RCA DIRECTV PLUS Page 1 Installer'S Manual Download

Page: 1 / 48

DIRECTV PLUS

™

Satellite Dish

Antenna

Changing Entertainment. Again.

Installer's Guide

Summary of Contents for DIRECTV PLUS

Page 1: ...DIRECTV PLUS Satellite Dish Antenna Changing Entertainment Again Installer s Guide ...

Page 2: ...stallation in compliance with the National Electrical Code NEC If additional local installation codes apply contact local inspection authorities Compliance with Before installing the satellite system check the electrical code National Electrical Code guidelines in your area Note to Satellite Dish Installer This reminder is provided to call your attention to articles 810 and 820 of the 1999 Nationa...

Page 3: ...Site Survey 10 Estimating Cable Requirements 10 DIRECTV PLUS Dish Assembly Overview 12 Hardware Included 12 Securing the Mast Foot 13 Secure the Antenna Mast Clamp 13 Setting the Elevation and Attaching the Fine Tuning Adjustment 14 Attaching the Mast Clamp to the DIRECTV PLUS Antenna 15 Setting the Tilt Polarization 15 Attaching the LNB Support Arm and Adapter 16 Mounting the Mast 17 Mounting The...

Page 4: ...uting the Cables 34 Making the Final Connections 35 Step By Step Instruction for Acquiring and Fine Tuning the Signal 36 Acquiring and Fine Tuning the Signal 36 Reference 39 Troubleshooting 40 Can t Pick Up the Satellite Signal 40 Cabling and Connections Problems 40 DIRECTV PLUS Dish Positioning and Pointing Problems 40 Temporary Satellite Signal Loss 41 You hear a dialing sound while talking on t...

Page 5: ...l Site Survey Finding the Dish Pointing Coordinates Estimating Cable Requirements DIRECTV PLUS Dish Assembly Overview Setting the Elevation and Attaching the Fine Tuning Adjustment Attaching the Mast Clamp to the DIRECTV PLUS Antenna Setting the Tilt Polarization Attaching the LNB Support Arm and Adapter ...

Page 6: ...tion azimuth and tilt settings are correct will help you to more easily obtain the signals later on Mounting the Mast Mount the Mast Step by step instructions for different mounting options Completing the Final Installation Square the Mast The mast must be perfectly plumb and level to obtain the signal s Complete the Dish Assembly Secure the antenna on the mast connect the RG 6 coaxial cables to t...

Page 7: ... Poured Concrete Surface Important Considerations The wall anchors used must have a strength of at least 300 pounds of pullout pressure The use of B4015 or equivalent double expansion anchors is recommended Do NOT mount the DIRECTV PLUS dish under an eave or overhang that may block or partially shadow the DIRECTV PLUS dish A Hollow or Cinder Block Wall Important Consideration Do NOT mount the DIRE...

Page 8: ...LUS satellite antenna has more fine tuning requirements going beyond those of a single satellite antenna and it may be more difficult to obtain signal s Consider contacting your local authorized retailer to recommend a professional installer General Site Survey Your DIRECTV PLUS antenna receives data from two separate satellites at once one sending High Definition signals and one broadcasting stan...

Page 9: ...more downward toward 30 degrees Finding a Clear Line of Sight 1 Go outside and locate at least one site on your property that has a clear view to the satellite You should be reasonably certain you are pointing toward Texas unless you re in Texas in which case you should be looking due south You may want to use a map 2 Imagine an arc ranging from 30 to 60 degrees above the horizon 3 Do you have at ...

Page 10: ...s Because this DIRECTV PLUS satellite dish antenna can be used with several different types of products we cannot show you the specific instructions for obtaining dish pointing information here Specific instructions for using on screen menus can be found in the manual that came with your HDTV set top converter or satellite receiver Recording the Coordinates When you ve obtained the coordinates rec...

Page 11: ...e that your site selection is a good one 1 Go outside to your install site and hold a compass flat in the palm of your hand Hold your hand still until the needle stops moving the dark or colored half of the compass needle always points north 2 Rotate the compass so that the N for north is directly under the dark part of the compass needle Your compass is now aligned with north The marks around the...

Page 12: ...u need to decide where you want the cables to enter the house The next step is to figure out approximately how much cable you are going to need 1 Locate the central building ground You will ground the antenna using the cable grounding block to a single point in the central building ground The following is a list of acceptable building ground points Grounded interior metal cold water pipe within fi...

