Hunting Satellites

[998ccc]

OK guys, this is day three of FTA. I am a bit confused about what I am finding--it's sort of like searching out shortwave dx radio stations as a kid. While trying to lock into the mainstream sats, I am finding signals that the receiver (Pansat 9500HDX) does not identify but will lock onto. For the sat name, it displays "Degree [-xx.-xW] is locked" The "x's" are numerical digits. Obviously there are birds out there that aren't on "the list" because I seem to be finding them and successfully scanned one finding a couple of unlisted feeds. Any comments here?

Receiver: I know about adding birds to the receiver but need to know how to add them including transponders instead of using the name/transponders of the bird I was initially looking for. It would be nice to be able to add these birds without using the slot for the listed sat. In any case, the Pansat manual is lacking a bit in detail.

Thanks!

 

[AcWxRadar]

OK guys, this is day three of FTA. I am a bit confused about what I am finding--it's sort of like searching out shortwave dx radio stations as a kid. While trying to lock into the mainstream sats, I am finding signals that the receiver (Pansat 9500HDX) does not identify but will lock onto. For the sat name, it displays "Degree [-xx.-xW] is locked" The "x's" are numerical digits. Obviously there are birds out there that aren't on "the list" because I seem to be finding them and successfully scanned one finding a couple of unlisted feeds. Any comments here?

Receiver: I know about adding birds to the receiver but need to know how to add them including transponders instead of using the name/transponders of the bird I was initially looking for. It would be nice to be able to add these birds without using the slot for the listed sat. In any case, the Pansat manual is lacking a bit in detail.

Thanks!

998ccc,

Hey, welcome to the forum!

I am not quite sure what you are asking here, exactly. Are you setting up a motorized dish or a fixed point dish and just swinging it around looking for stuff? Are you BLIND SCANNING or just scanning what is currently in the Pansat's resident sat list? Are you seeking C or Ku band signals, or both? Sorry for the interrogation, but we kinda need to fill in some of the blanks here.

There shouldn't be any but maybe one or two sats that are not included in "The List". That should be fairly well up-to-date for the most part. If you scan a signal and you are not quite on target with your dish (and motor) alignment, the receiver will not ID that sat as a known satellite in the list. It will "fill-in-the-blank" itself with the orbital coordinates of where it perceives the dish to be aiming. So, you might be aiming at a sat that IS in the list, but the receiver is a dumb box and doesn't have the mind to figure that out. In simpler words, the receiver detects a signal, but doesn't have the sense to go through all the sats in its resident list to match it up with anything known. I assume that is why it registers the satellite with a numerical orbit position rather than an actual satellite name.

I am thinking that you may not have your dish and or motor aligned properly. If you are panning and scanning the heavens for Ku band signals, it is recommended that you set up the receiver to look for your truest and nearest due south satellite (without a motor) first. It is a luxury to have an excellent FTA sat that matches up with your true south! There may not be a satellite that is located at that perfect position, if there is, it may not be a FTA sat and you might even have earthly problems with LOS to it if there was a sat there (i.e. trees or a building or something). This is not a problem. You don't have to be looking for the true south sat at all, it could be a sat 30° offset from there and you can manage it. It is just MUCH simpler if such a sat is available to you. It simplifies the intial setup and alignment of the dish and motor.

Before I go off on a tangent that is not related to your setup, let's get some of the basic foundations of your system figured out so that everyone that assists you in this project is on the same page. So, tell us all about your receiver, dish, motor if you have one, signal band and LNBF, LOS (line of sight), longitude and latitude coordinates of your earth station (where you are), etc. Elaborate on everything if you would, please. The more details you can provide now, the less time we have to spend asking for more information along the way. We already know the receiver model (Pansat 9500HDX).

I am not familiar with the operation of that Pansat, so I won't be able to assist in any of the receiver specific instructions or tips along that line, but others will.

