Pointing my dish at a tailgate party

[vjgkam]

Hi all,
I'm setting up my dish for the first time this year at my tailgate parties in State College PA. I've ordered a seperate 18" round dish, and have adequate cables and power supply. Do I need a tripod?
All this means nothing if I can't get the dish pointed correctly, and I have absolutely no idea how to do it.
I will be using an RCA DVR40 for the reciever.
Can anyone here give me some advice on pointing the dish??

 

[noneroy]

Hi all,
I'm setting up my dish for the first time this year at my tailgate parties in State College PA. I've ordered a seperate 18" round dish, and have adequate cables and power supply. Do I need a tripod?
All this means nothing if I can't get the dish pointed correctly, and I have absolutely no idea how to do it.
I will be using an RCA DVR40 for the reciever.
Can anyone here give me some advice on pointing the dish??

First of all: hell yes. You sir know how to tail gate properly and I applaud that.

I haven't setup a D* dish before but I have done E*. So here's my suggestion:

(This assumes that you are fairly close to where you will be tailgating)
Look at your current dish and write down the Azimuth, Elevation, direction and all of that good stuff.

Replicate with on your new portable dish. Test it at home to make sure all the angles on the thing are correct before you go out.

Get a nice compass. Set it up in the parking lot in the same direction you do at home.

Drink beer.


I'd also use a bucket full of concrete before I'd use a 'tripod'. But that's just me.

 

[bnaivar]

I got a tripod from an RV dealer on the web that not only has a compas built in but it has degree markings to help point the dish at each satellite.

 

[vjgkam]

Guys,
Thanks for the replies. Ilive about 200 miles from where we tailgate, so the azimuth and elevation are not the same.
The elevation is on the dish ( think), but how do I set the azimuth??
Am I making sense...or not??

 

[wolfman]

Guys,
Thanks for the replies. Ilive about 200 miles from where we tailgate, so the azimuth and elevation are not the same.
The elevation is on the dish ( think), but how do I set the azimuth??
Am I making sense...or not??

Get the ZIP code from the city you are tailgating in, input that into the receiver setup and that will give you the coordinates. Azimuth is the left and right swing of the dish on the mast. Make sure the mast is perfectly level and plumb. If it don't work, drink more BEER!!!!. Good Luck.

 

[Alan Lackey]

I actually setup the bucket of cement with a pipe sticking out approach and it works like a charm.

After 3 years into it we are always in the same parking spot and I have the elevation locked down. I have a light pole off in the distance that I point it to and hit in the 90s every time!

Gotta have my pregame shows during the tailgates!

 

[Jimbo]

Get the ZIP code from the city you are tailgating in, input that into the receiver setup and that will give you the coordinates. Azimuth is the left and right swing of the dish on the mast. Make sure the mast is perfectly level and plumb. If it don't work, drink more BEER!!!!. Good Luck.

Yes the azmuth is the left and right, you cannot set that ahead of time.
As wolfman also mentioned " Make sure the mast is PRFECTLY LEVEL and PLUMB"
That is paramont, if not the rest of your setting will be off.

This is where an adjustable tripod would come in handy vs. the bucket of concrete.

Jimbo

 

[chadzx11]

I did an install for a guy doing this one time. He had cable in the house and wanted the dish for "the Grove" at Ole Miss. He had a piece of a post that was like 6x6 or so that he wanted it mounted on, so I gave him a rundown and demonstration on dish pointing and cabling (a common mistake is to hook the dish up to the ant. in jack), in lieu of the standard professional install. I thought that was kind of wierd, but it was the easiest "install" I had in a while. Couldn't---and wouldn't-- do that in today's chargeback happy enviornment.

 

[joedekock]

That is what I call a Tailgate! I am a Michigan State Season Ticket holder, and someday, (my buddy and mine's dream), is to buy an old RV, gut the interior, and make a nice Bathroom, and Bar inside, (I don't drink but he and others we go with do). Also to put up a few LCD TV's, and bring along my Directv HD reciever to watch pregame, and other games while we tailgate.

Let me know how things work out for you. And I still have a bitter taste in my mouth from our last home game of 2005 getting pounded by The Nittany Lions.

 

[hancox]

Gotta have my pregame shows during the tailgates!

Gameday going to 10AM is a blessing and a curse this year. Great for the noon kickoffs, bad for the others...

 

[Sharpie]

A satellite dish is a must! My buddies and I went together and bought an old emergency rescue vehicle and we place the dish on top. Works like a charm. Also, off topic but a good trick for getting a tv to use, go to a repair shop and ask if they have any models for sale. I went to our local repair place and got a year old 50" Samsung DLP for $575! There are six of us who tailgate every game so the cost when broken down is nothing. Plus if it goes out, we are not out a ton of money that would have been sunk into a new model. The goal in upcoming years is a high resolution projector hooked up to the HD receiver and dish for night games. Best of luck.

 

[cozhavok]

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