24_7rv Posted February 7, 2015 Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 I'm not a tech savvy kind of guy so here is my problem. I'm trying to setup directv in my rv but I'm having issues. I have a D12-100 box (in-laws) and a old 18in round directv dish. It only has the 1 LNB. I hooked all of it up and it isn't acquiring signal. I set it to multi-switch and 18in round on the setup but nothing. I have the dish direction roughed in (same direction as other directv satellites near me) but nothing. I'm hoping the problem is simply operator error or maybe I'm missing something. I've never had satellite before so I'm ignorant to all the lingo and setup. Any ideas?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docj Posted February 7, 2015 Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 If you have it set for Multiswitch and 18" round then that part of the process is correct. However, if you're trying to align it simply by looking at other people's dishes then you've made your job a lot more difficult. You need to get the azimuth and elevation information for your location and set your dish accordingly. Trying to do that visually by looking at someone else's is never going to get you close enough IMHO. Sandie & Joel 2000 40' Beaver Patriot Thunder Princeton--425 HP/1550 ft-lbs CAT C-12 2014 Honda CR-V AWD EX-L with ReadyBrute tow bar/brake systemWiFiRanger Ambassador Follow our adventures on Facebook at Weiss Travels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjstough Posted February 7, 2015 Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 "Roughed in" might me not be close enough to get any signal. What are you using to determine "elevation"? I would try to get that right,and then swing the dish left and right to get the correct azimuth. Good luck, Paul 2005 Winnebago Voyage 38J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24_7rv Posted February 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 Like I said, I'm pretty ignorant to all this. I was hoping to adjust it by whatever the setup instructed me to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailertraveler Posted February 8, 2015 Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 If you are using a portable stand, tripod or just a pipe driven into the ground, getting it level/plumb will really help. You can get the compass bearing and elevation for the Direct TV 101 satelite from the Dishpointer website. A map compass will get you close to the right direction. Walmart often has them in the camping equipment section. I the post is plumb, the elevation markings on the dish should be good enough to at least get some signal. I use a digital signal meter so that I don't have to listen for the receiver tones or keep going inside. Radio Shack probably has one. We have a D12-100 receiver and it is not nearly as easy to setup as the one it replaced. It sometimes searches for signal for a long time before actually locking on or letting you access the setup screen. If you can get to the setup screen and select signal strength then test the different transponders. If you see numbers other than zero for almost all of the transponders, it means you are getting something from the correct satelite. If you see mostly zeros you are not getting a signal. Move the dish a little either right or left until the numbers peak. Then tilt the dish up or down to again maximize the number. Anything over 70 should give you a picture. We usually can get into the mid-90s in most places. Hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24_7rv Posted February 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 Alright, I entered the zip on dish pointer and it gave me an elevation of 42.5 and azimuth of 213. I just went out and set the elevation via the markings on the dish and the left to right with a compass. I'm getting the 771 signal loss screen. I can still get into the menu screen to work on the satellite settings though. Any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24_7rv Posted February 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 I was also told by another guy that this receiver required some type of Electric between the satellite and the receiver and showed me a box. It was a simple in and out coax setup that you plugged in. He was diligently trying to get me out of his shop when I was there, apparently closing time, and couldn't really give me any information other than "it won't work without it." Is this a possibility? Maybe my lnb is just junk? Power inverter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docj Posted February 8, 2015 Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 I was also told by another guy that this receiver required some type of Electric between the satellite and the receiver and showed me a box. It was a simple in and out coax setup that you plugged in. He was diligently trying to get me out of his shop when I was there, apparently closing time, and couldn't really give me any information other than "it won't work without it." Is this a possibility? Maybe my lnb is just junk? Power inverter? Power Inserters (not inverters) are only used for SWM installations which your single output dish can't do anyway. Nothing is needed between the dish and the receiver in this case. Sandie & Joel 2000 40' Beaver Patriot Thunder Princeton--425 HP/1550 ft-lbs CAT C-12 2014 Honda CR-V AWD EX-L with ReadyBrute tow bar/brake systemWiFiRanger Ambassador Follow our adventures on Facebook at Weiss Travels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24_7rv Posted February 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 Pretty sure it's my lnb. Got a spare (somewhere) I'll give it another try and then if nothing I'll try to invest in a signal meter and try to sort this out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjstough Posted February 8, 2015 Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 The next thing I would do is reset the receiver by pushing the red button that should be close to the authentication card slot. Paul 2005 Winnebago Voyage 38J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailertraveler Posted February 8, 2015 Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 Alright, I entered the zip on dish pointer and it gave me an elevation of 42.5 and azimuth of 213. I just went out and set the elevation via the markings on the dish and the left to right with a compass. I'm getting the 771 signal loss screen. I can still get into the menu screen to work on the satellite settings though. Any ideas? Make sure you use the magnetic azimuth from dish pointer as it may be different enough from the true azimuth to cause a problem sighting the dish. Did you go the the signal strength screen? There will be several rows showing the different transponders. Did you try moving the dish slightly from side to side to see if those numbers change at all? The next thing I would do is reset the receiver by pushing the red button that should be close to the authentication card