signal on lake [Archive]

maderuyck

01-09-10, 08:05 PM

My parents got themselves a fourth receiver for the specific purpose of bringing one ice fishing when they go to various lakes here in MN. Well, for 3 years and several lakes, I have not been able to get a signal- 0% and nothing more. All the connections are tight and in the right places and we've called in to directv for the coordinates depending on where we are at. The receiver and card works fine in their house, but not on the lake. Any suggestions?

coldsteel

01-09-10, 08:06 PM

Post it in the DirecTV forum?

Davenlr

01-09-10, 08:43 PM

Set the dish up at your parents house in the driveway to get the tripod/pole/dish plumbed, then set the elevation, rotate to find the satellite. Once found, peak the elevation and LOCK IT (you shouldnt have to change it unless you are going more than 100 miles north or south. Then when you get on the lake, all you have to do is make sure the pole is plumb (very important), and rotate the az until you get the sat, since the elevation will already be preset.

Also check the coax cable you are using on your lake setup, and make sure its not shorted out, and if you still dont have any luck in the driveway, make sure the receiver is set to use the same type dish you are setting up on the lake, if different from what works at the house.

maderuyck

01-09-10, 09:03 PM

Thanks for that response davenir. I gave the dish a dry run by connecting it to a t.v. in my parent's house and using the coax coiled on that dish. I found that just rotating the dish in my hands standing on the deck I could easily get a signal. So the dish is good, the coax is good, and finding a signal is not that hard. I'm still at a loss why it won't work on a lake using the same receiver, cable, t.v. with absolutely no obstructions whatsoever

2dogz

01-09-10, 09:26 PM

You're not saying at the lake, but on the lake, as in out on the ice. What are you using for power? Makes me think grounding, but that's only a guess.

maderuyck

01-09-10, 09:48 PM

Great question on the grounding. The power source is a generator so the t.v. and receiver are plugged in to a/c outlets. Is there a ground that I need to connect from the dish itself?

Davenlr

01-09-10, 10:00 PM

I would run the setup off a UPS plugged into the generator, or at least a GOOD surge protector. The power from most generators you can tote around is terribly dirty. When we have a power failure here, I run my generator, but all my electronics are plugged into a 1500W UPS. Check to make sure running the UPS off a generator doesnt void the warrantee, as its not normally recommended to do so. Have you tried the setup at home where you had it working, while running on the generator? You should ground the coax shield (via a grounding block) to the generator, since the receiver doesnt have a grounding plug on it, so there is really no ground at all, and you might be getting power loopback from the generator through the ice to the dish.

Does it work when a Muskie swims by? J/K

2dogz

01-10-10, 01:55 AM

Great question on the grounding. The power source is a generator so the t.v. and receiver are plugged in to a/c outlets. Is there a ground that I need to connect from the dish itself?

Well, thinking about it, I have set up a Directivo and dish at tailgating parties using the same type setup (no ground) without a problem. The difference might be the power source. I use a baby Honda generator (1000 w) and TV and receiver work just fine. The issue might be the generator. Honda and Yamaha make electronics friendly generators, where others cannot even light up a TV or a computer, just crappy AC output that power supplies cannot handle. You could try adding a good UPS to the mix, like an APC smartups with automatic voltage regulation (AVR) which is cheaper than a new generator. I used an APC UPS with a crappy Home Depot 5500w Coleman generator during hurricane Isabel for 5 days and had some light, TV, and cold beer in the fridge.

Honda generators are not cheap but are whisper quite and they work with DTV setups.

Good Luck

maderuyck

01-10-10, 07:04 AM

litzdog911

01-10-10, 10:02 AM

UPS = Uninterruptable Power Supply
A UPS will help isolate and condition the AC power quality seen by devices powered from it. It also provides an hour or so backup if your generator dies. A good 500VA UPS should cost ~$50-$70. Highly recommended for your application!

wildbill129

01-10-10, 04:23 PM

The generator is a honda and the ice house is wired for 110 a/c but I have to plug in to the generator to activate the circuits. Should I run an extension cord directly from the generator and plug the t.v. and receiver directly to that? Also, what is a UPS?

As long as you have a three pronged plug from the generator to the ice house, and the ice house has all the grounds connected at each outlet, it won't make a difference.

The UPS is must. Too much voltage surge with generators. You need something to regulate the output more precisly, the UPS will do that.

Are you using the same wiring at home (when you tested it) that you are at the ice house?

BKC

01-10-10, 08:37 PM

I've run mine many times off a generator without a UPS and had no problems.

bobnielsen

01-10-10, 08:52 PM

The Honda (and other) generators which put out DC and use an inverter are pretty clean.

surplusstore

01-11-10, 04:16 PM

The lakes here in Maine are usually in a valley surrounded by trees. I get a signal at the lake only with the dish being 40 feet above the the lake surface. You may not have a line of sight.

doctor j

01-11-10, 07:44 PM

The lakes here in Maine are usually in a valley surrounded by trees. I get a signal at the lake only with the dish being 40 feet above the the lake surface. You may not have a line of sight.

I'm not disagreeing with your experience but my perception of ice fishing ( albeit from a Southerner with no clue what an iced over lake is like) and Trigonometry makes me question the LOS issue.

Even at Millinocket Me. the elevation to 101 sat is 28.5 degrees.
I'll agree this is very low but unless the lake is < 500 ft wide, line of site should be available.

If you are fishing on a pond , I can understand. I guess it is semantics. Ya'll know we don't understand northern.

Tanget angle A = opposite ( height of tree) / adjacent ( width to clear tree)
Tan 28 degrees= .532
if the tree is 250 ft tall (pretty tall even for virgin forest)then:

.532= 250/x x= distance to clear tree

x=470 ft

Can't argue with experience but math is math. And a lake is a lake.

lake minimum > 5acres
acre = 43,560 sq feet
sq root of 5 x 43560 =466 ft if square
2xsq root 5x43560/pi = 527 ft if round

Doctor j:):):)

anopro

01-11-10, 08:46 PM

2dogz

01-11-10, 10:24 PM

I'm not disagreeing with your experience but my perception of ice fishing ( albeit from a Southerner with no clue what an iced over lake is like)

I admit that on mention of ice fishing my mind's eye saw three guys in a tent sitting around a hole in the ice on 5 gallon plastic buckets passing around a bottle of Jack. Then OP mentioned his builtin AC recepticles, go I googled "ice house fishing" to enlighten myself. Seems these things range from DIY plywood shacks to multi-bedroom dwellings with full kitchen, fireplaces and eco toilets. They drag the things as far as 13 miles from shore using 4x4 pickups, according to one article (Man, hope they float). So it seems we are talking about an RV on ice skids.

One thing OP said was that he had zeros on his signal meter. Does that mean that the receiver booted and he was reading from the TV? :scratch: A power issue or a pointing issue? Maybe just the way it was worded. Wondering what tree to bark up at.

ThomasM

01-12-10, 09:59 AM

If the receiver boots up and lets you view the signal strength screen, the power feeding it is good enough or the power supply in the receiver would just shut down.

I like the opinion about not having line of sight. Just being on a frozen lake shouldn't affect anything any more than someone with a house or cottage located very near to a lake.