Using a receiver is fine for alignment. If you find the center of the 101 beam using the "dither" method, then use the fine tuning bolts to get 99/103 to the correct signal level, you can get 99/103 into the high 80s or mid 90s. A meter is better but we are talking about several hundred dollars for something most people will use once.
I have aligned six dishes without a meter, my current dish has 101 in the high 90s or even 100. (If yours are not generally in the high 90s you should do the alignment again with proper dithering.) My sat 99 shows high 80s , 103 in the mid 80s to 90, Ignore 99s and 103s and a couple of transponders on 101 and 103 which will have lower signals (even zero) because they transmit on spotbeams pointed at different cities. Also if your lnb gives you the reverse band signals on 99rb you can ignore those also because they are not in public use.
I saw that video on you tube and others . I want to know what meter that the Drtv contractor uses to make it simple and extremely accurate . I messed with it for a while and got lucky , averaged 96 on all transponders on 101 , but that doesn't mean it is linked up appropriately for all satellites .
one of the manuals said using the receiver as a meter is not acceptable means for alignment , so a Ku meter is better . It also said to use 101 & 119 for fine tuning , there is no 119 anymore . Besides 101 what other satellite is used for fine tuning . I have dish lined up well with 101, all in the 90's , but checking my neighbors , there's are all higher numbers on most other satellite transponders . Even though unit is working well , I know that the best alignment keeps signal longer during rain . I am aware of signal saver and streaming also .
On the 99 and 103 is high 80’s low 90’s as good as it gets now? I had much higher numbers years ago when I initially set up my dish. To get the genie operational they sent a contractor who said he was required to “tune” the dish. He left with lower numbers than I had so I tuned it back to the high 90’s. I ask as recently I get signal saver annoyances and breaks in dvr recordings. Sure enough on the 99ca or cr I forget which, I’m 86 for some of the hbo and starz channels I frequent. As for the poster above who says forget 99s, check which satellite your local channels com in on. All my local and pbs are on 99s. You just have to be super patient waiting for them to update in the meter.
yes you can wait for 99s to show but 99s isn't actually a satellite, it's just a set of transponder on one of the "real" 99 satellites so if you are checking 99 already then 99s does not give you any additional info, which is why you can ignore it
signals at 86 do not cause signal saver to kick in, or breaks in recordings. you would need to be much lower than that
I wonder if they could Tune the beams from 99CA and 103CA so we could get better than the high 80's low 90's. Some of the 99CA/103CA and 99CB.103CB are much higher in the mid to upper 90's. But when you dig in the TPN map the movie channels that matter are the low numbers.
I had to retune as a few months ago some racoons moved my bubble using my dish as a jungle gym. I was disappointed I could not get all my numbers back where they used to be.
I'm old school and prefer the satellite/DVR to streaming. I enjoy the higher quality sound signal and fast-forwarding commercials. Both are lost while streaming.
SignalSaver is kicking in on the movie channels. When that happens, it makes the DRV recording difficult to view. Since I have been in the high 80's a simple storm causes issues. Granted for a few minutes here and there, Debbie blocked most everything. Winter is coming. We don't get much snow, but the systems pass over and wreak havoc with signal. DVR and Football on Sunday can be a real mess! Hopefully the 99s at 99 fixes that or at least minimizes it.
Thanks y'all for defining some more of the source signal info. It is all very interesting. I've been tuning for me and friends since about 2004. Never actually knew what I was doing. Just patiently getting a higher number than the DTV guys left us with.
Then there is something else causing it, signals in the 80's are less likely to have rain fade or the internet streaming change over. Bad coax or connectors are the next likely cause or water getting into them.
Accepted Solution
litzdog911
ACE - Sage
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46.1K Messages
4 months ago
DirecTV Techs use the AIM Signal Meter ....
https://www.solidsignal.com/aim-2-0-advanced-installation-meter-for-directv-satellite-dishes-aim20
Much cheaper to just use the DVR/Receiver's built-in meter, unless you're planning to be a professional installer.
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Accepted Solution
TexasBrit
ACE - Expert
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14.1K Messages
4 months ago
Using a receiver is fine for alignment. If you find the center of the 101 beam using the "dither" method, then use the fine tuning bolts to get 99/103 to the correct signal level, you can get 99/103 into the high 80s or mid 90s. A meter is better but we are talking about several hundred dollars for something most people will use once.
