Looking for a step by step alignment guide for a buddy who wants to align his own swm3 dish, any online links or documents?
Alignment steps
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Here is a good diagram for him:http://manuals.solidsignal.com/SL5-SWM Install LR.pdf
There are several videos on youtube that should be helpful.
There are several videos on youtube that should be helpful.
1. Set your Elevation and Tilt (skew) according to your area, you can look this up by zip code online or in the receiver.
2. Make sure your pole is level, and then set your dish atop the pole.
3. Sweep left to right very slowly until you have a signal on 101.
4. Peak your signal elevation first using the fine tuning bar, then do the same for the azimuth.
5. Check your 103 and 99, and if they look good, you're done. If not, peak it a little more until they're good.
2. Make sure your pole is level, and then set your dish atop the pole.
3. Sweep left to right very slowly until you have a signal on 101.
4. Peak your signal elevation first using the fine tuning bar, then do the same for the azimuth.
5. Check your 103 and 99, and if they look good, you're done. If not, peak it a little more until they're good.
Well crap. Everyone says that the alignment is on 101. I mean EVERYONE says the alignment is on 101
So how come when I measure my working slimline 3 dish with my spot on craftsman angle finder the elevation and the LNB skew are SPOT ON for the 99.2W satellite? From my house the elevation (for 99.2) should be 47.2 and my dish is measured at 47.1 and the LNB skew should be 14.2 and is measured at 14.1
For the 101 it would be 46.7 elevation and 16.5 skew
Can someone explain this?
So how come when I measure my working slimline 3 dish with my spot on craftsman angle finder the elevation and the LNB skew are SPOT ON for the 99.2W satellite? From my house the elevation (for 99.2) should be 47.2 and my dish is measured at 47.1 and the LNB skew should be 14.2 and is measured at 14.1
For the 101 it would be 46.7 elevation and 16.5 skew
Can someone explain this?
Do you have it working yet ?
These numbers are for location purposes, for a place to Start.
This is my working perfectly locked in Directv installed dish. I'm getting fantastic signal strength.
I installed this pole myself. It's as plumb as I could get it.
I thought about it earlier today and decided to pull my digital angle finder out and check some things. What I found is that the angle of the dish as it sits and the angle of the skew as measures on the bottom of the LNB extension match the 99.2 satellite almost perfectly.
I'm just getting ready for the move. Making sure I can align the dish. If this is true I can find the middle of 101 then drop close to the center of the 92.3 using my digital angle finder to set the angle and skew.
I'm starting to think that the original alignment is on 101 but that the final alignment is really centering the 99.2 satellite from the center of the 101. The 101 band is so wide it still hits. Once you are on the 99.2 and still in the 101 range the 103 hits.
Just thinking...
Usually it's the other way around, you find the 101, which is easier, the rest should fall into place, once you have the 101 solid, dither to max the 99 and 103.
I agree you must find the center of 101 first. And it's probably just a fluke where I am that the tilt and skew of the dish match the 99.2 satellite exactly. But what a weird coincidence. What gets me is there are only three alignments and two of them match the 99.2 satellite data as provided by dishpointer.
Your obsessing over nothing ...
Most don't have a "digital angle finder".
Go enjoy your work, WATCH TV !
clovett, the numbers you posted for 99.32 and 101 are correct, but they aren't that far from each other. Use the ones you have for 101 and make any adjustments from them that you need to.
I have pieced that together and I watched the dish being aligned by Directv originally. From what I could tell he centered the dish on the best signal for the 101 satellite through a process with a signal meter. Then he "rotated" the dish until he got the best signal for 99.2 and followed the same process. At that point he is on the crest of the 99.2 signal and the closest to 101 it is aligned.
The simple explanation is that you must get the best signal for 101 first because it's the broadest signal. Then you move to the peak of 99.2 from the center location of 101. At this point you have the best of both but if you don't come from 101 you won't find that exact center point. When that point is hit 103 comes in also.