Page 13: ...ound wire OUTDOOR INDOOR RG 6 Coaxial Cable RG 6 Coaxial Cable Measure distance from the Grounding Block to the Central Building Ground _____________ feet x 2 Ground Wire Measure distance from the Grounding Block into the house and to the Multiswitch _____________ feet x 4 RG 6 Cables Measure distance from the Multiswitch to the Digital Satellite Receiver HD Set Top Converter or HDTV _____________...

Page 14: ...ine Tuning hardware 10 Hex Washer Head Screw Ground Screw 8 Insert Nut LNB Adapter Mounting 8 x 1 Phillips Head Screw LNB Adapter Mounting 81 Long Spacer Feed Tube Mounting 1 4 x 1 3 4 Long Carriage Head Bolt Antenna Mounting Bolt Painted Head 1 4 x 1 2 Long Carriage Head Bolt Mast Adjusting Bolts 1 4 External Tooth Washer 1 4 Flat Washer 1 4 Hex Flange Nut Hardware Included 1 4 Lock Nut ESNA Type...

Page 15: ...g nut Leave the assembly loose enough to allow movement in the curved slot without damage to the painted surface on each side Mast Foot Hardware 1 4 x 1 2 Long Carriage Head Bolt Mast Adjusting Bolts 1 4 Hex Flange Nut Secure the Antenna Mast Clamp Use two 2 1 4 bolts and two 2 1 4 flange nuts to join the antenna clamp with the mast Do not tighten the bolts all the way You will move the DIRECTV PL...

Page 16: ... that the elevation indicator white line NOT the bolt or the L bracket lines up with the tick mark on the mast corresponding to the elevation setting you recorded earlier 3 Tighten the flange nut securely and then secure a second 1 4 x 1 2 carriage bolt washer and flange nut on the opposite side 4 Thread the bolt from the second L bracket through the first L bracket until the bracket lines up with...

Page 17: ...ilt 2 Securely tighten the flange nuts Attaching the Mast Clamp to the DIRECTV PLUS Antenna 1 Insert the two 1 4 x 1 3 4 carriage bolts through the holes on the front of the dish 2 Attach the mast clamp to the back of the dish passing the bolts through the slots used to set the tilt 3 Place a flat washer over each bolt and then secure the clamp using 1 4 self locking nuts ESNA type Do not tighten ...

Page 18: ...NB 8 x 1 Phillips Head Screw LNB Adapter Mounting 81 Long Spacer Feed Tube Mounting 1 4 Flat Washer 1 4 x 1 1 2 Hex Head Bolt Feed Tube Mounting 1 4 Hex Flange Nut 8 Insert Nut LNB Adapter Mounting Feeder tube LNB adapter 2 Attach the LNB adapter to the feeder tube and secure it by using a 8 hex insert and a 1 long phillips head screw Move On to the Next Section Now that you have all of the prelim...

Page 19: ...t Chapter Overview Mounting The Mast On Solid Wood Or Lap Siding Mounting the Mast on Brick or Poured Concrete Mounting the Mast on a Hollow or Cinder Block Wall Mounting the DIRECTV PLUS Dish On A Pole 17 17 Chapter 2 ...

Page 20: ...he DIRECTV PLUS dish on any type of composite paneling such as fiber board particle board or strand board Do NOT mount the DIRECTV PLUS dish under an eave or overhang that may block or partially shadow the DIRECTV PLUS dish Make sure the wooden surface is structurally sound and can support the weight of the DIRECTV PLUS dish DANGER AVOID Power Lines When following these instructions take extreme c...

Page 21: ...e panel to the wall The nails usually align with the center of the stud and provide an easy guide Step 2 Center the foot on the stud Mounting Instructions 1 Locate the center of a stud where you want to mount the mast foot Make sure you locate and secure the mounting foot to the center of a wall stud Do not mount the DIRECTV PLUS dish near the edge of a stud 2 Hold the mounting foot in a position ...

Page 22: ...er solid wood or plastic spacer lap board 8 Install two 5 16 x 3 lag screws into the two center holes on the mounting foot Securely tighten the screws into the center of the wood beam 9 Put washers on the 5 16 x 2 lag screws insert the screws into the four outside holes and securely tighten them 10 Go on to the next section Final Installation to complete the installation process 5 16 x 2 Lag Screw...

Page 23: ...ammer 7 16 wrench Pencil DANGER AVOID Power Lines When following these instructions take extreme care to avoid contact with overhead power lines electric lights and power circuits Contact with power lines electric lights or power circuits may be fatal It is recommended that the DIRECTV PLUS dish be located more than 20 feet from overhead power lines Mounting Instructions 1 Hold the mounting foot i...

