direct tv reception - Montana Owners Club

snowbirds R us · 06-03-2013, 06:32 AM

I just had the service man from Direct TV here a short time ago to receive a high def receiver and dish from him here at the house. I asked him if I could put this "dish" on the "tripod" I have and receive a signal and he said yes. Also, I asked him what the angle and azmuth settings were for this area and he told me 45 degree elevation angle and 195 degrees for the compass azmuth. I asked him too, if I took this same setup to a different location, outside my local area, should I use the angle and azmuth settings Direct TV has on their website for a different area. He said not to bother cause the 45 degrees elevation angle and 195 degrees azmuth would work everywhere. I asked if he was sure and he said yes. Still don't sound right to me. What do you all think?

bncinwv · 06-03-2013, 06:44 AM

Depending on where you are at, you will have different azimuth and elevation settings. Fire up the receiver, go to set up, enter zip code for where you are and it will tell you the settings to use at that location. I think he was mistaken.
Bingo

jsmitfl · 06-03-2013, 06:45 AM

I don't think so. Not positive about direct but we have the other company and it changes. Don't pull your dish each time you travel. Either get a carry out or watch on craigs list or flea bay and get another dish like you have. If you take time you should find one free or at least cheap.

Rob Walters · 06-03-2013, 07:27 AM

I use the dish they took off my house for the 5er all the time. I've gone as far as 300 miles from the house and gotten reception above the 90% level WITHOUT changing the elevation. I don't know if the azimuth changed because I set the receiver to setup and adjust the dish to the beeping sounds. I'm sure if I go much farther, things will change, but I haven't had that experience yet. All of my travel has been in Texas cause I don't feel comfortable leaving the country.

dieselguy · 06-03-2013, 07:31 AM

I agree about the second dish ... most of us carry a second dish/tripod or have something similar to a Tailgator. You can pick up a used dish cheap enough as mentioned previously. Each place you visit, just enter the zip code in the receiver on the setup menu ... it will tell you automatically what elevation and azimuth you need to have as it they are not generic numbers. I have just a standard def RV dish which is really easy to set up. The High def dishes are a bit more complicated.

H. John Kohl · 06-03-2013, 07:51 AM

Snowbirds R US,
You are correct with your concern. As you move around the country your elevation, Azmouth and skew will probably change. HD is much more critical on these settings. I have helped exnavydiver set up his HD direct dish.
1. I recommend a stable tripod (that can be anchored) like the surveyors use, around $75 to $100.
2. a good post level (critical for you setting adjustments.)
3. a good meter (any where from $100 to $500).
4. The receiver will tell you setup az, el, sk based on zipcode or you can get a smart phone app that will do it also base on its GPS location.
Good question.
Good luck and safe travels.

richfaa · 06-03-2013, 08:01 AM

What John H said.Many of us use this www.dishpointer.com you will need to know the sat you are looking at and the zip code or city.

I think directtv site gives only AZ and EL not skew. John Did Direttv change.I just looked and I get AZ and El only???

1retired06 · 06-03-2013, 08:42 AM

We travel as much as anybody, and when we set up, via the start up menu and plugged in zip code, while the elevation differs to some extent, the azimuth differs significantly depending on location.

snowbirds R us · 06-03-2013, 09:00 AM

I thought that the azmuth did change from location to location. But he, the service man, seemed pretty sure about what he said. Luckily for me, I was due under my contract with Direct TV, to have another high def receiver and dish at no cost. Finally, something free. Well, not so free, cause I have to keep DT for another 2 years. The question now is, does the satellite elevation and azmuth change for a high def as opposed to a non high def. Anyone want to comment on that question?

Recumbent · 06-03-2013, 09:28 AM

I have had both the standard and HD, and the difference is the Skew will need to be correct for HD. The most important item is to get the post level. When you are absolutely level the numbers will point you to the right place in the southern sky. With the meter you can easily find the 101 degree satellite with only slight movements and max-out the signal strength. A note of caution on angles is that you may find and zero-in on one of the other sats and then find the signal strenth for the 101 is not good. Just get the post level and point the dish to the published angles and you will be on the 101 degree sat before fine tuning. Anchor the tripod as wind gusts will cost you money as I have learned the hard way.

Native Tex · 06-03-2013, 09:29 AM

Does the use of one of the automatic type receivers solve this problem??? I sure hope so....

I have been using the manual type like you folks have been discussing and it continues to be a pain with every move. YES, you do have to change settings with every new location; some minor as it is all dependent upon miles moved since last location.

