Slimline Installation Trouble

[ddtamu87]

I'm a DIY and wanted a outside of the normal D* install, so I wanted to try installing a 5-LNB dish myself. Over the weekend, I placed the dish on the roof and tuned with an Acutrac III signal meter. Everything seemed to work OK as I found peaks on 101 and 119 as directed. The only thing odd was that my tilt had to be adjusted 10-15 degrees off the default setting provided on the receiver's on-screen menu. Is that not good? The mast is plumb and there are absolutely no obstructions.

When it came time to try to see if the receiver see satellite signals, I get nothing. 0 on all transponders for 101 and everywhere else for that matter. I've gone to the point now of running a wire direct from the roof to the receiver to eliminate any possibility of problems with the wiring I pulled into the attic.

I've also hooked the receiver up to my current 3-LNB dish and everything checked out OK after re-running the guided setup.

To me it seems that the dish is not pointed properly, but that doesn't jive with the signal meter readings. Otherwise, I may have a problem with the LNBs? I was assuming the signal meter tuning wouldn't work with faulty LNBs, but I'm guessing about that.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer. I want my new HD!

[veryoldschool]

I can only think you're looking at the wrong SATs with your meter.
While the setup Ax, El, & Tilt are for basic setup, they shouldn't be more than a "few" degrees off after final tweaking.
Go back to basics and make sure if you're using a compass that you adjust for the magnetic verse true north variation in your area.

[aim2pls]

definately wrong sats ... reset your elev and tilt to 5 lnb option ... good chance you used the 3 lnb settings (based on 110 as the pivot point) .. 5 lnb uses 101 as the pivot .. and try again

[veryoldschool]

definately wrong sats ... reset your elev and tilt to 5 lnb option ... good chance you used the 3 lnb settings (based on 110 as the pivot point) .. 5 lnb uses 101 as the pivot .. and try again
Very good point.
The phase III dish is centered on the 110 SAT so the LNB arm points there while the Slimline's arm points to the 101 SAT.

[ddtamu87]

Interesting... I didn't spend much time on the compass setting. Just tried to come close and then hooked the signal meter in to peak the signal. I assumed that any peak would be for the correct sat. Even with the original tilt setting, I thought I only saw one signal peak when coarse tuning the azimuth.

I can try resetting my tilt to the recommended setting and be more careful with the compass, but since I only saw one signal peak, I'm not sure that will change anything. At least now with the wire directly to my receiver I can check what the receiver says easier.

Is there any possibility that I have bad LNB(s) based on what I've said so far?

[veryoldschool]

Is there any possibility that I have bad LNB(s) based on what I've said so far?
At this point, I'd say there is little chance, since you did get a reading with your meter.

[billfx]

I HAD a Acutrac III, And it works if you line up on the right Sat. The problem is, for the 101 sat., you can be lineing up on a Dish sat. and not dtv 101. But the meter ALLways sez 101... Its does not tell the difference between dtv and dish transponders. To solve this get a Birdog (like I did) or check you compass readings more closely..




I'm a DIY and wanted a outside of the normal D* install, so I wanted to try installing a 5-LNB dish myself. Over the weekend, I placed the dish on the roof and tuned with an Acutrac III signal meter. Everything seemed to work OK as I found peaks on 101 and 119 as directed. The only thing odd was that my tilt had to be adjusted 10-15 degrees off the default setting provided on the receiver's on-screen menu. Is that not good? The mast is plumb and there are absolutely no obstructions.

When it came time to try to see if the receiver see satellite signals, I get nothing. 0 on all transponders for 101 and everywhere else for that matter. I've gone to the point now of running a wire direct from the roof to the receiver to eliminate any possibility of problems with the wiring I pulled into the attic.

I've also hooked the receiver up to my current 3-LNB dish and everything checked out OK after re-running the guided setup.

To me it seems that the dish is not pointed properly, but that doesn't jive with the signal meter readings. Otherwise, I may have a problem with the LNBs? I was assuming the signal meter tuning wouldn't work with faulty LNBs, but I'm guessing about that.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer. I want my new HD!

