CASPER
New member
DishPro 1000.2 Description and How to Install
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It seems that recently, the 1000.2 is becoming a more popular dish option to fta and causes a lot of confusion. Hopefully, this how-to will briefly explain how they work and how to properly install them.
First of all, this is a ProPlus dish/lnb that is designed to receive 3 birds (110, 119, and 129) right out of the box. It has internal diseqc switching and will work with up to 3 stb's. Even though it has 4 "ports" on the lnb, it only has 3 outputs to stb's. The 4th is a +port which is actually an "lnb in" port where you can connect another pro dish/lnb into it (from another provider) and it will combine this bird with the other 3 birds and distribute it to all stb's connected without having to run another cable into your house.
A very common misconception about this setup has to do with the internal diseqc switch in the lnb. As long as no outside diseqc is used in combination with it, you will get all 3 or 4 (if + port is used with another pro lnb) birds on 1 cable going to your stb. If you have 3 stb's, you will simply need to run 1 cable from a port to stb 1, run another cable to stb 2, and run a third cable to stb 3. This cable already has the signal from all the birds so you don't have to run thru any other switching to get it. Your stb will switch it automatically, when properly set up.
Another misconception is what happens if you do run an external diseqc to this lnb. If you do, by default, it will shut off the internal diseqc and will not combine these signals on 1 cable. It will then only give 1 specific bird from each port. Port 4 (+ port in) will be deactivated. This means that 1 port will be for 110, another port for 119, and 3rd port will be for 129, as they will not be combined automatically anymore.
The most common problem with the 1000.2 has to do with it being a power hog. Any pro+ lnb is extremely power hungry and requires more power than most fta stb's can provide. These lnb's require at least .6 amps to work properly. Most stb's only supply .5 amps. If you are lucky, your stb will provide enough power for it to work properly. If a day or 2 after getting it all installed, you suddenly lose your signal, this is a sign that it is not getting enough power. This can be verified if you can do a hard reboot (turn switch off at back of stb) and your signal comes back in for a short time. If this does happen, you have a couple of options. The easiest option is to find an old dp (must be pro because pro series has a higher power output than legacy series) receiver and connect it to the lnb. This old receiver will supply power so you won't have to use an external source, but you will lose 1 output by doing this. Another option is by using a 2nd stb. Most of the time, if you have 2 or more stb's and leave them on, the lnb will get enough power to keep it running. The last option is by using a dp44 power inserter. This is the actual power supply that comes with a dishpro 44 switch. You simply connect a cable from this power supply to a port on your lnb and plug it in. This just "insert's" power into the lnb, but it will cost you 1 of your outputs.
Installation
I will say up front, if this is your first dish install, you may be ready to throw it away before you are done. With any multi-dish, they can be tricky to properly setup.
1. Install mast perfectly plumb. This means it is leveled on at least 2 sides at 90 degrees apart. If you don't believe anything that I say except for this, trust me, it has to be plumb, and I am not talking about "good enough". If the mast is off/leaning the least little bit, you will have signal/quality issues on at least 1 bird, if not all. If it takes you 30 minutes to plumb this and bolt the mast securely, it might save you several days in the long run.
2. Go ahead and mount the lnb to the dish and connect 1 cable to 1 of the 3 regular ports (not the +port). Take aluminum foil and loosely cover over the 2 outer "eyes" of the lnb. This is to block the signal from those 2 so we can only concentrate on the center "eye", which is the one designed for 119.
3. Use one of the online sat calculators to find the exact coordinates based on where you live. When you get all the elevation, set your dish up to that angle and just lightly snug it. Go ahead and take the skew angle and set your mount up to correspond with it. You can snug this one down for now as you will be adjusting it last.
4. Get a magnetic compass like the one you would use for camping or finding directions. The adjustment you got for your azimuth will be used for this. Use the compass and aim it toward the azimuth setting you got from the calculator. This will give you a good idea of which way the dish has to be turned. Now, set your dish/lnb on the mount and turn it in the direction that your compass pointed.
Note: For the next step, it is easiest to take a portable tv along with your stb out to your mounting site so you can see what is going on while making adjustments.
5. Go ahead and put your dish/lnb on the mount and turn it in the direction shown from the compass. You do not connect or disconnect any cable to this lnb while the stb is plugged in, so make sure it is not plugged in while making the connections. It can blow the internal diseqc. Connect the cable from your stb to your lnb, connect your tv so you can see what is going on, and plug in your stb and allow to boot.
