Satellite Finders

[WitnessProtection]

We are Directv subscribers and want to take our home system with us. We use the Genie system with wireless client servers. We duplicated our power sources for the wireless Genie antenna, the DVR as well as the power inserter so transfer of the system would be easier from home to fifth wheel. Purchased a good tripod and slimline dish. I thought it would make dish pointing easier and purchased a "satellite finder" from amazon which turned out to be a cheap unit from Radio Shack. After watching videos and trying for an hour to get some kind of a signal with the unit, we finally resorted to one person watching the signal strength on TV and one person making dish movements until we finally got a signal. Knowing the elevation and direction for the approximate set point helped but it still took a while, and obviously two people. My question is what is the best make and model of satellite finder that people are using and having good luck with. Much appreciated!!!

 

[avvidclif]

The main thing I use is an APP on my phone which shows me where the sat is located (Norsat Satellite Locator App, free). That gets me in the ballpark. I also have a FS-1 Satellite Meter connected to the dish which I use to fine tune. Kinda pricey but allows me to stand at the dish and tune it in. I got the FS1 when I went HD. The phone app worked fine for SD.

 

[WitnessProtection]

We actually saw that app on some other posts and downloaded it. Works like a champ for the general location of the satellite and would highly recommend it. It's the fine tuning that we were hoping to get with the satellite finder and would like to get a good one. Thanks for the info on the FS1.

 

[Flyerone]

I use a Sathero meter and it works ok but there are many more expensive units. You need to power the Antenna for the meter to work and it needs to be disconnected from the receiver. I bought a separate PI and splitter to power the antenna.

 

[porthole]

If you look in this thread I detailed my trial and errors of getting my DirecTV "on the road as well as the SAT finding stuff I use and found to work well.

Lot of stuff in this thread, but the stuff I use to actually find the SATs starts around post #98

https://heartlandowners.org/showthr...t-disappointed?p=317228&viewfull=1#post317228

 

[cookie]

You said that you bought a good tripod. Unless you bought the one from TV4RV you will continue to have problems finding the satellites.
The important things to remember is that it is critical to be as exact as you can be when setting up the tripod and adjusting the azimuth and elevation of the dish. Follow the directions that come with the tripod for the first time setup. That is very important.
Before I leave home, in the receiver I go to satellite setup and the zip code for the area that I will be in. This will give me the three numbers that I need. Azimuth, elevation and tilt.
I normally have the dish set up near the coach so when I do my setup I open a window and my wife watches the signal meter in the receiver and tells me the signal strength as I fine tune the dish.
When I set up the dish I try to be as accurate as I can using the co-ordinates that I looked up before leaving home. Sometimes I have a perfect signal, sometimes I need to do a little tweaking. I do not use a stand alone signal meter.
This system works well for me.

Peace
Dave

 

[NWILSON]

You said that you bought a good tripod. Unless you bought the one from TV4RV you will continue to have problems finding the satellites.
The important things to remember is that it is critical to be as exact as you can be when setting up the tripod and adjusting the azimuth and elevation of the dish. Follow the directions that come with the tripod for the first time setup. That is very important.
Before I leave home, in the receiver I go to satellite setup and the zip code for the area that I will be in. This will give me the three numbers that I need. Azimuth, elevation and tilt.

DirecTV has a phone APP called Dish Pointer which gives you azimuth and elevation by entering zipcode too.
I've been getting along fine (signal strength 90+) with the $10 "squeeler" locator but I'm only tuning for Std Def.

 

[Nabo]

We found out the downfall in having a Genie and this might apply to you. We have the genie in the house and wanted to move the brain unit to another room so that hardwood floors could be installed. Moved it - no signal. Tried another location within the house - no signal. Called DirecTv and was told that the unit had to stay in the original location because of the type of wiring/signal from the dish to the main unit. Bummer. Thank goodness we don't have this setup in the Landmark, just a dvr and 2 receivers.

 

[avvidclif]

You said that you bought a good tripod. Unless you bought the one from TV4RV you will continue to have problems finding the satellites.
The important things to remember is that it is critical to be as exact as you can be when setting up the tripod and adjusting the azimuth and elevation of the dish. Follow the directions that come with the tripod for the first time setup. That is very important.
Before I leave home, in the receiver I go to satellite setup and the zip code for the area that I will be in. This will give me the three numbers that I need. Azimuth, elevation and tilt.
I normally have the dish set up near the coach so when I do my setup I open a window and my wife watches the signal meter in the receiver and tells me the signal strength as I fine tune the dish.
When I set up the dish I try to be as accurate as I can using the co-ordinates that I looked up before leaving home. Sometimes I have a perfect signal, sometimes I need to do a little tweaking. I do not use a stand alone signal meter.
This system works well for me.

