low signal, and pointing issues

[nyquill junkie]

Hiya...
I tripped over your site looking for answers... seems you guys have alot!

I did some searches and I aint finding what I need to know....

heres the problem;

I only need to pick up "total choice plus" and local stations. Ive had a ratty old dishnetwork 500 2-LNB dish haphazzardly pointed at the sat it tells me to point a round dish on, [because next door, i hooked up a basic round 18" single lnb dish for my mom, and she has a signal all the time, in the 90's. even in a rainstorm] so thats where i pointed mine... i didnt think about it much, I got a good 70ish signal and its served well for a long time.

I recently lost all my odd transponder signals so, i picked up a second hand directv plus dish, with 3 LNB units on the nose. I only have ONE lnb for it so I figured "it goes in the middle" and if the dish's tilt is set at 90 degrees, it should get a fine signal where the other one did... here thats 129 azimuth 38.6 elevation.

the best signal I can get is 50, and even less on some transponders and sometimes none on others.

forget it if it rains even a wee bit.

I thought it might be the old cable.
new cable, did no good.

Its almost impossible to get a signal, and its so touchy, it will spike 90 but you cant keep it... its just to "tight" a signal to nail down.

now next door, I can move the dish a good bit up down left right and I very gradually lose or gain signal... in other words, the standard 18" round dish with a single lnb next door isnt touchy, you can be pretty sloppy with it and get a good signal.

so I know, in my yard only 50 feet away with a clear shot, my disn pointing should be just as forgiving.

no way... its an ongoing pain in the rump... a light breeze blows it off.

now I know there is something simple I either do not understand about the kind of dish I have, how it should be pointed or where it should be pointed.

does the directv plus dish with 3 [separate] lnb units have to be pointed at a different satellite than a "basic" round dish?

I did point it where it told me to point an oval 3 horn dish, tilted at the right number. I left the LNB in the center slot, and I cant find a signal.... not a peep.

something is going on here thats not right... the old round one next door is NOT this touchy about where its pointed, it can be moved 1/4 inch in every direction and not lose signal.

sneeze on mine and you loose what signal you do get... which today, is a pitiful 56 at best.

what am I doing wrong?

 

[Jimbo]

nyquill junkie,

Try putting the other two LNB's back on and try again ...


Also , the 3LNB set up is a bit pickier, but you should be able to fine tune the same way as you did with the single LNB, slight pressure on all sides and listen for your signal (if your doing this alone)
Hook you single coax to the LNB on the right if you are looking at it from behind. , the center one in that set up served as the 110 sat location, i think, maybe it was 119, it's been a long time since I had my old 3 lnb set up
If you run two coaxs you may have better luck, and an easier time due to being able to just swap leads at you rec., if you do run 2 leads, connect them to the two outside LNB's

Let us know.

Jimbo

 

[nyquill junkie]

I did hook up an old receiver to see if it got the same signal strength, and it does.
so I ruled out receiver problem.

I will try putting the lnb on the right end and tilting it/turning it... thanks! I took a look on the bottom of the bracket it does say the far right is for 101. the middle one I was using is for 110.

cool.

 

[Jimbo]

I did hook up an old receiver to see if it got the same signal strength, and it does.
so I ruled out receiver problem.

I will try putting the lnb on the right end and tilting it/turning it... thanks! I took a look on the bottom of the bracket it does say the far right is for 101. the middle one I was using is for 110.

cool.

Leave all three in place, you will find better results when you get it set back up with all 3 LNB's , soulds like you were trying to pick up the 101 with the center LNB and however slight they are they hit the dish at a different angle for each different sat, thats why you could barley pick up a signal.

Jimbo

 

[nyquill junkie]

I only have one lnb for this dish, but I can get 2 more from a friend who has parts.
to bad the only thing he doesnt have is a single horn dual lnb round dish...

I didnt have any luck finding a signal with the horn in the 101 slot [far right, its marked].
I put it back in the center and reset it to where i do get at least part of a signal until i go scrounge up a round single horn dish....

and a roll of better cable, the replacedment line I used has been in use but is in good shape... but over time it may have been dammaged in a few places.