Page 24: ...nsion anchors No Yes Step 7 Make sure that the top of the mast will point straight up 6 Use a wrench to loosen the nuts on the mounting foot so that you can rotate the mast to access both of the center mounting holes 7 Hold the mounting foot over the holes so the top part of the mast will rotate and point straight up 8 Insert and tighten the machine screws 9 Go on to the next section Final Install...

Page 25: ...all measure 71 2 from one edge of the block and mark the center of the block 2 Center the mounting foot on the mark you made 3 Level the center line of the mounting foot using a bubble level 4 Mark the eight outside corner holes LEVEL NOT LEVEL 5 Remove the mounting foot Drill a 1 2 hole at the marked locations Mounting the Mast on a Hollow or Cinder Block Wall IMPORTANT Consideration Do NOT mount...

Page 26: ...urely tighten the screws 10 Go on to the next section Final Installation to complete the installation process Wall Metal channel Fold in Step 6a Slide the metal channel through the hole Wall Plastic cap Ring Metal chann Step 6b Make sure the plastic cap is flush with the wall Step 6c Snap off straps flush with the wall 6 Install the togglers a Carefully fold one end of the metal channel along the ...

Page 27: ...tions Do not install the pole in wet or marshy areas The pole must go at least 3 feet below the surface If the length of pipe above ground is too long guy wires may be needed to increase the stability of the mount in windy conditions You will need to ground the pole in addition to the antenna and coaxial cable The pole that has been secured in the ground with concrete replaces the mounting foot an...

Page 28: ...he cement completely dry before you mount the dish on the pole 7 Go on to the next section Final Installation to complete the installation process 2 Use a hacksaw to cut a 45 degree angle at the bottom of the pole This will prevent the pole from rotating in the concrete over time 3 Place the pole in the hole and use a small amount of dirt or stones to hold the pole upright You may need to attach g...

Page 29: ...tion Chapter Overview Leveling the Mast Final DIRECTV PLUS Dish Assembly Routing and Grounding the Cables Running Cable Into the House Making the Final Connections Acquiring and Fine Tuning the Signal 27 27 Chapter 3 ...

Page 30: ...d the mast side to side when you mounted the mast foot Skip to Leveling Front to Back on the next page 2 To check whether the mast is level side to side place a carpenter s level on the mast as shown in figure A 3 Is the bubble centered in the level s window If YES Continue to Leveling Front to Back If NO a If the bubble is not centered determine which side of the mounting foot needs to be raised ...

Page 31: ...t Level Level Not Level 3 Tighten the two bolts securing the mast to the mounting foot Final DIRECTV PLUS Dish Assembly 1 Attach the reflector to the support arm The top of the mast should slip on easily into the antenna clamp Make sure that the top of the mast has reached the pivot bolt running through the top of the antenna clamp collar The antenna should move from side to side easily once it is...

Page 32: ...hown below 4 Place some silicone grease on the LNB connector and connect the ends of the coaxial cables to the LNB connection jacks for Antenna A 101 satellite Step 2 Route the cables through the mast Steps 5 6 Secure the LNB to adapter Steps 3 4 Connect the coaxial cables to the LNB 5 Insert the end of the LNB into the end of the LNB adapter push any extra coaxial cable back through the support a...

Page 33: ...lding ground helps protect it and other components from lightning damage Dish installation should comply with local codes and the National Electrical Code NEC Grounding the satellite system is something you can probably do yourself But if you re not sure you should contact a qualified electrician Acceptable central building ground points Grounded interior metal cold water pipe within five feet of ...

Page 34: ...re is buried deep enough so that it will not be damaged or uncovered If you are routing the wire or cable above the ground use cable clips to secure the two to a wall or surface Make sure you route the grounding wire in an area where people or animals are not likely to come in contact with the cable Step 2 Route cable from dish Step 3 Make a drip loop Step 4 5 Connect the coaxial cable and the mes...

Page 35: ...wall in the area of the hole Grounding Blocks mounted outside Ground to the central building ground Multiswitch mounted inside Cables for Satellite B Cables for Satellite A INPUT ANTENNA HD MONITOR INFO ON MENU OK To the SATELLITE IN jack on the back of your digital satellite receiver HDTV or HD set top converter Cable Entry Overview ...

Page 36: ...s for Routing the Cables 1 Drill a hole in the location you want the coaxial cable to enter 2 Place some silicone grease on the connector and connect the RG 6 coaxial cable that will extend from the grounding block to the receiver 3 Make a 3 5 drip loop using cable clips at the grounding block 5 Route the coaxial cable through your house to appropriate connectors on the Multiswitch Satellite A or ...

