Finally!

[Dee_Ann]

No, I do not drink. That stuff just makes little problems into huge problems..


So.. Last night I had both my precious channels coming in. THAT was a freak accident.

All night long both channels were coming in pretty solid. Plenty good enough for watching with only an occasional glitch in the picture. Not good enough for recording but good enough for watching. However the NASA channels were all missing. Um, whatever..

So last night I watched Vincent Price on this and went back and forth between the two all night. I was quite pleased with this.

I went to sleep about 2am and woke up about 8:30am to discover both channels were now gone.

I tried moving the dish back and forth but no luck.

A few hours later I went out and tried messing with it again and couldn't get either channel. After about 10 minutes I had enough, folded my tripod and went inside to watch Judge Judy. On OTA!!

When I turn the screw to hold the lnb in the ring, it makes the lnb move in and out as it tightens down! It's physically impossible to replicate any results because every time I touch the thing it twists, moves or warps in new ways. The lnb ring, the scaler, there is no way at all to know if it's centered, no way to know if it's square with the dish and even if you could get it that way, as soon as you touch it, it moves and you are back to square zero. When you tighten the lnb into the scaler ring, the screw doesn't lock it in place, it forces it closer to the dish! So you loosen the screw, back the lnb out again and try to tighten it again. And again, as the screw tightens, the lnb moves in or out and very often, it will rotate as well.

The whole mess is cheap c**p... Nothing at all is sturdy or designed or built in a way that is SOLID and dependable.

The little ku dishes are very sturdy, very strong and when you adjust things things don't move that aren't supposed to move.

I've run out of patience on this thing. I can't do it. It works then it doesn't work. I get it fixed and it's great then it's gone later.
I can't take it. I don't have the patience for this. I do not know what I'm doing, at all. I don't understand how it can be working so good and NO ONE TOUCHES IT AT ALL then hours later, it's totally gone. All the bolts are tight, nothing is loose, the wind was nil last night & this morning when it went out. It's impossible that anyone or anything touched it or moved it. I went to sleep and it was in good working order. I wake up and it's not.

I should either just pay someone to fix this friggin stupid thing or just trash it. I bent it up pretty badly (the petals) and I'm willing to bet that is 90% of the problem. Maybe I should buy a new one, pay someone to put it together and set it up for me and trash this one.

I don't know. But I'm really on the ragged edge of insanity with this. I can't take it much more.

Seriously, I totally understand now why these things have fallen out of favor and are dying out. They are totally impossible to set up and maintain unless you're a professional. These things are NOT for simple people like me.

What I hate about this is now that I've had a taste of it I want more. I'll never be satisfied until I have my channels. But I can't do it so I think it's time to get out the yellow pages.

 

[Magic Static]

OK Let's have a raffle. Tickets $10. Proceeds will go to buy the winner a plane/bus ticket to Dee's to fix her dish. Or we could hire a volunteer or somethin, I know... We'll send Lone Gunman....LOL Or maybe a bake sale

 

[Dee_Ann]

OK Let's have a raffle. Tickets $10. Proceeds will go to buy the winner a plane/bus ticket to Dee's to fix her dish. Or we could hire a volunteer or somethin, I know... We'll send Lone Gunman....LOL Or maybe a bake sale

Send the Mythbusters. They blow stuff up, reeeeeeel good........

 

[Bob2011]

Amazing how 29 pages of good advice goes in one ear and out the other and ends up in a dish destroying tantrum. Almost shows a lack of respect for the people who invested time in this, including your own friends and family. For all the money wasted you could of had a few years of Dish Network with a professionally installed dish hassle free.


This thread is a fine example of why I'm not married.

 

[Dee_Ann]

Amazing how 29 pages of good advice goes in one ear and out the other and ends up in a dish destroying tantrum. Almost shows a lack of respect for the people who invested time in this, including your own friends and family. For all the money wasted you could of had a few years of Dish Network with a professionally installed dish hassle free.


This thread is a fine example of why I'm not married.

IT WAS WORKING.............

THEN IT QUIT WORKING..........