[aim2pls]

I HAD a Acutrac III, And it works if you line up on the right Sat. The problem is, for the 101 sat., you can be lineing up on a Dish sat. and not dtv 101. But the meter ALLways sez 101... Its does not tell the difference between dtv and dish transponders. To solve this get a Birdog (like I did) or check you compass readings more closely..


using a compass to actually point the dish is a useless pass time ... a birdog is a great $450.00 (approx) tool ... for the DIY person .. what you have is ok ..... peak a signal ... then go inside and LOOK at the receiver .. it will tell you you are on the right bird ... THEN .. go about peaking

[ddtamu87]

Things are much better now, but 99 fails. Do I still have it pointed at the wrong sat? I'm wondering if it is possible that I peaked it this time on 103? 99 is the only failure. The 4 others passed.

[veryoldschool]

Things are much better now, but 99 fails. Do I still have it pointed at the wrong sat? I'm wondering if it is possible that I peaked it this time on 103? 99 is the only failure. The 4 others passed.
Most likely there aren't any spot beams from 99 pointing at you. It carries only local HD channels.

[ddtamu87]

that makes sense... colorado springs is not active yet

i just checked and i have all the new HD channels. thank you for fixing my problem. :)

[carl6]

that makes sense... colorado springs is not active yet

i just checked and i have all the new HD channels. thank you for fixing my problem. :)

Oh we didn't fix your problem. You did. We just helped you find the proper resources and knowledge to do so - and you were smart enough to come here for help.

Welcome aboard:D

Carl

[ddtamu87]

What's amazing about this forum is that I posted my problem this morning and I had good answers a few hours earlier. Just one more trip to my roof to install the OTA and I'm done up there!

Go Rockies!

[veryoldschool]

What's amazing about this forum is that I posted my problem this morning and I had good answers a few hours earlier. Just one more trip to my roof to install the OTA and I'm done up there!

Go Rockies!
You must have a different watch than I do.
All of mine seem to run later. :)

[LlamaLarry]

a birdog is a great $450.00 (approx) tool ... for the DIY personI love tools and have installed every DirecTV system I have had since ~1996, but man these are pretty pricey meters for a DIY. I have had to repeak my dishes twice (once after a hurricane and once after the 3LNB installer did not torque down the nuts) in that time frame, so $450 for effectively a single use tool is a little rough.

I'm putting together a list so I can self install the slimline, but if the neter really is a must I may have to take my chances with the installer for the first time ever.

[Herdfan]

but if the neter really is a must I may have to take my chances with the installer for the first time ever.

This meter will will work just fine: http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=SACUTRACPRO

[randyk47]

I just got my Slimline installed this past Wednesday. Every dish before this one I've installed myself and simply used the TV to tune in the dish. This time I had to have it professionally installed as even D* wouldn't touch the installation because of the height, roof slope, and lots of cabling/recabling. Come time to tune the new dish and I was expecting the latest. It was interesting to watch the installer haul a tiny TV and D* receiver up on the roof instead of some meter. End of the story is that I have absolutely dead on reception with high 90's across the board on all satellites. So much for high tech. :-)

[K4SMX]

I just got my Slimline installed this past Wednesday. Every dish before this one I've installed myself and simply used the TV to tune in the dish. This time I had to have it professionally installed as even D* wouldn't touch the installation because of the height, roof slope, and lots of cabling/recabling. Come time to tune the new dish and I was expecting the latest. It was interesting to watch the installer haul a tiny TV and D* receiver up on the roof instead of some meter. End of the story is that I have absolutely dead on reception with high 90's across the board on all satellites. So much for high tech. :-)
Ask yourself if you'd rather see a 0-100 bar scale readout or a tiny LCD graduated block scale. I haven't thoroughly examined all the available Ka/Ku signal meters. Maybe someone could advise me if there are some with numerical ss displays.which accurately show very small adjustment differences.

[dshu82]

I bought a meter, never used it as my dish is on the ground, and ran a cable through a window to reciever and TV. 90+ on every sat.