New to satellite hookups, need a little direction please.

[x6x6x6nin6x6x6x]

Directv would not hook up my equipment at my new residence after i was forced to move out, because i am only a 4 month customer.

So i have been paying my bill for a month now, with no service, and my fiance is depressed, and we are really bummed out about this,
because we are struggling just to get by, and don't have $99 to pay for them just to come out and tell me what the issue is.

I took the equipment from the old house and ran it as close to how they had it, as possible.
The only thing i can see that i am possibly missing are 2 wires on the cable splitter.
I don't know what they were, possible ground and power, for the dish itself?
By the way, i pointed the dish towards the southern sky. I don't know how to correctly set the tilt, but am just trying to get
a signal going before any perfection is needed.

I am going to post some pictures of the receiver, dish, and splitter and was hoping someone could explain why i would be getting
error code 771 no satellite signal on my directv receiver...

Thank you very much in advance, hope we can figure this out.

-Aeron

 

[raoul5788]

Directv would not hook up my equipment at my new residence after i was forced to move out, because i am only a 4 month customer.

So i have been paying my bill for a month now, with no service, and my fiance is depressed, and we are really bummed out about this,
because we are struggling just to get by, and don't have $99 to pay for them just to come out and tell me what the issue is.

I took the equipment from the old house and ran it as close to how they had it, as possible.
The only thing i can see that i am possibly missing are 2 wires on the cable splitter.
I don't know what they were, possible ground and power, for the dish itself?
By the way, i pointed the dish towards the southern sky. I don't know how to correctly set the tilt, but am just trying to get
a signal going before any perfection is needed.

I am going to post some pictures of the receiver, dish, and splitter and was hoping someone could explain why i would be getting
error code 771 no satellite signal on my directv receiver...

Thank you very much in advance, hope we can figure this out.

-Aeron

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to Satelliteguys!

How far did you move? If a short distance, say under 25 miles or so, the alignment settings on your dish shouldn't change. First, check to be sure the mast is plumb, this is very important! Then point the dish at about 207 on your compass. Check to see if you have any signal. Slowly move the dish left and right and see what that does to the signal levels. You should see a change. It doesn't take much movement to get a difference. Good luck and come back and tell us how it's going!

 

[BobStokesbary]

x6,
As Chip said, you need to be pointing the arm of your dish to 207 on your compass and you need to have an elevation of 48 degrees. That means that you need to get your base perfectly vertical and then set whatever elevation markings you have to around 48. The picture makes it look like your mounting is quite a bit off vertical (but that could just be the way the picture was taken).

I am not familiar with the receiver in your picture, but I would think you still have a signal strength meter on your setup screen. You can use that to make sure you are getting your best signal once you get the alignment setup.

Also, your first picture is a grounding connection not a splitter. When you get things working you need to run a grounding wire from the green screw to something grounded. Alabama is known for thundershowers and you don't want any stray voltages on your line.

You should have this working just fine over the weekend. Let us know if you need more information.
Bob

 

[raoul5788]

Bob, now that you mention it, I don't think there is even a mast in that second picture! You can tell the channel for the mast on the mounting bracket is far from plumb. Compare it to the corner board of the house!

 

[BobStokesbary]

Bob, now that you mention it, I don't think there is even a mast in that second picture! You can tell the channel for the mast on the mounting bracket is far from plumb. Compare it to the corner board of the house!

I totally agree. It looks like it is sitting on a white wooden pole. But, again it is difficult from the picture to be sure.

 

[Jimbo]

Knowing the model of the recvr and the dish your trying to use would be a big help.

I also have never seen that recvr.

The Dish your using will get SD only from the looks of it.

 

[Hutch1814]

Knowing the model of the recvr and the dish your trying to use would be a big help.

I also have never seen that recvr.

The Dish your using will get SD only from the looks of it.

The receiver is a D11, it's a standard receiver. Nothing fancy

 

[Jimbo]

The receiver is a D11, it's a standard receiver. Nothing fancy

I thought they were black ?

I've never had one obviously.

Would that be SD or HD ?

IF SD tyhen yes he could use the dish he has, it looks like the original single LNB dish to hit the 101.