 

[woodheat/nooil]

Once I returned a DVB receiver for an intermittent problem. It would work for awhile then stop. One of the connectors on the power supply was not seated in all the way. Then it worked fine for a few days until it would turn off by itself. After that it was sent back; I found the second problem was a short in the RG-6 cable on a connector. Or maybe something simple like the jack sliding from wind load? If that moves you would lose signal and that might explain the aliment on and off the mark at times. Can't hurt to check the mount bolts on pole and the jack bolts as well.

 

[Pixl]

Amazing how 29 pages of good advice goes in one ear and out the other and ends up in a dish destroying tantrum. Almost shows a lack of respect for the people who invested time in this, including your own friends and family. For all the money wasted you could of had a few years of Dish Network with a professionally installed dish hassle free.


This thread is a fine example of why I'm not married.

Bob,

I don't see how your comment contains any advice on getting this dish to work.

 

[Phottoman]

This is starting to remind me of a tech that fizzled.

And again it's all the fault of that "stupid" dish.

There's always something just over the horizon that will work better of give better results, right?

Dee-Ann, if you think that the 10 foot dish will be easier to work with, or will be better for you, you are totally wrong. The problems will be ten times worse, and then we'll all be reading about THAT stupid dish. It weighs much more than your little six footer, will be higher in the air unless you cut THAT pole way down, and you'll have the same problems aiming that dish as you have had with this one.

I mentioned W-A-Y back earlier in this thread about that same problem with the LNB on my dish, and how it would slop around when trying to tighten it. I would suspect that you may have 'dimpled' this LNB, and no matter how hard you try, you'll keep having this problem with it sliding too far in or twisting on you. All I can manage to tell you about that (again) is what I did for my LNB.

Are you familiar with those thin rubber like slide preventers that you can buy in rolls for your dishware in your cupboard, white, green, what ever color, they look like very thin rubber mats with the holes in them. They "hold" stuff and prevent things from sliding? I took some of that and cut a 2" swath, long enough to wrap around my LNB and softly forced that into the hole while it was wrapped about my LNB. I figured that if it would stop a plate from sliding, it might stop my LNB from sliding. It worked. It took some patience because I had to GENTLY kind of force it into the hole that holds the LNB. It took time, but i managed. Actually it was Phottoettes idea, and I gave her credit for that idea when I said something about it here (or on another thread). You might try that. It will only cost you about $5 to get some of this and Dollar General or some other dime store type place may have it, cheap fix.

This is known as shimming, and that shim will HELP but not overcome tightening too much. Be careful with this as you can dimple the LNB again and it will react the same way even in another position.

The alternative is for you to remove the entire ring, and move it to any other position on your dishes legs. Placement for the ring is not crucial, but move it so that the hole for the bolt that tightens your LNB is in some other position on the arms, then try starting over on placing the LNB.

The last alternative to this is with your dad's help. Ask him if he could tap TWO more holes in the ring you are using. He'll have to tap it so there are threads in the ring one third (1/3) way around the ring so you can add two more bolts or screws to the ring, then you can replace the LNB back in the ring and GENTLY screw each of the bolts/screws onto the LNB and keep it square to the dish.

If you are having a problem understanding what I am talking about, go into your bathroom and unscrew the outer glass reflector to your ceiling light. There should be three screws holding that in place. THAT is what I am talking about here.

If you can get your dad to do this, you should be able to aim the LNB at your dish and gently tighten each of the three bolts/screws until the LNB is secure and you won't have it shifting on you any more.

One last point. The people on this forum are knowledgeable in what they explain for you to do. NONE of us came here as experts in this field. We have all learned from trial and error. We learned by DOING and explaining our problems with setting up dishes. The point is, we LEARNED from our mistakes.

Ask "Iceman" (actually it's Iceberg), or Radar, or Anole, or Fat Air or any of the others that contributed to this thread about their start in this HOBBY, and each will and can tell you about things they asked about when they joined this forum or what ever forum they started out in, and they will tell you about experiences they had looking for advise. But the biggest difference is (and I am trying NOT to hurt your feelings) they LEARNED from the advise they were given. And I would bet you that you are NOT the only redhead here.

