Move Hughesnet Dish?

[pennysgeek]

Hi Folks. I've got a husghesnet dish that I need to move 50 - 75 yards to a different building. My question is, how do I do this and re-point the dish to receive the signal again. I don't have $125 plus just sitting around to pay a hughesnet tech to come out, move it and re-point. Is there some software I can install on my Mac or Pc that will let me do this? Just how hard is it? BTW, we just upgraded to the HNS 7000 modem because HN said they no longer supported the 6000. I was at first told a tech would bring it out and install it but he was NOT authorized to move the dish at that time. Ridiculous! They would have him come back again just to reinstall after moving it. I installed the new modem but need the dish moved the 50-75 yards to a different buidling.

Also, what software do you guys suggest for a fap monitor? I work on a MacBook Pro and my wife has a Dell Inspiron 9300 laptop. We've had to re-arrange our schedulles to the 1am -6am non-fap period so that we can use some decent bandwidth to upload/download whatever large files we need.

Thanks.

 

[grohgreg]

Obviously a certified installer is the best way to go here. But if you're in the least bit handy with electronics, you can move this yourself for the cost of a little hand-held device. All (responsible) HughesNet installers have used them for years. It's called an OPI - Outdoor Pointing Interface - I got mine on the internet, for ~1/2 the current price of an installer visit. outdoor pointing interface - Google Image Search

//greg//

 

[pennysgeek]

Hi Greg and thanks for replying. Mind my asking where you bought yours? The average price I'm seeing is $89.95.

 

[grohgreg]

Got mine through a local dealer/installer coupla years ago. But I'm pretty sure ninety bucks is (or was) full retail. Froogle just pointed me at this one: Hughesnet / Direcway Satellite finder/meter OPI - eBay (item 140307385070 end time Mar-19-09 14:27:58 PDT) . I'm sure you can find better than $90 deals if you look hard enough.

//greg//

 

[Stargazer]

I thought professional installation was required (or someone with certification number) before they will activate a system. I was thinking about buying a used one and putting it in myself so that I would not have a contract in case something else came here or in case I can get my wireless internet service back into my area.

 

[grohgreg]

I thought professional installation was required (or someone with certification number) before they will activate a system.

The OP question regards moving an already activated system. Technically a certified installer is required to (re)point the dish because of how critical it is to get the transmitter isolation optimized. But practically, anybody with a modicum of mechanical aptitude and a working OPI can move a dish a few yards.

Since you're already an installer, you have the working knowledge of Ku-band. What you need is the OPI plus a SAN and PIN from Hughes. They're numbers that have to be used as part of the Satellite Based Commissioning. Note of caution: don't buy any used system that that starts with the letters DW. Hughes won't commission DW3000/4000/6000 modems anymore, and are soon to drop support of the DW7000. The HN7000S is their current Ku-band system, which is pointed as described above. The HN9000 however is Ka-band, and employs entirely different pointing tools.

//greg//

 

[grohgreg]

.... need to move 50 - 75 yards to a different building.

Forgot to mention; there is a maximum length that you can run cables between the modem and dish. And the same grounding requirements exist regardless of location. If you're going to do this yourself, you better outline your cabling and grounding plan here first - before doing something that might not work.

//greg//

 

[HCI]

I thought professional installation was required (or someone with certification number) before they will activate a system. I was thinking about buying a used one and putting it in myself so that I would not have a contract in case something else came here or in case I can get my wireless internet service back into my area.

If you buy a used system when you call to get an account number Hughes will generate a work order for a reinstallation. You should not pay anything at that time but to the installation company at the time of the install. If you know which satellite you need to go to and can get it in without the installation company you will only pay the first months bill when the modem is activated.

 

[pennysgeek]

Thanks guys for all of your comments and suggestions.

I think I'm going to wait and let HN send an installer out here. It all sounds a bit too complicated and more trouble than its worth.

 

[bajadudes]

All you need to know to deploy and redeploy your HN dish

written by a good friend of mine:

HughesNet Mobile Satellite User Guide

 

[Stargazer]

Looks like a very elaborate guide. To get an initial installation done a certification number is required though aint it?