I have aligned six dishes without a meter, my current dish has 101 in the high 90s or even 100. (If yours are not generally in the high 90s you should do the alignment again with proper dithering.) My sat 99 shows high 80s , 103 in the mid 80s to 90, Ignore 99s and 103s and a couple of transponders on 101 and 103 which will have lower signals (even zero) because they transmit on spotbeams pointed at different cities. Also if your lnb gives you the reverse band signals on 99rb you can ignore those also because they are not in public use.
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litzdog911
ACE - Sage
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46.1K Messages
4 months ago
Several YouTube videos, including .....
https://youtu.be/QA1krU8eo8E
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Satellite21
Tutor
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14 Messages
4 months ago
I saw that video on you tube and others . I want to know what meter that the Drtv contractor uses to make it simple and extremely accurate . I messed with it for a while and got lucky , averaged 96 on all transponders on 101 , but that doesn't mean it is linked up appropriately for all satellites .
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Satellite21
Tutor
•
14 Messages
4 months ago
one of the manuals said using the receiver as a meter is not acceptable means for alignment , so a Ku meter is better . It also said to use 101 & 119 for fine tuning , there is no 119 anymore . Besides 101 what other satellite is used for fine tuning . I have dish lined up well with 101, all in the 90's , but checking my neighbors , there's are all higher numbers on most other satellite transponders . Even though unit is working well , I know that the best alignment keeps signal longer during rain . I am aware of signal saver and streaming also .
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shannon02
ACE - Expert
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20.6K Messages
4 months ago
All techs only had the built in meters with the audio output to aim the dishes before the 99/103 sat where launched.
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3rdidno
10 Messages
3 months ago
On the 99 and 103 is high 80’s low 90’s as good as it gets now? I had much higher numbers years ago when I initially set up my dish. To get the genie operational they sent a contractor who said he was required to “tune” the dish. He left with lower numbers than I had so I tuned it back to the high 90’s.
I ask as recently I get signal saver annoyances and breaks in dvr recordings. Sure enough on the 99ca or cr I forget which, I’m 86 for some of the hbo and starz channels I frequent.
As for the poster above who says forget 99s, check which satellite your local channels com in on. All my local and pbs are on 99s. You just have to be super patient waiting for them to update in the meter.
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TexasBrit
ACE - Expert
•
14.1K Messages
3 months ago
yes you can wait for 99s to show but 99s isn't actually a satellite, it's just a set of transponder on one of the "real" 99 satellites so if you are checking 99 already then 99s does not give you any additional info, which is why you can ignore it
signals at 86 do not cause signal saver to kick in, or breaks in recordings. you would need to be much lower than that
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shannon02
ACE - Expert
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20.6K Messages
3 months ago
All local channels are on the "S" transponders, the S is for Spot beam that are aimed at the cities they serve.
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3rdidno
10 Messages
3 months ago
I wonder if they could Tune the beams from 99CA and 103CA so we could get better than the high 80's low 90's. Some of the 99CA/103CA and 99CB.103CB are much higher in the mid to upper 90's. But when you dig in the TPN map the movie channels that matter are the low numbers.
I had to retune as a few months ago some racoons moved my bubble using my dish as a jungle gym. I was disappointed I could not get all my numbers back where they used to be.
I'm old school and prefer the satellite/DVR to streaming. I enjoy the higher quality sound signal and fast-forwarding commercials. Both are lost while streaming.
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3rdidno
10 Messages
3 months ago
@TexasBrit...
SignalSaver is kicking in on the movie channels. When that happens, it makes the DRV recording difficult to view. Since I have been in the high 80's a simple storm causes issues. Granted for a few minutes here and there, Debbie blocked most everything. Winter is coming. We don't get much snow, but the systems pass over and wreak havoc with signal. DVR and Football on Sunday can be a real mess! Hopefully the 99s at 99 fixes that or at least minimizes it.
Thanks y'all for defining some more of the source signal info. It is all very interesting. I've been tuning for me and friends since about 2004. Never actually knew what I was doing. Just patiently getting a higher number than the DTV guys left us with.
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shannon02
ACE - Expert
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20.6K Messages
3 months ago
Nope, those are covering the whole USA footprint.
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shannon02
ACE - Expert
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20.6K Messages
3 months ago
Then there is something else causing it, signals in the 80's are less likely to have rain fade or the internet streaming change over. Bad coax or connectors are the next likely cause or water getting into them.
(edited)
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