Page 37: ...op converter or satellite receiver RG 6 cables from the grounding blocks About the Phone Connection The satellite receiver calls a telephone number once a month or so to update your Access Card It is also used to order Pay Per View PPV events These calls only take a few seconds SATELLITE IN PHONE JACK Step 1 Connect the RG 6 cable to the IN jack for satellite reception on the back of the digital s...

Page 38: ...you may want to go outside and double check the azimuth elevation and tilt settings on the dish to make sure they correspond to the on screen coordinates given Make sure that the elevation indicator is aligned with the edge of metal not the washer or the bolt Make sure the antenna s mast clamp is tilted to the degree markers indicated Use a compass to verify that the azimuth setting on the dish is...

Page 39: ... right and through the azimuth point by moving the dish in approximately 3 degree increments and pausing to wait for an updated value from signal meter If the signal is found and signal meter is locked go to step 4 c If after sweeping the antenna completely to the west the satellite signal is not found adjust the elevation 2 degrees and sweep the azimuth again d If the signal is still not found ad...

Page 40: ... satellites If no signal is available check the connections to the multiswitch 6 Once again sweep the azimuth until the signal meter value for satellite 119 is maximized then adjust the elevation to peak the reception for satellite 119 Make a note of the elevation and azimuth angles 7 Switch signal meter to satellite 101 to make sure that signal meter is locked for both satellites 8 For installati...

Page 41: ...Reference Chapter Overview Troubleshooting Toll Free Telephone Product Help Limited Warranty Index 39 39 Chapter 4 ...

Page 42: ... DIRECTV PLUS Dish Positioning and Pointing Problems 1 Verify that you are using the correct azimuth and elevation for your city by using the dish pointing menu 2 Make sure the DIRECTV PLUS dish is physically set to the correct coordinates given on the dish pointing menu Make sure the DIRECTV PLUS dish mast is plumb and level Make sure the elevation indicator edge of metal NOT the washer or the bo...

Page 43: ...rheats the satellite signal may deteriorate until adequate ventilation is restored Do not stack VCRs or other components on top of the satellite receiver You hear a dialing sound while talking on the phone If the Satellite Receiver is Connected to a Phone Line Your satellite receiver may be attempting to call the billing center Under normal conditions the receiver hangs up any time it detects what...

Page 44: ...d delays accounting errors or even loss of your unit Important Information to Customers Who Ship Defective Equipment to Thomson Consumer Electronics The Thomson representative who authorizes the return of your equipment will give you an RA number over the phone The representative will also provide you with instructions on where and how to return your unit Write the number in large clear characters...

Page 45: ...tatement specifying the date received Also print your name and address and a description of the defect Ship the unit standard UPS or equivalent to Thomson Consumer Electronics Inc Product Exchange Center 11721 B Alameda Avenue Socorro Texas 79927 A new or refurbished unit will be shipped to you prepaid freight What does your warranty not cover Customer instruction Your Owner s Manual provides info...

Page 46: ...n fine tuning adjustment tool 37 setting 14 F Fine Tuning Adjustment Tool 14 37 G Getting a Signal 36 Grounding 31 grounding information 2 grounding points 31 Grounding Block 10 Grounding the System house entry point 32 Grounding Wire 32 See also Messenger Wire separating 30 H Hardware list 12 Help line toll free 42 Hollow Wall Mounting 23 I Installation overview 4 restrictions 2 L Lap Siding Moun...

Page 47: ...ical Code NEC 10 31 P Parts List assembly 12 Phone connection 35 Pole Mounting 25 Precise Site Survey 9 R Rain Fade 41 Restrictions 2 RG 6 coaxial cable drip loops 32 routing into house 33 S Safety Information 2 Signal obtaining 36 strength 36 Signal meter 36 Site survey 9 Support sleeve 14 T Temporary Signal Loss 41 Tilt definition 15 setting 15 Troubleshooting 40 cabling problems 40 dish pointin...

Page 48: ...he Indianapolis address listed in this manual or on the carton This will only add delays in service for your product 10330 North Meridian Street Indianapolis IN 46290 1999 Thomson Consumer Electronics Inc Trademark s Registered Marca s Registrada s Printed in USA TOCOM 15407690 DIRECTV and DIRECTV PLUS are trademarks of DIRECTV Inc a unit of Hughes Electronics Corp and are used with permission ...

Search results

Summary of Contents for DIRECTV PLUS

Reviews:

Related manuals for DIRECTV PLUS

Brands by name

Popular brands

RCA DIRECTV PLUS, Installer'S Manual

Search results

Summary of Contents for DIRECTV PLUS

Reviews:

Related manuals for DIRECTV PLUS

Brands by name

Popular brands