Directv HD antenna options????

Don't forget the chainsaw for those pesky trees ...

You have been given very long detailed information about ONE way to setup your antenna and/or tripod but certainly not the only setup. You will likely need someone to show you how everything works at your first setup if you don't want to go through a full six-pack before you get it setup correctly.

The dish pay as you go is kind of expensive, 3x what a pay by the month is for the same level of service if the month I paid for is any indication... Alas I had enough issues I'm not going to try again for a while.. Likely July.

I have to move the receiver out of where it is, I need a new antenna, Bunch of issues. Major pain in the operation to get it all working (Current dome not compatible) Oh well... I'd love to be good enough to design a new controller for the dome. but that's another issue.

I will give you manual dish set up 101.

First, you need a battery operated receiver (or a long power cord) small screen, This is your signal strength monitor when aimin.. Many use little meters, but this is way, way better.

now, start by hooking everything up BEFORE you apply power to the receiver.. This is important, shorts kill receivers.

OR, if you must hook up with the receiver powered, START AT THE ANTENNA and work back to the MH, (less likelyhood of a short that way)

Now.. Once hooked up and powered up. Go to the menu and setup and antenna pointing, enter your parking spots ZIP CODE, and the receiver will respond with some angles, (Elevation, Azimuth and Tilt) write them down.. This, by the way, is the only use for the zip code except possibly for an interactive WEATHER page.

Now, go to the antenna, Make sure the mast is plumb (Straight up and down) not tilted, Shim a leg or two of the tripod if you must or use one of the adjustable bases Camping world sells.

Pre-set the ELEVATION and tighten the bolts slightly,, Same with TILT (Also called SKEW)

Use a compass... (A smart phone with compass app is good, If using one first, after you invoke the app, holding the phone near flat (Display up) Rotate it (Turn around 360 degrees) to calibrate it,

Using the compass as a starting point start with the dish pointed slightly EAST of the suggested angle, SLOWLY swing it west (you may reverse this if you like) while watching the signal strength indicator on the portable TV..

When it peaks, if it says on the proper satellite, Snug down the clamps and slightly tug/push on the dish to check elevation.. If you get an impovement go back and forth to get the best indication and lock it down.

You can also play with tilt/skew but odds are you won't have to. The preset is usually correct.

Tie the tripod to the ground or place a heavy bucket (Fill with water or sand or whatever) on the ground and use a ratchiting or other adjustable strap to hold it down, DO NOT hang a weight that can swing.

That's all folks.

Oh, setting it up,, Pick a location (Based on those presets) where you can see the sky IF all you can see is a tree.. You will not have joy.

No. We've not tried to set it up yet since the installer did the initial setup. We will be leaving here in February and I'm just trying to learn how to set it up when we get to our next campground.

I'm thinking we really should have gotten the Dish Pay-As-You-Go program since there are times when we really don't need it but....too soon old;; too late smart.

No, there are 3 axis. Up/Down, left/right, and skew. It doesn't sound like you have tried to setup a satellite dish and I was just trying to help.

NO dome can see the DirecHDTV birds, teh SD bird yes, the HD's no..

Both rooftop and ground mount dishes can. IF they have the proper dish and LNBs (note the plural) but no dome can.. Period.

reubenray wrote:
I was primed to get a Directv Traveler installed ASAP. But 99% of our camping is in state parks where it would not work. So I am sticking with the tripod method. Setting up the tripod sometimes is a big PITA. But I just ordered a new tripod setup from TV4RV.

http://tv4rv.com/sunshop/index.php?l=product_list&c=4

This should make the setup a lot easier. My old tripod was not adjustable so I had to either dig holes or use something to raise the legs to get it plumb.

Yes the Traveler would be great, but not if you cannot "see the satellites".

A very good. Choice.

Bruce

I was primed to get a Directv Traveler installed ASAP. But 99% of our camping is in state parks where it would not work. So I am sticking with the tripod method. Setting up the tripod sometimes is a big PITA. But I just ordered a new tripod setup from TV4RV.

http://tv4rv.com/sunshop/index.php?l=product_list&c=4

This should make the setup a lot easier. My old tripod was not adjustable so I had to either dig holes or use something to raise the legs to get it plumb.

Yes the Traveler would be great, but not if you cannot "see the satellites".

There are only 2 axis that my antenna works on....up or down and right or left. Of course, technically, that's 4 axis, I guess.

So what does one get to set up their antenna each time and where do people store the 3' square, the 4 cement blocks, and the dish and corresponding post it goes on?

PennyPA wrote:
The new Directv dishes are coming through with a square base (at least here in Las Vegas) and from what I understand from the installer, all we'll have to do is reattach everything and turn the base so the antenna faces south? OR, we can leave the antenna here and just contact Direct when we get to the next campground and they'll come out and put up a new antenna. Sounds like a bunch of trouble, if you ask me.

There is much, much more to it than simply turning the antenna to face South. Each new location will require the antenna to be repointed in 3 axis extremely accurately. With a bit of practice you should be able to do it all in less than 30 minutes including setup. Breakdown is easy but you must find a place to store the parts. The base is 3-4 feet square.
Additionally, if you only move 1-2 times per year you "might" get DirecTV to send an installer if you can convince them that you have moved your residence from one location to another. However, they are not going to send an installer to each new location as you travel around unless you want to wait out a service appointment and pay the service call charges plus the cost of the new hardware.