Aiming for the Moon

[Ruffus]

I use to launch the rockets that put the satillites in orbit but never knew how to find them with out a signal finder or calling my brother who use to track them from Alaska. Can anyone tell me how to aim a satillite dish for my TV when I move my dish?
Jim

[HigginsPod]

we bought a satelitte signal finder. We use Direct TV and you need to run the set up with the local zip that you are at. Try it at home a few times. It takes us awhile to find it but FINALLY we do get it. Also, we can't connect the coax into the trailer that doesn't work but I am not sure I know why ............... something aobut the signal.

[Jim W]

Jim,
I use a compass and satellite signal finder. I bought the signal finder from Radio Shack for under $30.00.

Like the other poster stated you need to find your location by putting in the local zip code in. This is entered in the set up area for your dish system. You will then get a Elevation angle and an Azimuth angle to set the receiver in the rough location. I then use the signal finder to find tune the receive to receive the satellite signal.

If you have a DISH 500 system then you will also get a skew angle which will need to be adjusted also on your receiver antenna.

To the other poster the reason the signal will not pass through the internal antenna is the signal booster in the camper from the trailer antenna. This has to be bypass and there are several post on the technical site on how to do this. I choose to place my access to a satellite Antenna under the slide out entertainment center in the floor. I ran a separate coaxial cable to the TV Dish controller and then the trailer external antenna to the same receiver, then on to the TV.


Jim

[ralphank]

If you have an I-phone or android phone there is a slick app called Satellite Finder, you basically hold your phone to the sky, follow the arrows on the screen to find satellite, once your locked on it takes a picture. Works great

[HigginsPod]

WooHoo........... a droid is on my birthday list!!!!!
We bring the cables in through the window. Still under warrenty and he is NOT drilling a hole ANYWHERE!!!!
Glad I have direct so I don't need the skew angle

[Jim W]

Originally Posted by HigginsPod

We bring the cables in through the window. Still under warrenty and he is NOT drilling a hole ANYWHERE!!!!

Have you heard of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, see attached.
http://www.autosafety.org/the-magnus...9C-an-overview

Drilling one hole in the slide out entertainment center floor and providing the proper sealing apparatus with sealant around it will not void your warranty.

Jim

[HigginsPod]

our entertainment center is not in the slide. Ours in in the middle of the unit. then the second tv in the bedroom

[mikell]

We have a 2010 Alpine and it has a hookup for cable and one for satellite you mightr want to poke around a bit and see if yours does too

[HigginsPod]

Ours only has the cable....... as far as I can tell. Not done playing with it yet!!!! not drilling nope will not let him!!!! not yet

[hankpage]

Originally Posted by HigginsPod

Ours only has the cable....... as far as I can tell. Not done playing with it yet!!!! not drilling nope will not let him!!!! not yet

Drilling holes makes it lighter and you can bring more stuff. (Technically) There is an up side to everything, ...... Seriously, unless the hole you drill directly causes a leak or structural failure, you will not void your warranty. A hole in the floor under ½ inch will not hurt anything even if it is not sealed. JM2¢, Hank

[jje1960]

Originally Posted by Ruffus

I use to launch the rockets that put the satillites in orbit but never knew how to find them with out a signal finder or calling my brother who use to track them from Alaska. Can anyone tell me how to aim a satillite dish for my TV when I move my dish?
Jim

Not sure what system you have, however if it's DIRECTV, then this link will help if you have internet access.
http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/customer/dishPointer.jsp

Using this and the sat finder (I've always called it the squealer!) has saved a bunch of stress. I remember one time in in Richmond at parking lot J... the guy next to us was standing on his ladder, screaming inside to his wife trying to adjust his dish.... he made the comment watching us use the squealer (which took about 5min total set-up time) "what, your not a gamblin man?". Long and humorous story short... he never did find the signal, was yelling to his wife and realised she had gotten fed-up and was walking down the road! We laughed pretty good at that one.

[Ruffus]

Thanks for the come back. Yelling at the DW is never a good thing, I bought a signal finder, thanks.