Direct TV

[Bearfan1963]

Okay so I have Directv @ home. I have a summer place in Northern Minnesota that Has Directv satelite dish already mounted. Can I take my box up there and hook it up and get a signal? I understand the local channels are for here, but for me any channels would be fine. Actually for me no channels is good since I am busy fishing, its more for wife and kids.

[PierBridge]

Yes!

[Dusty]

You will get the local channels too. Anything you get at home you will get up north. Don't forget the remote.

[LwnmwnMan2]

Find another box on [YouNeedAuthorization] or c-list and just add it to your account, and leave it up there.

Dish it costs you the price of the box, then $5 per month for the additional box.

[Sandmannd]

Yea, you can take your box up there. If you go up alot, then I would look at get a spare off a site. If you don't go a ton, then I would just take the one from home up there.

[Bearfan1963]

Thanks for the replies, I have 2 boxes here and would take the 2nd up when I go.

[hitthebricks]

Is the dish for direct tv the same as for Dish Network?

HTB

[LakeDocktor]

Yes and no. You can use a standard 20 inch dish with a single LNB for DirecTv and Dish Network, however, you will only be able to get one of the satellites for Dish Network. What are you looking for hitthebricks?

[Bearfan1963]

Thanks guys, took my box up and it worked fine.

[Phred52]

Bearfan1963, I have kinda the same problem. I have Comcast at home and an antenna at the lake. I, quite often don't see the local 10PM News/ Weather so if they want to watch 'kiddie movies' after I go to sleep, I wish them all a good night. I wake them when I go out fishing and if I do a good job and keep them on fish and awake all day, the second night is NO PROBLEM. They're so tired, they fall asleep beside the camp-fire. It's a nice sight to see... that 'fresh air' does wonders!! Pappy taught me well!!!Phred52

[Wanderer]

For all you guys that have done this, can we expand on it a little?

I got a new DirecTV dish on my house so I took the old one up to the camper with a working box. I tried like heck to aim that dish and ping in the signal but no dice.

I set the degrees for the zip and used my gps to get close on the Azimuth. But still couldn't connect.

How did you guys install the dishes correctly?

[Jim Almquist]

Wanderer you have to make sure that the part that the dish connects to is straight up and down so I use a level then all the other things that you set will be close. I then go into setup and dish pointing and you will have a signal meter. From there I will just move the dish east and west and north and south until the signals changes and get stronger. Make sure that the direction the dish is pointing has a clear view of the southern sky. If it is a HD dish it will be much tougher then a round dish.

[LakeDocktor]

Wanderer, where is the dish that you are trying to hook up?

[Wanderer]

Thanks for the input Jim. I did try it the way you recommended but never got a change in that ping noise you get from the box.

Of course, after using the old level from the shed, I found that to be off by a 1/4 bubble. So I'll try a new one next time.

LD,

The dish is in Ely on my camper. One of my neighbors up there had a dish attached to his soffit but took it down to cap his faschia and reinstalled it in the same holes. He lost reception and had to have the company come out for service.

In the end I could probably do that but I was hoping to avoid costs and wasted time waiting for a tech when I could be fishing!

[Jim Almquist]

If you still have problems I have a old Direct TV dish with a single LNB that you could try. Just stop by the house in Carlton on your way up and you can have it.

[LakeDocktor]

Once your mast is level, set the elevation on your dish to 35-36 and point it directly south. If you are behind the dish, slowly move the dish to the right (Southwest). The response time that your receiver gets from the dish is a little delayed and this may be causing you to pass by the satellites without detecting any signal. You should have to rotate your dish too far to the Southwest when starting at 180 azimuth. It has been a while since I installed a Direct system, but from what I recall, the azimuth is right around 190. I will look tomorrow on my digital meter as to where things need to be. Sometime the set up screen on your receiver by typing in the zip code can screw things up more than they can help. All of the settings should be the same for Minnesota or relatively close. I have seen where different zip codes are quite a few degrees different and people trust those setting too much to try to peak out signal.

[Wanderer]

Thanks again guys.

Jim, I'm pretty sure the dish I have is the same as yours, but I really appreciate the offer. Does Apple Pie come with that?

I'll give it a better shot the next time I can get there - whenever that might be.... .

Good info LD. I'll bring this post back up to let you know how things went.

[outdoorav]

I have Direct TV at home and works great, but we did had it up at the lake last fall and turn it off. They left the dish & lbn on the roof but when i hook my receiver up they is no picture or sound. signal is at 65 at the lake and only 20 at home. Any ideas Thanks

[LakeDocktor]

Your dish is out of alignment....Bad cabling....Bad fittings or barrels in the line... It could be a number of things. If you had a meter, you could start at the dish and work your way to receiver to find out where the problem is actually occuring. Check your connections and make sure they are tight and you have them hooked up correctly. I know that it may sound silly, but you have no idea how many trouble calls I roll on that are as simple as that.

[outdoorav]

Thank you Lakedocktor, I will check it out.