Aiming my Direct TV dish

[sunstrip]

i guys...I just installed my direct tv dish (Genie receiver with Swim lnb)...I have great signal strength on the 101 satellite (96% on all tuners)...but on 99 and 103 not so much...cause certain channels to not be able to come in...or only in standard def.....how can i fix this problem without misaligning my dish...thanks for any help...keeping in mind I'm not the most techy guy on the planet...LOL

 

[harshness]

This is why DIRECTV typically demands professional installations.

Getting your dish optimized requires patience. You have to keep fiddling with it until you get it right.

Without a proper technician's ($$$) meter, that's likely to be a long and trying process.

The process is straightforward and you can't cut any corners:

1. Be certain that your mast is plumb -- preferably using a torpedo level on two sides spaced 90 degrees apart
2. Use Dishpointer to determine the precise elevation and tilt parameters you need
3. Set the elevation and tilt
4. Adjust the azimuth in tiny increments as necessary

If you choose not to insure that your mast is plumb, you'll not be able to rely on the published elevation and tilt parameters and you'll likely have to make minor adjustments on all three settings rather than just the azimuth.

Never forget that the target is around 22,236 miles away so "close" isn't really close enough.

 

[Inclined Orbit]

This is why DIRECTV typically demands professional installations.

Getting your dish optimized requires patience. You have to keep fiddling with it until you get it right.

Without a proper technician's ($$$) meter, that's likely to be a long and trying process.

The process is straightforward and you can't cut any corners:

1. Be certain that your mast is plumb -- preferably using a torpedo level on two sides spaced 90 degrees apart
2. Use Dishpointer to determine the precise elevation and tilt parameters you need
3. Set the elevation and tilt
4. Adjust the azimuth in tiny increments as necessary

If you choose not to insure that your mast is plumb, you'll not be able to rely on the published elevation and tilt parameters and you'll likely have to make minor adjustments on all three settings rather than just the azimuth.

Never forget that the target is around 22,236 miles away so "close" isn't really close enough.

Its best if the mast is plumb to initially find the satellite faster from pointing data but in reality it can be way off as going through the alignment with "dither" adjustment will get you right on target to potentially +/- .1deg. That's 1/10 of one degree. The reason for this accuracy is to avoid potential interference from Ka band satellites that are spaced only 2 degrees away from the 99 and 102 deg slots. The original DBS slots like 101, 110, 119 are 9 degrees apart and didn't need the same pointing accuracy.

You don't need an expensive meter to do this, just a meter that will tune the 101 Ku slot and be able to select the specific transponders listed in the original SlimLine KaKu instruction manual and give you a reasonable and stable reading. Reception of Ka band satellites is not required for the precise alignment.

Here is a video pointing out why you need to perform the entire alignment procedure and how accurate it can be. At one time this was a must watch video for all installers but has probably been forgotten over the years.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve8tqdGMiyo

 

[harshness]

Here is a video pointing out why you need to perform the entire alignment procedure and how accurate it can be.

It is probably important to note that, based on today's ubiquitous SWM LNB configuration, duplicating the process outlined in the video requires a $799MSRP AIM 2.0 meter.

 

[Inclined Orbit]

It is probably important to note that, based on today's ubiquitous SWM LNB configuration, duplicating the process outlined in the video requires a $799MSRP AIM 2.0 meter.

SWM is a problem for simple meters but if I remember right, when the SWM boots up its in a test mode that might provide the needed transponders which used to include the specific 101 for alignment plus 110 and 119 which are not needed these days. I've been retired for 10yrs and have forgotten some things plus tech keeps marching on.

BTW, that's my training video I linked above and I'm in it along with my stepdaughter who worked there and actually did the alignment perfectly with no prior training. The facility with all the big dishes was my playground for 18yrs.

 

[harshness]

SWM is a problem for simple meters but if I remember right, when the SWM boots up its in a test mode that might provide the needed transponders which used to include the specific 101 for alignment plus 110 and 119 which are not needed these days

Is dithering 101W sufficient? It certainly doesn't seem ideal.

 

[Inclined Orbit]

Is dithering 101W sufficient? It certainly doesn't seem ideal.

Its completely sufficient and met all pointing specs called out by DirecTVs chief technology officer for the original KaKu dish and the Slimline. We (several brilliant PhDs and I) did a lot of research and I did all the field testing for proposed alignment ideas and when the smoke cleared it was the only method that could work with available hardware at the time.

You don't want to peak on either Ka slot at 99 or 102 degrees because those two slots will look slightly closer together or further apart to the dish depending on where you are in CONUS. Since 101 sits in the center between the two Ka slots if you get that right it minimizes any errors pointing at the individual Ka slots, which is were you need the most accuracy. The dither method is similar to how the large uplink antennas peak, they don't go for maximum signal, they find several equal degraded points then calculate the center and park there. Its more accurate than simply going for the biggest signal as pointed out in the video.

The particular transponder on 101 to peak is also important as you want something near center of band and you want a specific polarity. There is a thing called beam squint with circular pol and one of the polarities provided a more accurate boresight so that is what was written in the instructions and later programmed into the AIM meter.

Here is some of the equipment I used to test the dish pointing methods in 2005, this one was a completely machined aluminum prototype dish and a mount that didn't make it to marked and there were prototypes from other vendors. I blotted out some things on the mount in case the vendor is still sensitive about the details.

 

[Tom Speer]

I have successfully used the dithering method to align DIRECTV dishes for years, as a hobbyist. A cheap analog or digital meter is all you need. With a SWM LNB, you cannot have it connected to a receiver. The receiver will start commanding the built in SWM switch to tune to many transponders on several satellites. You need a way to provide 18 to 25 volts to the LNB, and read the signal. For a SWM SL3 LNB that is all you need. When the LNB is powered up, without any connection to a receiver, it tunes to one particular transponder on 101 for alignment and puts the signal out on one SWM IF channel. A source of 18 volts DC and a $20, a - $30 satellite meter that passes the power source is all you need to dither. For a power source you can use a AC powered DIRECTV power inserter, or I have wired up two 9V household batteries in series connected to a short piece of coax with an F connector.

For SL5 SWM LNB, the only way I know is to use the DIRECTV ASL-1 splitter made for that purpose. A SL5 will put out a second signal from 119 on a different SWM channel. I assume they are widely separated in frequency. The ASL-1 filters those two signals to different ports. With most LNBs being SWM SL3 today, the ASL-1 is unnecessary.

 

[Tom Speer]

Its completely sufficient and met all pointing specs called out by DirecTVs chief technology officer for the original KaKu dish and the Slimline. We (several brilliant PhDs and I) did a lot of research and I did all the field testing for proposed alignment ideas and when the smoke cleared it was the only method that could work with available hardware at the time.

Thank you for the above explanation of why the dithering process works better than peaking on 99 or103.

 

[Stuart Sweet]

For SL5 SWM LNB, the only way I know is to use the DIRECTV ASL-1 splitter made for that purpose. A SL5 will put out a second signal from 119 on a different SWM channel. I assume they are widely separated in frequency. The ASL-1 filters those two signals to different ports. With most LNBs being SWM SL3 today, the ASL-1 is unecessary.

I agree with Tom here, with just two notes. Neither the SL5-SWM nor the ASL-1 have been made in over a decade. If you still see them out in the market, be careful as they are either new old stock or salvage. Unless you are cleaving tightly to your 2000s-era standard definition receiver within one of the very few markets served by the 119 satellite, there is no reason to use an SL5 at all.