RADAR

 

[998ccc]

Radar, thanks for the response. I'll start from the beginning: The system is Ku; no C band here due to CC&R's. The dish is an offset 36" Pansat AZ900X mounted on a 2" tubular mast set 30" into the ground in concrete and plumbed by a good level. I used a compass to find magnetic North; true South was determined using declination for my location. The dish is motorized, so before the dish was mounted, the motor was set to true south by a string line extending roughly 30 feet from the center of the mast to the South; the string was aligned to true N/S as per the compass which was located at the mid-point of the string’s span on a plastic table. The result was a very close install that only needed minor tweaks to the latitude (height) adjustment on the motor and the dish angle to get what I believe is a good arc. The total RG-6 coax run from the LNB to the receiver is only 25 feet; the coax material has a solid copper center conductor rated for 3 Ghz.

Latitude is about 38.6, Longitude is about -120.98. My location puts 123W Galaxy 18-Ku at 180.1 degrees—pretty close. LNBF is a Pansat PT-5800 linear; Local oscillator is 10.750. I set the LNB skew using a television within sight of the dish. Motor is a Pansat PM900S.


LOS is pretty good with perhaps some tree issues. My initial investigation indicated the trees were under LOS, but there may be some issues.
The LOS is perfect at 180 degrees and Westward. If necessary, my lot will accommodate just about any dish location limited only by maximum allowable coax run. I chose this spot for the short run.


After reading your response, I wonder if my method of finding birds is flawed. It sounds like the receiver should be able to find birds on its own once a reference satellite is located. Is this the case? If so, I’ll have to start over. I have been searching and entering each bird location as it was found.

Added note: Most transponder's signal strength is about 98 with a quality in the mid 80's.

[FONT=&amp]

I hope this helps.
Thank you. 998ccc
[/FONT]

 

[AcWxRadar]

998ccc,

Excellent information! That's what we like to see.

First clue for your motor setup is that your longitude is 120.98°W. You can use satellite Galaxy 23 Ku at 121.0°W and dial in on Echostar Satellite Service @ TP 11991HMz, SR 3978KS/s, HOR polarity. SID = 1 (as I have scanned it) and the VPID is 1021 and the APID is 1022. This channel is just test tone audio and color bar video, but works good for alignment.

Set up your dish and motor here for the optimum signal response.

Then, if you utilize USALS, you can find all other sats very quickly. You might need to do some minor tweaking with your dish elevation, motor latitude and longitude settings (mechanically) to ensure that you cover the arc accurately.

I know that people will tell you to set the motor latitude to your latitude and then never touch that adjustment again, but that isn't entirely proper. It is correct if you get it this setting correct right off the bat. There is always a little room to improve this adjustment when you first set up. I do not always believe that I am spot on because I cannot read the angle that precisely from the motor latitude scale. I always fine tune it using the signal from the sat rather than trying to read the scale on the motor. The motor's latitude scale markings are rough guides. They will get you into the ballpark, but you should tweak for the optimum signal response. Once you have it set accurately, then you don't ever move it.

You are extremely lucky with your longitude position of 120.98°W You can utilize the SAT/TP and channel I mentioned previously. Once you have that signal dialed in perfectly and optimized, use USALS for all satellites and you shoud be able to dial in everything in a breeze!

To fine tune your setup, drive the dish east and west X number of degrees and make some fine adjustments as you go. Adjust the dish elevation on one side of the arc, move back to the other side of the arc and adjust the dish azimuth. Don't adjust both parameters on the same side of the arc and don't reverse them from one side to the other. It doesn't matter if you adjust the dish elevation on the west side and the dish azimuth on the east side, but once you start the process of this fine tuning, stick with the same rules from start to finish.

In other words, go east and tweak the dish elevation, then go west and adjust the dish azimuth, then back east and tweak the elevation, then back west to tweak the azimuth. When you have peaked the signal strength this way so much that you find little improvement, go further out into the arc and repeat the same process.

