as my original question goes, I was merely asking if I should still get a signal strength on my old regular DirecTV receiver when using the new triple-LNB to see if I had it pointed in the right location. I see now that the satellite tilt is probably my culprit so I'll just use the new dish. The 36" oval Primestar dish was nice for rain-fade however in the past.

PSB · #6 (**permalink**) 07-24-2004, 06:23 PM

On the older DirecTV receivers there is nothing in the menu to configure the three current DirecTV satellites (101,110,119) they were made for a round dish pointing at 101 deg Satellite, you will need to upgrade your DirecTV receiver to a newer model before it will work with a PhaseIII dish, if/when you get one, set the skew and elevation taken from the on screen menu, point at the 101 satellite, peak the signal and the other two satellites will be there, the pole/mast has to be bang on plumb and level for a PhaseIII dish, good luck!
Keep your Primestar dish it can be used for FTA Satellite : )

mini1 · #7 (**permalink**) 07-24-2004, 06:31 PM

fontman, you should have explained yourself better. You made it sound like you knew next to nothing, and was someone just trying to bring out of date receivers and dish's back to life that they got off of e-bay. I see many people on this forum who really do think they can get HD with their analog TV and it somehow upgrade their picture overnight to 1080i.

fontman · #8 (**permalink**) 07-24-2004, 06:34 PM

Aha. So I can use the Primestar dish (without the tilt) and still have a chance of getting reception on all three sats? I just want to make sure I understand you fully

Oh and sorry I wasn't clearer Mini1 - no worries - thanks for the responses all.

Edit: Erm, what happened to that other message with the guy who said I could use the Primestar dish still with a new receiver?

mini1 · #9 (**permalink**) 07-24-2004, 06:50 PM

"Edit: Erm, what happened to that other message with the guy who said I could use the Primestar dish still with a new receiver?"
he deleted it for some reason? good question?

PSB · #10 (**permalink**) 07-24-2004, 06:50 PM

Still here, miss read your post, so you have a Phase III triple LNB, and you are trying to use an oval primestar dish? It may work, (still need to set skew on dish, as the satellites are not at the same level) you still need a new receiver as it was not intended for three satellite positions (as far as I know, its OLD). But you may end up needing a Phase III dish if you do not get a good enough signal from your Primestar and triple LNB set up, its worth a try, and you would get a new dish with a new receiver anyway for back up, then it will work for HD (if you have a HD receiver,HDTV, and service)