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Last reply · posted in DIRECTV General Forum
To start out with, I live in Colorado and I am a Directv subscriber and have a big Slimline dish attached to the side of my house. Had it put there instead of on the roof so I can sweep the snow off of it during the winter. Anyway, I also have an RV and wanted to get a portable dish for the those trips away from home. Purchased a new Slimline with a tripod and a new LNB. Tested out setting it up on my deck, and was able to find the satellites with no problems. Then I tweaked the signals using a meter to get the best reception. Hooked the dish up to the receiver and found the signal strength on the portable to be lower than my regular mounted dish. Scratched my head and thought it might be the LNB or the cables being used. Checked all the cables and connectors and found no issue there. To eliminate the LNB, I swapped it out with the house one and the LNB on the portable dish. The House LNB on the tripod showed lower readings, while the new LNB on the house showed up great. Well, in my eyes, that eliminated the LNB as being the issue and got me into thinking it might be the dish itself. Measuring the dish and comparing all the parameters I found the arm on the portable was about a 1/2 inch shorter than the one on the house. So, I unlocked the LNB from the arm and gently pulled it out as far as I could, and still barely able to lock it in place. Lo and Behold the signal strength increased another 10-12 points on the meter scale. Now I am faced with a dilemma, if the focus on the LNB is that far out, what is my next step? Do I bend the dish a little this way and that (which isn't easy) to see if I can improve the focus, or do I lengthen the arm? Whichever, I figure both are going to cause issues trying to make this thing work. I'm also still trying to figure out how much money the manufacture saved by producing a shorter arm on the antenna assembly. Anyway, I'm just wondering what has anyone else done in this situation, and what suggestions do you have to tackle it?
15 Replies · 3273 views
F
The SlimLine dish on the house and on the tripod are the same dish, just has a shorter arm. With a shorter arm, that throws off the focal length. The mathematics for figuring the focal length of your LNB is pretty simple. Normally you would take the diameter of the dish and multiple if by itself (Diameter X Diameter = A) and then take the depth of the dish from top and bottom and multiple it by 16 (depth X 16 = B). After you have these two measurements, then you divide, A/B. That will give you the focal distance of the LNB. With my measurements from the new dish, the focal length should be around 20 inches from the center of the dish. However, I have found the arm brings the LNB too close, to around 19.5 inches. Playing with the numbers, bringing the top and bottom of the dish closer together by about a 1/4 inch would fix the problem, and spreading the top and bottom of the dish, or flattening it, will just increase the focal length and make things worse. I'm thinking possibly during storage or shipment the dish may have been flattened. Someone could have walked or stood on the box. Anyway, making an extension for the arm may be more problematic, and then securing the LNB to it might actually offset the centering focal point on the dish. I'm still thinking about this one.
I
The mathematics for figuring out the focal point of an offset dish with a feed looking at multiple orbital slots would be very difficult, if not impossible for most of us and determining it by trial and error will end up in error. For a dish like a Slimline operating at 20GHz and above the exact focal point would be critical to probably less than a cm in all directions. Ideally a feed horn is within 1/4 wavelength or so of phase center of the focal point and at 20GHz that's about 3.75mm. I used to know the Slimline specs but don't remember those fine details. It sounds to me like there is a specific LNBF that fits this dish with a short arm.

The original AT9 Ka/Ku dish had slightly different arms with mating LNBFs from different mfrs and they were not interchangeable. With the Slimline series they standardized the arm and LNBF focal point and all mfrs must meet the same dimensional specs so LNBFs from all mfrs are interchangeable.