The "work" is figuring out how to align the dish when I move it in two weeks. I don't have a meter and am interested in the best way to align it without one. I've searched everywhere and nobody knows how which is why I'm looking at it. For every person that says use the receiver a dozen say it can't be done. For every meter that isn't $500 it's crap. I find it interesting that nobody has considered measuring the angles of a working satellite. And yes, most people don't have a digital angle finder, but most people don't have signal meters either but that doesn't stop everyone from talking about them. I'm truly not trying to be harsh, but looking at something from a new way isn't always bad.
Whats wrong with the way you just did it ?
I have set up dishs a few times a year for friends and family so I don't have a meter either, I don't do it enough to afford one.
Once you do it , take it down and do it again.
Once you get the hang of it, it's not a big deal ... once you get the hang of it, you'll be setting it up in 15 minutes or less.
You did good, and theres nothing wrong with the way you did it ...
To those that say it can't be done, those are people that have never done one or tried.
The SWM dish is no different to set up than the Non SWN dish.
You just set up a 3 lnb dish, big deal, you pinpointed the 101 and went from there .... remember back when we started with a small 18" dish ? Yup, that pointed at the same 101 Sat.
The biggest difference is they added more Sats, tipped the angle to hit them all at the same time is all.
You can do this .... you just did it, it just takes patience and practice.
If I were you and you had time to play with it tomorrow, I would go out there, take the dish off the mast and start over, once you find it, fine tune it, then repeat ... you'll get the hang of it and eventually it will come easy.
Remember, very small movements at a time.
Persomnally, I do mine a slight bit different than you did.
I make sure the mast is plumb, this is critical first.
Then I set the skew and elevation, they generally are real close, put the dish on the mast, and move east and west from there.
I appreciate what you are saying. I'd just like to note that I have yet to align anything, I'm just getting ready to when the time comes. Which will be two weeks
The day the movers get ready to pull out will be when I pack up the Directv system and put it in my truck. At that time I plan on taking it off the mast and aligning it a couple of times so I know I can do it when I get to our destination. I'm leery of doing it now as my wife's shows may not record causing me to get stabbed in the eye.
As for the digital angle meter I just have one because I needed it for my telescope to find stars at one time. I just went out and eyeballed the azimuth that the dish is using and where it hits the house across the street. Then came back and checked where the 99, 101 and 103 sats align compared to that using dishpointer.com. I think you are correct, this is not going to be a big issue without a meter as long as I am plumb on the mounting poles I put in the ground. Thanks for your replies, I appreciate it
and it's not even a 3rd party app, it comes with it, it's a second function inside the compass app.
Now that everyone knows that they have a digital compass could I get someone to measure their skew by putting their phone on the arm holding their LNB as close to the dish as you can get it and let me know if that angle is the skew for your 99 satellite where you live?
This is so interesting. I just couldn't figure out how they hit three satellites since at least one if not two have narrow bands
From Tennessee I had already confirmed that my final tilt and skew as set by the Directv tech with a meter match the numbers of the 99 satellite not the 101
But the compass eluded me. Actually measuring the arm of the LMB and putting a board across the satellite dish gave me a reading of 188 degrees which matching nothing and made no sense.
Then it hit me this morning. I'm measuring in the wrong spot! I put a yardstick on the top of my mounting pole and aligned it with that little pointer on the back of the dish square with the mounting bracket. Eureka!
Now I know how they bring in all three satellites, at least from my angle in the US. My magnetic compass reading is 1 degree shy of the compass setting for the 103 satellite.
Since I am moving due east I'll be trying that when I get to my location and mount on my new post.
From Tennessee I had already confirmed that my final tilt and skew as set by the Directv tech with a meter match the numbers of the 99 satellite not the 101
But the compass eluded me. Actually measuring the arm of the LMB and putting a board across the satellite dish gave me a reading of 188 degrees which matching nothing and made no sense.
Then it hit me this morning. I'm measuring in the wrong spot! I put a yardstick on the top of my mounting pole and aligned it with that little pointer on the back of the dish square with the mounting bracket. Eureka!
Now I know how they bring in all three satellites, at least from my angle in the US. My magnetic compass reading is 1 degree shy of the compass setting for the 103 satellite.
Since I am moving due east I'll be trying that when I get to my location and mount on my new post.
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