Javascript Menu by Deluxe-Menu.com

I'm Buster Brown, I live in a shoe. This is my dog Tige, he lives there too.

TV Dish Setup

Red Rover, Red Rover, Send Tige Over
 
Last Changed 6/14/2010

All you have to do to setup up your satellite TV dish is to aim it at a satellite located 22,400 miles above the Earth, something you can't possibly see.

So how do you do it?

Satellites are referred to by their position in the orbit over the Equator.  For DishTV, we want satellites 110, 119 and 129 which are at 110°, 119°, and 129°.  We use satellite 119 as the aiming satellite as this is the primary DishTV satellite.  All the basic programming is on 119.  Satellite 110 carries expanded programming and satellite 129 carries most of the HDTV programming.

DishTV supplies the initial settings for the dish setup from tables based upon the Zip Code your are at.  These tables are either in the satellite receiver for dual LNBFs (Low Noise Blocking Filter).  For triple LNBF dishes like we have, we use a table in a manual.  The three values you look up are the Azimuth, Elevation and Skew.  We will cover these below.  All the values are based upon aiming at satellite 119.

The first step is the setup of the tripod.  The goal is to have the vertical mast of the tripod to be perfectly vertical.  You also want the tripod to be secure against wind forces.

The mast being vertical with the skew adjustment, insures that when there are multiple LNBFs, they are aligned to the arc where the satellites are found.  A non-vertical mast will mean that only one of the multiple LNBFs will be on the satellite arc.

We already had an Align-a-Site for setting up our Satellite Internet Dish.  We purchased an additional base plate and attached it to our DishPro 1000.  We put the desired Azimuth and Elevation settings into the Align-a-Site and then put it on the DishPro 1000.

Dish Setup The first step is to find a spot with a clear view of the sky.  After we lookup the setup values, we set the Azimuth vale on the compass of our Align-A-Site  We set the Elevation value on the Align-A-Sight and then we set the Skew on the Align-A-Site to 0.  Then holding the Align-A-Sight so the two levels are centered and then we swing around so the compass needle aligns and look through the periscope looking for trees and other obstructions.  We move around until we find a spot that has a clear view.  We usually swing to each side to make sure we have some room to align the dish.   
Dish Setup When we didn't have the Align-A-Sight, we used a compass on top of the tripod mast to aim the front leg of the tripod in the Azimuth direction.
click on images to enlarge
In the setup of our tripod, we also set the initial Azimuth setting.  This is the magnetic compass reading of where we are going to point the dish.  We have a compass that pops onto the top of the mast.  The advantage of setting the Azimuth now is that the metal of the dish is not present to upset the compass reading.  We use the front leg of the tripod and the indicator of the Azimuth we had set the tripod to.

When we use the Align-a-Sight Compass, it is near the metal dish.  We have learned that the effects by metal on magnetic flux can add to the Compass readings. This is called Deviation.  So far we have seen the Deviation be from 0 to 19 degrees.  When we scan for the satellite, we move in the positive direction to account for the Deviation.

Dish Setup Here is why we wanted a tripod with adjustable legs.  The only location on the camp site that would give us a satellite shot was on this slope.  A traditional roof tripod would have never worked here.

This was our old tripod.
click on images to enlarge

Note - we eventually found that the tripod that had worked so well with the DishPro 500 was not quite up to the loading of the DishPro 1000.  This happened during a serious wind where the water ballast buckets could overcome the arm weight.

We acquired a new heavier duty tripod, again from H&G.  We have pictures of the new tripod at H&G Heavy Duty Tripod
.
Dish Setup We use PVC blocks with chains to restrain the tripod legs.  The blocks also act as pads so the tripod won't settle on wet ground.

We use about 3 gallons in each of the 5 gallon buckets for ballast  We use covers on the buckets to cut down on water evaporation doe to wind.
click on images to enlarge

We attach the buckets with bungee cords.  If we expect a lot of wind, we fill the buckets with 5 gallons of water.  If you don't want to use water ballast to secure your tripod, you can use Claws or other ground anchors. You want your tripod secure.

TV Dish Setup Because we had the plastic LNBF break when the old tripod tipped over, we also made a modification to the dish itself to protect the LNBF bracket.

We used some aluminum square tube and flat stock bolted to the dish arm. In the event of a tip over, the arm extension with absorb the impact.
click on images to enlarge

Level Mast

Dish Setup With the load on the tripod, we then adjust the tripod legs to get the mast vertical.

Here we are using a bubble level.
TV Dish Setup A small regular level could be used by checking the mast on the front and side.
click on images to enlarge

Dish Skew

TV Dish Setup The next step is to preset the Skew of the Dish.  The Skew is how much the dish id rotated in relationship to the dish mounting bracket.  Think of this as vertically twisting the dish.  The Skew is an important adjustment.  The dish we have is a DishPro 1000 which has three LNBFs so that it can lock onto three different satellites.  The Skew sets the angle so that the three LNBFs focus on the three satellites we want.

We set the Skew value on the Dish scale before we mount the dish.

