Winegard Trav'ler SK3005 DiercTV in the North

Pigman · 07-24-2009, 05:31 PM

We subscribe to DirecTV with HD programming and DNS Service. This past fall I installed a Trav'ler SK3005 and am very pleased with it, however, I found that when traveling to Alaska we lost reception when we got to the point where the 101 satellite elevation approached 15 degrees. An email to Winegard confirmed that the antenna lower elevation limit is 15 degrees.

The depressed satellite elevation combined with mountains preventing us from receiving the 101, 110 and 119 satellites all together and would cause the antenna to search for extended times then stow. Modifying the search pattern to only look for the 101 satellite still would not hold a signal on that satellite (which would have given us Basic Service).

I think I have solved my problems. To get satellites at a lower look angle than 15 degrees I went to the roof, deployed the antenna and then placed a penny in the pinch point where the LNB arm pivots at the base of the dish. A search on only the 101 satellite then easily brought it in. This gave me basic service and more than 50% of my HD channels.

Since the penny will drop out of the pinch point when the antenna shows, I substituted a metal shim bent to a right angle in the pinch point. The shim was held in position with zip ties. Shim thickness was about .060 in., and was made from a galvanized electrical box cover. Although a thicker shim might give me even more depression, it also appears that it would have begun to cause the LNB's to shaddow the dish thereby reducing signal strength.

Once the shim was in place I reset the antenna controller and did a search for all satellites. The controller sucessfully locked on to 101, and 110, but could not see 119 due to a large mountain. Since it could not ID all three satellites, it would have automatically stowed. After about 10 seconds of seeking to ID 119, I shut power off to the controller before the stow program initiated. Low and behold, I now have my full DirecTV subscription without, of course, local channels.

We now are in Valdez, AK, Lat 61.13N, Lon 146.34W and the calculated elevation of 101 is 11.4 degrees. Reception is excellent even in moderate rain. We will try higher latitudes up to Fairbanks later next month.

John