Sat TV

[tweir]

We just switched from Dish Network to Direct TV. Needless to say, I have a Dish Network antenna in the garage. I wrote Direct TV and asked them if the old antenna will work with their receiver and they said probably not---go to Camping World & buy a Winegard. I was thinking (now that is really dangerous)if Winegard advertises their antennas to work with either Direct TV or Dish Network, why won't the dual LNB Dish Network antenna work as well? What we planned on doing was taking the old antenna with us and hooking it up to the Direct TV receiver when on the road. Do any of you kind folks have any ideas/experience and/or comments?
Thanks in advance...

[Dennis and Carol]

Thomas, you did not mention if your Dish Network dish was just a dual LNB dish or the Dish 500 dish. Regardless, it will work to some degree. In fact, I have heard the Dish Network dishs are more sensitive than those normally used for Direct TV. When I switched, I went the other way, from Direct TV to Dish Network. The dish worked fine except to receive the local channels which were transmitted from a different Sat.. This required me to switch the dish from sat. to sat. depending on which channels we wanted to watch.

FYI - In our area, Dish network transmits from Sat. 110 and 119. I don't know which sat's Direct TV uses anymore. The Dish 500 dish is built so the LNB will receive both sat's at the same time and I would assume that if Direct TV is using different sat's the construction of their dish might be different. Anyway, if you are only using one LNB to receive one sat., either of the dishs will work. When I got tired of switching from sat. to sat., I went to a Pawn Shop and bought a used Dish 500 dish. Also, the last time I checked, Radio Shack sold a Direct TV dish, but not the Dish 500. Hope I did not confuse you too much.

[tweir]

Thanks for the info---yeah, ours is/was a Dish Network 500 unit. I think I might try a "static run" this weekend before we head out next weekend for the desert & see if it will work. Thanks again.

[Glass Guy]

If I understand you correctly you want to use you old dish net dish with a direct tv reciever, yes you can use it that way the dishes are all the same as long as you lock in to the direc tv sattilite.Roman

[tweir]

Thanks for the insight. Guess I'll putter around in the shop today and build a tripod unit and "test" the system this weekend.

[DHenry]

I took my dish reciever and a dish 500 dish with me on my last trip. When I hooked it up and sighted it in to the sattilite, I did not recieve any where near the channels that I got at home. I thought as long as I was a subscriber I should get all the stations I subscribe to but I guess that is not the case when you are out of your area. Do any of you know if there is something else that should be done to get the subscribed channels while traveling around?

[faeb and genb]

Doug it dosen't matter with mine. I go into settings & put in the Zip code to where I am at. I get the same channels that I get at home. Except the local channels.
Gene

[Dennis and Carol]

Doug, I would guess you were only receiving a signal from one Sat. My 2nd dish is an older unit and has a thing that looks like a splitter inline that they call a switch. One of the LNB heads is marked 110 and the other 119. The newer Dish 500 apparantly has the switch built-in the LNB unit. My newer dish will feed 2 receivers while the older one seems to only feed one though it might feed 2 with a splitter. On the Point Dish / Signal screen, there is a place to check switch. There have been times I have had to fiddle with this to get everything to work correctly. Also from the fist screen, you can check your signal from the various Sat.'s. Dish Network tells me that I should be able to receive my local channels anywhere in the country. Has worked so far out to about 400 miles.

[DHenry]

Thanks for the sugguestions and tips. I'll keep trying to get this right.

[fulltimedreamer]

Doug,

I have Dishnet with a Dishnet 500 dish. If you are getting locked onto both the 110 and 119 satellites you should be getting all your programming. An exception to this might be your local network feeds (ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS and UPN affiliates) which come to you via a "spot beam". If you are out of the beam area you will not get your local channels. I live in north Georgia and have recieved my local network channels as far south as Tampa and as far North as Virgnia. I'm not sure exactly how big an area the "spot beam" covers. If you are out of the local beam area you can get either an east (New York) or a west (LA) Network feed by signing an RV waiver with Dishnet.

[DHenry]

I have the dish 500 but I am only hooked up to one side of it. Is there a splitter that I should get that hooks up to both 110 and 119 then goes to the lead to the reciever?

[fulltimedreamer]

The LNB on the Dish 500 has a built in switch. There are two f-connectors so that you can go to a second receiver for a second TV.

Hookup Process:
1. Choose Peak Angles in setup
2. Enter your zipcode for the current location.
3. Write down the Azimuth, Elevation and Skew.
4. Set the Elevation and Skew.
5. Level the dish mounting pole.
6. Find the general Azimuth and use a satellite finder to lock on Satellite.
7. Fine tune the dish using the built signal strength meter in the receiver. (Try with transponder set to 19 or 20.)
8. Once you lock on the 119 Satellite - Choose "Check Switch" (This should then allow the receiver to see both 119 and 110 Sats.)
9. Go back and Check the 110 Signal level - adjust and recheck 119 if necessary-.
10. Enjoy your satellite programming.

[DHenry]

fulltimedreamer, thanks for the instructions. I will try this the next time out. Isn't it great to ask a question and have someone with the knowledge give you an answer? I just love this club.

[tweir]

All,
Thanks for your help. Rigged up the antenna yesterday morning on a tripod and it took a whole 10 minutes to have it working as well as the "permanent mounted" unit. Thanks again...