You will have to trust me, this takes a lot of patience. But, but if you have the time to just be relaxed and do it, it will work out very well for you. You cannot get impatient and try to maximize the signal on every sat that you pick up a signal from. Improve one sat on one side of the arc just a little and then move to the other side of the arc and improve the signal from an equidistant sat on that side and then go back. Back and forth, a little adjustment at a time.

This is a calibration technique often referred to as "zeroing" and "spanning". It is the most accurate method to get your dish and motor to align to the satellite arc. There is a definite system to this calibration technique and you have to adhere to it all the way through. Do not get "GREEDY". Many people have the tendancy to locate one sat and then peak it to its maximum right off the bat. That is the wrong approach. You need to dial in the satellite ARC, not just one specific satellite. Follow the procedure that I am telling you and you will eventually have your dish and motor trained to the arc precisely.

RADAR

 

[cyberham]

I am saving this explanation. Last week, I just happened to do this using 101W and 15W since these were my two problem signals (History and MSNBC respectively). Doing this resulted in my being bang on the arc and getting the best signals from all satellites I've ever had.

 

[turbosat]

Maybe I misunderstood the OP, but I thought he was asking about channels on particular satellites that didn't log in a 'channel ID or name", so his receiver was just calling it by sat position and a random number. Several receivers I have do that, if they can't pick out the ID information or its missing from the signal, the box just numbers them, and you end up with "Channel One, Channel Two" etc under whatever satellite you are scanning. It's normal to run across channels like that, especially if they are just feeds or temp channels on a satellite.Granted , it would make FTA easier if every channel your receiver logged would have a name!

 

[998ccc]

[FONT=&quot]Radar:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Thanks ever so much for the info; this has been a steep learning curve over the past week or so. At this point, I do not understand what SID, VPID and APID is or ”SR 3978KS/s” for that matter. Can you fill me in? I could not find transponder "TP 11991HMz". In fact, I did not realize my motor was USALS compliant—duh! So far, I have been using the disceqc 1.2 protocol and searching for birds in increments due to the online reports that USALS may not be completely reliable. I also do not understand why some transponders fail during scanning and why some show limited signal while others are very strong when they are from the same bird—is this due to differences in power output between transponders or polarization variances? I cannot imagine there are differences in azimuth!! Sorry if this seems so elementary. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]South: 123W is at 180.1 degrees true South from me, so it is a natural choice for a reference bird. My plan now is to let USALS determine where the 123W bird "should be" and slightly rotate the motor on the mast until it is at max signal. I’ll then re-sweep the arc looking for birds to the farthest East and West of my location via the USALS protocol. Hopefully, the latitude and dish elevation adjustments will still be in sync for usable signals across the arc. I think I fully understand the method of tuning in the arc via adjusting the latitude (height) and dish elevation, so hopefully that will not be a major issue. I tried letting USALS find 123W; it’s close but is a few degrees off from my compass/string method.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Turbosat: My issue with ID is that the birds are not ID’d, and I am finding channels not listed in “The List”. I have no idea what sat they are coming from. The channels are ID’d just fine. I can email what channels I am getting if need be.

[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Cyberham: Looking at 15W, you must be on the East Coast. Can’t ”see” that one from here! 73.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
Anyway; tomorrow, (Tuesday) is the day to re-aim the dish using the USALS protocol. I'll report back ASAP.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Thanks! 998ccc[/FONT]

 

[AcWxRadar]

[FONT="][U][B]Radar:[/B][/U][/FONT][FONT="] Thanks ever so much for the info; this has been a steep learning curve over the past week or so. At this point, I do not understand what SID, VPID and APID is or ”SR 3978KS/s” for that matter. Can you fill me in? I could not find transponder "TP 11991HMz". In fact, I did not realize my motor was USALS compliant—duh! So far, I have been using the disceqc 1.2 protocol and searching for birds in increments due to the online reports that USALS may not be completely reliable. I also do not understand why some transponders fail during scanning and why some show limited signal while others are very strong when they are from the same bird—is this due to differences in power output between transponders or polarization variances? I cannot imagine there are differences in azimuth!! Sorry if this seems so elementary. [/FONT]