6. Next, we are going to set up the stb for this dish so it will know what to do. Go to Menu>Installation>Antenna Setup, satellite line and change to 119, lnb power on, type is ocs-dp, freq is 11250, 22khz off, tp freq 12239, diseqc set to port 1, motor off, and legacy none. When you get all this done, you are going to check the meters at the bottom of the screen to see if you have signal/quality. If you do, make sure the bar at the top of the screen is showing 119 also. If so, you want to slowly move the dish from side to side and find the highest s/q you are receiving. When you find this, snug the bolts that lock the azimuth setting in and make a mark from the mast to the mount for later reference. Next, we are going to tweak the elevation. Make a note of your current s/q, loosen the elevation bolts and move the dish up/down very slightly til you find the strongest s/q. When you do, make a mark there too. By now, you should see a big difference. Tighten the elevation bolts back down and slowly loosen the azimuth bolts again. Very slightly, move the dish side to side to peak the signal to the highest point. When you find it, lock it down and verify you are still showing 119 at the top right of the screen. Since this bird is working on the center eye of the lnb, it is like a pivot point and should stay where it is when you have to adjust the skew in the next step for the other 2 birds. If at any time while completing the settings in the menu it should ask about saving, tell it yes. Same applies as you change the next ones also.
7. Remove the aluminum foil from the outer 2 eyes that you placed on there earlier. You should still be in the menu, so we are going to change the satellite to 110, and change the settings to the same as used for 119 except that we need tp freq to be 12224 and diseqc to be changed to port 2. When you make these changes, hopefully, you will be showing a good s/q reading at the bottom and showing 110 at the top of the screen. If not, you need to loosen the skew bolts (skew only) and slowly move the skew slightly to get the signal peaked out. After doing so, tighten the skew bolts back and make a mark on it so you can find it later if necessary.
8. Still being in the menu, change the sat to 129, same settings except that diseqc now needs to be port 3. You should have good s/q after changing ports and it should be showing 129 at the top of the screen. If the s/q are weak, you will have to loosen the skew bolts and skew the dish around slightly. There is only 1 problem here...when you move the skew now, you will be changing it for 110 also. What you sometimes have to do here is to try to find a happy medium between s/q for 110 and 129 because one can't be tweaked without changing the other.
9. By now, you should be getting good s/q from all 3 birds. If you are not, chances are that your mast is not plumb, as I warned you about in the first step. Another thing is that by default, the tp freq for 119 will always change from 12239 that we set it up for. This is fine, but each time you come into this part of the menu for 119, you need to manually change it to 12239 because if you don't, it will show s/q of 110 instead.
If for some reason, you are still not getting good s/q from all 3 birds, I suggest you go back, re-plumb the mast and start all over again. As I said before, being plumb is critical for good reception with this dish.
Good luck with your new dish and hope you many years of enjoyment.
*Edit* 12516 is also a tp freq that can be used for 129 if you are unable to get the other. Sometimes spotbeams are used and the default tp may not be available in your area.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It seems that recently, the 1000.2 is becoming a more popular dish option to fta and causes a lot of confusion. Hopefully, this how-to will briefly explain how they work and how to properly install them.
First of all, this is a ProPlus dish/lnb that is designed to receive 3 birds (110, 119, and 129) right out of the box. It has internal diseqc switching and will work with up to 3 stb's. Even though it has 4 "ports" on the lnb, it only has 3 outputs to stb's. The 4th is a +port which is actually an "lnb in" port where you can connect another pro dish/lnb into it (from another provider) and it will combine this bird with the other 3 birds and distribute it to all stb's connected without having to run another cable into your house.
A very common misconception about this setup has to do with the internal diseqc switch in the lnb. As long as no outside diseqc is used in combination with it, you will get all 3 or 4 (if + port is used with another pro lnb) birds on 1 cable going to your stb. If you have 3 stb's, you will simply need to run 1 cable from a port to stb 1, run another cable to stb 2, and run a third cable to stb 3. This cable already has the signal from all the birds so you don't have to run thru any other switching to get it. Your stb will switch it automatically, when properly set up.
Another misconception is what happens if you do run an external diseqc to this lnb. If you do, by default, it will shut off the internal diseqc and will not combine these signals on 1 cable. It will then only give 1 specific bird from each port. Port 4 (+ port in) will be deactivated. This means that 1 port will be for 110, another port for 119, and 3rd port will be for 129, as they will not be combined automatically anymore.
The most common problem with the 1000.2 has to do with it being a power hog. Any pro+ lnb is extremely power hungry and requires more power than most fta stb's can provide. These lnb's require at least .6 amps to work properly. Most stb's only supply .5 amps. If you are lucky, your stb will provide enough power for it to work properly. If a day or 2 after getting it all installed, you suddenly lose your signal, this is a sign that it is not getting enough power. This can be verified if you can do a hard reboot (turn switch off at back of stb) and your signal comes back in for a short time. If this does happen, you have a couple of options. The easiest option is to find an old dp (must be pro because pro series has a higher power output than legacy series) receiver and connect it to the lnb. This old receiver will supply power so you won't have to use an external source, but you will lose 1 output by doing this. Another option is by using a 2nd stb. Most of the time, if you have 2 or more stb's and leave them on, the lnb will get enough power to keep it running. The last option is by using a dp44 power inserter. This is the actual power supply that comes with a dishpro 44 switch. You simply connect a cable from this power supply to a port on your lnb and plug it in. This just "insert's" power into the lnb, but it will cost you 1 of your outputs.
