RV Help! Dish 1000.2 & VIP 211Z

[Jimnade]

I just purchased a Dish 1000.2 and VIP 211Z for our RV. For years, we have used a 512 with no problems. Since purchasing a Smart TV we wanted HD...thus, the new receiver.

After reading a few previous posts, I accessed dishpointer.com and found the coords for western arc 119, 110 & 129. As advised, I preset the skew and then tweeked the elevation and azimuth. I lined up to 119 with an average peak reading of 62 on transponder 11. Ah Ha! I thought, wow...I did it! Hmmmmm...not so fast!

I believe I have followed all the prescribed steps at the receiver, but I can never get 110 or 129. After performing switch test, it only shows 119. If I pan the dish to the left, I can get 110 and 129...but I can never get all three together. I sure could use some guidance. The tech support at Dish says they can only assist me if I use the "tailgater" dish...they are far from helpful.

I truly thank you guys in advance for any information you could provide.
Jim

 

[Brussam]

First, have you insured that the mast of the tripod is very vertical? Use a level to make sure the mast is vertical.

If the mast is not vertical then 110 and 129 will not align on the set Skew.

 

[Dishman1978]

Also, tell these guys in which position is the satellite name showing in the chest k switch matrix. That will give an indication. On if your dish is pointed at the right satellite. Such as is 119 in the first second or third slot.
That correlates to which "eye" is catching the beam.

 

[Jimnade]

First, have you insured that the mast of the tripod is very vertical? Use a level to make sure the mast is vertical.

If the mast is not vertical then 110 and 129 will not align on the set Skew.

Brussam...thank you for the reply. I will make certain to level the tripod...apparently it is more important than our previous setup. With that said, if a level tripod is not "right on" would turning the skew up/down possibly bring in the other two satellites?

 

[Jimnade]

Also, tell these guys in which position is the satellite name showing in the chest k switch matrix. That will give an indication. On if your dish is pointed at the right satellite. Such as is 119 in the first second or third slot.
That correlates to which "eye" is catching the beam.

Dishman....thank you! I will take note about which sat is indicated and the order they appear after the switch test. Thanks so much for your reply. Jim

 

[Jimnade]

Brussam...thank you for the reply. I will make certain to level the tripod...apparently it is more important than our previous setup. With that said, if a level tripod is not "right on" would turning the skew up/down possibly bring in the other two satellites?

Presently, due to high winds and rain, I am unable to play with our new setup. However, I meant to ask you about our "check switch" indications on the receiver. After completing the test, it refers to a DPP-44. I was informed that this 1000.2 DP Plus had an internal switch and we do not need the external switch like we used for our old 512 unit. With a desire to save a few dollars, I purchased the dish and the receiver from Ebay sellers and not as a unit from Dish. However, both units are brand new and they were from reputable sellers. Of course, this always leads to speculation.

 

[Brussam]

With that said, if a level tripod is not "right on" would turning the skew up/down possibly bring in the other two satellites?

Here is the issue. If the mast is vertical then changes in Azimuth only affect the Azimuth and changes in Elevations will only affect Elevation. If the mast is not vertical, then you inject changes in three planes if either Azimuth or Elevation is changed. and it is near impossible to get the satellites on arc.

Near impossible because a 1000 monkeys randomly typing will eventually result in in the Encyclopedia Britannica and a non-vertical mast could eventually result in the three satellites being on the arc.

 

[Jimnade]

Here is the issue. If the mast is vertical then changes in Azimuth only affect the Azimuth and changes in Elevations will only affect Elevation. If the mast is not vertical, then you inject changes in three planes if either Azimuth or Elevation is changed. and it is near impossible to get the satellites on arc.

Near impossible because a 1000 monkeys randomly typing will eventually result in in the Encyclopedia Britannica and a non-vertical mast could eventually result in the three satellites being on the arc.

Brussam....thank you, again! Tomorrow I will erect our portable tripod [again] and make certain the post is absolutely vertical. Yesterday, I used a level to check that the bubble was between the lines...apparently, between the lines may not be good enough. Also...I referenced about our receiver indicating the switch was a DPP-44, are you familiar with this on the VIP-211Z? I probably shouldn't be concerned [at this point] until I -really, really, really- level the tripod. Thanks again for your input. It is always great having a forum to help through life's techie issues. I only wish I had found this website prior to purchasing our latest Dish equipment upgrade...the site is quite diversified when it comes to topics and we look forward to reading more user comments about the many issues.

