Satellite in Fish House

[luv2fish]

Tisosy11 - I don't have the steps yet. But will be trying it tonight. I just got direct TV installed and told the installer my plan to use it on the lake. Here are things he told me that might help you.

1. Almost all installs use the Slimline Dishes and SWiM technology for HD. He really urged me to NOT use HD in the camper/fishhouse. He told me to just buy an Oval 18" dish and get SD TV. He said that aiming the HD dishes was hard to do, SD was very easy.

(I am planning on using an HD receiver that I am using today in my house with the existing system)

2. With that said, he said the first thing you need to do it change the setting on the receiver to remove the SWiM stuff and get it to 18" dish.

3. Then he said to go into settings and tell the receiver to pull the NON-HD channels down also.

I will be trying that all out tonight as I just got my second dish in the mail.

Mike

[Hawg]

If I read thru this post I would be scared to try it because it sounds complicated. Guys, unless it's HD, this is easier than it sounds. Just do it, one of your friends has to have been through it before you could ask for help. Square and level the mount, set the up and down, turn the reciever to the meter screen and move it sideways till it squeals. Done. The up and down is the only thing you'll have to ask about for your area.

[LakeDocktor]

This might be a dumb question...

If you have a dual lnb satellite is each lnb for a separate receiver or is it to connect to different satellites? I guess my real question is how many cables do I need to run in the house 1 or 2....

The dual LNB has a built in switch that allows the satellite receiver to process the signal from whichever satellite the programming is coming from. You need one coax cable per receiver. If you get beyond 2 or 3 receivers, depending on the LNB, you then need to add an additional switch at the home run of your coax cables in the house.

[LakeDocktor]

If I read thru this post I would be scared to try it because it sounds complicated. Guys, unless it's HD, this is easier than it sounds. Just do it, one of your friends has to have been through it before you could ask for help. Square and level the mount, set the up and down, turn the reciever to the meter screen and move it sideways till it squeals. Done. The up and down is the only thing you'll have to ask about for your area.

The elevation as well as the other settings are going to be relatively the same anywhere in MN.

For Dish Network, the elevation is 33-34 and skew is 110. This is again for a Dish 500, non HD. Azimuth is 202 degrees.

For DirecTv, the elevation is going to be 35-36. The 18 inch round dishes don't have a skew as the satellites are on the same plane. It's been a while, but I want to say azimuth is close to 190-194 for DirecTv. In other words DirecTv faces closer south than Dish Network.

[Nisswaguy]

What if you're trying to pull HD from Dish Network? Would it still be Dish 500 if I only have 1 LNB and I would assume skew doesn't matter?

Winegard RM-4600 Crank-Up Satellite Dish

http://www.winegard.com/mobile/crank.php

[MuleShack]

[

For DirecTv, the elevation is going to be 35-36. The 18 inch round dishes don't have a skew as the satellites are on the same plane. It's been a while, but I want to say azimuth is close to 190-194 for DirecTv. In other words DirecTv faces closer south than Dish Network.

If I remember correctly, when I was up on red lake DirecTv was around 198-202.

Once you set the hight (up and down) there shouldn't be any need for adjusting. Then it is pretty simple to use compass to get pointed in the right direction and then just fine tune it by moving it side to side and listening for the tone.

During the initial set up in the house, it will ask you for your zip code of where you are located and then tell you the settings to point the dish to.

[Fishin4fun_MN]

You should be able to go to DirecTv web sitw and get it, i believe.

[LakeDocktor]

What if you're trying to pull HD from Dish Network? Would it still be Dish 500 if I only have 1 LNB and I would assume skew doesn't matter?

Winegard RM-4600 Crank-Up Satellite Dish

http://www.winegard.com/mobile/crank.php

In my experiences, the Winegard dishes work better for DirecTv. You should still be able to lock onto the 129 satellite from Dish Network, but keep in mind that HD programming from Dish Network doesn't just come off the 129 satellite. They also come off 110.

[Nisswaguy]

Great information guys! I really appreciate all the help. I'm sure it's not nearly as difficult to figure out. I'll find out first hand this weekend since my receiver I purchased is schedule to arrive tomorrow. I'll keep ya posted on the results.

Again - thanks for the help!

[Hawg]

The number 1 most important thing you do is to have the mount square. If you take it off to travel you want to put it back on the same exact way. I just put a couple short 2 x 4's on the side of the house with lag screws w/ threaded ends so it goes on and off with wing nuts. If you do that you're set.

[grasshopper]

it's easy.

