Setting Up a Dish on a Tripod

If you use our Home Away From Home program and take your services with you, or live in an apartment building or condo where you can’t install a dish on the building, putting a dish on a tripod may be the best option for you. Wondering how to put it all together? Here’s a quick guide for you to follow!

Once you’ve ordered and received your tripod and dish kit, you’ll need to choose a location to set everything up. Our satellites are located above the Equator, due south of Fort McMurray, Alberta (111.1° west longitude), so generally speaking, you will need a clear line of sight to the south (if you live west of Fort McMurray, the view should be more to the southeast, while if you live east of there, it should be more to the southwest).

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29_01You should have the dish, tripod and post that goes into the tripod, feed support arm, clamp mount, cable clip, and LNBF, and stabilizing screws (these would be used to keep the dish secured to the ground, kind of like spikes for a tent). You will require wrenches, vice grips, or pliers to complete this job.

 

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First, you’ll want to set up the tripod itself. Start by pulling the legs apart so that the tripod is standing upright.

Now, insert the pipe into the centre of the tripod, and tighten the bolts until the pipe is secure.

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Attach the clamp mount to the dish by aligning bolt posts with slits on sides.Ensure that the larger side of the bracket (right side of photo) is pointing towards the bottom of the dish.

 

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Insert screw bolts into holes on back of dish. 

Tighten only very lightly at this point.

 

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Take the dish, and attach the feed support arm to it, tightening bolt until secure.

 

 

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Place dish on tripod and tighten bolts so that dish is secure.

 

 

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Slide LNBF into end of arm, and tighten bolt so that LNBF is secured to the arm.

 

Your dish and tripod should now look something like this:

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From this point, you’ll want to align the dish and run cables as outlined in our self-installation document. When this is done, you can secure the cables using the cable clip that was included with the dish.

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Your dish should now be fully assembled and ready for use! If you require any further assistance with your installation, please do not hesitate to contact us here, on Facebook, Twitter, or by calling our Technical Support team at 1.888.554.7827.

Big Brother Canada Launch Party and Premiere

This week, we’re happy to welcome one of our fantastic customers, Teresa S. (@NeedNewSpace on Twitter), as a guest blogger! She was able to attend the Big Brother Canada Launch Party and Premiere, and wrote about her time there.

bbcanlogoWhen most people hear the words “Big Brother” they immediately think conspiracy theory. Government and world dictators watching and listening to everything we say and do. Right? Well, a few years ago this is exactly what I would have thought. However, the Big Brother that everyone is currently talking about is a phenomenon of colossal proportions. Big Brother fans span the world and now Canada has a new reason to be excited.

If you haven’t yet heard about Big Brother you are either living in seclusion or you have chosen to have absolutely no connection to the media in its plentiful and diverse forms.

The Big Brother that I speak of is an extraordinarily successful television reality series that locks 15 complete strangers alone in a house with no connection to the outside world for 10 weeks and, one-by-one, each week, one “Houseguest” is “Evicted” from the house and the game. The Houseguests are competing to win more than $100,000 in prizes. To win, they must be the last remaining Houseguest. As we all know, living with your significant other can be trying at times but living with total strangers can be absolutely explosive and unpredictable!!

I’ve been a fan of Big Brother for quite a few years now and as a Canadian, our only real livefeedschoice has been Big Brother USA or Big Brother UK online. Finally though, Insight Productions brought the hugely successful franchise to Canada! I’ve been begging for a winter season of Big Brother USA for quite some time now. So, when I finally got my first BlackBerry, the first app I found was Twitter. And, my first priority? Follow everyone who tweets about Big Brother! To make a long story just a little bit shorter, I became obsessed with Tweeting and the need to know what was happening because I didn’t have access to the 24-hour Live Feeds that spy on the Houseguests.  (Here, in Canada, the Live Feeds are FREE!!! How awesome is that?!)

