Finding three satellites with portable dish???

Born2RV · 01-30-2010, 10:27 AM

Well, our first outing for the year (after winter storage) will be the end of March or first of April - and we'll be tryng out our portable satellite dish we purchased. What is the easiest way for a newbie to this system of finding all three satellites (yes, the portable dish has 3 LNB's) so we can receive HD programing with Dish Network? The Dish came with a SF-95c+ Satellite finder, but we haven't read the instructions yet on how to use it. I thought I would ask all of the experts out there FIRST for their input. Please be as detailed as possible - as our rooftop dome is automatic (only one LNB). Also, we have Iphones - and have wondered about the apps for finding satellites? do they work??

Bill Adams · 01-30-2010, 06:50 PM

Take a look at this thread. The same info (and troubles) associated with pointing a 2 LNB antenna will also apply to yours.
Portable satellite antenna

Born2RV · 01-31-2010, 12:16 PM

Thank you, Bill. I read through most of it - and am a little more confused. I guess I have to sit down and read the manual that came with the Dish Network 1000 portable dish. Included with the dish was a SF-95c+ Satellite Finder.

We are now considering purchasing a Vu Qube 2000 - since I think it may be easier? From reading the specs, I see it'll feed two receivers - but will it pick up all three satellites so we can receive HD programing from Dish Network? Also, the Vu Qube doesn't need a seperate power supply, correct? It gets it's power from the receivers?

I'm headed outside now (into the barn in this 15 degree weather) to try the bluray, entertainment receiver and new TV that we just finished installing late yesterday. I've got quite a few manuals to read!!

Good thing the hubby turned on the heat in there!!

Thanks for your input, Bill!

sam-tip · 02-03-2010, 09:12 AM

Having a portable dish can be handy. You never know when trees will be in your way and need to be just a few feet the other direction. I have a traveler and a in-motion dome dish. At least twice a year I will need to use the old Dish 1000 on portable stand. A portable that is automatic sounds kind of nice. The most important tools to have are a 7/16 wrench. A 8 to 12 inch level and a hand held compass. With practice you can setup in about 10 to 20 minutes. If you have a Iphone there is a really neat app that will show you where the satellites are. Just hold up the phone to the south and by using the internal gps, compass and camera it will overlay on the phone a picture of the tree line and the location of each satellite. It makes finding a clear line of site location for the portable dish easy. I often worry about the portable being stolen. That’s why I use a low cost dish as my portable. I sometimes need to run 80 ft of RG6Q cable to the portable dish. It would be easy for it to come up missing being that far away. I have had coolers that were stowed under my RV stolen.

Wayne M · 02-03-2010, 09:57 AM

Also take a look at the Winegard Carry Out.

FLYING BUTCH · 02-04-2010, 06:08 AM

good luck with finding all 3 of them. I've tried many times and only got all of them a few times. Sometimes you can get just one and that will give you some channels but seldom will it find all 3 even putting in the zip code. A real headache!! My 2 cents

Wayne M · 02-04-2010, 09:12 AM

I believe the view cube 3000 gets all three.

l know the Winegard Carry Out get's all three, as I'm watching them now.

Let me tell a story:
Last year, while at Braunig Lake RV Resort, I set the 3 LNB portable up next to the rear of the MH, but in the tracks of the incoming MH if there was one, but at the time they were staggering sites. I swear that I spent 3 hours trying to get at least two of the Satellites. I never could. I went inside, sat down and mulled over the situation. As it was getting near dusk, and the CG was getting full I told DW that I needed to go move the satellite antenna in case some one came into the site next to us. Since we were not getting all stations anyhow, and had a few on the bat wing, I just went outside, un-staked the tripod, picked the whole thing up, and moved it directly behind our MH. I staked it down because I just did not want to put it away at that time. I went inside and was curious to if I still had reception of one satellite. No go figure: All three were coming in. I did nothing to help this situation, just moved the antenna without orientation.

I have been successful only a few times in acquiring two to three satellites. That's why I put the outlay on the Carry Out. I just purchased it on this trip out and it has worked flawlessly since installation.

Bill Adams · 02-04-2010, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wayne M

I believe the view cube 3000 gets all three.

But not at the same time and not with DirecTV.

kjburns · 02-19-2010, 05:49 PM

Getting all three isn't rocket science. You start by aiming at the center satellite (119). Once you have it aligned, it's just a matter of setting the right skew. It's the rotation of the dish on the back. You can look up the settings for your zip code. If you have 119 aligned and set the skew, then 110 and 129 will work.

We have a King Dome, but I've started using a Dish 1000 to feed the dual tuner 722. With the Dish 1000 and dual receiver, we have two functional tuners and HD. TV4RV sells a nice tripod, with level, compass, etc to make the initial setup easier.

Born2RV · 02-19-2010, 06:47 PM

Wow! VERY cool site! Needless to say, I just ordered the Heavy Duty Combo tripod, the Dish Conversion Kit and the Folding LNB Arm Kit.

I figured it was a better buy than replacing the King Dome. Hope it comes soon so we can try it out!

kjburns · 02-19-2010, 08:25 PM

That's what I bought, with the exception of the folding LNB kit. I haven't installed the conversion kit yet. Just follow the instructions and the tripod alignment will get you within a few degrees. It doesn't take long from there. So far, it's been stable in some pretty stiff winds too.

One mistake I made initially was that the dish was sagging some while it was loose enough to rotate it. That put my elevation too low. You might need to adjust the elevation up a couple of degrees first. Then after finding 119 and tightening the dish to the pole, tweak the elevation.

Born2RV · 02-21-2010, 10:59 AM

Thanks for your help, KJ! Once we're able to give it a try, I'm sure we'll have more questions.

Thanks again!

Pizzaman · 02-21-2010, 03:43 PM

We have used the Dish1000 for a couple years now. I can get the 119 and 129 in about all the time, but not as lucky with the 110. I am going to check when the weather warms up but the lnb for the 110 may be bad. If you use a good signal meter you can set up the Dish1000 in 15 minutes.Most important is to level the tripod FIRST.I put adjustable feet on mine. It make the rest of the process go alot quicker.