The SlimLine dish on the house and on the tripod are the same dish, just has a shorter arm. With a shorter arm, that throws off the focal length. The mathematics for figuring the focal length of your LNB is pretty simple. Normally you would take the diameter of the dish and multiple if by itself (Diameter X Diameter = A) and then take the depth of the dish from top and bottom and multiple it by 16 (depth X 16 = B). After you have these two measurements, then you divide, A/B. That will give you the focal distance of the LNB. With my measurements from the new dish, the focal length should be around 20 inches from the center of the dish. However, I have found the arm brings the LNB too close, to around 19.5 inches. Playing with the numbers, bringing the top and bottom of the dish closer together by about a 1/4 inch would fix the problem, and spreading the top and bottom of the dish, or flattening it, will just increase the focal length and make things worse. I'm thinking possibly during storage or shipment the dish may have been flattened. Someone could have walked or stood on the box. Anyway, making an extension for the arm may be more problematic, and then securing the LNB to it might actually offset the centering focal point on the dish. I'm still thinking about this one.
F
OK, back again with a final follow-up. The kit I purchased from Amazon was the cheapest I could find, and this one came out of China. It took awhile to get here, but I figured it was a back-up for the RV, and I could wait for it. With the poor performance it was giving me, I immediately went into discovery mode. As you read before, I did all types of comparisons with a good working antenna system, length, width, depth and such. Eventually I set the dish aside and just got another Slimline dish off Craig's List for free. Surprisingly, the new dish brought in the signals at 99s, even using the LNB that came with the bad dish. Looking at that bad dish, I scratched my head for awhile, and let it sit in my garage for a weekend. The only other thing that I noticed about the dish, comparing it to the other two, was that the grey coloring was slightly off, and that brought back some memories of when I was working on large dishes in the Air Force, and one day I came in and we had completely lost all of our signals. Over the weekend a contractor had repainted the dome and had used a lead based paint. So, just for a final check, I scraped some of the paint off the dish and gave it to my neighbor to have it analyzed. Sure enough, they had painted the dish with a lead based paint. I guess it coming out of China, they don't have strict rules on using lead based paint. I notified Amazon, and I also have noticed the dish kit is no longer available. I was looking for a cheap dish, and that is what I got.
raoul5788
OK, back again with a final follow-up. The kit I purchased from Amazon was the cheapest I could find, and this one came out of China. It took awhile to get here, but I figured it was a back-up for the RV, and I could wait for it. With the poor performance it was giving me, I immediately went into discovery mode. As you read before, I did all types of comparisons with a good working antenna system, length, width, depth and such. Eventually I set the dish aside and just got another Slimline dish off Craig's List for free. Surprisingly, the new dish brought in the signals at 99s, even using the LNB that came with the bad dish. Looking at that bad dish, I scratched my head for awhile, and let it sit in my garage for a weekend. The only other thing that I noticed about the dish, comparing it to the other two, was that the grey coloring was slightly off, and that brought back some memories of when I was working on large dishes in the Air Force, and one day I came in and we had completely lost all of our signals. Over the weekend a contractor had repainted the dome and had used a lead based paint. So, just for a final check, I scraped some of the paint off the dish and gave it to my neighbor to have it analyzed. Sure enough, they had painted the dish with a lead based paint. I guess it coming out of China, they don't have strict rules on using lead based paint. I notified Amazon, and I also have noticed the dish kit is no longer available. I was looking for a cheap dish, and that is what I got.
So the new dish is working correctly, you have signal strengths in the 90s on all the sats?
F
Yes, I have been testing out the new dish on my deck for the past week, with above 95 signal strengths on all the transponders on 101, and have the skew set up to catch 103. Signals are a little lower on 103, but not much. I'll stow the antenna away later this week in the RV. I have a trip down to Texas that I will be making next month, and set it up down there. Elevation will change about 10 degrees, and the skew will be different, but I'm expecting that it should receive the birds just as well.
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Jimbo
Yes, I have been testing out the new dish on my deck for the past week, with above 95 signal strengths on all the transponders on 101, and have the skew set up to catch 103. Signals are a little lower on 103, but not much. I'll stow the antenna away later this week in the RV. I have a trip down to Texas that I will be making next month, and set it up down there. Elevation will change about 10 degrees, and the skew will be different, but I'm expecting that it should receive the birds just as well.
Glad to hear you got it all going ...

Where abouts in Texas are you heading ?
Ramy
Supporting Founder
Last reply · posted in The Sports Section
Really excited for this season with Kentucky having a new coach and some really exciting recruits. Probably won't last long, but here's hoping this season is great.
133 Replies · 1280 views
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Foxbat
I noticed you missed last week's… Much like the SEC Shorts!😉
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osu1991
I noticed you missed last week's… Much like the SEC Shorts!😉
I thought I posted it as I usually have nothing to do but sit at my desk in the morning scrolling the interwebs , but my mom passed away the day before so my mind was mush.
Ronnie-
I thought I posted it as I usually have nothing to do but sit at my desk in the morning scrolling the interwebs , but my mom passed away the day before so my mind was mush.
Sorry for your loss.
Y
24 team playoff seems to be real close.

Are we really that far from a 64-team tournament?

