installing a slimline

[vvovv]

Going to be installing one next weekend.
1.Do I aim for 101 I assume the center LNB gets 99/101/103
2. Can I use a old SD receiver to set up
3. Can I use a diplexers so I still can receive My OTA

Thanks all

 

[Jimbo]

Going to be installing one next weekend.
1.Do I aim for 101 I assume the center LNB gets 99/101/103
2. Can I use a old SD receiver to set up
3. Can I use a diplexers so I still can receive My OTA

Thanks all

1. Yes, point for the 101.

2.Using an old SD rec, will not allow you to see the 99 and 103, they are sats that require the rec. to see MPEG4 and the SD's are not.
That said, you can get a strong signal on the 101 and when you get a HD rec. you may, or may not have the 99 and 103 set.

3. My suggestion, No .... some have done it, but I would advise to run a seperate line if possible

Jimbo

 

[harshness]

First off, don't post installation questions in the CE forums. They have another very specific purpose.

Do not assume that you can get everything you need from 99W, 101W and 103W unless you've done a lot of homework already. You didn't say where you're located, but there are quite a few markets that still need 119W for SD LIL. DIRECTV is VERY fussy about activating customers who can't get all that they are paying for. In the grand scheme, the reflector is the same so most don't know the difference.

DIRECTV doesn't want you to screw up the installation so they will do it for you. It solves a boatload of problems for them and gives you some recourse if it doesn't work right the first time.

DIRECTV recommends AGAINST using diplexers. Many have had successes, but DIRECTV seems to have plans for what bandwidth is left over and you're probably not going to want to interfere with it.

 

[vvovv]

Thanks for the quick replys

The reason I would use my old SD receiver for pointing is so it will also see 119/110

so if I see signal on 101/110/119 then I would assume 99 and 103 are correct..

Do you agree or disagree

 

[jdspencer]

Not necessarily. The Ka sats are a bit tricky. The tilt must be almost perfect, if off you can still get 101, 110, 1nd 119, but 99 and 103 could be very low.

 

[vvovv]

Thanks for that I will copy tilt and settings from a neighbor.

 

[Jimbo]

Thanks for that I will copy tilt and settings from a neighbor.

Use that as a starting point.
You don't know if the neighbors set up was exactly plumb when it was set up, this is very important if you want the assigned numbers to be close to accurate.

Have you ran the set up to see what the rec. says should be the settings ?

Harshness is correct, this should be moved to the Technical section.

 

[twizt3dsist3r]

you can not diplex with the ka band without knowing how to do it correctly. d* and installers recommend against doing it (or at least I do) unless it is done professionally, and even then, d* will not support it, and if you need a service call, the tech is gonna remove the diplexer, patch the sat cable if need be and tell you find another way to run ota.

 

[jkr25nlpaz]

ok here's the deal ... i am an installer, installing a slimline vs. and old KaKu dish is cake. whether you have a standard 100 dollar sat. meter or a bird dog (expensive, unless you install). don't expect to get an HD picture if you're trying to shoot in your dish with the beep from the receiver, not gonna happen. Installing on a SD receiver will work just fine, but again, don't expect to get an HD picture later. Also, mount must be sturdy and level (not close, level !) you'll notice on the back of the dish mount there are dials, these are for fine tuning so you can pick up your other HD's 99, 101w, 103 . . . if you can't fine tune your HD will suffer. Ok, diplexers work great if you're not using HD or HD Locals, when you use a diplexer you limit the ammount of power your receiver is sending to specific LNB's, when this happens you lose transponders ( when you pull up signal meter on receiver you get a grid of numbers that show your signal, each of these is a transponder, if you lose one, you lose channels). So NO diplexers with slim line or other KaKu, run a separate line to your off-air.

 

[raoul5788]

ok here's the deal ... i am an installer, installing a slimline vs. and old KaKu dish is cake. whether you have a standard 100 dollar sat. meter or a bird dog (expensive, unless you install). don't expect to get an HD picture if you're trying to shoot in your dish with the beep from the receiver, not gonna happen. Installing on a SD receiver will work just fine, but again, don't expect to get an HD picture later. Also, mount must be sturdy and level (not close, level !) you'll notice on the back of the dish mount there are dials, these are for fine tuning so you can pick up your other HD's 99, 101w, 103 . . . if you can't fine tune your HD will suffer. Ok, diplexers work great if you're not using HD or HD Locals, when you use a diplexer you limit the ammount of power your receiver is sending to specific LNB's, when this happens you lose transponders ( when you pull up signal meter on receiver you get a grid of numbers that show your signal, each of these is a transponder, if you lose one, you lose channels). So NO diplexers with slim line or other KaKu, run a separate line to your off-air.

Sorry to nit pick here, but if you set the mast to level you will never get a picture. It must be set to plumb.

 

[jkr25nlpaz]

Sorry to nit pick here, but if you set the mast to level you will never get a picture. It must be set to plumb.

hey, i don't mean to nit pick ... but if anybody set there mast to level, they probably can't even operate their television let alone install a dish, however when i am to mount the mast for my dish, i'm probably going to use a tool called a level, and when you use a level it gives you a bubble of water that you would level on a horizontal plane, from front to back, as well as side to side. When doing so you would then be left with a mounted mast that is "exactly, precisely and directly vertical." or in other words, Plumb. However, thanks for the info. I'll make sure I correct the thousands of customers i've left without service.

 

[raoul5788]

hey, i don't mean to nit pick ... but if anybody set there mast to level, they probably can't even operate their television let alone install a dish, however when i am to mount the mast for my dish, i'm probably going to use a tool called a level, and when you use a level it gives you a bubble of water that you would level on a horizontal plane, from front to back, as well as side to side. When doing so you would then be left with a mounted mast that is "exactly, precisely and directly vertical." or in other words, Plumb. However, thanks for the info. I'll make sure I correct the thousands of customers i've left without service.

I didn't mean that you don't know how or haven't been properly plumbing the masts that you install. However, using the correct terminology IS important to make sure no one is confused. Although I doubt many, if any, thought you were really leveling the mast, I have, for instance, read a lot of posters confusing a fascia and a rake board. Fascias hold gutters, rakes go along the slanted edge of a roof. Mixing them up can make things very confusing. That's all I am saying.

 

[uncrules]

I recently learned that even if you have everything installed correctly and have the alignment just perfect you can still have signal level issues.

I had a slimline dish installed before D10 and D11 were launched so at the time of installation the tech couldn't check their signal levels. Once those satellites launched I was only getting readings on 99 and 103 in the 30s to low 40s range which made my HD channels more likely to rain fade issues than normal. However, I was always getting high 80s to 90s for 101, 110 and 119.

I have the protection plan and have tried several times to get D* to send someone to realign my dish. Well recently I finally was able to get D* to send someone out. The first thing the tech did was put up a new dish (but still a slimline) and he was able to get the readings on 99 and 103 to about the 50s range. He tried many times to improve it more but with no luck. Then a supervisor came out and after a while longer they finally got the signals on 99 and 103 into the mid 90s.

I asked what they did to get the readings that high and they said that in both the original dish and the one the first tech put up when he got there, there were bumps in the dish. So they had to put up yet another dish and then it was all good.

My original dish had a bump that they could see and the 2nd one had a bump that could be felt but not seen.

 

[Davedirectv]

Sounds like you got into a bad lot of dishes, I've heard of some techs taking the slimline holding it from behind, putting their knee in the middle of it and bending it outwards and getting a better signal, and vice versa. I'm fairly certain this isn't D* approved but it worked.

Quikest and cheapest producers, that's the way!