[FONT="]South: 123W is at 180.1 degrees true South from me, so it is a natural choice for a reference bird. My plan now is to let USALS determine where the 123W bird "should be" and slightly rotate the motor on the mast until it is at max signal. I’ll then re-sweep the arc looking for birds to the farthest East and West of my location via the USALS protocol. Hopefully, the latitude and dish elevation adjustments will still be in sync for usable signals across the arc. I think I fully understand the method of tuning in the arc via adjusting the latitude (height) and dish elevation, so hopefully that will not be a major issue. I tried letting USALS find 123W; it’s close but is a few degrees off from my compass/string method.[/FONT]

[FONT="]Turbosat: My issue with ID is that the birds are not ID’d, and I am finding channels not listed in “The List”. I have no idea what sat they are coming from. The channels are ID’d just fine. I can email what channels I am getting if need be.

[/FONT]

[FONT="][U][B]Cyberham: [/B][/U]Looking at 15W, you must be on the East Coast. Can’t ”see” that one from here! 73.[/FONT]

[FONT="]
Anyway; tomorrow, (Tuesday) is the day to re-aim the dish using the USALS protocol. I'll report back ASAP.[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]Thanks! 998ccc[/FONT]

998ccc,

Before you get too involved with your alignment and arc calibration, I want to ensure that you did not misunderstand the procedure I mentioned previously. I need to ensure that I clarify this because you stated it back to me incorrectly in your reply.

Getting the mast perfectly vertical is the first step. Setting the MOTOR latitude is then the next step. With the motor on the mast and the motor axis centered at the ZERO degree or reference position is where you want to ensure that the MOTOR latitude is precisely determined and set. After this point, you do NOT ever adjust the MOTOR latitude again. I will explain how to ensure that your MOTOR latitude is precisely set in just a little bit, along with some of the other things you asked about.

During calibration of the "arc", when you go off to one side of the arc you tweak the DISH ELEVATION, when you go back to the other side of the arc, you tweak the AZIMUTH ANGLE of the whole dish and motor assembly. DO NOT readjust the MOTOR LATITUDE. That should have been precisely set early in the game.

To set the MOTOR LATITUDE angle most precisely, you need to know your site or location's EXACT latitude coordinate. You state that it is ABOUT 38.6°N. Just being close will not cut it. You must be sure of the PRECISE latitude coordinate of your location. You can find this out through Google Earth really easily. You then set the motor to the same latitude.

You can read this latitude setting off the motor's mounting bracket (note that many motor's have two scales, one reads elevation and one reads latitude - so don't confuse the two). The motor's latitude scale is normally not marked off in very refined or detailed increments. The divisions may be 1°, 2° or maybe even 5° or none at all.

You won't be able to discern very accurately what 38.6° is on such a scale. You need an inclinometer, which is like a level, but it has a circular scale that reads out in tenths of degrees and has a weighted pointer that indicates the angle on the scale. The inclinometer has a flat edge just like a level. Place this flat edge against the TRUE flat portion of the bottom of the motor and read the angle shown. This will actually be the ELEVATION of the motor (to find the LATITUDE, you have to subtract the ELEVATION from 90°). Using this inclinometer, you can set your MOTOR LATITUDE much more precisely than just using the motor's stamped scale. Once the latitude is set, don't ever move it again.

Remember that the motor must be at its center of travel (indicated on the scale on the motor's underbelly... The motor TUBE usually has a pointer to indicate this). If the motor is not indicating zero degrees on its scale, use your receiver to command it to either GOTO ZERO or GOTO REFERENCE, maybe even a GOTO HOME function (this depends upon the receiver). That should ensure that the motor is centered. This is where you check the motor latitude angle to ensure it is precise.

