need help aiming dish (not normal)

willr

Well-Known SatelliteGuys Member
Original poster
Oct 18, 2010
28
0
se pa
I use a Dish 500 in my RV. I am trying to aim it at 61/72. I know it will work because I have done it in the past, but this time I just can't get it to work.
I have the skew correct, because it worked all spring until I took the old RV home to trade it in, now I have the new RV on site and I can't get it to aim correct.

Questions within operation I perform show below:

1: I hook up LNB to receiver, put my cheap analog satellite meter in line and do switch test before dish is aimed. it shows me DPP twin and nothing on inputs 1 and 2.

question 1: when starting with a fresh install like this, which DPP 1/2 LNB is the receiver using? The one marked 110 or 119?

3: I adjust the dish for a peak reading on the meter, then check to see which satellite is shown in the receiver receive strength screen.
If it's 61.5 or 72 I will do a switch test.

Last night I was able to get 61.5 (only) connected, but it was dark so I watched my locals then went to bed.
Today I tried again and found my mount was not level so I leveled everything up and started over again.

But all I can seem to get is 72, but it shows up on port 1 after the switch test.
Again, during a fresh startup like this, does the receiver only use the LNB 1 (marked 110 on dish) when aiming?

If I have 72 on the wrong side of the LNB, which way to I need to turn the dish to bring in 61.5 on LNB number 1? I think the signal actually crosses across the dish as a reflector (that is why 119/110 marks on LNB are reversed), so I need to move the dish CW a little (more west) and raise the dish angle a little? I have been having good luck picking up 72 and 82 but 82 is not a dish sat.

I have been thinking of finding a 1000.2 EA dish, but the 500 has been working so far (until this weekend).

I have tried to put aluminum foil over the 110 LNB and signal goes away.
 
and do switch test before dish is aimed. it shows me DPP twin and nothing on inputs 1 and 2.

question 1: when starting with a fresh install like this, which DPP 1/2 LNB is the receiver using? The one marked 110 or 119?

Well first problem is don't do check switch before hitting correct sat locations...
Hook meter inline, plug receiver in and boot... just to power the meter at this point...
Tricky thing using dish receivers to aim is that they won't tell you what sat you've hit when pointing until after the check switch, so you must set skew and elevation correct, then find the correct satellites.
Regarding the lnb... the port that the cable runs into, 1,2 or 3 will determine which lnb head is activated when aiming. At least on my EA dish it does... I don't know which is which off hand... trial and error, plug the cable into a different port on the lnb and see what you get.
The satellites are indeed reversed at the lnb head as the reflector or dish acts as a mirror.
Happy dish pointing!


By the way .. thanks for the thread title... I howled as I'm not normal either...
 
Last edited:
My problem turned out to be I have an external wireless AP mounted up on a phone pole pointed right at the RV I was mounting the dish on.
The AP / pole location right where the 61.5 satellite is, only 20 deg lower. i moved the dish 10 feet and problem went away. its always something :(.
 

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