Stop demeaning yourself, treat this as a hobby and learn from our experiences and you will pick up things as you go further into this.

I remember reading your first post(s) and all the cutesy terms you used, it was (almost) endearing that this young girl was willing to learn, that was then, this is now. You hatred of men came across, your dissatisfaction with things you were learning was evident, your looking for "the easy way out" was alarming, and now after all the time spent by MANY people (some of them even MEN trying to help you) your statement about throwing this whole project out and starting again with the ten footer because it will be better is BUNK. If you were to go out today and buy a cute little car, and then after getting it home discover that it was one of those STUPID gear shift cars and not an automatic, and toss that out because there is a bigger and better car, that wouldn't go over here or most likely in your home. Well this is the same thing.

Saying that you are going to trash this entire project because it is stupid or not working correct is an insult to Ice, Radar, Fat Air and every other man (and possibly lady) that tried to help you through this.

My opinion, yours may vary.

Photto

 

[Phottoman]

I just thought of something else that may be causing you to loose your signal.

When you attach your meter or whatever fancy pants thing-a-ma-bob you are using, are you using a short coax to connect this to your LNB? Is the coax secured to something before you disconnect it from the LNB and is there a possibility that you are pulling on the coax when you connect the fancy pants meter? You should have a coax about six feet long, with a barrel connector that you can disconnect the house from then connect your meter, other wise as loose as the LNB is, you may be twisting it, moving it, could THAT be the problem? Take a six foot coax and secure it to the dish or the pole with twist ties, or tape or something, BETWEEN the LNB and the barrel connector, THEN connect your meter to get readings.

Sorry I didn't think of that earlier.

Hopefully the connection is secure and the coax is secure where you are making your readings.

And, OH, by the way, it's NOT the Coolsat that is giving you problems with your readings, it's that new monitor, to read the numbers on the Coolsat, go to a TV that has a better (read that as larger) picture than the little screen on your new toy. Then you'll be able to read things better.

Photto

PS: Maybe I should change my sig file. How about "Excuses only work for those that GIVE them."

 

[sergei]

Just to add one thing to this as for the most part I've gotten lost as to what's been done. To add to what Photto mention in his posting and this may have been talked about before, but how are you installing the connectors, did you buy the correct tools to install the connectors?
You said the pole was level but did you put the level on the mount and check it also? And did you ever adjust the LNBF so that it was pointing to the center of the dish?

 

[PopcornNMore]

I'm throwing that dish away. Now nothing is coming in. If I look at this thing sideways it quits working.

It's bent up, it's very visibly warped, twisted and bent out of shape. There is no way this dish is ever going to work.

It is MY FAULT for damaging it when I tried to assemble it. It will never work right so it's going in the frickin garbage.

I will now focus my efforts on the 10 foot dish. This has been a huge waste of time and money.

The six foot dish, game over..

Don't give up now! For me if I could simply put up a dish that worked perfectly the first time this hobby wouldn't be any fun. I would just be watching TV and not learning by my mistakes and working on new projects.

 

[Mr Tony]

So lemme understand this......

For TWO years you've wanted C-Band. Ever since Equity went bankrupt and sold their stations back in April 09 you started the notion you wanted C-Band. Then when stations were dropped and the only way to get them was via C-Band you wanted it. You already had the dish if I remember but you couldn't find someone to put the pole in

so you waited...and complained about it
then you got someone to do it...and he backed out
and you complained some more
then someone else was gonna do it...and they backed out
and you complained some more