[Nisswaguy]

When I power up the receiver it automatically tries to download new software/check switch.

How can I bypass this to try tune the dish in first?? Right now I'm not hitting the satellite because the check switch/software update fails but I can't get to the tune in screen.

[Larry FlatCaster]

You might have to plug the receiver to a live dish to get the updates, if its been sitting dormant for an extended period of time. You can also try to hit menu and or exit and see if that allows you to bypass the update process. (I'm guessing you would have done that already). Good luck

[MuleShack]

When I power up the receiver it automatically tries to download new software/check switch.

How can I bypass this to try tune the dish in first?? Right now I'm not hitting the satellite because the check switch/software update fails but I can't get to the tune in screen.

Did you get a DVR receiver?

You asked about the switch. I tried to hook up a DVR receiver with only one line in feed and it gave me a head ache trying to by pass. Does your dish have more than one LNB? If so it would probably be easiest to run 2 lines from the dish to the receiver so it wont ask where the 2nd line is.

You may be able to bypass the software update by pressing the reset button, other wise you can try the menu button as suggested or the up button with the menu button. Other wise let it update in the house on your main dish.

I use an HD receiver out in the fish house, but it is only 1 line in so I dont have any problems with it trying to find 2nd input.

[Nisswaguy]

It's a winegard crank-up satellite system installed on the roof of my fish house. There is only 1 LNB on the dish and the receiver is a Vip 211k, which is an SD/HD single tuner receiver.

I plugged it into the house and it updated the software. However on step #4 of 5 where it needs to be plugged into a phone line or ethernet port. It was plugged into a phone line and the regular receiver in the home works fine.

So now I'm stuck on step 4 of 5, which I need to figure out before I take it into my fish house to attempt to align everything up there!!! Ugh!

[LakeDocktor]

DON'T PLUG IT INTO A PHONE LINE OR ETHERNET CONNECTION!!! This step is a way for Dish Network to verify that the receiver is indeed on the same account at all times. If you take the receiver with you to another location and it isn't hooked up to a phone line, red flags start going up at Dish Network. If you are having problems with getting to the point dish screen, unplug the receiver for 5 minutes. Plug it back in and as soon as you get a picture on the screen, press Menu 6-1-1. This should get you into the screen. Remember, when you had the receiver hooked up in the house, it was receiving satellite signal from all three satellites and with the Winegard, you will only be getting one satellite. It could be that you need to first point your dish to 110. This is where the software downloads come from. I would also check to see if your buddy has his satellites coming off the Eastern Arch. If so, he needs to call Dish Network and have them authorize programming from the Western Arch as well. I will say it again, the Winegard dishes and Dish Network are a nightmare, especially if you haven't used them before.

They want to tell customers that the phone line is not only for pay-per-view movies but to ensure that the receiver is up to date on the current software version. This is nothing but talk. Programmed within the default settings, the receiver will automatically update software via satellite signal at 3:00 AM.

As far as the single line being ran on the DVR as MuleShack stated, if the receiver is a DPP or Dish Pro Plus, you can use a Dish Seperator to seperate the signal on a dual tuner DVR with just one single coax coming from the dish. This seperator looks just like a 2 way splitter, but it is not the same thing when it comes to the functionality of the seperator. A splitter will not work. If you need a seperator, I have hundreds in my garage.

[Nisswaguy]

Again... thanks for the info Lake Doc!! Step 4 that I'm getting hung up on is the "test connection" step in which it needs to test the connection. I did plug in a phone line but the test failed. I'll try to put it in my fish house and get to the "dish pointing" screen if I can. However, before I plugged it into an active dish in a home in order to get the software update, it wouldn't let me get off the 5-step process, no matter what I pushed on the remote.

[grasshopper]

1 way to solve it is call Dish network and they'll walk u thur it.

[Nisswaguy]

I'm trying avoid having to open up a 2nd account, since this dish will be in my fish house. I just want to add it to a current account. Therefore, as I believe, I need to tune in the satellite dish correctly and then call Dish Network to activate it.

[LakeDocktor]

1 way to solve it is call Dish network and they'll walk u thur it.

That is probably the worst recommendation given. Dish Network's customer service is not trained in the least to assist a customer with an issue. They read everything off of a computer screen. The simple fact is that 95% of them have never seen a satellite system before. This information is coming from someone who has had satellite experience for the past 8 years, in which, 4 of those years included working for Dish Network corporate offices. While they have helped some, I would be willing to say that most of you will know more than the "help support" you have on the other end of the phone line.