I have both, the old wire and the "replacement" wire hooked to the LNB so inside I can swap them and compare the signal.

they are just about the same signal level.

I'll get the cable and the other dish tomorrow and see what I can get...
thanks for the input!

 

[nyquill junkie]

I ran a brand new cable today, put the post in a different spot. The 4x4 post is dead level, the mounting mast is dead level.
same signal level.

i got another dish, but its a "put together" oval dish and a dishnetwork LNB, and I have 2 LNBs for that and no signal on either of them no mater where you point it.
I can set the plus dish with the 3 lnb end [with one lnb, in the center] and almost immediately get a 50% signal.

I think either the oval dishes LNBs are shot or the arm&bracket is from another oddball dish and it isnt aiming the lnb in the right spot.

but I have a good spot, a solid level mast, new cable. and and extra receiver to check that the main receivers signal check is right, they both say 50% on the triple lnb dish w/one lnb.

I have a few new round, directv dual LNB dishes on ebay lined up, new in the boxes identical to what I have installed next door.... so I hope that will fix it.

that dish next door had a 96% signal today, a clear sunny day.

because I am just to curious, I took my dish receiver over next door, plugged it into moms tv and lo and behold, I now have a 98% signal with my receiver.

so.... I think by process of elimination, its this "dish plus" with the 3 lnb arm.

I think it is made to be only pointed in a position to pick up all 3, and like you said with all 3 lnb's hooked up.

I did tilt it and put the lnb on the right, and point it at the tilt/elevation/azimuth it said, and no signal.... I screwed with it for a half hour, not even a beep.

and since I cant find anyplace that sells the round dual lnb dishes new anywhere, Ebay is the next best option.

I'll let ya know if the new round dish works when it gets here.

 

[Jimbo]

I ran a brand new cable today, put the post in a different spot. The 4x4 post is dead level, the mounting mast is dead level.
same signal level.

i got another dish, but its a "put together" oval dish and a dishnetwork LNB, and I have 2 LNBs for that and no signal on either of them no mater where you point it.
I can set the plus dish with the 3 lnb end [with one lnb, in the center] and almost immediately get a 50% signal.

I think either the oval dishes LNBs are shot or the arm&bracket is from another oddball dish and it isnt aiming the lnb in the right spot.

but I have a good spot, a solid level mast, new cable. and and extra receiver to check that the main receivers signal check is right, they both say 50% on the triple lnb dish w/one lnb.

I have a few new round, directv dual LNB dishes on ebay lined up, new in the boxes identical to what I have installed next door.... so I hope that will fix it.

that dish next door had a 96% signal today, a clear sunny day.

because I am just to curious, I took my dish receiver over next door, plugged it into moms tv and lo and behold, I now have a 98% signal with my receiver.

so.... I think by process of elimination, its this "dish plus" with the 3 lnb arm.

I think it is made to be only pointed in a position to pick up all 3, and like you said with all 3 lnb's hooked up.

I did tilt it and put the lnb on the right, and point it at the tilt/elevation/azimuth it said, and no signal.... I screwed with it for a half hour, not even a beep.

and since I cant find anyplace that sells the round dual lnb dishes new anywhere, Ebay is the next best option.

I'll let ya know if the new round dish works when it gets here.

You mentioned a solid mast and pole.....
It is also extremely important to make sure the dish post that the dish slides onto is perfectly level.
Is this what you were refering to, remember 23,000 miles up is a long way, a slight movement is all that is required when adjusting.

You said something about a DishPro dish, I think, if you are doing D* stick with a D* dish., I would get the tripple LNB dish, the solid one peice ( thats all they have anymore)
If your looking for a new dish, try our sponsors, tell them you are a member and some will give you a discount, look under Gold Sponsors at the top of the page.

