Setup for DirecTV HDTV
All I can say about HDTV is WOW!!!! The first thing I noticed about the picture is that even on the standard-definition (SD) channels, the picture is much clearer, than it was with our SD DirecTV DVR. I guess the HD DVR does something to clean up the SD pictures. Watching HD channels will ruin you for all the others! And, the larger the LCD, the more you notice the difference.
The dish is a really nice dish with adjustments that are much more refined than on the Internet dishes. These dishes are made to travel!
The pointing procedure is as follows:
- Look up your current zip code and set the dish using those coordinates.
- Make sure your mast is perfectly plumb and attach the dish to the mast. A plumb mast is absolutely essential to a successful setup!
- Tune to satellite 101 and adjust elevation and azimuth as needed, to maximize the signal strength.
- Now tune to satellite 119 and adjust only the tilt to maximize the signal on 119. The tilt could be as much as 4-5 degrees different than what the zip code lookup setting is.
- Tune back to 101 and re-adjust only the elevation and azimuth for maximum signal strength.
- Now check signal strength on all 5 satellites, paying special attention to 99 and 103.
Using this procedure we have always had a good signal strength on all 5 satellites. If you find that 99 or 103 have a lower signal strength than you'd like, use the fine tuning adjustments to make small adjustments to the azimuth and elevation.
DirecTV now has 130 HD channels as of Sept. 2008, with more to come by year's end. If you have Distant Network Service (DNS), you will get either East or West, but not both, in HD, as determined by your service address. You will, however, still receive both East and West SD feeds.
After many disappointing calls to DirecTV, we discovered that the Equipment & Services Department is the department to ask for when upgrading equipment and service to HD. They seem to be more knowledgeable.
Since we already had a DNS waiver on file, the lady who placed the order
for the equipment submitted a request to add HD DNS. When the installer
arrived for the installation, the request was already approved and we
are now receiving LA in HD. If you are unsuccessful at getting this accomplished with a phone call, simply fill out a new waiver and write in on the bottom that you want DNS HD channels.
When you upgrade receivers (and I recommend the HD DVR) and pay the current charge for the new receiver, everything is included: the dish, cables (the good stuff including those nice waterproof connectors) and anything needed to mount it, for no additional charge. Our installer brought a pipe, sackrete, house mounts, roof mounts, etc. - anything he might need to install the dish properly. He didn't use the pipe, but left us one along with a bag of sackrete!
I normally don't buy extended warranties, but in this case recommend getting the Protection Plan. We have had one dead remote and had to replace a bad access card. Without the Protection Plan we'd have had to pay for both of those. The receiver/DVR can be replaced at no charge without the Protection Plan; however, if a service call is needed, you will be charged for that call (around $80 I think) unless you have the Protection Plan.
Check out the homemade mount!
(For those who remember, this is the original piece of plywood on which the DW4000 was delivered.)
As shown below, the installer made up a cable to go from the LNB, down the arm.
It uses a barrel connector to connect the long cable.
Shown below is the arm, which actually only has three physical LNBs.
Two of them will eventually receive signals from two satellites each, for a total of five satellites received on the dish.
I can't believe they made the dish with these neat adjustment tools!
Below you can see the Elevation scale.
Shown below, the bolts that connect the dish and arm are metric; all the rest are SAE.
We have replaced the metric hardware, so that a 1/2" wrench will fit everything.
Notice the longer rod nuts connecting the dish and arm.
We take the dish apart for travel and this makes it much easier to put the dish together.
The nuts on the elevation adjustments have been replaced with longer rod nuts, for easier hand tightening during adjustment.
When adjustments are done, we tighten them with the wrench.
The next photo below shows both the Internet dish and the TV dish, on a pole mount.