I’m not an official blogger, because I don’t publish a blog. I mostly discuss my favourite things, like Big Brother, on Twitter. The thing is, I do so at length. So, I guess you could say I’m more of a Twogger. And, in my Twoggings, I happened to meet another Big Brother fanatic and follower and, one of my favourite Tweeters, Lori Harito aka @BBConfessions. So, when Big Brother Canada came about, Lori contacted me and asked if I would be interested in participating in a Launch Event, my answer was an obvious and resounding “YES”!  Shortly thereafter, and I mean literally, within minutes, I received an email inviting me and a guest to the Exclusive and very Hush-Hush, Launch Party to the first ever Big Brother Canada!!!

bbcansignNow, I don’t think I have to tell you how excited I was as my eyes scanned the words and I scrolled down to see the actual invitation with a picture of none other than Big Brother USA alum and season 10 winner Dan “The Master” Gheesling! The nickname is my doing because he was just that amazing! He masterminded such an epic event in Season 14 that no other Houseguest could ever dream of replicating.  In a most astonishing move, Dan actually held his own Big Brother funeral as a way to save himself from eviction.  He was poised to be evicted but his machinations and scheming worked and he saved himself! Watch BB14 and see for yourself. Brilliant. Devious, but brilliant.

Anyhow, back to my invitation and the Big Brother Canada Launch Party! I received the email while at the doctor’s office and really had a hard time keeping calm. I reread it on the bus coming home with the stupidest grin on my face, but still keeping relatively calm. As I walked through my front door, I could contain myself no longer and a very awkward happy dance ensued. I have absolutely no rhythm. None. Nada. Zilch.

My daughter, Alexandra, was the lucky family member who was able to attend the Launch Party with me and she was as excited as I was.

Upon arrival at the “secret” location, we were met by the friendly staff of Shaw Media
and Slice TV. (We were instructed not to spill any details because, well let’s face facts here, fans would storm the building! No kidding. Big Brother Fans are a passionate bunch.) We were given a few directions as to what was where and told to have a great time and to enjoy ourselves! And that’s exactly what Alex and I did.

After grabbing our Big Brother Canada nametags, we made our way to the wait staff for a alexglass of courage. We were in a room full of bloggers, Big Brother fans, and within a matter of minutes, one of the greatest players to ever play Big Brother!  As we nervously waited for Dan to arrive, we made our way to the slop bar. Yes, a full assortment of toppings was provided to make this disgusting “oat-like” substance palatable. It really didn’t help.

Alex and I migrated to our newest blogger/Twitter Pals, and having only ever conversed via Twitter, it was remarkable how we all immediately felt like old friends.  Big Brother does that to people. You either become the best of friends or the nastiest enemies. As we chatted about our experiences getting to the Launch Party, the room suddenly starts buzzing.  “He’s here.  He’s here.  Look, there he is.  Oh. My. God. It’s Dan!”, is what is suddenly rumbling throughout the room.  Before we know it, Dan is there and talking to us about how he orchestrated the monumental funeral on Big Brother that almost won him the game for a second time. He came in second to Ian Terry in BB14.  Nevertheless, it was an honour and so much fun meeting Dan and, he is as gracious as a slightly crazy person can be. Thanks, Dan!

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diaryroomAs we mingled and mixed, Big Brother Canada gave us all the chance to record our own Diary Room session!  I really have to say that the Houseguests make the Diary Room look easy.  It’s not! It’s quite nerve-racking and scary.  As one who is usually behind the camera, it was a frightening experience to be questioned. All of our Diary Room Confessions were uploaded by Slice TV to their YouTube channel.  Watch if you dare!

After we had a chance to mingle, meet, and chat with everyone a Head of Household competition was held. Three names were drawn and as the competitors engaged in a Slop Eating Competition; it was clear that only one would prevail.  The unmistakable winner, Jolene, won the best seat in the house to watch the first ever Big Brother Canada episode next to Dan Gheesling and her own Big Brother duffle bag.