The benefit of the 24 team playoff:
  • All the cartel teams that cartels want in playoff are in playoff
    • Independent of record too! Bonus.
  • MONEY!!!!! for the cartels.
  • I'm out of ideas.
Cons
  • Regular season really doesn't matter now other than the rivalry games
    • Top cartel teams can lose three games and still make the playoff
  • Going to start resting players?
    • The playoff is going to be *checks notes* several games!
    • Resting players could make games dumb.
    • Maybe even restrict NIL players from games played.
  • How much are streaming sub costs going up a month to pay for this?!
osu1991
dishstaller
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in Internet Television (IPTV) Discussion Forum
Wasn't exactly sure where to post this. Just had a customer come in inquiring about internet. He has HughesNet and had heard good things about mine. He asked if we provided email addresses and it kinda caught me off guard. I said he should be able to keep whatever email he had been using....my sister in law is still using a BellSouth email addy and they haven't been around here for many years. He said he had gotten a letter from HughesNet stating that they had until Nov 16th to save, move, forward, whatever, their Hughesnet emails because they would lose them after that date.

I have never heard of a company simply mass-deleting email accounts (the customer still has his HughesNet service). From what I understand, in the past, the company who was ditching their email service simply sold the customer base to a company like Google.

Anyone else getting this letter. He said he would show it to me tomorrow when I go out there and set up his internet.
6 Replies · 82 views
Foxbat
Doing a Google of the HughesNet Email notice, it seems that HughesNet has been trying to eliminate hosting emails since 2019. And with HughesNet filing Chapter 11 back in August, it would be a smart move to switch to a more stable Email provider. Even AT&T farmed out their Email to Yahoo! years ago.

SpaceX's Starlink and the Cellular 5G Home Internet solutions have pretty much relegated HughesNet and its high latency, low bandwidth Internet service to History. If Earth had shorter days, maybe a Geostationary Internet Solution might have stood a fighting chance…
dishstaller
Well, I helped him set up a gmail acct....I actually wanted to see what the new process is for setting up a gmail acct since it had been years since I set mine up. Anyway, I showed him how to forward the emails he wanted to keep over.
navychop
If Earth had shorter days,

Wouldn't we then die of old age sooner?

🙄
  • Wow
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Foxbat
Wouldn't we then die of old age sooner?

🙄
Still the same number of years, just more Sunsets…😉
K
Even AT&T farmed out their Email to Yahoo! years ago.

I still have one of those although I've been trying to wean myself off it.
JSheridan
Among my many email accounts I still have a .netscape.net which AOL assimilated a while back.
dfergie
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU!
Last reply · posted in TV Shows
Hard getting used to the new younger Gibbs, Mark Harmons son had the right look but I understand he didn't want the role.
Still I'm enjoying, pretty good job with Franks.
62 Replies · 4170 views
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"MysteryMan"
Best episode ever.
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Jimbo
Best episode ever.
I actually think the very first episode was One of the Best ...
S1 E1 Yankee White
Where it all started in what was it, 2003 ?

edit:
Sorry, I got the shows mixed up, were talking Origins ...
I've liked Most of them once we've gotten past the 1st 3-4, getting to know who was who took a bit in the beginning.
It's a bit harder seeing we already Know the person, then go back and see how they became that person.
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KAB
KAB
Mark Harmon is coming back as Gibbs in Origins, for the full season. Just saw, Dinozzo too, on NCIS . That will be an interesting writing project.
dfergie
Really good one with OG Gibbs bookending it...
R
Really good one with OG Gibbs bookending it...
Will the OG Gibbs be on NCIS or will Tony be on NCIS Origins?
Scott Greczkowski
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!

So let the game continue!

The last song was added by Bobby who posted...

One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters

CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!

Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game

Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.

Example:

Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow

Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio

Another example:

Ride the Lightning -- Metallica

Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne


Get it?


An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
68491 Replies · 2670112 views
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H
Rick Island LINE-Johnny Cash
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ClarkGable
Rock And Roll All Nite - Kiss
harshness
Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution - AC/DC
Bobby
Kiss - The Art Of Noise
long_time_Dish
Beautiful Noise - Neil Diamond
TheRatPatrol
Last reply · posted in TV Shows
Anyone else watch this show? Any guesses as to what was in the box Gibbs gave to Abby that was on her desk? It look liked it was glowing.

I also heard that someone was leaving the show at the end of this season. Any guesses as to who thats going to be?
2130 Replies · 214628 views
Jimbo

