Install 5lnb dish

[uprevx]

Has anyone successfully installed one without any special meters, just like the old fashioned dishes? I am sick of waiting for the installer to get to my house and have always installed the dishes myself, but have never tried a 5lnb dish.

[dshu82]

It can be done, if you follow the instruction manual, with the signal meters on the reciever. You would need to have your HD reciever already there though to complete. Are you waiting for that also or did you get it at retail store?

[dshu82]

There is also a good video on the solidsignal.com website.

[litzdog911]

Here's a link to the installation videos ....
http://www.solidsignal.com/dtvkuka

Just remember that it can be frustrating to install these if you've never done one before. And DirecTV will provide the dish plus installation for free.

[Canis Lupus]

I was able to do it without any meters. Keep us posted on your progress as there are lots of experts here like litzdog and others who can help you through it.

Has anyone successfully installed one without any special meters, just like the old fashioned dishes? I am sick of waiting for the installer to get to my house and have always installed the dishes myself, but have never tried a 5lnb dish.

[captdusty]

I've done 3 of them, each time using an H20 as the signal meter. No problem if you follow the instructions and take your time with the "dithering" process described in the instructions.

[techrep]

It can be done using the signal strength meter of a HD receiver. You rough point the dish at the 101 sat using a compass for azimuth and presetting the elevation and tilt to the numbers generated by the receiver. You enter your zip code and select the 5LNB dish in guided setup to generate the settings for azimuth, elevation, and tilt.

You can download the video below for instructions but the azimuth dithering method of fine adjustment has been replaced by a newer method of adjustment using a fine adjustment screw just like the method used for elevation in the video.

http://www.solidsignal.com/satellite/at9_install_videos.asp

You can simplify this proceedure by getting the 101 sat tuned to signal strength readings of 85 or higher and then just use the elevation and the azimuth fine alignment screws to peak the 103b signal strengths.

Make sure that the mast is installed plumb. With a plumb mast, tilt set for the 119 sat, and 103b peaked to signal strengths of mid 80's or higher, all sats will be at or near peak.

Note: these last instructions differ from the video as the dish back assembly has changed and there was no 103b signal to tune too at the time of release.

[K4SMX]

This is DirecTV's 2006 video (http://retailer.directv.com/dws/content/TRN_Slimline_backassembly_20107.wmv)for fine tuning adjustments of the back assemblies of both types manufactured. You'll have no trouble identifying which type you have and how adjustments are made from this comprehensive video.

[captdusty]

2 more points --

1. I see no reason you shouldn't be looking for levels in the 90s on all sats. It's totally doable.

2. If you're using an H20, you might want to get the dish in the ballpark then force a software update. With the original software, the signal meters wouldn't read any higher than the mid 70's, and you'd drive yourself nuts trying to peak them.

[randyk47]

My private installer used an older Hughes D* receiver and a tiny TV that he hauled up on the roof. No small trick but there he was 30' up on a steeply pitched roof, tied off with a safety line, with this stuff in his lap. Absolutely nailed the settings and I'm pretty much 90+ across the board on all satellites. Initially I was worried about 103a & b but he said he'd come up with using this system after he dropped his meter and it had been working so well he'd not bought another. Since we had very high winds last night and this morning, and I've got a relatively new Slimline install, I checked the signal strength before I left the house. Lowest reading I had on 103b was 93. Bottom line is that is obviously can be done without a hi-tech meter.

[uprevx]

Thanks for all of the support, I am going to give it a shot tomorrow.
I have all of the equipment already to go, I am going to put the new dish in a different location than the phase 3 that I am currently using just in case I cant get it working I will still have some TV to watch. I will not let the contractor that DTV uses here set foot on my property, I will shoot first and ask questions later! I have seen and fixed a lot of the butcher jobs that they have done to others in my area. My only other option would be to pay a local installer to do it, and to be honest, I don't think they are any more qualified then I am.

[glennb]

Just remember that it can be frustrating to install these if you've never done one before. And DirecTV will provide the dish plus installation for free.

Just remember that it can be frustrating to wait for your install date to come, take time off work, wait for the installer to show up late, not show up, show up and say - I don't have any receivers with me, or I don't have the right dish with me. It can also be frustrating to do it all over again another day if the installer did a poor alignment job.

And DirecTV will provide the dish plus installation for free.
If you want to put up with all the possible cr*p mentioned above.
:eek2:

[jhillestad]

This is DirecTV's 2006 video (http://retailer.directv.com/dws/content/TRN_Slimline_backassembly_20107.wmv)for fine tuning adjustments of the back assemblies of both types manufactured. You'll have no trouble identifying which type you have and how adjustments are made from this comprehensive video.

Do you have any more cool video links like that ?