It is easier to do before it is on the mast.  We have never had to change the Skew once we set it on the scale.
Dish Setup
Dish Setup With the dish mounted on the tripod, we then run the cables from the trailer to the tripod.
click on images to enlarge

Elevation

TV Dish Setup The next step is to preset the Elevation.  This is the angle of the Dish to the vertical mast.  This is part of aiming at the target satellite.
Dish Setup Since we use the Align-A-Sight, we set the Elevation on it's scale.
click on images to enlarge
Dish Setup Now we mount the Align-a-Sight into the bracket on the dish.  Since we set the Skew on the dish, we just adjust the Align-a-Sight Skew level so it is centered.  Having it centered is important as being off can cause the compass needle to hang up and also cause the Elevation bubble to mis-read.
click on images to enlarge

Azimuth

While we could set the tripod to the direction we wanted, it was hard to aim the DishPro 1000 to that same direction by eyeball.  The dish arm is not a reference because the dish is twisted to the side.

When we setup the tripod, we usually aim one leg in the azimuth direction to give us a reference point when we start to aim the dish.

TV Dish Setup Setting the Azimuth can be very frustrating as the arm of the dish does not point anywhere you think the signal focus is.  The signal bounces to the LNBF with a 15 degree offset.  Then the dish is twisted on the horizontal axis by the Skew adjustment which can be up to 140 degrees.

The result can be where the dish appears to be aimed into the trailer as in this photo.
TV Dish Setup Step back and you can visualize the 15 degree vertical offset and the 138 Skew at this location points to the right of the trailer.
click on images to enlarge

We found that after a couple of setups, the metal in the dish was causing compass deviation errors up to 19°.  We line up the azimuth arrow in the Align-a-Site and we are almost dead on now. 

Even with the consideration of the Deviation correction, we still could wind up on the wrong satellite once in a while. After determining what direction we were off, we add or subtract to the Align-A-Site compass and tweak. It is a lot easier to see 9-10° on a compass than looking into space.

Now to find that satellite out there 22,400 miles up.

If our tripod mast was vertical, the Azimuth, the Elevation and the Skew were all set properly, we should be in the ball park.  The reason for only being in the ball park is that a Zip Code can cover a large area of real estate.  Therefore a little tweaking will be necessary.

The goal is to aim the 119 LNBF towards satellite 119.  Assuming the Skew is set properly, then the 110 and 129 LNBFs should be pointing towards their related satellites.

The DishTV has a built in Switch.  The Switch accepts signals from the three LNBFs and connects them to the outputs as needed.  This is great for hooking up receivers to the LNBFs but is can be a real problem when aiming the dish.  The reason is that you could be led astray by either the 110 or 129 LNBF being aimed at satellite 119.  You would have an indication of being on 119 but the other satellites are not being pointed to.

To alleviate this problem we tried disconnecting the 129 LNBF from the Switch and putting aluminum foil over the 110 LNBF.  This would allow only the 119 LNBF to receive signals and when we get a lock on, we would know that the 119 LNBF is pointing at the satellite.  However, with the Switch, there was no surety that the cable we had the meter connected to was electronically connected to the 119 LNBF.

To solve the 119 LNBF selection problem, we bought a meter that can select the 119 LNBF by putting a 22KHz signal on the wire.  The 22KHz signal tells the Switch to connect the 119 satellites signals to that output.

TV Dish Setup We have Accutrac 22 Pro meter that we put in line with the cable from the Switch to the receiver.  This gives us a visual indication of the signal strength.  The Accutrac 22 Pro actually has two inputs so that is could be looking at the 119 LNBF and the 110 LNBF at the same time.  We have just been using the primary input.

We have found that we only need to connect one wire to the dish since we can select the 119 LNBF by turning on the 22KHz signal.

The Accutrac 22 Pro solved another problem.  The DishTV receiver needs to runs a Switch Check when the environment changes.  We also has a roof mounted dish that is a different "switch" than our DishPro 1000.  To complete the Switch Test, the satellite receiver has to pick up a valid satellite.  If the Switch Test is not completed, you cannot use the receiver to try and select the 119 LNBF.  This is like a Catch-22, you need the Switch Test to find the satellite, you need the satellite to run the Switch Test.  By using the Accutrac 22 Pro meter, we can use it to select the 119 LNBF and get the dish aligned on the satellites before running the Switch Test and having a completed test.

TV Dish Setup Using the Accutrac 22 Pro meter reading, we tweak the azimuth and elevation setting for a maximum reading.
click on images to enlarge
TV Dish Setup Once we feel we have peaked the Azimuth and Elevation, then we go look at the TV to see what satellite the receive says it has locked onto.  It will only lock onto a DishTV satellite, but it does have three satellites to do that with.

At this point we do a step that is not always required but we have found verifying this step prevents a lot of wasted steps.  We go into the trailer and we do a Switch Test, a function of the Dish Receiver that validates the two inputs to the Receiver and the three LNBFs.  We get an Okay, we proceed.

TV Dish Setup Sometimes, we find that we have locked onto satellite 129.  If that is the case, then we go back and swing the dish 10° to the left and start over.  Or we may have locked onto satellite 110 and we swing the dish 9° to the right and start over.

We leave the Receiver in the Point Dish mode which puts out a tone in proportion to the signal strength.
click on images to enlarge

We set the Accutrac 22 Pro to put out a tone that increases as the signal strength grows from the satellite.  It is easier to hear the tone in bright sunlight.

To date, we have not bothered to tweak the Skew.  When we have locked onto 119 using the system above, we have found the other satellites to be okay.


Disclaimer: The information in this site is a collection of data we derived from the vendors and from our personal experiences.  This information is meant as a learning guide for you to  make your own decisions  Best practices and code should always be followed.  The recommendations we make are from our personal experiences and we do not receive any compensation for those recommendations.