Tailgating set-up attempting to go HD for the first time

[bucktaylor]

I have set-up DTV for many years using an SD receiver and the 18 inch round dish.......... using the signal meter on the receiver to set up each time and never had any troubles.

I have always been hesitant to try HD at a tailgate due to the greater degree of difficulty in obtaining the HD satellites.

I have purchased a slim-line dish which is identical to the one on top of my house.......... with one cable coming out. I'm assuming this is the correct dish that I need?

I'm sorry to sound so ignorant but I am when it comes to this.

Am I going to need to purchase a signal finder or can this be accomplished using a signal meter on the HD receiver?

I fooled around with it in my yard for a bit a few weeks ago with no success............ I couldn't find a signal meter on the HD receiver however.

?Thanks for any help you guys can offer.

 

[raoul5788]

to Satelliteguys bucktaylor!

If there is only one cable coming from the dish, then you have a swm lnb. That means you need a power inserter inline between the dish and the receiver/dvr. You can align the dish using the signal strength meter in the receiver/dvr, it's just a little trickier than the sd ones. Patience is the key. That and having a plumb mast!

 

[Joe Diamond]

You can do it!
As you assemble and set up your dish the biggest considerations are clear Line of Sight.........plumb mast.........protection from dish bumpers. Do everything you had been doing with the SD dish. The only difference will be setting the tilt and elevation for your zip code. Then tune for the 101 sat just as you have done in the past. THEN, when you have the 101 signal in the 90s......give a very slight push west (to the right as you stand behind the dish). You will see the 101 signal go down a little but you will have the 103. Switch meters and peak the 103 or 99. Using the meter in the receiver has a little delay and not much volume so you may need a helper with a cell phone.

IF you can find an old SD box that beeps when the signal meter is used temporarily set that one to find the 101 using the old twist and shout method...turn up the volume and let 'er ping away. Then switch to the HD box. Practice at home B4 the game.

Joe

 

[TheTechGuru]

I have set-up DTV for many years using an SD receiver and the 18 inch round dish.......... using the signal meter on the receiver to set up each time and never had any troubles.

I have always been hesitant to try HD at a tailgate due to the greater degree of difficulty in obtaining the HD satellites.

I have purchased a slim-line dish which is identical to the one on top of my house.......... with one cable coming out. I'm assuming this is the correct dish that I need?

I'm sorry to sound so ignorant but I am when it comes to this.

Am I going to need to purchase a signal finder or can this be accomplished using a signal meter on the HD receiver?

I fooled around with it in my yard for a bit a few weeks ago with no success............ I couldn't find a signal meter on the HD receiver however.

?Thanks for any help you guys can offer.

Nope, for tailgating you need a H24 receiver and a non SWM SL3 LNB and a B-Band converter http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp?mc=02&p=SUP-2400

http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.as...L3-SlimLine-Four-Out-KaKu-Slim-Line-LNB-(SL3)

http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.as...inition-MPEG4-Enabled-Receiver-3D-Ready-(H24)

 

[raoul5788]

Nope, for tailgating you need a H24 receiver and a non SWM SL3 LNB and a B-Band converter http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp?mc=02&p=SUP-2400

http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.as...L3-SlimLine-Four-Out-KaKu-Slim-Line-LNB-(SL3)

http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.as...inition-MPEG4-Enabled-Receiver-3D-Ready-(H24)

That may be the easiest, but many have a swm setup at home. For them, using a non swm setup for tailgating means you have to go through the setup every time. With swm it's basically plug and play.

 

[BobStokesbary]

I'm with Chip. For tailgating, a SWM is just as easy as non-SWM. You have the TV right there to use the meter in the receiver for alignment. That makes the SWM equal to the non-SWM. I use a SWM setup in or RV and it is no more difficult to setup than a non-SWM unit would be. I'm not sure why TheTechGuru makes the statement he makes. And, if you don't want to be able to replay some of the activity, I would think things would even be better with an H25 (but I don't know if they have the signal meters in them).

 

[TheTechGuru]

I'm with Chip. For tailgating, a SWM is just as easy as non-SWM. You have the TV right there to use the meter in the receiver for alignment. That makes the SWM equal to the non-SWM. I use a SWM setup in or RV and it is no more difficult to setup than a non-SWM unit would be. I'm not sure why TheTechGuru makes the statement he makes. And, if you don't want to be able to replay some of the activity, I would think things would even be better with an H25 (but I don't know if they have the signal meters in them).

Because I can't seem to find the satellite with SWM, I have to first rough tune the dish with a non swm LNB then switch to the SWM. Maybe it's just my receiver...It don't seem to communicate with the SWM unless the SWM has a signal.

 

[BobStokesbary]

Because I can't seem to find the satellite with SWM, I have to first rough tune the dish with a non swm LNB then switch to the SWM. Maybe it's just my receiver...It don't seem to communicate with the SWM unless the SWM has a signal.

If your are referring to the "SWM" signal you see on the receiver, you are absolutely right. As I discovered on my last trip, you only get a "SWM" signal on the receiver when you have a reading on 101 as well.

I have read on other posts that the so called "SWM" signal is really a meter for your "guide" channel which is really the 9th channel on SWM. I'll leave it to the tech heavy-weights to chime in on that. But, I know from experience that when you have no 101 signal you have no "SWM" signal.

But, as far as finding 101, SWM and non-SWM are about a draw. And with SWM you only need 1 coax (versus 2 on non-SWM) for full functionality on a DVR.