 

[bajadudes]

Nope, only the first time you commission the modem you will need the SAN and PIN numbers...for HN

For Starband you need a cert number but you can take a free online course and a few free tests to get one, instructions here:
Orbital Enterprises - Satellite Installation and Training Services

For WB you do need a cert number to commission and you have to take an initial hands on class.

It's a great user manual. Barb is a professional technical writer that writes many of Ciscos very complicated and verbose technical support manuals. She is also a certified Cisco network trainer that works for Cisco giving classes around the country to Cisco employees.

I don't think there is a better manual for setting up and moving a HN dish available anywhere for any price....including their own training stuff.

 

[Claude Greiner]

I sell Hughesnet for a living and I would not even move the Dish myself .

I might do the installation and run the wires, but I would call one of the Hughesnet installers that I know to point the Dish for me.

They key is that your dealing with a device the transmits and signal and your not certified to install it. Its very possible you do the installation and get it working and Hughesnet will shut you down because its not transmitting properly.

I remember doing Starband several years ago and I had to get a spectrum analyzer to get the cross pol and co polarization correct. I think Hughesnet is circular polarization, but best to leave it to a professional.

 

[grohgreg]

I remember doing Starband several years ago and I had to get a spectrum analyzer to get the cross pol and co polarization correct. I think HughesNet is circular polarization, but best to leave it to a professional.

The new Ka-band (HN9000) is circular, but all their Ku-band is linear orthogonal. Truck drivers, campers, RVers carry Ku-band gear around with them - setting up from scratch every time they park for the night. Like I said up front - fine tuning RSL and transmitter isolation with an OPI has dumbed the process way down from the old days when you had to call the NOC with one hand while on a ladder adjusting the dish with the other.

But since the OP has decided to call an installer, it's not really an issue anymore.

//greg//

 

[poorboy08]

the old days when you had to call the NOC with one hand while on a ladder adjusting the dish with the other.

//greg//

ahhhh....the good ol' days...I remember taking those calls from angry installers and watching a couple specans doing manual crosspol.... ;-)

 

[kryppy]

I sell Hughesnet for a living and I would not even move the Dish myself .

I might do the installation and run the wires, but I would call one of the Hughesnet installers that I know to point the Dish for me.

They key is that your dealing with a device the transmits and signal and your not certified to install it. Its very possible you do the installation and get it working and Hughesnet will shut you down because its not transmitting properly.

I remember doing Starband several years ago and I had to get a spectrum analyzer to get the cross pol and co polarization correct. I think Hughesnet is circular polarization, but best to leave it to a professional.

LOL, I am having a hard time deciding if this is a parody, or if you are serious.
Any retard can take the laptop and modem out to the dish and point them (like they taught you for AOL+) with a 7000 [BTW:FREE LAPTOP] at the AOL+ class as well..

I did one of the very first Gilat2Home AKA Starband installs in the country, and I had to put the stupid thing twenty feet up on a wall and was done in roughly an hour with the whole nine yards, including the NOC geek making me push and pull and twist for a half an hour before he realized my spectrum had already been there and done that in two minutes.

It sure was fast back then with the dual card system and four users..lol, 3.5 megs down was unreal at the time when my DSL was only at 1.5...

I guess it is nice in the AC scanning and closing work orders.

 

[kryppy]

ahhhh....the good ol' days...I remember taking those calls from angry installers and watching a couple specans doing manual crosspol.... ;-)

They still do it that way on a bunch of commercial systems. I love talking to the NOC directly, who else can fix network issues...?

 

[HCI]

They still do it that way on a bunch of commercial systems. I love talking to the NOC directly, who else can fix network issues...?

What commercial systems would that be?

 

[wad]

What commercial systems would that be?

sounds like hes doing legacy stuff. we do a bit.....i hate that crap. pes, nb's okemos.....hate 'em. the only stuff thats not too bad is the one ways like the repoints we all just did.

 

[HCI]

sounds like hes doing legacy stuff. we do a bit.....i hate that crap. pes, nb's okemos.....hate 'em. the only stuff thats not too bad is the one ways like the repoints we all just did.

Every one of the repoints I done had nothing hooked up to them. We started doing a couple of PES one time through ATN, but they did not want to pay enough.