Installation
I will say up front, if this is your first dish install, you may be ready to throw it away before you are done. With any multi-dish, they can be tricky to properly setup.
1. Install mast perfectly plumb. This means it is leveled on at least 2 sides at 90 degrees apart. If you don't believe anything that I say except for this, trust me, it has to be plumb, and I am not talking about "good enough". If the mast is off/leaning the least little bit, you will have signal/quality issues on at least 1 bird, if not all. If it takes you 30 minutes to plumb this and bolt the mast securely, it might save you several days in the long run.
2. Go ahead and mount the lnb to the dish and connect 1 cable to 1 of the 3 regular ports (not the +port). Take aluminum foil and loosely cover over the 2 outer "eyes" of the lnb. This is to block the signal from those 2 so we can only concentrate on the center "eye", which is the one designed for 119.
3. Use one of the online sat calculators to find the exact coordinates based on where you live. When you get all the elevation, set your dish up to that angle and just lightly snug it. Go ahead and take the skew angle and set your mount up to correspond with it. You can snug this one down for now as you will be adjusting it last.
4. Get a magnetic compass like the one you would use for camping or finding directions. The adjustment you got for your azimuth will be used for this. Use the compass and aim it toward the azimuth setting you got from the calculator. This will give you a good idea of which way the dish has to be turned. Now, set your dish/lnb on the mount and turn it in the direction that your compass pointed.
Note: For the next step, it is easiest to take a portable tv along with your stb out to your mounting site so you can see what is going on while making adjustments.
5. Go ahead and put your dish/lnb on the mount and turn it in the direction shown from the compass. You do not connect or disconnect any cable to this lnb while the stb is plugged in, so make sure it is not plugged in while making the connections. It can blow the internal diseqc. Connect the cable from your stb to your lnb, connect your tv so you can see what is going on, and plug in your stb and allow to boot.
6. Next, we are going to set up the stb for this dish so it will know what to do. Go to Menu>Installation>Antenna Setup, satellite line and change to 119, lnb power on, type is ocs-dp, freq is 11250, 22khz off, tp freq 12239, diseqc set to port 1, motor off, and legacy none. When you get all this done, you are going to check the meters at the bottom of the screen to see if you have signal/quality. If you do, make sure the bar at the top of the screen is showing 119 also. If so, you want to slowly move the dish from side to side and find the highest s/q you are receiving. When you find this, snug the bolts that lock the azimuth setting in and make a mark from the mast to the mount for later reference. Next, we are going to tweak the elevation. Make a note of your current s/q, loosen the elevation bolts and move the dish up/down very slightly til you find the strongest s/q. When you do, make a mark there too. By now, you should see a big difference. Tighten the elevation bolts back down and slowly loosen the azimuth bolts again. Very slightly, move the dish side to side to peak the signal to the highest point. When you find it, lock it down and verify you are still showing 119 at the top right of the screen. Since this bird is working on the center eye of the lnb, it is like a pivot point and should stay where it is when you have to adjust the skew in the next step for the other 2 birds. If at any time while completing the settings in the menu it should ask about saving, tell it yes. Same applies as you change the next ones also.
7. Remove the aluminum foil from the outer 2 eyes that you placed on there earlier. You should still be in the menu, so we are going to change the satellite to 110, and change the settings to the same as used for 119 except that we need tp freq to be 12224 and diseqc to be changed to port 2. When you make these changes, hopefully, you will be showing a good s/q reading at the bottom and showing 110 at the top of the screen. If not, you need to loosen the skew bolts (skew only) and slowly move the skew slightly to get the signal peaked out. After doing so, tighten the skew bolts back and make a mark on it so you can find it later if necessary.
8. Still being in the menu, change the sat to 129, same settings except that diseqc now needs to be port 3. You should have good s/q after changing ports and it should be showing 129 at the top of the screen. If the s/q are weak, you will have to loosen the skew bolts and skew the dish around slightly. There is only 1 problem here...when you move the skew now, you will be changing it for 110 also. What you sometimes have to do here is to try to find a happy medium between s/q for 110 and 129 because one can't be tweaked without changing the other.
9. By now, you should be getting good s/q from all 3 birds. If you are not, chances are that your mast is not plumb, as I warned you about in the first step. Another thing is that by default, the tp freq for 119 will always change from 12239 that we set it up for. This is fine, but each time you come into this part of the menu for 119, you need to manually change it to 12239 because if you don't, it will show s/q of 110 instead.
If for some reason, you are still not getting good s/q from all 3 birds, I suggest you go back, re-plumb the mast and start all over again. As I said before, being plumb is critical for good reception with this dish.
Good luck with your new dish and hope you many years of enjoyment.
*Edit* 12516 is also a tp freq that can be used for 129 if you are unable to get the other. Sometimes spotbeams are used and the default tp may not be available in your area.