# Self Install - Point dish with Hopper



## jwhite

Can I use a hopper with sling to do initial dish pointing? Old receiver is 510 and new dish is 1000.4EA so can't use it. No sat meter either. Installing on Sunday. Been reading a lot about the hopper and installs, but this question not answered anywhere.

Thanks!
Jay


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## P Smith

sure, why not ? press Menu during boot and get dish install item


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## jwhite

Thanks. Wasn't sure you could break out of the initial setup routine to do the pointing. Haven't seen a Hopper yet.

Jay


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## davejacobson

You could use the old 510 to align then install the hopper if you cant break through the annoying setup software on the hopper.


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## garys

davejacobson said:


> You could use the old 510 to align then install the hopper if you cant break through the annoying setup software on the hopper.


OP wants an EA dish, the 501 will only get some transponders on 61.5, but it will not see 72 or 77.


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## P Smith

garys said:


> OP wants an EA dish, the 501 will only get some transponders on 61.5, but it will not see 72 or 77.


With last FW P4.09 too ?


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## jwhite

I started prepping for the install. My old setup had 119 and 110 LNBs off of my old Starband dish. I was going to install the new 1000.4 dish but noticed that the Starband dish would block the signal to the new dish. Installed old dish 500 to run 501 receiver, then removed Starband dish and old Dish 300 pointing to 61.5. Will try to install 1000.4EA next weekend weather permitting. 

Noticed while using the 501 to aim the Dish 500 that it listed 72 and 77 in the point dish area. Not sure if the Mpeg2 vs. Mpeg4 matters to pointing, so may work for pointing 1000.4.

I also read in a Hopper troubleshooting PDF that I can connect a Hopper directly to the 1000.4 LNB for aiming without a node in the circuit.

So it looks like I have two possible ways to aim. Hopefully, one will work!!!!

Jay


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## jwhite

Any way to break out of the setup to get to point dish? Tried Menu, Info, Jump,Sysinfo during boot to no avail. Is there a magic key combo to break out of setup or avoid during boot?

Thanks,
Jay


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## P Smith

press Menu or Sysinfo key during boot time


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## jwhite

Tried that several times. Just press or hold through the long boot? At what point in the boot? During the first starting up period or the second one when the hard drive spins up?

Jay


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## P Smith

no holding, just short press, multiple times when GUI is finally initialized


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## jwhite

Found a way!!!!!!

After boot into setup wizard, hit sysinfo the select linked Joeys. When in that screen the menu button on the remote works and I could go to Settings, Diagnostics, Point Dish.

It all may be moot though as dish hits the wall before I can get it aimed. Misses by a couple degrees. Need to order the longer mast and strut kit and try again next weekend.

Jay


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## P Smith

told yeah ...


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## James Long

P Smith said:


> garys said:
> 
> 
> 
> OP wants an EA dish, the 501 will only get some transponders on 61.5, but it will not see 72 or 77.
> 
> 
> 
> With last FW P4.09 too ?
Click to expand...

The firmware does not help the ancient 501 see 8PSK transponders. 

At last look there were 2 QPSK transponders on 61.5 (TP 14 and TP 17), all 8PSK on 72.7 and all Turbo QPSK on 77.


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## P Smith

don't recall if the TC supporting by 501 ... may be ?


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## jwhite

I got the hopper in the point dish screen and hooked to the 72.7 port on the 1000.4 EA dish. Now just need some daylight. When I was rough aiming with a compass, looks like the dish is going to hit the side of the house before I can get it swung to 72.7. Tomorrow will tell....

Jay


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## jwhite

Hit wall before proper AZ reached. Found a slightly longer mast off an old Winegard 30in dish. Still missed by a degree or two. Ordered the long mast and strut kit from ebay. Will try again next weekend.

Can't get there from here today...

Jay


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## jwhite

Just a final update. Installed the longer mast kit and got the dish aimed. Did need to clear the switch setup a couple times and use port one on the Lnb directly to Hopper. Once aimed, installed the solo node and called Dish. Needed to remove 508, add Hopper and Joey and change programming package. Got a nice CSR, but Hopper would not activate. He escalated the call and the advanced group fixed it. Problem was you can't activate the Hopper with the old receiver on the account, but the old receiver was the only one on the account. Easily fixed. Total call time about 20 minutes. Great support! I have been a Dish customer for 16 years, never any problems.

Moved Hopper to final location and hooked up RF modulator to feed a couple very old TVs. Note, no really old dish remotes work with Hopper either RF or IR. We are talking 4000 and 501 era remotes. No biggie, just ordered a few more new ones.

Jay


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## harsh

Was it worth it?


Self-installing is overrated.


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## jwhite

Yes it was worth it from many aspects. I don't like holes in my roof. I like very neat wiring. Coordinating contractors to my vacation home is problematic. I built the house myself, why should I shy away from a dish install. Most importantly, it is my preference. Not for everyone, but I enjoy it.

Jay


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## harsh

jwhite said:


> Yes it was worth it from many aspects. I don't like holes in my roof. I like very neat wiring. Coordinating contractors to my vacation home is problematic. I built the house myself, why should I shy away from a dish install. Most importantly, it is my preference. Not for everyone, but I enjoy it.


You should shy away for the reasons you've listed here. That you chose to be driven by some peculiar priorities didn't help your situation.


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## 3HaloODST

jwhite;3193651 said:


> Yes it was worth it from many aspects. I don't like holes in my roof. I like very neat wiring. Coordinating contractors to my vacation home is problematic. I built the house myself, why should I shy away from a dish install. Most importantly, it is my preference. Not for everyone, but I enjoy it.
> 
> Jay


No need to justify, I also enjoy self-installation. Hell I couldn't even have my current setup without self installation.


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## jwhite

Yes it is fun. I like to build things and do all my own work. I only ask technical questions and I appreciate those answers greatly. If I learn something while doing things, I try to feed it back into the thread. There are always people around trying to tell you how you should think. These I just ignore.

Jay


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