 

[ChadT41]

I would recommend running and saving the check switch test, with no coax plugged in to reset what it has stored in it. Back when I worked RV department, that was one of the first things we would instruct. Successful probably 50% of calls(granted we knew what we were working with/doing).

 

[Jimnade]

I would recommend running and saving the check switch test, with no coax plugged in to reset what it has stored in it. Back when I worked RV department, that was one of the first things we would instruct. Successful probably 50% of calls(granted we knew what we were working with/doing).

ChadT41...thank you! I will give that a try tomorrow prior to lining it all up. Thanks again for your reply. Jim

 

[Jimnade]

ChadT41...thank you! I will give that a try tomorrow prior to lining it all up. Thanks again for your reply. Jim

Chad, my wife [the inside half of our "line up the satellite" team] was going to perform that test prior to [me] reconnecting the dish for another go at lining the thing up. HOWEVER! She got scared with all the warnings about losing satellite channels. The receiver warns "by selecting save you will lose stations." My thought, we don't have them anyway. However, being so very...very...very loyal to my wife...I said okay. Let's wait until the Satellite Guys acknowledge that it is safe to perform this test. CHAD! With no cable connected, we ran the "check switch test" and then all the warnings appeared. That is the one you were referring to, right? Once again, I thank you all for your replies. Whipped Jim...lol!

 

[Bobby]

Go ahead and do the Check Switch. After that is done you will be attaching the coax back and aligning and doing the next check switch which will bring all the channels in...

 

[ChadT41]

Yup... Believe it is the 866 message, but your wording is dead on. Save it, that is going to erase previous data, which is a good thing. Once it's all reset, plug the cable back in, run the test again, and see what the results are. Adjust from there.

 

[NYDutch]

As said, go ahead and do the check without the coax connected. Basically, what you're doing is clearing the memory of any incorrect information that might be stored so the next check will have a "clean slate".

 

[Jimnade]

Go ahead and do the Check Switch. After that is done you will be attaching the coax back and aligning and doing the next check switch which will bring all the channels in...

Bobby...thank you, thank you, thank you. It worked! All looks good. I just can't say thanks enough.

 

[Jimnade]

Yup... Believe it is the 866 message, but your wording is dead on. Save it, that is going to erase previous data, which is a good thing. Once it's all reset, plug the cable back in, run the test again, and see what the results are. Adjust from there.

Chad....thank you, thank you and thank you. All is now working fine. Truly, without the help of Satellite Guys we would have been sunk. The Dish tech support team was absolutely worthless, one guy even said our setup was never going to work. Again....thank you. About twenty minutes ago we read the last posts...we walked down to the barn and my wife bravely did the switch test and selected "done." Then, we did another test and zowey! Boy, what a great relief! We are so grateful. Jim

 

[Jimnade]

As said, go ahead and do the check without the coax connected. Basically, what you're doing is clearing the memory of any incorrect information that might be stored so the next check will have a "clean slate".

NYDutch...thank you! We just did the test without the coax, hit save and then redid the test. ALL is now good. Boy, what a great relief. We just can't thank you all enough. Phew! Jim

 

[Jimnade]

Here is the issue. If the mast is vertical then changes in Azimuth only affect the Azimuth and changes in Elevations will only affect Elevation. If the mast is not vertical, then you inject changes in three planes if either Azimuth or Elevation is changed. and it is near impossible to get the satellites on arc.

Near impossible because a 1000 monkeys randomly typing will eventually result in in the Encyclopedia Britannica and a non-vertical mast could eventually result in the three satellites being on the arc.

Brussam...thanks to the replies from all you Satellite Guys, we are now working. We made sure the tripod was really level and honed in on a good peak reading on 119. Then we disconnected the coax and ran a switch test. When it was complete we selected "save." THEN...we reconnected the coax and ran another test. ALL looks good now. Thank you so very much for all your help. Truly, without the guidance of you guys, we would never have resolved our issues. We were so frustrated. Thank you again, and again and again. Looking forward to reading all that Satellite Guys has to offer. Thank you! Jim

 

[NYDutch]

NYDutch...thank you! We just did the test without the coax, hit save and then redid the test. ALL is now good. Boy, what a great relief. We just can't thank you all enough. Phew! Jim

I'm glad it worked for you, Jim. Enjoy!