So you finally find someone to put the pole in almost 2 years later...which is the whole issue to begin with. You get the pole in and start working on it. You asked questions and folks here helped. But alot of it went on deaf ears and you couldn't get anything to work. So you go buy some new equipment (even though you always say you dont have any extra money laying around for food much less "entertainment") then tell us yeah you set away some "entertainment" money for extra meters, TV's and other tools that you probably dont need. I know I dont need them when aiming a dish. You get real close to locking a stable signal. Folks say "try to tweak it" and even give it in 3rd grader terms. You dont listen and blame the branches.
So you spend some more money (and in term give us a long post about every minor detail you did for this) to take down a branch which honestly (from the pictures) didn't need to be taken down. You complain some more that it doesn't work and start blaming the dish...that its not big enough. I decide to pull out my 6 footer and run some tests and show you that it can be done and here is what I show for signals. I figured this would give you some motivation. Instead I get a response of "Of course you are obviously much more skilled at this than I could ever hope to be so you're much better at all the little tricks of fine tuning these things."
There were no "little tricks" to get those signals. I took the advice of the folks who knew more about it and would READ, READ and READ some more. Its not rocket science here. When I started with C-Band 4 years ago my knowledge was green as goose sh*t. All I knew was it got signals that I couldn't get right now being KU only. So I asked questions and folks who had C-Band for a while gave me answers and I analyzed the info. When I got my C-Band dish I had difficulties getting anything, much less what I wanted. So I worked on it.
I didnt give up
I didnt blame the dish
I didnt go buy new equipment that I didnt need
I didnt type up a bunch of "cutesy" posts.

I used my 13" TV, an analog receiver (since there was more analog 4 years ago), and my trusty Pansat 1500. I finally locked an analog signal then found out the issue was the LNB was off by 90 degrees skew. So I did some more trial and error and got analog in great but digital I had issues. I had "barely threshold" on a couple channels and what I wanted there was no signal.
I didn't give up
I didn't throw the dish away
I posted what I already had done and let the folks help me. I read their posts and tried some of those options. I did some more trial and error and I finally achieved what I wanted. But I still try and "tweak" it a little more

Trial and error and patience is what it takes to make Free to air work. This is not plug and play which is something you have to realize. Now you want to use a 10 footer instead? Do you think because its a larger dish you can just slap it up near 87W and you'll have great signal? Sorry this isnt Dish or Directv and you're not aiming a Dish 500 or a Directv 18" dish where you can slap it up, pan left and right and boom signal. This takes patience.
And by the way the numbers I achieved on 87W to show you in the picture all I did was bring up the NASA transponder on the screen and moved the dish across the arc until I locked 87W. I fine tuned the skew on the LNB to maximize signal and that was it. You were very close since you locked 87W and had decent signal. So the next day it doesn't work . Instead of doing some troubleshooting to get it back I guess you want to tear it all down and pout like a 3 year old who doesn't have its way? And you seriously expect people to help you?

There are lots of folks who have poured in time and effort to help you with various projects, only to have you for lack of a better term "sh*t on them"
-when you first got into KU and folks helped you it wouldn't work so you'd rip the dish off the pole in disgust and blamed everything else
-instead of getting a FTA receiver you got a PC card and needed help with that. Folks said its easier to start with a FTA receiver but you "had no extra money" to get one and wanted to use the PC card and had issues. So you blamed the card and computer and if I remember, you got a new computer
-you found out that ThisTV was on a OTA station and you wanted to try that. Its on KPLC in Lake Charles which is a good haul from Beaumont (an hour or so) but can be done with the right antenna. You decided to use a coat hanger and when it didnt work you blamed the "stupid" antenna.
-and now the C-Band escapade where it doesn't work exactly right so you are going to tear it down.
-throw in the fact that every time a channel you like is dropped or changes programming we have to hear about it. How many times have we heard you holler about a channel being added that has programming you dont like (ala Equity at the end when they dropped RTV or ThisTV) or programming is changed to include something you dont like (TuffTV) or the whole "Outdoorsman with Buck McNeely" rant when you found out the FCC says that show is "E/I". Remember that? I sure as heck do.

Now if you want people to help you, you really need to start reading what folks post and not just think we dont know what we're talking about. We've worked on this stuff long enough and we are trying to HELP you get it working. Thats what we're here for. To HELP people. But not taking the advice folks give just is a slap in the face to us. Thats why I didnt post anything until recently in the thread. I figured "why bother. She wont take the advice anyways". But when you blamed the dish for not getting the signals in good enough I had to post results. Not to rub it in your face. But to show you that yes a 6 footer can pull in those signals fine. If you check thelist at the top of the page, the C-Band side is all done by me and the 6 foot dish.

