Finding HD Signal

[jaybird-MOC]

I have a portable satilitte dish and have never had any issue finding a directtv signal in Washington State. I'm a work it till you find it signal guide out in the campsite. No High TecTech gear to discover connection. I've heard that finding an HD signal can be a whole lot more difficult. Is that true?

 

[mobil]

It's a little more involved, but if you're used to finding a sd signal with no meter(besides the one in your receiver), you shouldn't have a problem most times. A good solid tripod and absolutely plumb dish mast will get you going. We do it all the time with only the meter in our receiver to lock on our signal. You'll have a skew adjustment in addition to the az and elv you're used to. We got our tripod from www.tv4rv.com and have a slimline dish, swm lnb(so we only have one cable to run). We use dishpointerpro on my smartphone to ensure a clear line of sight to the sats. Good luck with the hd. There's lots of info here and elsewhere on the web. Many members here use both dish and directv and have no problem. Lots of advise on what stuff to use and setup but they always start with a plumb mast. Have fun.

 

[jaybird-MOC]

Thanks for the tips. I have DirectTV. Is there a smart app for my iphone that can assist finding a signal

 

[DQDick]

There is an app called Dishpointer that will help point you toward the satellite you need.

 

[jaybird-MOC]

Is there a DirectTv App that anyone know's about???

 

[hookman]

Try Dishpointer.com

 

[mobil]

I have a Directv app on my Android. It has nothing to do with finding a signal. It's much like the Directv website where you can program your dvr to record a program, view the channel guide, pay your bill. That kind of stuff. Like others have said, Dishpointerpro is an app for Android and Iphones. It uses your phones camera to show you the location of the sats you need. You can select the sats you need in the menu. It overlays their position in the sky on your cameras screen to show if you have trees or whatever blockng the dish's view to the sats. It does show you the basic direction to point your dish. It does nothing to show signal and I don't know of any app that could(it would have to be plugged into the sat cable). We use the meter on our receiver to lock in our signal. Every "pro" installer we've talked to has said you can't align your dish without a signal meter(a $300-$400 separate meter). They not quite right. We, as well as others do it all the time, with no more weather dropouts as we get at our professionally insatlled system at home. It's really not a big deal. Like your sd setup, once you do it a few times it'll be a piece of cake. Just get a good solid tripod and PLUMB the mast. Go for it. Have fun.

 

[Kab449]

This is what I do:
Set up the tripod and level it per tv4rv.com instructions and have the azimuth and tilt set for the location per the receiver, I put a non-SWM lnb (direct tv) and use a $10 signal meter I purchased from tv4rv.com to peak the 101 sat, switch to the SWM lnb, turn on receivers and watch the sat info download.
This eliminates the necessity to purchase the $400 meters required to power and show signal strength on the swm lnb's.

 

[Recumbent-MOC]

We have the Directv HD 5LNB and get the AZ,EL, & Tilt from Satellite Setup menu (have also used Dishpointer.com) then make sure the tripod is perfectly level using a bubble level inside the tripod shaft. We use a $20 meter (temporarily connected) and max out the signal strength with very small movements pointing toward the 101 degree satellite. I have a couple of times found the wrong sat and had to repoint at the 101, but most of the time find the 101 quickly. Wind once blew-over the tripod breaking the LNB and it cost $60 including shipping to replace as I did not bungie or weight down the tripod.