Don't worry about the SID, APID, VPID right now.

You need to understand at least the SR (Symbol Rate), Polarity and TP (transponder) frequency. As you make your way across the horizon to check signals from various satellites, you have to utilize a specific transponder (TP) on each satellite and use that same TP everytime you go to that particular satellite. Different TPs on the same sat may read vastly different, so you don't want to check your arc calibration with a totally different TP or you may and probably will get confusing data. In other words, compare the apple to the apple.

SR or Symbol rate is just the transmission rate (how many packets of data are being sent per second). You don't need to understand this in detail right now, but you need to ensure that it is set correctly if you have to enter it yourself. In many cases, you have to tell your receiver what the transponder frequency is and what its SR is so that the receiver knows what signal to look for coming in from the antenna.

For example, let's say you were in the process of calibrating your arc and you happened to be at satellite AMC21 @125.0°W. A good transponder to check here would be 12112 MHz, Vertical Polarity, SR 8702KS/s. Everytime you come back to check the signal and quality level on this satellite, use this same TP. Or maybe you are at satllite Galaxy 18 @ 123.0°W. A good TP might be 11776 MHz, Vertical polarity, SR 2848KS/s. Everytime you come back to the this sat to test your calibration results, use this same TP. Always use the same TP when you return to that specific sat to judge your calibration progress.

You will want to use "The List" or ask what a good TP to use for testing on each sat is. You want a good, fairly strong, constantly available TP to use for this procedure.

Furthermore, if you haven't read it yet, check this out: http://www.satelliteguys.us/fta-mpeg2-faqs/190527-how-set-up-motorized-ku-band.html

RADAR

 

[AcWxRadar]

998ccc,

I must let you know that there is such a HUGE amount of information to discuss here. I apologize, but there is simply no way to cover it all in a very neat little box. That is why this entire forum exists. You will just have to work on one piece, one section at a time and get acquainted with all the details.

When it comes to aligning your satellite arc with a motor, may I first recommend that you try out a lot of the information you find here using a FIXED POINT dish first. This is really kind of a prerequisite. You will understand a lot more about your motor setup if you first become comfy with aligning a fixed point dish. Certain things will make more sense in your mind if you do. It's kind of like learning to print, before you write in cursive. It's why addition, subtraction, muliplication and division come before geometry and algebra, and why algebra comes before calculus.

But, the most important rule is... Be very patient and read a great deal.

RADAR

 

[998ccc]

OK. It looks like going back to square one is in order. I do appreciate the info and will research the archives.
Thanks!
998ccc

 

[turbosat]

Most of the satellites have a beacon, a frequency beaming down that ID information you seek, but not all fta receivers pick up or display that information. And yes, the ones that do, make it easier to understand 'where' you are in space if you're unsure. You'll get more sure of how it all works as you work with it for awhile. Check the lyngsat site, click on the Sattracker and you can see all the north american satellites, check one by one if you like. It's not maintained in the US , so the chart isn't always 100% up to date, but it is very helpful.

 

[998ccc]

Last week, I went through the setup again and lost my birds using USALS. It seems to be 3 degrees or so off, so I reset to my original marks on the mast, motor and dish and have all the birds again using diseqc. The arc "seems" to be fine just as it was in the beginning. From my location in Northern California, I get all the birds from 125W (AMC 21Ku) down to 83W (AMC). I am on a hill and can see probably 50-60 or more miles to the southeast, so should I be getting more Eastern birds? Also, on 89W I cannot get the ABC feeds or News-one for instance; they don't seem to be encrypted, so is the receiver not seeing them for another reason?

FWIW, I am having a blast with FTA and spend most of my time on the PBS channels and History Channel. RTV and Tuff are "interesting" too.

Thanks!