When I first got into FTA it was to get the free Canadian radio stations on ExpressVu (they're scrambled now). I got a simple receiver and spent almost a month trying to get it working. The dish was fine (already had a sub to Expressvu) but couldnt figure out the receiver. Read some posts and finally someone was able to help me figure it out. I was overlooking something that people had said to do. This receiver was old so when you entered in the frequency info, you needed to add three zeroes to it. So to get 3855 (for MeTV as example) I would enter it as 3855000. I overlooked that and didnt listen to people. After finally taking someones advice I got it to work.
If I gave up because it "ddint work right" or "the stupid equipment"
-I would have never got intro free to air
-I would have never figured out how to aim a KU dish....I learned elevation markings on most suck
-I would have never got C-Band working

and I basically would just be a Directv subscriber.

My recent thing was to get a distant VHF TV station. Its 70 miles away and I wanted to get it. If I would have just spun the current antenna around, saw 0 on the signal meter and quit well than that wouldnt be me I read and asked questions on it. Someone gave me advice on an antenna to use (or at least try as getting that far away with digital isnt a science). I bought the correct antenna for it and did about 2 days of testing various spots on the house and deck to find the best signal. Installed the antenna and now I get 2 extra stations I wouldnt normally get
If you wanted to get ThisTV OTA (via KPLC) I bet the antenna model I use would work for you too. The station I get and the one you could get are about the same distance between their tower and the house (if you are in Beaumont proper), same power and KPLC is actually higher than the one I get (KEYC). If you want more info check out the OTA section or PM me. I'm sure I can give you some advice on an antenna setup for the local stations and the distant ones.

So bottom line, you were very close to 87W which it sounds like is what you want right now. If you make minimal changes to the existing setup the results will show for themselves. No reason to tear down the whole thing and give up now.

 

[empiretc]

Sounds like she needs to subscribe to the DN welcome pack. She spent enough on this soon to be abandoned project to have paid for it for quite a while.

 

[rgk]

"Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives." Satellite forum or soap opera ???? my link must be corrupted.

 

[trinidex]

I just thought of something else that may be causing you to loose your signal.

When you attach your meter or whatever fancy pants thing-a-ma-bob you are using, are you using a short coax to connect this to your LNB? Is the coax secured to something before you disconnect it from the LNB and is there a possibility that you are pulling on the coax when you connect the fancy pants meter? You should have a coax about six feet long, with a barrel connector that you can disconnect the house from then connect your meter, other wise as loose as the LNB is, you may be twisting it, moving it, could THAT be the problem? Take a six foot coax and secure it to the dish or the pole with twist ties, or tape or something, BETWEEN the LNB and the barrel connector, THEN connect your meter to get readings.

This made me think of 2 things...

I was tweaking 2 of my dishes after recent winds and rain...

I used my "regular" 6ft patch cable from LNB to meter and then to dish...

Before the meter I was seeing 67%...with the meter attached I was seeing 45% - I'm like WTF?! Yelling at the wife...what do you mean it shows 45%?!?!?!?!

Guess what...my patch cable was bad! So I remade it with new connectors - BAM! proper readings!

The SECOND thing, is exactly what Phottoman was talking about, one of my LNBs is loose and the weight of the meter would move it in the holder! So yes, now I have a secure cable from LNB to back of dish, into a barrel splice, which feeds the house or my meter as needed.

 

[Phottoman]

And I would like to add something that no one has mentioned yet, Dee-Ann. The 10 foot dish will be HARDER to point at the satellite.

OK, look at it this way. The six footer has a pretty narrow beam it is trying to look up at towards that satellite. BUT the ten footer is going to have a NARROWER beam, making it HARDER to actually TRULY aim the dish. You have to be MUCH closer than you have been on the six footer to capture that narrower beam.

Granted, the results will be better, but the work will cause you (and probably some of US) to pull hair out by the roots.

If you have already scrapped your six footer, then you really should put it all back up and LEARN on that one what to do. Once you learn on the six footer, the ten footer will be easier. But if you are thinking that the ten footer will be easier, well, it's time to have a garage sale and sell all the C Band equipment you have, IF someone will take it off your hands. You mentioned that you warped it, so that may play into what it is all worth. But a warped dish can and should still work for what you are trying to accomplish.

