Satellite Antennas - Old Fashioned Dish

[Teamfour]

I am looking to buy equipment to receive satellite broadcasts via Dish network. We would only use it 3-4 times a year so I am leaning towards the old fashioned dish vs a portable unit. Specifically a 1000.2 eastern arc unit. I can't justify spending $400 on a portable auto unit.

Any advice on using the old fashioned dishes? I am kind of nerdy so the task of manually pointing a dish doesn't intimidate me (have done this on home units).

[Teamfour]

I got around to setting up my 1000.2 EA twin LNB and ViP211Z receiver. I was able to lock in on a satellite using an inline signal meter 15 minutes after setting up the tripod and dish. I have never aimed a portable dish before. Receiver instructed me to call Dish to activate. That took about another 20 minutes including hold time. The guide downloaded and I had channels.

Here's the funny part: I couldn't understand why I only had about eight channels. I ran check switch only to find out I was peaked on the 77 bird. This LNB doesn't feature 77 reception. So I re-aimed the dish and quickly got 72.7 with about 50 signal strength. I then ran check switch again but couldn't see the 61.5 bird. Turns out the free aiming app I used gave me a bad skew value. I checked the value in the angle table specific for the twin LNB, and double checked against dishpointer, and got the right skew. Then I deleted the app. All is good and I can't wait to go camping next weekend.

These manual dishes aren't that hard to setup. I did pay close attention to getting the mast as plumb as possible. Thanks to Dutch_12078, I modded the adjustable bracket with thumb screws and thumb nut for tool-less adjustment. I also modded the feet of the tripod with adjustable feet with two inches of adjustment on each foot. Finally the mast is held steady by thumb screws.

[wa8yxm]

For DISH I strongly recommend a Triple LNB dish like the 1000.n series.

The 1000.2 is designed for the Eastern Arc, good if you are on the east coast but if you are planing on traveling west of the Mississippi you may want a 1000.2 as well, As far as I know that is just a swap of the LNB head (slightly differnet spacing).

To aim.. use something like Sat-Finder on your Cell phone and aim for the center satellite, Make sure you have a clear view.. Then use the Antenna Pointing page on the Receiver... use a portable TV at the base of your tripod to aim it.. Then go inside and confirm

Those inline beeping meters are useless by the way.. But the software in your DISH receiver rivals the best professional over 1,000 dollar Sat finder meters on the market,,, So use it.

[TechWriter]

wxtoad wrote:
I use a very simple dish and a home-made PVC stand that is small, comes apart for storage and the whole thing can be set up in just a few minutes.I know it sounds crazy, but being level doesn't matter with a set-up like this - I've had it sitting at some pretty weird angles on sloping terrain.

Your dish is a single LNBF. I'll bet it's for acquiring DirecTV's sat 101 for SD programming, right?

If that's the case, then you can practically just throw the dish on the ground and acquire 101.

But it ain't the same as aiming a multi-LNBF dish 'cause there aren't any skew settings involved.

[Bill_Satellite]

Teamfour wrote:
Thanks everyone! I was looking at this dish paired with a VIP211K.

https://www.amazon.com/NETWORK-1000-2-EASTERN-DPPLUS-ANTENNA/dp/B00P49YTEA

There is nothing old fashioned about that antenna. That's the current technology antenna installed on nearly all Eastern Arc homes. If you are only using it a few days per year and all your travels will be in the Eastern US (East of the Mississippi) then you will have all of the antenna you need.

[wxtoad]

I use a very simple dish and a home-made PVC stand that is small, comes apart for storage and the whole thing can be set up in just a few minutes. I know it sounds crazy, but being level doesn't matter with a set-up like this - I've had it sitting at some pretty weird angles on sloping terrain. I have a satellite finder app on my smartphone that makes it easy to find a hole through the trees and I carry about 200' of cable, although I don't often use all of it. In most cases, after locating the hole through the trees, the dish is set up and locked on in about 10 minutes. Cheap, fast, and it works well.

Ted

[TechWriter]

Teamfour wrote:
Thanks everyone! I was looking at this dish paired with a VIP211K.

https://www.amazon.com/NETWORK-1000-2-EASTERN-DPPLUS-ANTENNA/dp/B00P49YTEA

If you're camping near Sterling, VA, then your local stations will originate from Washington, DC -- which is on the Eastern Arc.

