I've got the portable Wingard dish and the meter box. How much trouble I am going to have setting this up?? I called DirecTV to ask them some questions and I may as well saved my time. Do I hook everything up and then go through the installation process using the menu on the reciever?? Will it tell me the bearing and elevation to point the dish?? Any ideas will be helpful.
On the remote, push the Menu button. Select Settings then Setup then Satellite then Repeat Satellite Setup the enter 3 dashes in the blocks, then the type of dish you have (round, oval, etc.) then ZIP code where you are,that should give you direction and elevation for dish. Level the dish so mast is completely vertical. Set elevation, using compass aim the dish, should have a signal strength on your screen, slightly adjust to increase signal strength. You may get message about the satellite card; if you get it, make sure card is fully inserted then push red reset button located by the card slot. If still doesn't work, unplug the receiver and replug it (this is a reset). It really isn't nearly as complicated as this sounds but these are the steps. Good luck!!
Harry
With wife Carole 10 yrs fulltiming
Retired U.S. Army
2002 Carriage LS 37' 5er; 2006 Lance 1181
2008 F-450 King Ranch 4x4 fully loaded
2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee toad
SKP # 54751
Geocacher "DosTortugas" Harry's BLOG
Jimmy/Kathy, if you search this form for "dish setup" you will get all kinds of good ideas. The total amount of information available here on this subject is just astounding. Here are some of the highlights, as direct answers to your questions.
1. Yes, the bearing (azimuth) and elevation are available through the receiver setup menu. If you have satellite at home, you should be able to see that by pressing "menu" on your remote, looking for a system option on the menu and then dish. Typically this is done by zip code. As an alternative, a program called DSLookAngle is available for free on the Internet. It, too, will translate a zip code into an azimuth and elevation.
2. The only real installation is to make sure that the dish is connected to the receiver without splitters or amplifiers. Plugging in the dish to an outside connection labeled satellite or cable may or may not work. My advice is to run the wire through a window first, get it working and then try the outside connection.
3. The key to portable dishes is to get the mast as plumb as possible and make sure that you can sight from the dish in the direction of the azimuth directly to an open sky, without trees. The actual signal hits the dish about 20 degrees higher than it appears from looking at the LNB.
4. With a clear view and a plumb dish, make the adjustments VERY slowly. People get in a hurry. Adjust a few degrees and stop, a few more and stop. I adjust the azimuth until I get signal and then wonder side to side a degree or two to see if that signal improves. I then slowly adjust the elevation up and down a degree or two, looking for improvement. I might try adjusting the azimuth again after the elevation is set at the optimum. That is why the plumb mast is important. Without it, you are adjusting both aspects at the same time, unknowingly.
5. There are multiple "birds" in the sky. If you are getting signal on the meter but it isn't registering on the receiver, you are probably on the Dish Network bird. Been there, done that.
A good idea is to practice at home. When I first started installing DirecTV systems for friends many years ago, I took the receiver, a small TV and the dish and set them up in the front yard. With everything a few feet apart, it was easy to hear the alignment tone and see exactly what was happening.
After the first 10 times you do it, it will seem like old hat.
I have found it easy, if you know your destinations, to go to the DirecTV website before I leave and enter the zip codes where I will be staying. It will give the coordinates and angle you will need for each location. I preset my dish for the first stop or final stop and you are pretty much ready to go when you arrive. Just takes a few minutes to set up. I rarely use a signal meter or the dish setup on the receiver. And you can always look around at the other campers if you are having trouble on the direction. The angle of the dish is the most important key.
I went to the DirecTV and looked for a place to enter the zip code to get the information but couldn't find it. Can you give me an address to get the data???
I use a single satellite, 101. I use the $26 electronic satellite finder to locate the bird. As a result I very rarely need the elevation or azimuth information during setup. You can get the wrong bird this way but I listen to the TV audio from the receiver and if on the wrong one just rotate the dish left or right.
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