Can't Find Satellite Signal with Directv Portable Dish

mitchellross · #1 (**permalink**) 09-09-2006, 09:48 PM

Hi all,

I need somes help. I bought the following package this week:

18" DirecTV Satellite Dish
Dual output DSS LNB DTV32+ (for one orbital location)
5' tripod.
Satellite Finder - SF 95

I set-up my Directv service and have a receiver.

I aimed the satellite and avoided trees and also have a dish on my roof that works fine. I had a hard time using the SF 95. I had everything plugged in. No ground wire (is that necessary?). I had one wire connecting the dish with the satellite receiver. The t.v. was on and I got the directv showing that it had no signal (error code 771).

Spent a bunch of time on the phone with Directv and they are coming out to my house in the next few days.

Any ideas??

rainman · #2 (**permalink**) 09-09-2006, 11:30 PM

you should be able to use your receiver to find the signal under installation menu.it sounds like you are not pointed at the sat properly.

mitchellross · #3 (**permalink**) 09-11-2006, 08:30 PM

I've tried shooting the dish at most of the sky and the Directv guy tried too with no luck. The directv guy was a young guy who didn't seem to know what he was doing. Would the problem be that I've got HD service at home and that the portable dish is standard def?
How hard is it to find a signal? The SF95 seems difficult to me, tips?

Thanks!
Ross
mitchellross@hotmail.com

pictureon · #4 (**permalink**) 09-12-2006, 12:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mitchellross

I've tried shooting the dish at most of the sky and the Directv guy tried too with no luck. The directv guy was a young guy who didn't seem to know what he was doing. Would the problem be that I've got HD service at home and that the portable dish is standard def?
How hard is it to find a signal? The SF95 seems difficult to me, tips?

Thanks!
Ross
mitchellross@hotmail.com

You can call DirrectTV again and ask for a supervisor to come with the technecian next time. Since they could not fix it the first time they would do it.

wejones · #5 (**permalink**) 09-12-2006, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mitchellross

I've tried shooting the dish at most of the sky and the Directv guy tried too with no luck. The directv guy was a young guy who didn't seem to know what he was doing. Would the problem be that I've got HD service at home and that the portable dish is standard def?
How hard is it to find a signal? The SF95 seems difficult to me, tips?

Thanks!
Ross
mitchellross@hotmail.com

You should have no problems finding a DTV sat with an SF95. Just last weekend, I took an 18" DTV dish to a neighbor's house, and found several sats while hand holding the dish on top of a ladder (I was hoping to find the 110 sat for him, but unfortunately it was blocked by his house, and the ladder wasn't tall enough, but I did find the 101 and the NIMIQ sats. Actually managed to hand hold the dish with my left hand while scanning in the NIMIQ channels on my Fortec holding the remote in my right hand.

But what you need to do is find the azimuth (compass heading) to the sat you're looking for, then move the dish up and down slowly at that heading. You should have the SF95 adjusted to give a mid scale reading, and listen for an increase in the pitch. Once you find a point where the pitch increases, then you can try changing the azimuth to peak.

Re the signal on the DTV receiver, what sat are you trying to hit, and what channel did you have your receiver set to prior to the search? Ie different DTV receivers are different. My newest DTV receiver seems to automatically switch to the transponder I was tuned to when I go into the satellite signal menu item, while my older DTV receiver requires me to select the satellite and the transponder. Before you get a signal on the receiver, you have to have it set on an active transponder on the sat you are aimed at. Ie if you are looking to receive the 101 sat, but were last tuned to a local channel on 119, or a HD channel on 110, your receiver might have defaulted to the other sat, and a transponder on that sat, and won't give you an indication on the 101 sat until you select that sat. Or, visa-versa, if you are looking to receive say the 119 sat using an older receiver, it will be defaulting to the 101 sat transponders, so you'll have to switch it to the sat/transponder you are trying to receive, before you will get a signal strength indication.

