optimizing satellite pointing without using a receiver...

[diitto]

As I've said in previous posts I am doing my own install and want to get everything installed (dish, cable, grounds, terminations, etc.) and checked out before I buy receivers from wherever (likely BestBuy). That is because once you buy the receivers you start the countdown (30 days) to when D* requires that you activate service... Since I've bought my own (new) dish but have yet to check it out I want to know it works before I start that countdown... So I would like to point the antenna and check for signal with one of these satellite finders... However, most (but not all) say to hook one connection to the satellite dish and the other to the receiver but since I don't have a receiver yet, I can't do that... It seems that they are using the receiver ONLY to supply a DC voltage for something (??), likely for powering the satellite finder (??) or maybe they need to voltage to power the multi-switch in the triple LNB dish??? Anyway, I said "but not all" above because a couple of them supply a simple battery pack case to hook up to the "receiver" connection on the satellite finder and they tell you to outfit the battery case with 15 volts worth of AA batteries...

So can someone explain this??? Tell me a bit more about what the satellite finders need from a receiver (for those that require it) so that they can be used??? My bottom line question is can someone recommend to me a method for aligning and checking out my satellite dish (satellite finders or whatever??) before I invest in receivers and create service with D*???

Help is, as always, much appreciated... diitto...

 

[billbillw]

Are you worried you won't be able to get signal or something? 30-days is quite a bit of time to get things up and running. Once you get a receiver, its really very easy to align the dish, assuming that it is installed properly with a clear line of sight to the satellites. The receiver will ask you for your zip code and then it tells you what to set the tilt and elevation to on your dish. After that, its just a matter of slowly panning left and right until you get a signal, then fine tuning to get the best reception.

Cheap analog signal finders won't help you one bit in alligning your dish. You need the receiver.

 

[diitto]

..a reply

Yes, I would certainly hope it wouldn't take me 30 days to get things going... After all, everything will be in place but for the receivers... The day I buy the receivers I intend to fire it up and be ready to go... However, since I'm doing this myself and have never done any satellite stuff before, I just don't know what to expect... I've bought 500 feet of the best Belden cable I've been able to discover from reading here and elsewhere. I bought Snap-n-Seal connectors and good tools with which to install them... I sat down last night and made some practice terminations... And I bought a brand new D* triple LNB dish and that goes up soon... So yeah, it outta be easy but if I put it all together and get no signal at all, then I have some heavy duty trouble shooting to do... That is what I was thinking about with respect to the cheap satellite finders... Perhaps it could at least tell me on a short piece of cable if the dish is functional... Then if I still got nothing at the receiver end when I put those in place, I would at least know the problem was more likely in my cable than in the dish. Plus it would give me a head start on aligning the dish... Those are my motives for considering the handheld satellite finders... I would still like to know what exactly it is they get from the dish, just power supply voltage or something to switch LNB's or what?? thanks... diitto...

 

[grydlok]

"Snap-n-Seal connectors"

I can see a service call comming.

 

[diitto]

others with input on Snap-n-Seal??

The last poster obviously has a low opinion of Snap-n-Seal connectors... I read every post I could find on just about every forum I could find to try to learn what connectors were good and which weren't... The Thomas and Betts Snap-n-Seal connectors were highly recommended everywhere I looked... But I am still trying to learn... Do others share the last poster's low opinion of Snap-n-Seal connectors???

 

[PhillyOTA]

Not a low opinion, but I prefer 360 radial compression fittings and think they do a better job than snap n seals. The SnS are definitely better then hex crimps.

Eddie

 

[deezoneezo]

From reading your post I can assume that you have already invested $200-300 in a self install a qualified certified and possibly competent installer could have done for free to you. At this point I see no other option for you than a BirdDog satellite finder. For a mere $500 you can be the envy of your household.

http://roxsat.biz/product_info.php?products_id=102

 

[grydlok]

The last poster obviously has a low opinion of Snap-n-Seal connectors... I read every post I could find on just about every forum I could find to try to learn what connectors were good and which weren't... The Thomas and Betts Snap-n-Seal connectors were highly recommended everywhere I looked... But I am still trying to learn... Do others share the last poster's low opinion of Snap-n-Seal connectors???

I only prefer compression fittings.

 

[miller5]

Hex fittings are not allowed by Directv. Your using a compression type fitting, you'll be fine.

 

[briansanders007]

Just do it! Don't be afraid! It's not that hard. Just assemble your dish on the ground with all the settings so your close when you put it up on the roof or where ever. The important part is to make sure the mast is level. There's a bubble in the center that must line up exactly. It's really easy. Than once you got that tight, aim the dish with the proper elevation\az. If you got a leval mast you can swing the dish in the general direction of the sat and than tweak it to get the signal. First time I got 87 than adjusted to 95. The hardest part is going to bestbuy and talking to some twit about why you want to do it yourself. they wouldn't let me and I told them they have no idea what they are talking about so I went to circuit city. came home took about an hour and a half by the time I mounted the dish, ran the cables, and tweaked the dish. I was a little hesitant at first since I had only installed single satellite dishes, but the phase III was a snap.

As I've said in previous posts I am doing my own install and want to get everything installed (dish, cable, grounds, terminations, etc.) and checked out before I buy receivers from wherever (likely BestBuy). That is because once you buy the receivers you start the countdown (30 days) to when D* requires that you activate service... Since I've bought my own (new) dish but have yet to check it out I want to know it works before I start that countdown... So I would like to point the antenna and check for signal with one of these satellite finders... However, most (but not all) say to hook one connection to the satellite dish and the other to the receiver but since I don't have a receiver yet, I can't do that... It seems that they are using the receiver ONLY to supply a DC voltage for something (??), likely for powering the satellite finder (??) or maybe they need to voltage to power the multi-switch in the triple LNB dish??? Anyway, I said "but not all" above because a couple of them supply a simple battery pack case to hook up to the "receiver" connection on the satellite finder and they tell you to outfit the battery case with 15 volts worth of AA batteries...

So can someone explain this??? Tell me a bit more about what the satellite finders need from a receiver (for those that require it) so that they can be used??? My bottom line question is can someone recommend to me a method for aligning and checking out my satellite dish (satellite finders or whatever??) before I invest in receivers and create service with D*???

Help is, as always, much appreciated... diitto...

 

[davesrave]

If you need the Bird Dog satellite finder, buy it used on Ebay, and when you're done, sell it on Ebay.