I personally have had good luck with Robert at Value Electronics

Jimbo

 

[learnwhatican]

might be mistaken, but the 3 sat dish doesn't have the same elevation as the single sat dish. Also, your dish network lnb's would have to be legacy, and they would have no marking's on them. also, the field of vision on a 3sat dish is lower than a single sat dish

I would suggest putting back up your single sat dish, use your directv lnb, start your elevation low, scan left and right, raise elevation 1, scan left/right, etc, etc.

do you have anything in your field of vision, regardless of next door? are there any trees near where you're pointing. I've set up 2 dishes near each other, and they don't look like they're pointed the same direction. Also, your signal on a multi sat dish will not come from straight ahead. ie. dish network 500 the 110 comes from 14 degrees left of center and 119 is 4 degrees left of center.

 

[Jimbo]

I've set up 2 dishes near each other, and they don't look like they're pointed the same direction.

I too have run into this, had neighbors dish to look at, set up 3LNB set up, used the other dish to give a starting point, didn';t work at all, they were only 20 ft apart, I could not beleive it. I started over and used the compass as I should have to start with and set it all up , had good signal an everything was great....
I walked over to the neighbors and looked at the 2 together and they were not even remotly close, I know mine was working .......
btw, they were both 3 LNB set ups, but different makes, but that should not matter.

Jimbo

 

[nyquill junkie]

I dont know why my last reply didnt post... might be my computer...

did I post dishpro? I meant to post what was on the dish face.. "directv plus". sorry.

I bought a round 18" dual lnb new in box dish on ebay last night for 25 bucks delivered.
enough with this 3 horn dish... lol

yes, i leveled the post and mast with a 3 way post level and lined it with a compass. Since i hike and pack a lot, i know how deceptive directions can be if you guess from one spot to the other.....
nothing in the field of vision but an open hay field.

the dish is the last unchecked link in the chain, so... its in the mail.

is there a screen in the menu that can tell you what satellite its receiving??

 

[frogg]

You mentioned a solid mast and pole.....
It is also extremely important to make sure the dish post that the dish slides onto is perfectly level.
Is this what you were refering to, remember 23,000 miles up is a long way, a slight movement is all that is required when adjusting.

You said something about a DishPro dish, I think, if you are doing D* stick with a D* dish., I would get the tripple LNB dish, the solid one peice ( thats all they have anymore)
If your looking for a new dish, try our sponsors, tell them you are a member and some will give you a discount, look under Gold Sponsors at the top of the page.

I personally have had good luck with Robert at Value Electronics

Jimbo

23,000 miles up? No wonder aim is touchy.

 

[sksatellite]

I ran a brand new cable today, put the post in a different spot. The 4x4 post is dead level, the mounting mast is dead level.
same signal level.

i got another dish, but its a "put together" oval dish and a dishnetwork LNB, and I have 2 LNBs for that and no signal on either of them no mater where you point it.
I can set the plus dish with the 3 lnb end [with one lnb, in the center] and almost immediately get a 50% signal.

I think either the oval dishes LNBs are shot or the arm&bracket is from another oddball dish and it isnt aiming the lnb in the right spot.

but I have a good spot, a solid level mast, new cable. and and extra receiver to check that the main receivers signal check is right, they both say 50% on the triple lnb dish w/one lnb.

I have a few new round, directv dual LNB dishes on ebay lined up, new in the boxes identical to what I have installed next door.... so I hope that will fix it.

that dish next door had a 96% signal today, a clear sunny day.

because I am just to curious, I took my dish receiver over next door, plugged it into moms tv and lo and behold, I now have a 98% signal with my receiver.

so.... I think by process of elimination, its this "dish plus" with the 3 lnb arm.

I think it is made to be only pointed in a position to pick up all 3, and like you said with all 3 lnb's hooked up.

I did tilt it and put the lnb on the right, and point it at the tilt/elevation/azimuth it said, and no signal.... I screwed with it for a half hour, not even a beep.

and since I cant find anyplace that sells the round dual lnb dishes new anywhere, Ebay is the next best option.

I'll let ya know if the new round dish works when it gets here.

O.K. can you tell where at your location, what is the skew, elevation you set, if you use the triple LNB dish, did you set it to your receiver for 3 lnb dish ?

Dont ask me why, once a while I do get this strange things happen when doing installation, but, I took everything apart and redo the dish assembly, then BOOM, there is signal.

with triple dish, you really need to get everything correctly or you get nothing.