The really fantastic part about watching the episode at the Launch Party was that you could feel the excitement in the room and it was completely uncensored! Something that Dan commented on as well as soon as the first expletive was uttered from the BBCAN Houseguests.  We still had to endure commercials, but as soon as Big Brother came back to air, the room fell into complete and utter silence.  The room full of people was there for one reason and one reason only, to be part of an amazing and historic event.  The first ever episode of the first Canadian Big Brother!  And we all enjoyed every last second.

This experience was one I will never forget.  And Slice TV, Shaw Media, and Big Brother Canada made sure that I would have a souvenir or two of this momentous occasion. Thank you to all those involved in organizing the Launch Party and for making it such a fabulous evening!  Cheers to a successful and increasingly explosive Big Brother Canada series!

Using an External Hard Drive with your HDPVR 630

header_HDDShaw Direct’s Advanced HDPVR 630 has an integrated hard drive which allows you to record up to 175 hours of standard definition content, or about 45 hours of high definition content. Not enough space for all of the great shows you want to record? Not to worry – if you need more space, you can use an external hard drive to make sure you don’t miss a thing.

Wondering what kind of external hard drive will work with your HDPVR 630? Here are the required features to ensure compatibility:

  • Make sure the external hard drive has an eSATA connection, which is up to six times faster than even USB 2.0. This makes the external hard drive ideal for HD video. What’s more is that you can record two HD programs while watching previously recorded HD programming without any performance issues.
  • The external hard drive must be externally powered. Some may only be USB powered, but this will need to have its own power supply that plugs into an AC outlet.
  • The largest external hard drive that will work is 2.0 TB, which will give you an incredible amount of additional storage space. 500 GB will give you about 340 hours of standard definition or 90 hours of high definition; 1.0 TB will provide about 680 hours of standard definition or 180 hours of high definition; 2.0 TB gives you a staggering 1,360 hours of standard definition or 360 hours of high definition. If you were to fill a 2.0 TB external hard drive and the hard drive of your PVR with standard definition programming, you could watch shows from today (March 7) non-stop until May 10!
  • Look for an external hard drive that is rated for PVR or DVR usage. These are designed to be cooler, quieter, and support multiple HD streams being recorded or played at the same time. They’re also able to run all-day, everyday, which makes them the most reliable choice.

So, how do you go about hooking up the external hard drive to your PVR? There are just a few steps to get it ready:

  1. Connect the eSATA cable (it should be provided with the drive you purchased) from the external hard drive to the port labeled “eSATA” on the back of your HDPVR 630.
  2. Connect the power cable from your external hard drive to a power bar or wall outlet.
  3. If your external hard drive has a power switch, turn it on now. Ensure the power or status light illuminates.
  4. Restart your HDPVR 630 by holding down the power button on the front panel for 10 seconds.
  5. When the receiver comes back on, a setup wizard will guide you through the process of formatting the external hard drive for use with this satellite receiver. This will remove ALL data and partitions on the external hard drive.
  6. Formatting will complete within a few seconds and you will be alerted that your drive is ready for use.

There are some other things to bear in mind about using an external hard drive with your HDPVR 630. For example, you can only use one external hard drive with your PVR at any given time, and you can only use the external hard drive with one specific PVR. Additionally, the external hard drive won’t be able to be used with any other device while it’s “married” to your PVR.

If you decide to stop using your external hard drive with your PVR, or want to switch to a new one, you just need to disconnect it and reboot your PVR. The setup wizard will then alert you that your external hard drive is missing, and then will provide some prompts to delete it from your PVR. This will remove any associated recordings from the PVR list that were stored on the external hard drive, allowing you to connect a new one by following the setup instructions.

Having any problems using an external hard drive with your HDPVR 630? Check out Tech Central to read over some helpful tips, or let us know that you need a hand!