Duel Dish install help please

[toivo1037]

OK, so I know I am pathetically behind on the times with equip here but...

With the OTA digital conversion, I am loosing 2 networks due to signal strength issues. (the other 2 look super!) So I have come to the realization that I am going to have to get locals from DTV. I have older equip, I will be moving in about 12 months, and don't want to put a ton of $$ into this project. My install is 'non-standard' to say the least. I have 150' of cable between the house and dish, which is on top of a 100' high hill, mounted on top of a 20' tall telephone pole. A pro-installer will not touch this setup, so I am on my own.

Originally, I had a Sony TiVo Sat T-60 with a duel LNB dish. A friend went cable, and gave me his 2 dish setup including the multi-switch. I replaced my dish with the new one, and tuned to sat 101, at 95% (great I usually only get 87%) I installed the second dish and multi-switch and tuned that dish as well, at 100%. (OK messed up a little, it was actually also aimed at 101 :grin: Apparently this is a neat way to boost your signal if you need to!) So I then re-tuned that dish at the same elevation to sat 119, at about 90%.

Problem is it appears that I have good signal strength, but the receiver does not recognize the second sat. I get a message on the test channels for both tuners on Sat 101, but neither one on sat 119.

Anything I can test, or check?
BTW, my Sat T-60 has fairly old software in it, it has not contacted the mothership in like 1200 days.

Thanks.

[doctor j]

Have you rerun guided setup and chosen something other than sinle lnb dish?
3 lnb or phase III would be good if that option available. 119 sat should be availablethen.

By the way, elevation on 119 should be 5 to 10 degrees lower in Mi. for 119.
Are you certain you are on 119?

co ordinates here:

http://www.dishpointer.com

Good Luck and Welcome to DBSTalk!!!

Doctor j

[jdspencer]

Do you have each sat connected to the correct inputs on the multiswitch?
The 101 connects to SAT A and 119 to Sat B.

[toivo1037]

I do have the multi switch wired properly, it was actually labeled. If I had it swapped around, 101 would not work either correct? 101 works properly, and I am using it.

I checked w/ compass, and my first dish is very close to 101 degrees, and the second is very close to 119 degrees. I did a bit of a search pattern around the signal that I think is from 119, and there is no other signals around that area. I am not 100% sure about the vertical I have set, but it is close to teh other one, it very well could be 5d lower. As you can imagine it is not easy to adjust a dish from an extension ladder 20' high!

I re-did the guided setup, and yes it is set to 2 dishes, 2 LNBs, and I am getting signal on both sets of inputs. It is showing signal levels on both sats, but then again it was also showing good signals when I had both dishs pointed at 101, so I don't think the receiver knows what sat the signal is actually coming from during the signal strength test. The next page does the more through check and that is the one that failed. Next I set it to the 3 dish system and it passed the 101 test and failed the other 2. I figured maybe I was on a different sat, and maybe that would tell me, but it did not work either.

Thanks for the welcome! I registered here several years ago when I was looking for info on the Sat T-60, but never posted because I found some helpful info. Now, I'm Baaaack!

[Teronzhul]

Your magnetic azimuth should be about 208 degrees for the 101 satellite from Michigan, and the 119 should be 231 degrees. If you're using a compass and aiming it at 101 degrees, you'll be way off. The numbers are referencing longitudinal position, not compass headings.

[samrs]

I re-did the guided setup, and yes it is set to 2 dishes, 2 LNBs, and I am getting signal on both sets of inputs. It is showing signal levels on both sats, but then again it was also showing good signals when I had both dishs pointed at 101, so I don't think the receiver knows what sat the signal is actually coming from during the signal strength test.

Directv's receivers are not birddogs, they won't id the satellite, that takes a little knowledge on your part.

If your sure your second dish isn't pointed at the 101 then looking at the 119 signal strength meter you should have numbers on transponders 22 thru 32. Maybe one or two zeros due to spot beams.

If you just have 28, 30, 32 your on the 110.

Signal with a meter at the dish and all zeros at the satellite receiver could indicate wrong satellite or bad equipment. A pattern of zeros, all evens or odds indicates bad equipment.

[Mertzen]

What switch are you using? Why are you not using a multi satellite dish ?

[toivo1037]

OK, Just checked out setup again. I set it for 3 LNB, and checked the transponders.

Sat 101, mostly all good.
Sat 119, got the even transponders 22-32, but not the odd ones.
Sat 110, also shows signal on 8, 10 and 12b, (not 12a)

Then I do the Sat check, and it come up with
101a OK 101b OK
119a not detected 119b not detected
110a not detected 110b not detected

I'm going to have to triple check the dish direction I guess. I just can't figure out why I am getting Sat signal about 20d different then 101, but it is not a DirecTV signal, unless the receiver/switch/dish is bad.

The switch and both dishes sat outside, unused for almost a year before I got them.

Teronzhul - you are correct. I oversimplified it. I know dish 1 is point at 101, and then dish 2 is about 20d different. I will however check that out once again hopefully this evening.

Mertzen - I will check out the switch info soon. I have to drag the extension ladder to the top of the hill to do it though. I guess I should have made all of my connections at the base of the pole, but I did everything at the top! I'm not using a multi dish because I am just working with what I currently have. I'm building a house next summer, and will have to setup a whole new system at that time.