I am currently trying to figure out which setup I have so I can find the correct numbers.

I just know that the dish has two receivers on it. It's attached to my Hopper 3 with one coax. And it receives only 61.5 and 72 birds. I'm located in CT, so 06339 for the zip.

Thank you,

KOT

KOT,

I downloaded an App called "Dish Align" and it got me to 98% signal strength with the dish I require (82W, 91W).

The App is free and gets you almost exactly where you what you need.

For my coordinates with your dish the app is showing the following:
72.7 degrees W
39.3 degrees elevation
168.02 degrees (From true north) Azimuth
88.68 degrees LNB Polarisation

Which satellite do you pick on the app?

I believe I get it now, at least with the app that SWOInstaller mentioned.

When you click on the satellite icon in the upper left. You are given a list of birds. Which can be all of them, just the ones that are visible from your location or favorites.

On that screen in the lower left there are options for single or multiple LNBs.

For my location if I were to select single and then the following...

61.5ºW, it gives me 40.82º elevation, 164.14º true north and -11.81º polarisation.

72.7ºW, it gives me 42.05º elevation, 180.81º true north and 0.61º polarisation.

Whereas if I were to chose multiple LNBs it would give me the specs for the 72.7ºW bird. Even though it list 61.5ºW, 72.7ºW and 77.0ºW. Perhaps because it's the center one and to set up the dish itself, you have to point it to the center one?

I haven't gone out yet, but would like to know how the polarisation (polarization) is measured.

KOT

Fins as KOT said above,

Once you open the App select the Dish (Top left corner) than in bottom right select the dual LNB (Middle Option). From there you need to know what birds your provider points to. For me in Canada I need Nimiq 82w,91w and Anik F1R, G1, and F2 birds depending on the provider.

Once you select which birds it takes you to a sat image of your location. In the bottom right if you select the compass you can use it to obtain proper direction that the dish needs to be pointing. If you then select the Information button it provides you with the elevation, Azimuth, and Plarisation (polarization?).

Ok now I have an other question.

I was able to get 61.5 to a strength of 65 plus. 72 to 55 plus. But that’s on transponder 1.

I used transponder 29 for the adjustment process. As this is the transponder my receiver had liked. And it was the best average anyways. 61.5 was in the lower o mid 50s, 72 was mid 30s.

Now after the adjustments, 61.5 and 72 are at the lower 50s on transponder 29. Why would it choose 29 where transponder 1 has a better signal?

KOT

I'm not familiar with Dish Network however those signal strength numbers seem low. How is your line of site to the birds from the dish location?

Are you trying to aim using the single LNB or dual LNB within the App? If Single LNB and trying to get both birds, I think you will have problems. I would try the dual LNB settings. When I have used the app with open line of site to the sky I was getting high 90% with both LNBs (using the dual LNB settings within the app).

I’ve never been able to get anyone to explain it to me, but I know Dish has different signal strengths than DTV. It’s not a 0 to 100 scale.

The numbers are spot on from the app... with a little tweak here and there due to the dish’s arm being broken. As it fell down during high winds and before I wasn’t able to secure it permanently when I moved here. Just slapped it into a 5 gallon bucket with a bag of concrete. Now it’s buried and with a few rocks on top of it.

As for those signal numbers, they are pretty accurate and good. At the previous address it was “professionally” installed. It started with 722k model then upgraded to the Hopper 3.

With the 722k model, the signal numbers were well above 80 on all 3 birds. But when the Hopper 3 came out, with a different dish and LNB. The signals dropped to the 50’s. Even before the rest installed it, he advised me on that fact... I was his first install of the H3, but had read an email from corporate about that. Though I don’t remember what great numbers look like. I could have them for all’s I know.

As far as sight, it’s a clear view. Clearer at this location and my previous anyways. There are some tree tops across the street. But they are well below the view of the birds.

KOT

After doing more research, using different words. I finally found someone who replied to a thread. They were replying to someone on the western arc, but the principal applies to the eastern too.

When you go to the signal strength page. What is displayed, satellite and transponder first. Is dependent on what channel you are/were viewing when you went to the page.

Here’s an unofficial list of birds and transponders for the eastern arc.
[Link: uplink.jameslong.name]

Go to channel 71. Then to the signal strength page, you’ll see sat 61.5 transponder 8 is shown. Channel 87, sat 72 transponder 31. Of course this could dependent of your location and if Dish had made some back end changes and this unofficial list hasn’t been updated.

So now I know why I see sat 61.5 and transponder 29 whenever I go into that page. It’s because I am basically on the same channel each time I check. Ha

KOT

I just scored, if you want to call it that, a DirecTV dish. Which is way wider, maybe taller too, than my current Dish Network. From the little research I've done, I know I may not be able to use the LNB. But I should definitely be able to use the dish itself.

Would you guys think I could get better signals since the dish is bigger than what I currently have?

KOT

Are you talking about trying to use a DTV dish to increase Dish reception?

Yup, pretty much. I’ve read some people have used other type of dishes to do this very thing. Like a 6 or 8 footer to receive Dish a network way outside of US boarders.

Heck, I’ve seen dual dishes with dual LNBs pointed at the same bird(s).

KOT

The problem is that the DirecTV dish will not be designed to reflect signal back to the same point as what the Dish network dish is. I installed Dish for 5 years and can tell you that the shape of the dish is extremely important. I have been to houses where the signal is weak and no matter how much tweaking to the aim of the dish I did I could not get signals right. Grab a new pan and install it an signals would jump back to normal. I could put the old pan over the top of the new one and barely tell the difference in shape.

Eastern Arc like what you have (depending on where you live) the signal levels can be much lower than Western Arc. In my area we have the ability to install either Eastern or Western depending on obstructions. Western Arc signals would vary between mid to high 50s on sat 129 to high 80s low 90s (on a really good day) on sat 119. Our Eastern Arc signals were between mid 30s to low 50s, and every once in a while you get the perfect LNBF and pan and hit a mid 60 level.

So I attempted to install the DirecTV dish this morning. But since it uses a different mounting pole, I had a heck of a time.

When I have more time, and at my own home instead of a rental. I’ll try it again.

I understand that if going from 3 LNBs to 2 LNBs, the dish has to be replaced too. As the curvature is slightly different.

KOT