[randyk47]

Quite frankly, especially after watching my install, I'd not hesitate to give it a try myself. Again, I paid for my install with a private contractor because D* installer wouldn't/couldn't put the dish where it needed to go, too high and too steep a roof pitch. Of course it took two hours for the D* installer to decide that and that was after he showed up with paperwork that didn't call for a dish install though that was part of the order with D*. (Which is what makes me kind of smile when people start talking about "ordering" an HR20 versus an HR21. D* and the installer can't get it straight on a dish and now we're going to expect them to get it straight on a model of HD DVD. Give me a break.) On top of that he wouldn't even leave the dish so I had to buy my own. In the end D* kind of made it right by "giving" me an HD DVD but it still wasn't free. I've put up two of the four dishes I've had since I started D* and while certainly more complicated than the others I think there's enough information out there that I could have made it work.

[texasbrit]

Installing the slimline dish is actually much easier now that 103(b) is live than it was before 103(b). The "official" alignment instructions rely on using the signal meter to find the center of the 101 beam, so that 103(b) will come in OK. It's difficult to find the center of the 101 beam with just the signal meters in the DirecTV receiver because the meters are not very precise and the 101 beam is so wide. So if you used the receiver to set up the slimline, it was pretty hit or miss as to whether you would get decent signals on 103(a) if your locals come from there, or 103(b). Even with a decent meter, many techs still did/do not do a good job in getting the center of the 101 beam, as you will see from the number of people posting in the forums who have poor 103(b) signals even though their 101 signals do not look too bad.
With the arrival of 103(b), setting up a slimline without a meter is much easier - in fact most techs do not have a meter for 103(b) and so you can actually do a better job with a receiver than most techs can do using just their meters.

So - follow the alignment directions for the slimline using the signal meters built into the receiver. Make absolutely sure your dish is plumbed level using the bubble level. If it is not level, everything else will be very difficult. Once you have aligned the dish for 101 and 119, doing your best to find the center of the 101 beam as described in the installation video (which should give you 101 signals in the 90s on most transponders), stop and check your 103(b) signals. If you are not at least in the high 80s (preferable 90s) on 103(b), move on to the next step, which is NOT in the alignment instructions (since they were written before 103(b) was transmitting). Use the fine-tuning adjustments on your dish to improve the 103(b) signals. For most people, the adjustment that will have the most impact is elevation, but you may need to fine-tune the azimuth as well. If small adjustments in the dish pointing do not bring your 103(b) signals to a high level, that means you did not do a good job with your initial alignment on 101/119 so go back and redo the basic alignment.
I use a small TV connected to the receiver via a modulator and RG-6, and have this next to the dish while doing the alignment (and I saw a post from an installation tech who was using this instead of a signal meter). A couple of people have reported using a slingbox and then a laptop with wireless internet to see the receiver signal strength screen. Or you can use a couple of cellphones with someone watching the TV screen - not quite as good but adequate.

If you do have your dish installed by an installation tech, chances are the tech does not have a meter that will read 103(b). Most techs seem to use a Birddog which does not read the new satellite signals; the Accutrac III does read them, but is more difficult to use than the Birddog since it does not specifically identify the satellite you are looking at. The new Birddog which includes the new satellites is several hundred dollars so you won't see many installation techs using those.
So when your tech has finished, make sure he checks the 103(b) signals on the receiver signal strength screen. If these are not at least in the 80s, don't let the tech leave until he has redone alignment.

[uprevx]

Installed the dish today without incident until the alignment time came, I went and borrowed the signal meter from the local retailer that also installs them (they are not the ones that DTV uses however), i could not get 99 or 103 to read on the meter, at that point I went to the store and checked their signals and they did not show signal on 99 or 103 either, yet the receiver passed the dish setup for 5lnb dish??? As I was going thru the sat signal meter I noticed that 99 and 103a showed 0 (i did not know there was a and b) and b showed 86, at this point I was very confused so I went home and hooked up the new receiver and low and behold I have 97 on 101, 96 on 110, 96 on 119, 0 on 99, 39 on 103a, 95 on 103b, and all is well, I ended up wasting like 2-3 hours, but oh well, it was worth it.

[techrep]

Installed the dish today without incident until the alignment time came, I went and borrowed the signal meter from the local retailer that also installs them (they are not the ones that DTV uses however), i could not get 99 or 103 to read on the meter, at that point I went to the store and checked their signals and they did not show signal on 99 or 103 either, yet the receiver passed the dish setup for 5lnb dish??? As I was going thru the sat signal meter I noticed that 99 and 103a showed 0 (i did not know there was a and b) and b showed 86, at this point I was very confused so I went home and hooked up the new receiver and low and behold I have 97 on 101, 96 on 110, 96 on 119, 0 on 99, 39 on 103a, 95 on 103b, and all is well, I ended up wasting like 2-3 hours, but oh well, it was worth it.

Live and learn. Your next one will be faster. ;)