Just my opinion, others may vary.

Photto

 

[zamar23]

I think you're too harsh on Dee-Ann guys. Pretty sure, she will never abandon this project, until its all set. Admit, the mass market consumer CN dishes can make someone like Dee really mad.

Dee, do you remember, how long it took to get your 1-st Ku-signal? Mine took 2 weeks of mounting & tuning a single dish on a motor. I was confident, every single peace of equipment was simply broken. And you had problems back then with Ku, so what makes you think, there won't be problems ahead, while tackling C-band? You do need to find someone to deal with the 10-footer - it might be above your strength and patience level. Its heavy stuff after all, may be dad can borrow some more?

P.S. Mr. Iceberg wrote above a poem manuscript devoted to you. Apparently, he was watching your every move for quite awhile. Who knows, it might be a love story in the making, we were waiting for sooooo long.

 

[Mr Tony]

I think you're too harsh on Dee-Ann guys.

no not really. At least I know I'm not. You didnt read through the posts (huh much like Dee Ann) and just assume something. I could have posted something yesterday but I decided to walk away because I am certain it would have hurt someone's feelings. Read through the posts and look at the info we gave her that she ignored. How many posts did people say to tweak the dish when you are that close....only to have her post every other thing she did BUT that? We ask to post results yet it takes 3 posts from here to finally give them?

P.S. Mr. Iceberg wrote above a poem manuscript devoted to you. Apparently, he was watching your every move for quite awhile. Who knows, it might be a love story in the making, we were waiting for sooooo long.

you should be banned for saying that. I'm dead serious and I do have the power to do that. Just because I have a good memory (and know how to use the search function here) to remember all her posts (whines/rants) when Equity would change a channel to something she didnt like. Or a new channel shows up that has programming she didnt like. Or all the time she has spent getting help with something only to "give up" or call something "stupid"....frankly the posts are getting very old. And thats why I didnt post anything until recently about the C-Band project. Until she blamed the dish and receiver for her issues. Then I decided to be nice (after all I've been here since damn near day 1 and I always help people) and post my results so she knew that it did work and gave her a "bar" to shoot for

so yeah I want her. Good lord (and to put on my Judge Joe Brown voice) that is the DUMBEST thing I have heard in a long time...How about you send me some of that good stuff you have in Canada, eh?

I am single and you bet your sweet ass I'm happy being single.
The only "love story" is when a new receiver comes out on the market, I buy it, and it actually works as its suppose to.

 

[zamar23]

Ice

I know you have a sense of humor. We all just need to relax a bit, giving Dee a chance to concentrate on her task. I haven't seen such interest to FTA topic from another lady for a long time, if ever in mine short experience - it says volumes about her dedication. Btw, she doesn't really ask for much, just sharing her daily experiences, and may be happy to share them with someone who thinks alike. I remember suggesting something on how to fix her PC... and she didn't follow. May be it was too complex - still better than nothing, so I'm not offended, may be one day she'll get back to it when the need arises. Every person has different abilities, knowledge and character - that's what makes it enjoyable to participate in such forums.

Good stuff? Xmm... I'll be happy to, just PM your detail request. I guess you like dishes too, not only receivers.

 

[Dishman Dan]

you should be banned for saying that. I'm dead serious and I do have the power to do that. Just because I have a good memory (and know how to use the search function here) to remember all her posts (whines/rants) when Equity would change a channel to something she didnt like. Or a new channel shows up that has programming she didnt like. Or all the time she has spent getting help with something only to "give up" or call something "stupid"....frankly the posts are getting very old. And thats why I didnt post anything until recently about the C-Band project. Until she blamed the dish and receiver for her issues. Then I decided to be nice (after all I've been here since damn near day 1 and I always help people) and post my results so she knew that it did work and gave her a "bar" to shoot for

A lot of us have been tuning in to the Dee Ann Show on a regular basis and we know


exactly what you are talking about!

It is very frustrating to post in it or even just reading it gets frustrating!!!...


A lot of members here do have a lot of patience when it comes to helping others out!! :up