 

[x6x6x6nin6x6x6x]

Incorrect Angle or Position

Thanks for the replies, yes all the equipment is basic level, and was working at the other residence which is about 15 miles away.

It's good to hear that the cable splitter seems to be only a grounding connection on the 2 screws.
I thought it might have been different, because the cables that went to the dish at the other residence had an extra wire attached, that ran to the screws.

So it seems that i don't have the dish mounted or pointing in the right angle for a true signal.

Could someone post a guide or some info on how to correctly mount and angle the dish for a decent signal?
You are right about how the dish is mounted, right now it is just placed onto a pole and tightened down, pointed towards the southern sky.
Directv did not want to help me with this At All, so I just tried to set it up the best i could.

Looks like i might have to go to Lowe's to get some better mounting equipment, I'll be waiting for a reply to see what you guys think.

-Aeron

 

[Mr Tony]

I thought they were black ?

I've never had one obviously.

Would that be SD or HD ?

.

D11 is silver. D12 is black
Both are SD only models

 

[Jimbo]

D11 is silver. D12 is black
Both are SD only models

Gotcha

 

[BobStokesbary]

So it seems that i don't have the dish mounted or pointing in the right angle for a true signal.

Could someone post a guide or some info on how to correctly mount and angle the dish for a decent signal?
You are right about how the dish is mounted, right now it is just placed onto a pole and tightened down, pointed towards the southern sky.
Directv did not want to help me with this At All, so I just tried to set it up the best i could.

-Aeron

Aeron,
I think we have done that. First you get a pole of the correct diameter. (The one off your old house would have been nice.) You mount it to something solid (or put it in some cement in the ground). You make sure it is vertical. You put the dish on top of it. You aim it as we have described. You enjoy your DirecTV service. That is really all there is to it.
Bob

 

[Jimbo]

If it's the old dish, like I think, it used a 1 5/8" pipe/post.
They newer Slimline dishes use a 2" OD pipe/post, in case you decide to used a different dish.

 

[x6x6x6nin6x6x6x]

bob bob go for bob

Ok bob, understood.

I'm going to recheck my mounting settings, it seemed that at the old residence the angle was around 50-55 on the percentage reading on the angle mount.

I'll actually have someone to be inside to help me check the settings this time.

I'll let you guys know what happens!

-aeron

 

[raoul5788]

According to dishpointer.com, it should be about 48.

 

[BobStokesbary]

Aeron,
There is one more thing to clarify; how to access the alignment meter. I am taking this from a D12 receiver, but I think yours should be the same. From the Menu selection go as follows: Parental, Favs & Setup>Satellite Dish Setup>Satellite>Signal Strength>Signal Meter. The last 'Signal Meter' is in the lower right-hand corner. This gives you a visual meter and audible beep. I guess some use the audible beep to align the dish since it is very loud and should be easily heard outside.

As Chip pointed out, your elevation should be 48. You can see the setting you need with this website. Just make sure your address is in the top box and 101 DIRECTV 4S is in the second box.

Once you get the pole setup correctly, the rest is fairly easy. But, it is also one of those things that is only easy after you have done it.

Looking forward to hearing of your success.
Bob

 

[harshness]

I'm going to recheck my mounting settings, it seemed that at the old residence the angle was around 50-55 on the percentage reading on the angle mount.

It isn't a percentage reading -- it is a angle (in degrees) relative to the horizon. The setting means absolutely nothing without a plumb mast in the sleeve.

Understand that this isn't a "general direction" thing like a TV antenna. With a dish, you're goal is to focus on a something that is a little over 22,000 miles away. Half a degree one way or the other makes a huge difference.

 

[Jimbo]

Unfortunately, the Audio beep usually doesn't work.

 

[Hutch1814]

Unfortunately, the Audio beep usually doesn't work.

I think the D-11's still have the audio, I THINK. Haven't had one before and very rarely do I we even install them anymore. D-12's is all we pretty much carry anymore

 

[BobStokesbary]

Unfortunately, the Audio beep usually doesn't work.

Our D-12 was so loud the wife thought something really bad was happening in the kitchen. It certainly shows she can move fast when she wants to. Of course it all depends on the volume of your TV set.