 

[cyberham]

...on 89W I cannot get the ABC feeds or News-one for instance; they don't seem to be encrypted, so is the receiver not seeing them for another reason?

FWIW, I am having a blast with FTA and spend most of my time on the PBS channels and History Channel. RTV and Tuff are "interesting" too.

Don't bother looking for ABC News on 89W. Its service ends there tomorrow. Check 91W for it where it has now started. It's worth your effort: a very watchable station. I'm new to FTA and I think it's the greatest thing since raisin bread was invented.

 

[AcWxRadar]

Last week, I went through the setup again and lost my birds using USALS. It seems to be 3 degrees or so off, so I reset to my original marks on the mast, motor and dish and have all the birds again using diseqc. The arc "seems" to be fine just as it was in the beginning. From my location in Northern California, I get all the birds from 125W (AMC 21Ku) down to 83W (AMC). I am on a hill and can see probably 50-60 or more miles to the southeast, so should I be getting more Eastern birds? Also, on 89W I cannot get the ABC feeds or News-one for instance; they don't seem to be encrypted, so is the receiver not seeing them for another reason?

FWIW, I am having a blast with FTA and spend most of my time on the PBS channels and History Channel. RTV and Tuff are "interesting" too.

Thanks!

998ccc,

Regarding the more eastern satellites, there aren't many signals to be found further east than 83.0°W AMC 9 until you get as far east as Hispasat 1C/1D @ 30.0°W. From your location, you won't be able to view Hispasat as it will be below the horizon.

Satellites which are beyond 76° east or west of you will be below the horizon so you will only have a LOS as far east as 45W and as far west as 197W. That is what you can expect with a single, fixed point dish. When using a motor, you will be limited even further as the mechanics of the assembly won't allow that much travel. In DiSEqC mode, you can achieve roughly +/- 68° travel or from 53°W to 189°W for your location. With USALS, there is some further limitation within the mathematics and you can only achieve roughly +/- 59° travel or from 62°W to 180°W for your location.

I am not really certain on the precise accuracy of those limits for motors, but they are close enough to get the point across.

Therefore, you should keep it in your mind that when using USALS you only have a specific window or range that is allowed. There isn't much logic in researching satellites which are outside of that range. You are doing well if you have 83.0°W AMC 9 coming in.

You can check Lyngsat and SatBeams for more information on the satellites available in your horizon range. Inspect the data carefully when researching them. Obviously, you are looking for Ku only at this time - not C-band. But, there are also upper and lower Ku bands (and you have to match those with your LNBF type) as well as some of the TP's have specific beams (some only focus on Europe, Africa or South America and not the US). Then, you have to ensure that you are only looking up the true FTA signals. THE LIST available here is probably the best place to start.

RADAR

 

[AcWxRadar]

998ccc,

Regarding the more eastern satellites, there aren't many signals to be found further east than 83.0°W AMC 9 until you get as far east as Hispasat 1C/1D @ 30.0°W. From your location, you won't be able to view Hispasat as it will be below the horizon.

Satellites which are beyond 76° east or west of you will be below the horizon so you will only have a LOS as far east as 45W and as far west as 197W. That is what you can expect with a single, fixed point dish. When using a motor, you will be limited even further as the mechanics of the assembly won't allow that much travel. In DiSEqC mode, you can achieve roughly +/- 68° travel or from 53°W to 189°W for your location. With USALS, there is some further limitation within the mathematics and you can only achieve roughly +/- 59° travel or from 62°W to 180°W for your location.

I am not really certain on the precise accuracy of those limits for motors, but they are close enough to get the point across.

Therefore, you should keep it in your mind that when using USALS you only have a specific window or range that is allowed. There isn't much logic in researching satellites which are outside of that range. You are doing well if you have 83.0°W AMC 9 coming in.