I have been using DirecTV for 10 years and can tell you that with the elevation and rotatation of the earth in relation to the satellites that are 250 miles in space, you have to make minor adjustments.

richfaa · 06-03-2013, 09:30 AM

It all depends on the sat you are looking at. We look at 3 sat 101/99/103.you need to know what sat you are looking at then use dishpointer to get AZ/El and skew or tilt. believe us it changes depending on location

here in Northern Ohio we are AZ 215/EL 39.Tilt 69...In Florida near Disneyworld we are AZ 221/EL 51/Tilt 59. The more south you go the higher the EL. If you were on the equator you would be looking straight up. At the North poll at the ground.

Note the the Az between Ohio and Fla does not change much because we are almost a straight line South from our driveway. However that would be enough to miss the sat completely. You need a different service person.

We use the tripod John Mentioned and a really good meter.

H. John Kohl · 06-03-2013, 10:01 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by snowbirds R us

I thought that the azmuth did change from location to location. But he, the service man, seemed pretty sure about what he said. Luckily for me, I was due under my contract with Direct TV, to have another high def receiver and dish at no cost. Finally, something free. Well, not so free, cause I have to keep DT for another 2 years. The question now is, does the satellite elevation and azmuth change for a high def as opposed to a non high def. Anyone want to comment on that question?

If you live on the east coast and move west the asmuth will change (lower in number) each day you move. I use 150 to 200 miles as a reference for a change, just my rule of thumb.
If you travel from Key West, Florida to Seattle, Washington the elevation will drop the farther north you go. And more so for Alaska.
Non High Definition does not have Skew or tilt. HIGH DEFINITION DOES.

If you are going to move a lot and have High Definition I would recommend the meter Dave (exnavydiver) has. The Bird Dog. Used around $300 to $500 new. Dave can help once he gets parked tomorrow.

jjackflash · 06-03-2013, 11:23 AM

As far as acquiring another dish goes ,I had Directv come over to the house to checkout a problem I had.
I asked, whats the best way to acquire a HD dish for traveling and his reply was to come on down where he comes out of,which was only about 6 miles away and go around the back. I did this and Low and Beholed, there sits a huge pile of misc. dishes,LNB's and other kinds of equipment. I ask one on the guys standing around,how can I get one of those dishes,he says quote. " take what you want,it's that much less we have to haul to the junk yard" A lot of that equipment appeared brand new. IT DOESN'T HURT TO ASK. I've acquired cable,fittings and other things just by asking my serviceman
Jack

1retired06 · 06-03-2013, 12:05 PM

Elevations do not normally change significantly, but common sense tells you that based on geographical location, campsite orientation, the dish has to be pointed in the correct direction, and one or two degrees means signal or no signal. As indicated earlier, we experience significant variances in azimuth as we travel.

richfaa · 06-03-2013, 12:10 PM

The bird dog meter that Kohn H mentions is a excellent meter in fact Dave set up my sat at a rally with his and I was dually impressed. I however could not find a good used one and a new one was a bit out of my price range. My friendly Directv installer person directed me toward the Orbital tracker Plus OTM 400 from these folks http://www.orbitaltracker.com/

It only looks at the sats you select it is very easy to use and I got a good price. A good meter makes the set up very easy.

K0LCB · 06-03-2013, 02:22 PM

I have an automatic dish now, but I used a manual for many years. The az and el will change as you move. The main problem I have with Directv is I have to call at least once a week to get my receiver authorized for some reason. Even if I stay in one place, it will loose the authorization. My bill is auto pay, so I don't understand what is,going on with them

snowbirds R us · 06-03-2013, 02:29 PM

Thanks to all you folks for the replies. One thing I did notice though. If you use the settings on dish pointer, it will give one set of angles, but if you go to the Direct TV site, they will be different for the same zip codes. I don't understand the logic there.

richfaa · 06-03-2013, 02:41 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by LCBoyer

I have an automatic dish now, but I used a manual for many years. The az and el will change as you move. The main problem I have with Directv is I have to call at least once a week to get my receiver authorized for some reason. Even if I stay in one place, it will loose the authorization. My bill is auto pay, so I don't understand what is,going on with them

You can reauthorize your receivers on the Directv website yourself. Look for "reauthorize your receivers" the only time we have needed to reauthorize is if the receiver has not been in use for awhile.

richfaa · 06-03-2013, 02:59 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by snowbirds R us

Thanks to all you folks for the replies. One thing I did notice though. If you use the settings on dish pointer, it will give one set of angles, but if you go to the Direct TV site, they will be different for the same zip codes. I don't understand the logic there.

When we look at the Directv Site and enter our zip we see El 38.5 AZ 214.2 no tilt.

On Dishpointer.com we enter our street address and get El 38.4 Az 207.5 true and 215.6 Magnetic tilt 69.7.

By the map it looks like the zip code is centered on the downtown post office which is about 7 miles East of here. So there is a difference in just 7 miles.

remember now those Satellites are @ 22,000 miles up and about the size of a VW. A degree off on this end will be miles off at the other end so the correct numbers are critical.

You may also like: