Trouble shooting a Winegard Satellite dish

 POOR SIGNAL

We will start by helping you solve an issue of Poor Signal on a Winegard dish.

We assume that you are already a competent Winegard user and that the dish was working before, but have lost the usual high quality picture,

If you have NO SIGNAL then skip this part and start reading what to do when you have no signal at all.  If you just have a POOR SIGNAL then read on here

Finding a signal with a manual Winegard dish can be a little difficult first time you do it,  A user guide can be found at the bottom of this page.

If you are sure that the pathway to the North is clear and you are already an experienced Winegard user but the dish has stopped working only then proceed further, because you will be changing settings and this might cause problems if it is actually user error not system error:

1. The Winegard dish is only 450mm in diameter and when you are far East or far West the size of the dish will have an impact on signal quality, so do not proceed further as the cause of the poor signal quality is probably only geographical. To improve the signal when you are located far East or West, just adjust the skew angle of the LNB.
2. If you are somewhere central and still have poor signal: Check the LNB angle is set to about 8 o clock. (if there is no improvement move on to step 3)
3. Check that the coax cable is not damaged or corroded, run a temporary coax cable from the LNB to the TV through the doorway or window of your vehicle, (if there is no improvement we know it is not the cable or the LNB angle, however it could be that the LNB is faulty, replace the LNB with one that has the same code. (if there is still no improvement move on to step 4)
4. Check that the dish has not been caught on a tree branch and is now bent.
5. If you require further help, please book the vehicle in for a thorough assessment by a professional installer.

NO SIGNAL

Start by checking that the dish has a clear path to the North, check that no obstacles are blocking the signal pathway, from the dish to the satellite in the sky

If you are sure that the pathway is clear and you are already an experienced Winegard user but the dish has stopped working now, then proceed further:

1. The Wingard dish is only 450mm in diameter and when you are in places like Gisbourn or the West Coast the size of the dish will have an impact on signal quality, but you have said you have no signal.
2. If you are somewhere central and still have no signal: Check the LNB angle is set to about 8 o clock. See image (if there is no improvement move on to step 3)
3. Check that the coax cable is not damaged or corroded, run a temporary coax cable from the LNB to the TV through the door way or window of your vehicle, (if there is no improvement we know it is not the cable or the LNB angle, however it could be that the LNB is faulty, replace the LNB with one that has the same code. (if there is still no improvement move on to step 4)
4. The satellite coax cable should be connected to the F connector on the TV (a F connector has a screw on thread of approx 10mm) If the TV does not have an F connector it is not satellite capable and a satellite decoder will be required. Check for short circuits inside the F connector between the earth and positive of the coax crimp.
5. Plug the temporary cable from your dish into your neighbor's TV to identify if it is your TV playing up or if it is indeed the dish. (if there is a marked improvement we know it is your TV not the dish, so move on to step 5)
6. Confirm that the "TV satellite settings" on your TV are still set correctly, that the LNB code is the same setting on the TV as that on the LNB itself, The "LNB settings" will usually read 10750 or 11300 which is the most commonly used in NZ. See image.
7. Check if the TV is set to "Satellite TV" not to "cable" or "digital Ext"
8. In "LNB settings" the LNB power should be ON / AUTO / 18volt in NZ (if it is set to 13 volt it will not work as it will be looking at vertical transponders)
9. If you have thoroughly checked all the above, as a last resort, attempt a "re-tune" if you see the option "blind scan"
10. If all of the above has been done and you still have no signal then you will need to book the vehicle in for with a professional installer to investigate further

WINEGARD OPERATIONS GUIDE

In New Zealand the Optus D1 Satellite transmitter (which transmits Freeview and Sky), is located roughly North of our Islands at an angle of about 35 to 47 degree measured from a level surface.

The Optus D1 transmitter out in space stays at a fixed point relative to the Earth, however we move round from North to South and from East to West in our Motorhomes and Caravans. As we go North to South we need to change the elevation of the dish from a level surface, which is about 47 degrees in the far North and about 35 degrees in the South because of the curvature of the Earth.
When we travel East to West we need to change the Azimuth (direction) between North and West on the compass.

If you have parked your vehicle South of a big tree or building you will have difficulty getting a signal

How it works:

Before you start, you could download the compass App on your smart phone or buy a compass.

Ensure that the TV is switched on, the TV has been setup by a professional, the settings are correct when it leaves our yard, if it does not work in the field it is unlikely to be due to faulty settings, please do not change the settings unless you are an expert.

In most cases poor, or no signal will be due to obstacles between the dish and satellite transmitter, or very poor weather conditions, or lack of experience.

Using the remote, select a channel you want to view, even though you have no picture the channel number will be displayed at the bottom of the screen. Now push the button on the white elevation meter, we have fitted for you, wind the fold down handle of the Wingard in the up direction, keep winding till the LL reading on the display changes to a numeric value, the number will increase as the dish goes up.

Wind the dish to the correct elevation for the town you are in for example Auckland is 44.4)

Once the elevation is correct, rotate the whole Wingard dish and face it North, double check that the elevation meter still shows the correct elevation for your town when the dish is facing North.

Using your compass as a reference rotate the dish in small increments from North towards the West constantly double checking that the elevation meter still displays the correct elevation for your town or area you are in.

If you have done everything above correctly you will get the sound first and then image will appear shortly after, fine tune the dish till you get the best possible picture. Lock the dish in place and enjoy your TV

Remember to put it away before you drive off and if the wind picks up