Problems moving wing dish from 61.5 to 129

[crackasmile]

I have a dish 500 system hooked up through a DPP44 switch with a wing dish which is also a D500 with just one LNB that's pointing at 61.5. I want to swing it around to 129 but cannot seem to find the signal.

I've aimed many a dish over the years and can usually get it within a few minutes. This one is taking me forever. I even unhooked the 110/119 LNB's so they or the switch couldn't interfere.

Am I doing something wrong or just not aiming the right way? I'm using the satellite finder websites to get my aiming info and they've always worked before.

[James Long]

If the Dish500 still has a dual or twin LNB on it the aiming isn't direct to satellite ... it is offset a little (similar to the way it was for 61.5°). Also, what transponder are you using to aim it?

[crackasmile]

I can find 61.5 all day long even after I've swung the dish around trying to find 129. I've been using the dish channel chart to look up the more commonly used transponders and use those. Any suggestions on which one I should use?

I don't know why 129 is so difficult to find for me when all others have been easy. I did my original D300, then went to the D500. I then moved and did it all over again while adding a 2nd D500 antenna with single LNB to get the 61.5 satellite which was no problem finding either.

[BNUMM]

What elevation are you set at?

[crackasmile]

Well, on the 61.5 which is supposed to be at about 37 elevation, I ended up finding it at about 41 because of where my dish is located at. So since 120 is supposed to be about 27.5, I compensated and moved it up by 4 to 31.5 since I had to move the 61.5 up by 4 to get it. That didn't work and I've also tried setting it at 27.5 where it's supposed to be and still nothing.

[CABill]

I don't know what receiver you are using to try to find 129, but it makes a difference for me which Transponders show a strength. My 508 and 942 are both connected to the same 1000.2 dish, but the 508 only reports strength on 5, 16, 17, 21, & 32 (16 & 17 strongest at 34 on the "lower scale"). The 942 gets a strength on many other transponders with 10 & 19 being by far the highest at 80 (older scale). As long as you are using a ViP, transponder choice wouldn't matter as much, but I find a large swing in strength on 129 transponders.

Unhooking LNBs from the switch won't help - you have a coax directly from the 129 dish to the receiver - right?

[crackasmile]

I am using a VIP622 and no I didn't have the coax right to the receiver. It was going through the DPP44 switch as were the other satellites when i found them so far as I can remember. Could this be my problem??

[CABill]

I'd connect it straight to the receiver. You'd probably have trouble finding 61.5 if you were to disconnect it and reconnect to the DPP 44 in a different location. Once everything is aimed and you get a signal, doing the Check Switch has the receiver memorize that if you want 61.5, it has to ask the DPP to select Input X. If you are selecting 61.5 in Signal Strength, it should work to aim "through the switch". If you just use a barrel connection to bypass the switch entirely, it doesn't matter - you only get the strength of the dish you connect to the receiver.

[James Long]

I am using a VIP622 and no I didn't have the coax right to the receiver. It was going through the DPP44 switch as were the other satellites when i found them so far as I can remember. Could this be my problem??Probably. If you can cable straight through from the dish to the receiver (one of your receivers), do a check switch to find the single LNB, and then start swinging you will know that the receiver is actually using that LNB to see the sky.

If you loosen up the dish enough you should be able to find 110° and 119° on your way by. 110° will be the highest ... 119° next ... 129° should be about the same distance and lowering from 119° as 119° is from 110°.

Finding 119° and 110° shouldn't be too hard ... look at your other dish. :)

[Michael P]

Is your mast plumb? I use a torpedo bubble level. You have to be level all the way around (check at 2 points 90 degrees apart). The fact that your 61.5 elevation is different than the listed setting indicates your mast may not be plumb.

Do you know what the elevation is supposed to be for 129? The elevation listed for a Dish 1000 is not the same as a Dish 300 (even if you are using a Dish 500 for the wing at a 90 degree skew setting it's the same elevation setting as the 300).

[crackasmile]

Thanks for all the help so far. I took a spare DP301 receiver and video camera (for the 2.5 inch screen) to my roof and ran the LNB straight to the receiver. It immediately found the 61.5 that was connected.

I spent several hours moving the dish from directly south to almost directly west 1 or 2 degrees at a time every 5 seconds or so. When I wouldn't find anything, I'd change the elevation by 1.5 degrees and swing from south to west again. I did this starting at 25 degrees elevation working my way up to 45. Not once did I find a single satellite.

Once I ran out of daylight and swung it back towards 61.5 and locked in that bird again and will try again tomorrow for 129. Still don't get why it's this difficult for me. I've done aiming many times usually within a few minutes.

I'm using GeoSatFinder.com for elevation levels and azmiuth readings. Even if my mast isn't perfectly level...I'm getting a good signal at 61.5 at an elevation level of 41, which is 4 degrees higher than it's supposed to be. The elevation for 129 is supposed to be 27.5, so why wouldn't 31.5 compensate much like the 61.5 satellite and allow me to pull it in?

[Kent Taylor]

Even if my mast isn't perfectly level...

The mast being plumb is critical. Double check it.

[James Long]

An out of plumb mast changes everything - although your search pattern should have hit something.

BTW: With a 301 the 8PSK transponders are basically invisible.
TP 5, 16, 17, 21 and 32 have SD QPSK content. Use one of those!

(The first time I found 61.5° I was holding a dish in my hands ... I have not tried that with 129°.)

[Grandude]

I found that finding 129 was extremely difficult as compared to 110/119. Took me a few hours and also a satellite meter finally helped. The difficulty seems to be compounded by the poor signal strength of the 129 satellite.

I almost gave up but persistence finally paid off. 61.5 for me was out of the question do to mounting position and roof slope but I had tried that first and gave up.

An installer mounted my 148 pointing dish but I have since checked and found the pole is quite out of plumb. He managed to find the satellite anyway. I don't use that satellite anymore but unfortunately he mounted it too close to the 110/119 dish so I couldn't use it for 129 so now have three dishes up there. Some day I need to move the 148 over and remove the 129 but that is only when I get a 'round toit'.

[crackasmile]

I finally found 129...by ACCIDENT. I am on my 3rd day of trying re-aim from 61.5 to 129 to get Chicago locals in HD. I again was going one degree at a time on elevation starting with 25 and moving up. I believe I hit about 32 and did my full swing a degree or 2 at a time from directly west to almost south. When I didn't find it that time I sort of flung the dish back toward the west and guess where it landed?!! Right on the 129 satellite I've been looking for going on 3 days.

I did check the plumb of the mast and the bubble was always within the level lines on the front, back, and sides of the mast except for a couple of the angles had the bubble to the extreme side of one line (though still inside the level area) instead of dead center between the lines but I fixed that.

I finally did all the tweaking checking TP5, 16, 17, 21, & 32 on my DP301 that I had on the roof with me. The best signal I could get on any TP was 52. I have a clear shot of the sky with exception of a telephone pole about 30 yards away.

Nonetheless, I now have my Chicago HD locals and I appreciate everyones help!!

[James Long]

Chicago?

Keep the aiming instructions for 61.5° handy ... :D


Congrats on finding the satellite!

[crackasmile]

Yeah, I know about Chicago and 61.5. Be glad to go back to it since the signal is much better.