mitchellross · #6 (**permalink**) 10-09-2006, 10:34 PM

Thanks for the tip, but I'm still terribly unsuccessful. I have bought extra wires and even a second LNB in case i had faulty wires. My problem is that I can get solid reception (70-80) on only 10 of the 32 transponders (22-32) and that I get no signal on the the other transponders. This has been the case every time that I've tested it. I've been testing it next to someone with a Directv satellite and they got reception when I couldn't. I then tapped into their feed and found that my receiver was fine as I could get a picture with their feed. I am totally confused as to why I'm not getting reception on the other 22 transponders and I feel like this is why I'm not getting a picture.
I'm desperate for some good advice.
Thanks,
Ross

elgemcdlf · #7 (**permalink**) 10-10-2006, 07:55 AM

www.sadoun.com on the right side of the page go to Technical support and then to stationary install. Input all your info and the site will give you settings for the dish. This should get you started in the correct direction. Once you have your dish set to the settings place the meter between the lnbf and the receiver and set for 5. Now slowly rotate the dish on the mast until you reach peak signal. If the meter pegs out turn it back down to 5 and keep working to acheive peak signal. Once you have that start working with the dish elevation but I will say I have found DTV dishes to be relatively accurate (within a couple degrees). Usually lower. Their scales are elevation. For my area they should be set at 51 and most I find are set at 49.

mitchellross · #8 (**permalink**) 10-10-2006, 09:25 AM

So you think the problem related to finding signal strength on only 10 of the 32 transponders is related to where I'm pointing? Then why could another Directv dish get reception when placed and aimed while right next to where I was pointing?
Thanks,
Ross

wejones · #9 (**permalink**) 10-10-2006, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mitchellross

Thanks for the tip, but I'm still terribly unsuccessful. I have bought extra wires and even a second LNB in case i had faulty wires. My problem is that I can get solid reception (70-80) on only 10 of the 32 transponders (22-32) and that I get no signal on the the other transponders. This has been the case every time that I've tested it. I've been testing it next to someone with a Directv satellite and they got reception when I couldn't. I then tapped into their feed and found that my receiver was fine as I could get a picture with their feed. I am totally confused as to why I'm not getting reception on the other 22 transponders and I feel like this is why I'm not getting a picture.
I'm desperate for some good advice.
Thanks,
Ross

Just based upon which transponders you are seeing, I would guess that you are aimed at the wrong satellite. It looks to me like you have the think aimed at the 119 sat, not the 101 sat. The 119 sat only has transponders 22-32. Assuming that you're looking for the 101 sat, I'd recommend aiming significantly more to the east. You are probably comparing the aim to that of a 3 sat dish, which seems to aim more to the west than a dish aimed just at 101.

Just my guess.

mitchellross · #10 (**permalink**) 10-10-2006, 08:55 PM

Thanks a bunch. That seems to make sense. Just so that I'm clear, I'll need to obtain the degrees, elevation and skew of the 101 and then follow that when aiming to get the correct signal? I would be ecstatic if it worked. By the way what is a 3 sat dish?

Again - Thanks!

pmb1010 · #11 (**permalink**) 10-10-2006, 09:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mitchellross

By the way what is a 3 sat dish?

this:

wejones · #12 (**permalink**) 10-11-2006, 11:09 AM

The above is a more complicated dish than the one I have. Is that one that is for the KA band or something?

My 3 sat (101,110,119) dish looks like this:

Just to show it along with the rest of the crops in the dish farm (and no the feed on the big dish isn't crooked, the rain cover is just falling off).
or for a closeup....

rainman · #13 (**permalink**) 10-11-2006, 11:38 AM

Bill looks like you need to get the broom out and sweep some leafs.LOL

wejones · #14 (**permalink**) 10-11-2006, 11:44 AM

I'm lazy enough just to wait for a strong wind to do the job, plus, all the leaves haven't fallen yet (the oaks take a long time to fall), and I'd have to do it over and over. Doesn't seem to be affecting reception.

rainman · #15 (**permalink**) 10-11-2006, 11:46 AM

as long as it don't affect signal i would wait for the wind also.