Help with a problem (SL3 and Phase III)

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GoWulfpack919

SatelliteGuys Family
Original poster
Oct 14, 2009
116
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NC
I'll cut to the chase and just say I recently moved over from Dish Network. With Dish, I had an elaborate tailgate setup and became proficient in finding signals in sometimes less than 5 minutes. Now I have DirecTV and just spent an hour in my yard, to no avail, practicing for this weekend.


I have two Dishes from which to use with an SL3 LNB that is NON SWM (4 coax ports) and an HD receiver (H24/100). The first Dish is a Phase III. I like this option better given its compact size. I attached the SL3 NON SWM LNB to the Phase III, powered everything up and started flying blind.

As I started browsing around the settings, I got to the section that asked for the "Dish Type". By default it said 17: Swingline 3S (SWM). I changed it to SL3 .

Below that it asked for "Switch Type" and this is where I got confused. Should I leave this on "SWM" or "Multi-switch" ?? For the record, I tried both and came up empty later on but I guess I need to know which one is correct.

Then I put the satellite search on 101 and swooped the sky using the settings on Dish Pointer. I couldn't find the signal but I don't know at this point whether it's because of a setting or because I ran out of patience.

I have the huge Swingline Dish sitting in my living room but I have read accounts online stating the Phase III /SL3 combo works for a tailgating/RV application just fine. At this point, I hope and want this setup to work and would appreciate any help.
 
I will start by admitting I cannot answer all your questions. However, you do NOT have a SWM. I suspect you mean Slimline (not swingline) dish. The SL3 on a phaseIII may require special alignment (suggest you search this topic using on this board for other replies.) As you might guess, if all the settings are correct you should find the 101 with NO problems. That's why I'm guessing you should start with the slimline as I believe the SL3 is made for that dish. Also check your elevation as I found when I moved to D* from E* there is a slight difference in the way it's adjusted. I'm sorry if this is not a total answer but ... :cool:
 
Did you trim the "nub" on the SL3 LNB or cut a slot in the arm of the phase III dish so that the LNB seated all the way in the arm?
 
There is a big thread here or on DBSTalk about doing this. It is doable but the arm length I think must be modified. My sense was that it wasn't worth the effort. You should go with the dish your LNB was designed for.
 
Thanks for the replies. Yes I filed down the notch and I did mean slimline. I'll check out that link.
 
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