DirecTV Question

[NekkidFish]

If I remember right, when we do get our RV, we can take the HDTV receiver with us in the MH, and be able to watch TV through that.

First question: If we have multiple TV's in the MH, do we also need to take extra receivers with us?

Next: Do we have to have a dish like we have on the roof at home?

Thanks bunches! Jules

[turbojimmy]

I finally got everything working. The dish is really easy to point using a cell phone app. The only difficulty I had (and it was minor) was guessing the right elevation when the MP-1 isn't perfectly level. It was just me being too lazy to level it but it also shows how important being level is.

If you have DirecTV at home, you can count on them screwing up your entire account by adding another, mobile receiver. After a couple hours on the phone with them and 3 different access cards I finally got my D12 SD receiver working.

Here's the secret: when you call them to let them know you need a card for another receiver (I got mine on eBay), do NOT follow the instructions that come with the new card. By using their automated card activation system it will link the new card to your existing receiver(s). Everything will seem okay at first, but within 24 hours your existing receiver will stop working and you'll have to reactivate it with the new card. To avoid this, call DirecTV when you get your new card, speak to a human and ask for their "card activation" unit. Make sure your card is in the new/used receiver and you're getting programming on channel 100. It's smooth sailing after that.

[turbojimmy]

Bobbo wrote:
The roof is fine as long as trees don't block the signal. That is why people have 50, 75, 100 feet of cable, to find a hole in the trees.

Also, be sure that the wind does not blow the equipment off your roof. I saw a guy at a campground who had a Vuqube Flex on his roof. I asked how he kept it from blowing off, and he said it was velcroed down.

Thanks. I got an MP1 which has a base you fill with water or sand. I plan to tie it to the luggage rail up there too.

[Bobbo]

The roof is fine as long as trees don't block the signal. That is why people have 50, 75, 100 feet of cable, to find a hole in the trees.

Also, be sure that the wind does not blow the equipment off your roof. I saw a guy at a campground who had a Vuqube Flex on his roof. I asked how he kept it from blowing off, and he said it was velcroed down.

[turbojimmy]

I know this thread is a bit old, but it's relevant to a question I have.

I see people have 50, 75 and sometimes 100 feet of cable for their portable dishes. Where are you putting these things? Can I just set it up on the roof (assuming I get LoS)?

I just picked up an MP1 and D12 receiver. I plan to set it up on the roof of my Allegro while I'm parked. Is this not a good strategy?

All the junk should be here before the weekend so I'll probably post back with lots of stupid questions.

[NekkidFish]

The people here all have dish.

After about two hours, we finally heard a signal beep, and when it got to another 93% we gave it a go ... and we got it!!

I can't imagine how many times we will do this before we get it down ... especially since it will be months before we go out again.

Thanks a ton to all if you that helped!!!!

[Bobbo]

Actually, your best bet is to drive around, find someone else who has an antenna set up, and ask for help. Tell them you are new at this. RVers love to help each other.

[NekkidFish]

Bill.Satellite wrote:
I wish you the very best. I have sooooo lost track of who's doing what I am out of here!

Bill, I am so sorry if I've screwed this up. 😞

We are at our camp and did not have any luck. We set the elevation and the tilt from the numbers on the DTV setup screen.

That leaves the azimuth. When I used the DishAlign app it has us pointing the one way, but if I use the compass, it has us pointing the dish in a different direction. Hell, I was never a Boy Scout .... maybe I don't know how to use a compass. 😕

We are going to try again tomorrow when we can see outside. If we can't get it, then we are going to walk around and see if we can find a fellow DTVer here that might be able to help.

Night all.

[Bill_Satellite]

I wish you the very best. I have sooooo lost track of who's doing what I am out of here!

[tfolks206]

dishpointer.com will tell you the tilt, someone may correct me if i am wrong but you may not need to change the tilt, see if you get a signal or at least a partial signal at the elevation and azimuth the DTV website told you

[NekkidFish]

Thank you!!!! Now, where do I find the tilt number? I found the other two numbers on the DTV website, but they don't mention tilt.

[tfolks206]

NekkidFish wrote:

tfolks206 wrote:
And just to make sure, you have used the correct elevation, azimuth and tilt from directv or dishpointer websites?

We were having the same trouble with ours not picking up a bird where we originally mounted it but as a last resort we put it on the ground and used the bubble level in the pipe to make sure it was perfectly vertical. Went back inside reset my receiver and it found satellites almost immediately

I think this is our problem. We 100% do not understand what the elevation, azimuth and tilt info is ... or where we put that in. I put in our zip code, thinking that would set us up, but I am obviously wrong.

I know I sound totally stoopid, but we don't understand this. 😞

On the back of the dish it has the elevation degrees and tilt stamped on it. If you have a compass or smartphone, point the dish at that azimuth degree location, then set the elevation to whatever degree it says, that is just a basic setup, it does not guarantee 100% signal, you might have to play around with it a bit

[NekkidFish]

I have found out the numbers of where we will be later. Elevation: 42.0. Azimuth: 208.4. This is where I am lost. I understand that the Elevation refers to the up and down position of the dish, and that the Azimuth refers to the left to right position of the dish. But, what does that mean? When moving it left to right, how do I know where position 42.0 is? When moving it up and down, how do I know where position 208.4 is?

[NekkidFish]

tfolks206 wrote:
And just to make sure, you have used the correct elevation, azimuth and tilt from directv or dishpointer websites?

We were having the same trouble with ours not picking up a bird where we originally mounted it but as a last resort we put it on the ground and used the bubble level in the pipe to make sure it was perfectly vertical. Went back inside reset my receiver and it found satellites almost immediately

I think this is our problem. We 100% do not understand what the elevation, azimuth and tilt info is ... or where we put that in. I put in our zip code, thinking that would set us up, but I am obviously wrong.

I know I sound totally stoopid, but we don't understand this. 😞

[tfolks206]

And just to make sure, you have used the correct elevation, azimuth and tilt from directv or dishpointer websites?

We were having the same trouble with ours not picking up a bird where we originally mounted it but as a last resort we put it on the ground and used the bubble level in the pipe to make sure it was perfectly vertical. Went back inside reset my receiver and it found satellites almost immediately