You can check Lyngsat and SatBeams for more information on the satellites available in your horizon range. Inspect the data carefully when researching them. Obviously, you are looking for Ku only at this time - not C-band. But, there are also upper and lower Ku bands (and you have to match those with your LNBF type) as well as some of the TP's have specific beams (some only focus on Europe, Africa or South America and not the US). Then, you have to ensure that you are only looking up the true FTA signals. THE LIST available here is probably the best place to start.

RADAR

Pardon me for being misleading on some of the numbers above. There is no such longitude or orbital location as 197°W or 189°W.
I forgot to convert those to eastern longitudes (these would be 180° - [197 -180] = 180 - 17 = 163°E and 180° - [189 - 180] = 180 - 9 = 171°E).


RADAR

 

[AcWxRadar]

There are some channels on 87.0°W AMC 3 that you might like if you like PBS. On TP 11807MHz, Horizontal polarity, SR =12473KS/s there are four PBS stations from Louisiana, one is a feed channel.

Also, there is a section of this forum (somewhere within the FTA area) that has manuals for receivers. If your Pansat manual is lacking in information and guidance, there may be something more in that part of the forum. Well, maybe. Anyway, Pansats are quite popular or common, so someone can assist with instructions of how to add and edit sats and TPs.

RADAR

 

[998ccc]

There are some channels on 87.0°W AMC 3 that you might like if you like PBS. On TP 11807MHz, Horizontal polarity, SR =12473KS/s there are four PBS stations from Louisiana, one is a feed channel.

Also, there is a section of this forum (somewhere within the FTA area) that has manuals for receivers. If your Pansat manual is lacking in information and guidance, there may be something more in that part of the forum. Well, maybe. Anyway, Pansats are quite popular or common, so someone can assist with instructions of how to add and edit sats and TPs.

RADAR

Regarding editing sats and TP's: Yes, that is where I want to go next. One post mentioned Nimiq at 91W which I cannot find on my linear LNB (assuming this is a receiver setting issue). I can find it with a circular LNB but no circular FTA TP's there to my knowledge. I'll dig into the archives for more specific Pansat info; hopefully something on the 9500 will show up.

Thanks.
998ccc

 

[cyberham]

One post mentioned Nimiq at 91W which I cannot find on my linear LNB (assuming this is a receiver setting issue). I can find it with a circular LNB but no circular FTA TP's there to my knowledge. I'll dig into the archives for more specific Pansat info; hopefully something on the 9500 will show up.

Are you sure they didn't mean Galaxy 17 at 91W? This is the satellite with transponders requiring a linear LNB to receive. In fact, Galaxy 17 is the new home of ABC News (...we think...). Nimiq requires a circular LNB.

 

[AcWxRadar]

Are you sure they didn't mean Galaxy 17 at 91W This is the satellite with transponders requiring a linear LNB to receive. In fact, Galaxy 17 is the new home of ABC News (...we think...). Nimiq requires a circular LNB.

Also, Nimiq 1 @ 91°W is a pay-satellite and therefore almost all the channels are encrypted. It is owned or operated by Bell TV or Bell Express Vu out of Canada (Canada's sister company to DISH here in the states). So this sat isn't worth going after for any TV viewing.

However, circular satellites like this one are sometimes handy when setting up a FTA dish. They transmit with higher power and because they are circular polarized, they are much easier to find in the sky when panning the dish. So they can be used as an alignment aid (if you have the right equipment).

RADAR

 

[998ccc]

Are you sure they didn't mean Galaxy 17 at 91W? This is the satellite with transponders requiring a linear LNB to receive. In fact, Galaxy 17 is the new home of ABC News (...we think...). Nimiq requires a circular LNB.

I suppose that is exactly what happened and didn't even consider Galaxy 17 since it is a C-band bird. No C-band is possible here due to antenna restrictions, and I am already tempting the gods with an HF dipole and VHF/UHF sticks on the roof. Perhaps an investment in oleanders would provide the necessary stealth for a 6-footer?