Howard ...
You don't like Tony, or Tony as the Director (he's only been there for 30 seconds now) or you don't like NCIS ?
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Howard Simmons
Howard ...
You don't like Tony, or Tony as the Director (he's only been there for 30 seconds now) or you don't like NCIS ?
Tony as the director.🙄
Jimbo
Tony as the director.🙄
Would you rather have LaRoche ???
dfergie
I liked this episode and a toned down Tony...
H
Last reply · posted in FTA Receiver / Equipment Support
I just received 6 receiver 2 port mini Multiswitch and it work great, no external power need it, and you can connect 6 receiver instead of 4 on most Mini Multiswitches... If anyone is interested in where they can get one PM me....
IMG_1786.webp
3 Replies · 53 views
Titanium
Have you tested using external power? Over the years, have found unpowered polarity switching to be unreliable. Especially problematic when used with DiSEqC motors or switch stacking.
H
No I have not. I just got it the other day and it is connected to six receivers working just fine. What I do is non power mini multi-switches work best with LNBF's and with LNB's
H
It also has a IPS and a OPS switch on the side of it with a power led light showing when is on. It seems to be very nice build switch
Bobby
Supporting Founder Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum
This is a thread that will keep you apprised of 4K events that will be showing on Dish channel 540. Keep looking here for information.

As of today, 9-27-17, there are no scheduled events posted for the next 2 weeks. That is subject to change on a daily basis.
761 Replies · 166962 views
Bobby
MLB, Brewers at Dodgers, Wednesday 10-14, 5PM PDT, Channel 148-02.
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Bobby
MLB, Brewers at Dodgers, Thursday 10-15, 6PM PDT, Channel 148-02.
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Bobby
CFB, Notre Dame at BYU, Saturday 10-27, 4:30PM PDT, Channel 148-03.
Bobby
NASCAR, Freeway Insurance 500, Sunday 10-18, 12PM PDT, Channel 148-04.
Bobby
CFB, Ohio State at Indiana, Saturday 10-17, 9AM PDT, Channel 148-01.
CFB, Arizona State at Texas Tech, Saturday 10-17, 12:30PM PDT, Channel 148-01.
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Former member 209992
Last reply · posted in SatelliteGuys Support Center
For some reason, the satelliteguys.us site is loading a lot slower than usual on both Chrome on my Asus laptop and Safari on my iPhone.
I'm also seeing longer appearances of the blue bar at the top and the "3 blue bars" loading symbol.
Is anyone else also having the same problem? Thanks in advance.
524 Replies · 17845 views
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Foxbat
Yeah. It's probably something going on with the MacBook as my iPhone has been pretty snappy.
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Scott Greczkowski
I have been optimizing the site the past few days... and got us here now. :) We are rocking now!

Screenshot 2026-10-15 144737.webp
Foxbat
Yeah. It's probably something going on with the MacBook as my iPhone has been pretty snappy.
I rebooted my MacBook Air and it's zipping right along. Sorry, but it was taking over 20 seconds to load pages, with the pulsing blue bars so it was munching on something.
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Scott Greczkowski
Remember folks... just like DNS... its always Foxbat. :D
Foxbat
Remember folks... just like DNS... its always Foxbat. :D
WTF… …What the Foxbat!😱
dishstaller
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
Can't help but wonder if a worker overlooked checking the harness. I rarely ride a roller coaster anymore but when I do I check the harness myself pretty aggressively.
Can't imagine what the son is going through.

22 Replies · 182 views
Jimbo
Back on the Goliath Roller Coaster ... I'm interested to find more details as well ...
Like where on the track did this happen (somewhere I read that it was on the climb up the top), which is impossible ...

They really need to take that ride and add at the very least, seatbelts ...

The Park is opening back up on Friday, the ride will Not be opening ... personally, I would keep it closed until different type of restraints can be designed and installed (over the winter).

I find it hard to believe that this ride is even allowed to be running with the restraints that exist at the moment, there are other rides that use the same type and they have been shut down across the country.

You got to believe that every ride has at least 2 types of restraint systems in place.

I wonder what and when we will hear from the Manufacturer ... and whatever governing bodies control these ...

Just think, this is a Major Amusement Park .... I would not have any problem getting on the Roller Coasters I have rode ...

Imagine what these County Fairs and others like them, I would not be caught Dead on one of them ... they get put up and tore down every other week, where is the safety for those rides ... No Thank You.
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Jimbo
navychop
I would not be caught Dead on one of them

Yet IF you were on one, you might be caught dead.
dishstaller
Had no idea there were that many redundancies built into those restraints.
Jimbo
Had no idea there were that many redundancies built into those restraints.
It makes sense, however, I would want more types of restraints, so if one doesn't work, the other does ... the restraints coming over the shoulder I would have expected ... with a Seat belt as last resort.

Fwiw, I inquired with what they use on Coasters at Cedar Point, various Coasters, different restraints according to what the car and track requires ...

NONE of the Coasters at CP use THAT particular system :)
I'm glad to see ...
dishstaller
with a Seat belt as last resort.
According to the article, when you see a seat belt on a ride like this, it is basically used as a way of making sure the rider isn't too large/fat to safely ride the ride.