slot. Paul On the D12 the reset button is under the trap door to the left of the card slot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24_7rv Posted February 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 I tried moving it around on the signal strength screen with no luck. I finally broke down and contacted directv to see what they had to say. I told then I went by dish pointers numbers of 213 azimuth and 42.5 elevation. She said with the 18" round dish it would pick up off the "101 satellite" so I needed to point it at 101 degrees. Still zip. At this point I'm thinking the lnb is bad. All 0's on the check screen no matter how I move it. When I'm working on it I noticed it keeps defaulting back to a different dish (slimline 3 I believe) I've reset it with the red button multiple times but it keeps going back. There is an option to reset everything, is that something I need to do? Or will it mess with the programming or subscription I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rif Posted February 8, 2015 Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 How are you setting the elevation? Is the mast perfectly vertical? Some folks miss the fact that you need to align the front edge of the metal edge visible through the slot by the scale with the appropriate elevation marking. Another thing to check is the cable itself. Have you tried another cable? I had a friend who called me over to look at his dish because it stopped working. I found that his dogs had snagged the cable while playing and had pulled the cable back through the end of the connector enough so it no longer worked. Set the screen on "Signal Meters" instead of the transponder values. It's easier to see if you get a signal. I'd bet that you just don't have the elevation set correctly. If all else fails try adjusting the elevation up and down a degree at at time and making a sweep. You will probably find the satellite faster that way. 2000 Volvo 770, 500HP/1650FP Cummins N14 and 10 Speed Autoshift 3.58 Rear 202" WB, 2002 Teton Aspen Royal 43 Foot, Burgman 650 Scooter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docj Posted February 8, 2015 Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 I tried moving it around on the signal strength screen with no luck. I finally broke down and contacted directv to see what they had to say. I told then I went by dish pointers numbers of 213 azimuth and 42.5 elevation. She said with the 18" round dish it would pick up off the "101 satellite" so I needed to point it at 101 degrees. If you got this from a DirecTV CSR then you should call back and absolutely scream at a supervisor. The so-called 101 satellite sits in an orbital slot that is over the equator at 101 W longitude. Your azimuth pointing angle is derived from the angle your dish has to look to see an object located at ~22,300 miles above the equator at longitude 101 west. Your azimuth angle is definitely NOT the satellite location longitude. Whoever told you this has no clue. The azimuth you calculated through DishPointer is no doubt correct. Sandie & Joel 2000 40' Beaver Patriot Thunder Princeton--425 HP/1550 ft-lbs CAT C-12 2014 Honda CR-V AWD EX-L with ReadyBrute tow bar/brake systemWiFiRanger Ambassador Follow our adventures on Facebook at Weiss Travels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbaraok Posted February 8, 2015 Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 Have you gone through the complete setup menu? If you send me an email (barbaraok at mac dot com) I have a whole series of screen captures pictures that will take you through the set up that I can send you. Barb Barb & Dave O'Keeffe 2002 Alpine 36 MDDS (Figment II), 2018 Ford C-Max HYBRID Blog: http://www.barbanddave.net SPK# 90761 FMCA #F337834 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clay L Posted February 8, 2015 Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 How are you connecting the cable from the dish to the receiver? If you are trying to use the park TV input there is probably a splitter in the circuit that will prevent the dc voltage the LNB on the dish needs to operate from getting to it. In that case you can connect the coax directly to the receiver and get the dish pointed properly. There are a couple of ways to use the park TV input if that is the problem. Clay(WA5NMR), Lee(Wife), Katie & Kelli (cats)Full timed for eleven years in our 2004 Winnebago Sightseer 35N Workhorse chassis. Snowbirds for 1 year. Now settled down in western CO.Honda Accord toad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24_7rv Posted February 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 I've been setting the elevation by what the dish pointer says and the azimuth also. I leveled the pole with a level so it's pretty good. I tried it through the coax on the outside of the rv and directly to the box. The cable is new and I haven't seen any kind of wear on it. I got a different dish with a different lnb so I'm going to give it a try with it connected directly to the box. Barb I may send you an email if this doesn't work. Thanks for all the ongoing help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWharton Posted February 8, 2015 Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 You should get a signal meter, saves lots of frustration. The is also an app for your phone "dish aligh" that will give you the numbers you need, another useful app is "dp air", uses the camera to see if anything is blocking you location and shows that approximate location of the satellites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24_7rv Posted February 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 Success! I, errr, commandeered a dish off my father's garage which was the same 18" with one lnb and stuck it on the pole. Roughed it in to what dish pointer said and BOOM 73%! Got the misses in there to watch the tv and got it up to 98%. Ran the bolts down on the dish, unhooked the coax from the box and ran it through the outside coax on my Rockwood and hooked the box up through the appropriate coax inside and crystal clear (for SD) television! Thanks to everyone for their help on the matter and advise. Hopefully someone with get some good use from this thread. I'm just excited I got it in time for TWD to come on! Now the difficult part is to explain where his dish went.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarDreamers.us Posted February 8, 2015 Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 The folks here are so good at helping. Makes you feel good about our RV community. Safe Travels! SKP #89742 - Lifetime membership - Member of the SKP Class of 2007Good Sam Club - Lifetime MemberDataStorm #5423Passport America - Lifetime MemberSons Of The American Revolution (SAR) - Lifetime MemberAmerican Legion - USAF - Lifetime MemberRotary Club Member - 30 years Escapee CARE Supporter National Wildlife Refuge Volunteer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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