installing at9??

[dbthurman]

I am going to try and install my new dish tomorrow. Can any of you guys give me any pointers? The directions seem really complicated. I do not have a signal meter, can it be done using the receiver instead? any help would be appreciated. I installed the 3 lnb dish without any probs but i'm afraid i may have gotten in over my head w/ this one. Please Help!!!

 

[Lynskyn]

It's best to use at least an inline meter to aim this dish. You should be able to get one pretty cheap.
Anyway, build the dish and rough in the elevation and tilt.
Be sure to attach the 110-119 LNBF to the correct hole on the bracket (there are 3 holes - use the map in the instructions to determine which one to use.
It would probably be a good idea to run 4 coax jumpers to the LNBs even if you're not using all 4 just so you won't have to mess with it later. I would flood the connectors with dielectric silicone grease. This will also give you a point for an inline meter. Mount the mast securely and make sure it's plumb.
For aiming, start on 101. Peak the elevation and azimuth there. Then go to 119
and peak the tilt. Hopefully then the other 2 will fall into place.
I would not be too intimidated by this dish- after all, it's just a stationary dish - not like you're having to track the arc. I aimed mine in just a few minutes.
Hope at least something I said here helps. Have fun.

 

[dbthurman]

what about the fine tuning? (turn clockwise , count fractions.. divide by two.. cross your fingers, count to three , ect is it very difficult?

 

[Lynskyn]

I personally did none of that and was able to get good signals on all available sats.
Basically, I put my receiver on a 101 channel, went side-to-side and up-and-down until the signal level was highest and snugged it down. I pushed slightly in each direction after tightening until no matter where I pushed, the signal would drop.
Then I switched the receiver to a 119 channel and slightly adjusted the tilt left and right while watching the meter until it was at its highest point. Locked it down and I was in business.

 

[dbthurman]

that sound good, hows the local hd channels in houston? i'm in dallas area

 

[Lynskyn]

They're fine, except the local CBS-HD (KHOU) is not lit up here yet on satellite. Actually, I already receive the HD locals via an OTA antenna. The main reason I went to the AT9 was for future HD channels. I hope they start putting some up soon.

 

[dbthurman]

thanks for your help

 

[Lynskyn]

No problem. We Texans gotta stick together

 

[dbthurman]

I'm actually an Oklahoman , but your allright still

 

[Lynskyn]

Uh oh. Like Ronnie Van Zant said, "Better watch out or I'm gonna sick an Okie on ya." (You could probably tell I was a fan of his from my handle)
BTW, Radio Shack has those inline "Satellite Finder" meters for $39.99. Seems a little high but they are real time savers.

 

[dbthurman]

Allright I may go by and pick one up, Thanks again

 

[little dish guy]

The fine tune knobs and procedure are there for a good reason, read the manual or watch the video and do it right. Don’t let anyone tell you ignore steps, they obviously don’t understand the reasons behind them and the dish cannot be correctly aligned without it. Just because you seem to get good signal meter readings does not mean the AT9 is correctly peaked. Leave that thinking to the older dishes.
Bob

I personally did none of that and was able to get good signals on all available sats.
Basically, I put my receiver on a 101 channel, went side-to-side and up-and-down until the signal level was highest and snugged it down. I pushed slightly in each direction after tightening until no matter where I pushed, the signal would drop.
Then I switched the receiver to a 119 channel and slightly adjusted the tilt left and right while watching the meter until it was at its highest point. Locked it down and I was in business.

 

[Lynskyn]

Don’t let anyone tell you ignore steps, they obviously don’t understand the reasons behind them and the dish cannot be correctly aligned without it.
Bob

First, I didn't tell him to ignore the steps. I merely told him of my experience with this dish and how I chose to aim it. Second, I understand perfectly the reasons behind the steps in the instructions. I am aware of the issues with adjacent satellites, etc.
I just chose to do it this way. When Spaceway 2 lights up, if I have to peak it a bit, I will do it then, when all 5 satellites are active.

 

[little dish guy]

Well, ok then...
Bob

First, I didn't tell him to ignore the steps. I merely told him of my experience with this dish and how I chose to aim it. Second, I understand perfectly the reasons behind the steps in the instructions. I am aware of the issues with adjacent satellites, etc.
I just chose to do it this way. When Spaceway 2 lights up, if I have to peak it a bit, I will do it then, when all 5 satellites are active.

 

[dbthurman]

Got it all installed, the directions seemed complicated but it really wasnt that bad. I didnt have a meter so i just used the receiver, called my wife using my cell phone and she gave me readings. Thanks for your help.

 

[Lynskyn]

Good deal. Glad you got it going. Guess I shoulda mentioned you wouldn't get anything on 99 since Spaceway 2 isn't lit up yet.

 

[overlook2k]

Would anyone with an H20 do me a huge favor?? I have the AT9 and need to coords for my zip to aim it. I live in 28104 but cannot find the correct cords because I do not have the H20 to give them to me. It would be much appreciated!

 

[Lynskyn]

Would anyone with an H20 do me a huge favor?? I have the AT9 and need to coords for my zip to aim it. I live in 28104 but cannot find the correct cords because I do not have the H20 to give them to me. It would be much appreciated!

Should be:
Elevation: 43.9
Tilt: 63.7
Azimuth: 217.7

Got these from here:
http://emantechnology.com/lookangle.asp

Select Directv at 101 and enter the zip code.
The tilt represented by the tick mark on the dish is determined by subtracting the value returned here from 90. (90-26.3=63.7)
For anyone else doing this, if the tilt value is negative, add it to 90. For example,
if the tilt was -23.5, the formula would be 90 - (-23.5) = 113.5
This should line up with the output from the H20. (Except the H20 will round the numbers)

 

[overlook2k]

Thanks! I got it working but for some reason I am not getting ANY signal on sat C which is all the forign channels. Not a big deal at this point but I am concerned that my two new sats might not pick up if C isnt picking up. Isnt C an issue with tilt? I messed with it and went as far as 10 deg +/- the direction you gave me. What do you think?

 

[Lynskyn]

Sat C (110) is HD channels (HBO, Showtime, ESPN, Universal, HDnet, HDnet Movies, SpiceHD) on transponders 8, 10 & 12. The foreign stuff is on 119. 119 uses transonders 22 and 24-32. Sounds like you probably need to adjust the azimuth. I would leave the tilt at 63.7 and swing the dish east-west until you get all 3. When I did mine I peaked the elavation and azimuth on 101 first, then peaked the tilt on 119. If you do that, 110 should fall into place. BTW - right now Spaceway 2 is not active (99) so you'll only have signal on one additional satellite (103) when you install the H20.

Also, make sure the 110-119 LNB head is attached through the correct hole in the bracket. I think you're in Zone 2 which is the middle hole. Also, be sure the 2 wires going from that LNB to the connectors are not reversed.