 

[nyquill junkie]

well the skew and elevation and azmuth for a 3 lnb setup gets me no signal. the only way i can get a signal is to put one lnb in the center lnb slot and set 38.7 elevation and 219 az. and pop! I get a signal, but it cant be fine tuned in.

I think the whole problem is that I am using a 3 lnb dish to pick up 101 only, with no tilt. if I tilt it and put the LNB on the right slot where it should be, i cant find a signal.
its supposed to be used for a 3 sat pickup and I think, thats the only way it will work right.

thats why i bought a standard 18" dual lnb [single horn unit] on ebay yesterday.... that should solve my problems.... I hope.

the dish I am having problems with now I got second or third hand with one LNB... because my old setup was a dishnetwork 500 dish that seems to have died [the lnbs]

if the new round single horn dish doesnt work when I set it up I'll post back.

as I said,...... there isnt anything else to replace or test but the dish and lnb.

 

[nyquill junkie]

the new dish got here the other day. I hooked it up and in about 5 min had a 98% signal on most all transponders.

It was either the old LNBs or the mismatched parts that made up the dishes... the one out of the box works, well like new.

thanks for the help!

 

[Jimbo]

the new dish got here the other day. I hooked it up and in about 5 min had a 98% signal on most all transponders.

It was either the old LNBs or the mismatched parts that made up the dishes... the one out of the box works, well like new.

thanks for the help!

==========================================================

nyquill junkie,

Great to see you got your set up going, now sit back and enjoy the TV !!!

btw, if the other stuff didn't work, dish or LNB's ....
Get rid of at least the dish, you can check the LNB's to see if they wiork someday when your bored

Jimbo

 

[peteward]

No luck withg old 75cm oval Primestar dish and Directv LNB

I had rain fade problems here in Bremerton, WA and wanted to boost signal strength for DirecTv. I dragged my old Primestar dish out of the attic and set it up in my backyard. I removed the Primestar lnb and replaced it with a single output lnb I used to use before I bought a dual lnb a few years ago. I mounted it on the same bracket at about the same focal point as the Primestar lnb. I have a clear line of sight to the 101 Sat. and set the Az and El angles accurately. Alas! No signal on any transponder. I have tried varying Az and El angles with no luck. I tried moving the lnb closer and farther away from the dish and also tried rotating it away from its 90 deg. pos. I am wondering if the problem is the elliptical shape of the Primestar dish and the circular polarization of the DirecTv signal. I think Primestar used linear polarization. Any answers anybody? Thanks.

 

[boba]

I had rain fade problems here in Bremerton, WA and wanted to boost signal strength for DirecTv. I dragged my old Primestar dish out of the attic and set it up in my backyard. I removed the Primestar lnb and replaced it with a single output lnb I used to use before I bought a dual lnb a few years ago. I mounted it on the same bracket at about the same focal point as the Primestar lnb. I have a clear line of sight to the 101 Sat. and set the Az and El angles accurately. Alas! No signal on any transponder. I have tried varying Az and El angles with no luck. I tried moving the lnb closer and farther away from the dish and also tried rotating it away from its 90 deg. pos. I am wondering if the problem is the elliptical shape of the Primestar dish and the circular polarization of the DirecTv signal. I think Primestar used linear polarization. Any answers anybody? Thanks.

Try replacing the single LNB. The dish collects and reflects the signal it dosen't care what the polarization is. Because it is circular polarization you can move the LNB it dosen't have to be at 90deg. I can confirm that an oval primestar dish will work for Directv.

 

[fkostyn]

I finally recieved my 5lnb dish today - and was able to get it setup / installed in about 45 minutes. (I am now peaked at a signal strength of 98 on the 101 sat)

With the 5 lnb / 3lnb dishes - the elevation and the skew are critial for proper reception.

 

[peteward]

Try replacing the single LNB. The dish collects and reflects the signal it dosen't care what the polarization is. Because it is circular polarization you can move the LNB it dosen't have to be at 90deg. I can confirm that an oval primestar dish will work for Directv.

The Single LNB on the Primestar dish is ok. I wasn't sure so I put it on my working 18" DirecTv dish and got a strong signal. Any other ideas?