Nisswaguy, let me know when you plan on getting it hooked up in the fish house and you can give me a call and I can try to walk you through it.

[dougger222]

Used to run directv in my wheeled house for a couple Winters. Bought the dish and receiever for $1 from Circuit City and just added the $5 charge per month to my account.

What they want you do to is call them when you take a receiver off the main accounts location so they can shut off all other receivers so in theory you can't want it at two different locations under one account. Your totaly fine to do this as long as the second location don't have a phone line hooked up to it.

One of the resorts I stay at has dish and man is that thing ever slow in the guide system. After a half hour with it just shut it off!

BTW, I'm a roofing contractor so have detached and reset a ton of dish's both dtv and dish. The HD's can be a real pain to lock in at times.

[LakeDocktor]

Used to run directv in my wheeled house for a couple Winters. Bought the dish and receiever for $1 from Circuit City and just added the $5 charge per month to my account.

What they want you do to is call them when you take a receiver off the main accounts location so they can shut off all other receivers so in theory you can't want it at two different locations under one account. Your totaly fine to do this as long as the second location don't have a phone line hooked up to it.

One of the resorts I stay at has dish and man is that thing ever slow in the guide system. After a half hour with it just shut it off!

BTW, I'm a roofing contractor so have detached and reset a ton of dish's both dtv and dish. The HD's can be a real pain to lock in at times.

I will say it again, hooking a phone line upto a satellite receiver is the only way those companies can monitor how you use your system. Don't do it!!! Tell them you don't have a landline phone. There has been a study done by satellite companies regarding the actual number of householdes that still have a landline phone and the numbers were less than 50%. With this being said, Dish Network and DirecTv made a push to find another way to monitor their customers and went with the ethernet internet connection. They thought this would counter act the declining numbers of landline users. Promblem is, most don't have an ethernet connection at the TV location. This requires extra cable to be ran to that location and DirecTv provides their technicians with an upcharge chart to charge the customer.

My advice to anyone looking to taking a receiver from an existing account and using it somewhere else is do no hook that receiver up to a phone line or ethernet connection. Red Flags fly when it becomes disconnected.

While it is easier and cheaper to order PPV movies with the line connected, it will cause major headaches when you want to move it. I have seen numerous systems shut down and they investigate. When I say whole system, I mean every receiver listed on your accound is frozen and it is often weeks when the problem gets figured out. After that, it doesn't even pay to try to move that receiver. Same thing will happen, but this time a seperate account bill will follow.

[MuleShack]

I dont see what the big deal is with using your receiver where ever you go. Your paying them for their feed and also a $5 per month fee per receiver. If I'm not at home watching it and out on the lake, what is the big deal.

I told their customer service person (Directv) that I take my office receiver out in the camper with me on vacation with a mobile dish and they didn't make any noise what so ever about it. I had to have them reset it because it wasn't used in a while.

I do have 3 receivers at home and use the 3rd one registered as the mobile one.

[Sutty]

Can I take a HD reliever from home and hook it to a non HD dish and have it work?

[LakeDocktor]

Your HD receiver (211,222,612,722,922) will be a DPP or Dish Pro Plus technology. You can use them on a non HD dish as long as the LNB is a DPP as well. Everything is backwards compatible starting at the LNB. Meaning, it doesn't matter what receiver you are using as long as the LNB is at least at the same or greater technology level. Dish Network has had 3 levels, Legacy, Dish Pro and Dish Pro Plus. You can tell what your LNB is by looking at the face of it. It will either say DPP, DishPro or Dish Network/Blank (Legacy). Your receiver will be or should be labeled the same way under the model number in the bottom left hand corner. All ViP receiver are DPP.

Keep in mind, when moving the receiver from one dish to the other, a check switch test is needed for the receiver to know what dish/LNB it is communicating with. This again is done when it is put back into your home. Menu 6-1-1 will get you into the Point Dish screen. From there, select Check Switch and then Test. The receiver will complete a test of 1 of 3 on a SD dish or 1 of 4 on a HD dish. SD is coming from 2 satellites, but the 3rd step is looking if another satellite dish is piggybacked off of the main dish. Same with HD dish, 3 satellites for programming and 4 for extra dish.

***If you are receiving signal from the Eastern Arc (satellites 61.5, 72.7 and 77) then you need to make sure that Dish Network authorizes the Western Arc programming on your account before the SD satellite dish will receive programming. This can be checked by going into the Check Switch menu previously mentioned at your home.***