Peace
Dave

Sometimes the dish isn't close to a window. Also the Sat receiver seems to want to time out every so often. Gets aggravating.

 

[Bohemian]

There has to be a wire from the satellite dish to the receiver no matter which system you use. Same for cable, ota, or wireless cable.

Obviously, I don't undertake the problem with moving he receiver. Proper connections need to be restablshed t the new location in all cases.

 

[Nabo]

Yes you are correct in that at least there has to be a wire from the satellite dish to at least one unit. Our house is wired for each bedroom plus the living room wired for satellite. With the single receivers or the dvr, we could move the units anywhere within the house without a problem but with the Genie system, somehow, they have it wired differently for receiving the signal to the main unit. The DirecTv tech person couldn't explain it but said that no matter what, the Genie has to stay in it original assigned location, therefore moving the main unit was out of the question. That might, only might, be the situation/problem that witnessprotection is having since he has a Genie system.

 

[danemayer]

Yes you are correct in that at least there has to be a wire from the satellite dish to at least one unit. Our house is wired for each bedroom plus the living room wired for satellite. With the single receivers or the dvr, we could move the units anywhere within the house without a problem but with the Genie system, somehow, they have it wired differently for receiving the signal to the main unit. The DirecTv tech person couldn't explain it but said that no matter what, the Genie has to stay in it original assigned location, therefore moving the main unit was out of the question. That might, only might, be the situation/problem that witnessprotection is having since he has a Genie system.

I have a Genie and 2 wireless mini-genies at home. The main Genie gets signal from the dish via coax. There's a wireless router that's been customized for Genie that shares access to the dish and the main Genie DVR. When a new mini-Genie is added, or as I found, one of the existing mini-Genies is moved, you have to re-sync it to the main box. I can't imagine why it's so sensitive to location changes.

My guess is that moving the main box also requires a re-sync.

 

[Nabo]

According to DirecTv, it can't be resynced. We were real upset because now the flooring people are having to work around the main Genie brain. We got the Genie a year after it came out (about 3 years now) and right before they went wireless on the clients. Our clients can be moved anywhere within the house without any problems/re-syncing which we do when we have company/family come stay. Maybe they have changed something but our unit can't be moved.

 

[Nabo]

Another interest fact. We moved all the furniture including the tv out of the living because of the flooring. I unplugged the hdmi cable from the genie running to the tv and lost all communication with the satellite and the clients didn't work. The main cable from the satellite dish to the genie was still there, power on but no picture/communication. Again - bummer. Replugged the hdmi back into the genie but unplugged from the tv, whalaa picture. The hdmi is just hanging out the back of the genie not plugged into anything but now the clients all work. explain that. I know it's because of the closed circuit but how can an unplugged hdmi cable, unattached and hanging close the circuit.

 

[jimtoo]

Well,,, Thanks for the information about not moving the unit... I was almost ready to call and upgrade my receiver to the genie and get the wireless genies. But if you can't move it... I don't want it.

Jim M

 

[porthole]

I see no reason you can't move it as long as you feed the coax from the LNB to the receiver (through the power inserter fed splitter). Shouldn't matter what room it is in. But if you are trying to to run it off any of the other coax's coming off the splitter, that could be a problem. Then I would suspect it will not work.

FWIW, I move my receiver and one client back and forth between the house and the RV with no issues.

 

[danemayer]

If there's a splitter near the dish, there's probably only one port on the splitter that will pass the voltage from the power inserter. So if you move the receiver and power inserter to another room, that room might be plugged into a port on the splitter that doesn't pass power to the LNB on the dish.

IF that's the problem, you might be able to re-arrange the cables as they plug into the splitter.

 

[Nabo]

Yes, there is a splitter on the outside of the house from the dish that has 4 leads (one lead to each bedroom and the living room) so the power should be to any lead. With the dvr unit, we could move it anywhere in the house that has the directv wired (3 bedrooms or living room). When they came to install the Genie, they didn't change any of the wiring out. So strange.

 

[danemayer]

so the power should be to any lead

See the attached picture. The DVR and Power Inserter have to be connected to the correct port on the splitter.

If you move to a different room and connect the DVR and Power Inserter to a different piece of coax, it will be plugged into the wrong port and nothing will work.

 

[cookie]

Note that the two that the two ports Dan referred to have a red insert for identification.
And like Porthole I move my Genie and client back and forth all the time.
There is a ton of information online regarding the correct hookup of the DTV SWM. Really pretty simple.

Peace
Dave