However, you may want to also pick up the Western Arc LNBF for the 1000.2. Other markets in your area (like Richmond) broadcast local stations on Western and Eastern Arcs. With both LNBFs, you have the option of aiming at two areas of the sky.

[Dutch_12078]

A couple of things to keep in mind when buying an automatic dome dish for DISH network use:

The only automatic that works with both the eastern and western arcs is the Pathway X2.

There are a number of local channel TV markets that are, or soon will be, eastern arc only.

If you have any plans to upgrade to a multi-tuner DVR Hopper series receiver instead of a VIP or Wally series box, your automatic dome will no longer be usable.

[Sandia_Man]

Whether Directv or Dish network, we always purchase the same sat dish we have mounted on our roof at home from an online source. Currently with Dish network and we use the same dish you posted above along with a couple of VIP receivers.

With an open view of the southern sky we can be up and running in minutes, literally. Takes longer to unwind coax, plumb tripod, and mount sat dish than the acquisition of all 3 sats, the actual pointing process takes just a couple of minutes, including tweaks to improve signal strength.

Of course with tree cover or other hindrances to the southern sky it takes a few minutes longer, we carry enough coax to lock in pretty much anywhere we RV. Stand/tripod must be plumb for HD, not quite as critical for SD since only a single sat in needed.

I'm not sure where some struggle locating satellites, the receiver clearly indicates the settings for elevation, azimuth, and tilt if attempting to acquire all subscribed programming across the 3 satellites. There are some useful sat finder apps although we just use a compass.

Regardless of satellite service provider, we lock in and peak center satellite using compass and varying tone pitch from receiver. With Dish network we then run multi-switch test, once completed all 3 sats should be locked in according to receiver's signal strength meter.

To avoid any issues that prolong the process, ensure coax is in good condition and all connection points are tight. Also ensure stand/tripod and all dish specific settings are tight to eliminate any chance of movement or sag. Practice at home to become familiar with the process.

We would go with a portable dome but they don't do Directv in HD, and they are limited to how many receivers and which channels can be viewed at the same time from each receiver. Switching between satellites is aggravating, we want every receiver to have every channel just like at home.

On our next new rig, we will opt to have the Winegard Traveler mounted on the roof so we can enjoy all the channels that we subscribe to with less fuss, we do lots of forest camping and we'll continue to bring our HD sat dish and tripod with us for those RVing scenarios.

[Gonzo42]

I now have the new Dish Playmaker and it is very convenient. The only little thing I found is that it has to be very level or it can't find an antenna. I suspect the mechanism internally has a somewhat limited mechanical range.

[BB_TX]

The Tailgater only gets the western. But the Pathway X2 gets both eastern and western

I used a tripod the first year. But the adjustments and markings for aiming the antenna are crude at best. Sometimes I would get the sats in 5 minutes. Other times it could be half hour.

[Teamfour]

Thanks again all. So to hijack my own thread...how do the portables, i.e. Tailgater, work in the eastern part of the USA since they only receive the western arc satellites?

I should mention I am not concerned with receiving local channels.

[DutchmenSport]

I have a DishTV 'dish' with 3 eyes hanging in my shed. I gave it up when we purchased a Tailgater. Since then, we've given up all satellite televison. I gave the Dish Receiver and Tailgater to another RV.net member several months ago.

I'd gladly give the old 'dish' with 3 eyes to you if you want to come and get it. No plans for camping in Virginia any time near soon to possibly meet up. I'd even throw in the trip-pod for the same price!

[Dutch_12078]

Our entire original satellite system for our motorhome cost about $250. That included a Dish VIP211K receiver, a 1000.4 dish that came with an eastern arc triple sat LNB, a western arc triple sat LNB, three 50' lengths of RG6 coax and connectors, and a roof mount tripod that I modified with about $20 of hardware store parts to add adjustable leveling feet and a large thumbscrew for locking the shaft. I also modified the dish with plastic handled thumbscrews, making the entire setup and aiming operation "no tools needed". Having both eastern and western LNB's available significantly expands the aiming options on heavily treed sites. To date, we have never had a site where I couldn't get a signal, even if only through a small gap in the tree cover. It normally takes me 15 minutes or less to set up and aim the dish using a digital signal meter.

[Teamfour]

Thanks everyone! I was looking at this dish paired with a VIP211K.

https://www.amazon.com/NETWORK-1000-2-EASTERN-DPPLUS-ANTENNA/dp/B00P49YTEA