SG9120 / SG9120B HH DiSEqC Motor
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That's the odd part of the looseness in this unit, There doesn't appear to be any backlash in the gears. The slop seems to be in the case bushings. You can't move the dish side to side but up and down. The shaft retaining bolt is very tight. This would only be a problem when windy I'm thinking.
if your motor/dish does not aim 100% correctly at your southern most satellite using USALS then your motor is NOT AIMED CORRECTLY !!
i do not know why you do not want to accept the fact that your motor is not aimed correctly.....follow the simple instructions i have provided....it shouldnt take you longer than 30 mins or so.....
Thank you! You just answered a question I had before I got a chance to ask it..
I should add that, before going through this procedure, check to see that the hex bolt that secures the dish mounting tube to the motor shaft (SG-9120B only) is tight. If that bolt is loose, even slightly, the tube may have play. The larger tube on the SG-9120A is not bolted in this fashion.
I have attitude, but I will try to assist anyway.... LOL!
I agree with the previous posts. If your location Longitude and Latitude are correctly entered and the motor does not go to the satellite position when USALS is selected, the motor is not appropriately set.
Post #47 is a great primer on determining if the motor is correctly set.
Watch the motor as it moves when changing from DiSEqC 1.2 to USALS. If the motor goes East a few degrees, then the motor must be rotated to the West to correct. If it moves West, then the motor will need to be rotated East.
I see what everyone is saying but I still don't see how to use USALS. What is the first thing you do? Can you pick any satellite you happen to have a signal for and then what? When I turn on USALS it moves and doesn't hit a satellite. But there is no adjustment to move the dish east or west to see where the signal is.
On the other hand when I used DiSEqC 1.2 it made sense. When I found a satellite I saved the position and it was done. My main issue is the instruction book for the receiver it assumes I know how to use USALS but I have no clue. I know what it suppose to do. But I don't know how to get it to work. I understand I need to adjust my motor and satellite still but if I don't know how to operate USALS that is pointless. : /
I miss my old hand crank on my first 10 foot fiberglass C band system. I just counted the number of turns to each satellite.
well i suspect your azimuth is off. your probly under the arc on one side and over the arc on the other. in this scenario usals will usually fail.
crackt out,.
crackt out,.
the reason you do not "hit a satellite" using USALS is because your motor is not aimed properly....there is no adjustment using USALS because you should not HAVE TO adjust anything....USALS should move the motor and aim the dish AUTOMATICALLY at any satellite you select....that is the whole point of the USALS system....but the USALS system will only function properly if your motor is AIMED properly....
i can not tell you specifically how to use USALS on your receiver because i dont know what receiver you are using....basically you enter your lat and long numbers and the motor will automatically go to any satellite you select....you should not have to fine tune manually at all with diseqc 1.2 like you are currently doing....
when you select your southern most satellite using USALS the motor should be very close to the top of the arc or "0" position....probably just slightly east or west of the "0" mark on your motor....
use USALS to drive the dish to your southern most satellite....then switch back to diseqc 1.2....now move the motor manually with your remote until you get signal quality on this satellite....this test will show you how far your motor is out of alignment depending on how far you had to move it to get signal quality....it will also determine which WAY it is out of alignment (east or west)....
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In the FAQ for the FTA section of this forum there are some excellent resources for USALS motorized installs.
http://www.satelliteguys.us/fta-mpeg2-faqs/
For example, here is a step by step install guide for the Fortec Star Mercury II using USALS on a similar motor:
http://www.satelliteguys.us/attachment.php?attachmentid=43001&d=1255201721
I understand but the problem is my southern satellite is 82.0W and the only southern satellite I can find a signal on is 87. Will the transponders on 82 show up on a Acutrac 22 Pro Satellite meter?
My exact Latitude and Longitude is 38°32' 12.24"N 81°41' 35.9"W
I am keying into the receiver 038.5N 081.7W I used some instructions from a pdf I got off this site. Is my math correct?
How USALS can magically find the satellites is my understanding issue. How can it do it without a frame of reference? Do I not have to find 82W before I can aim the motor there?
I thought about switching back and fourth and watched it move a little bit away from the satellite I was aiming at but didn't think if I set it on 87W that it could find the other satellites because 87 is not my southern satellite. I have a clear shot of 82W no trees at all but I can't find it. Is the transponder listed in "the list" the only transponder?
I understand a little better with that post. I'm not stupid I just think too much about the issue and miss key facts when I read the answers.
OK I take a shot at it. The frame of reference is it uses is the Latitude and Longitude you input into the reciever. 0 Position is straight south or in your case 81.7W. According to the USALS computation the receiver commands the motor to move .3° from 0 position West to 82W. or 5.3° West to 87°, the sat you want to aim at. So you set the motor on the pole pointed somewhat south best you can. Command the motor via USALS to 87W. Now adjust the dish for best signal including azimuth. That should now have you close enough on arc to then drop down closer to the horizon and peak a sat there. But once you set one sat on the arc USALS can take you to the others.
A simple meter such as the Acutrac 22 is next to useless for locating and identifying satellites. It simply shows signal strength of every satellite in the sky. Plus if you leave it inline, it can control the polarities and prevent the receiver from locking onto a satellite. Take the Accutrac out of line and use the Signal Level and Signal Quality meter that is built into your receiver.
Place your receiver and a small TV next to the dish and you WILL have success.
You adjust your dish azimuth by moving it with the motor to find 87W after using USALS to drive the motor to the 87W position. I have aligned a motor using a satellite that was 20 degrees from my true south satellite this way.
Good luck
Bob
Good luck
Bob
wescopc said:
Yes, this.
I'm a girl and not the sharpest knife in the drawer and I did what you said and it was super easy. On my folks system I had it aimed at PBS 125 here.
We took it down and to their house. When we put it up there it went back to PBS. The elevation was already set and their gps was entered into the tuner. I aimed the motor to true south by eye and when I checked with the meter I was within an inch of target. I moved the dish side to side for the best signal then checked the other satellites. Dead on the money. Easy peasy.
If ~ I ~ can do it, anyone can.
Posted from my JB'd iPhone 3GS using the SatelliteGuys app
you sound like you are getting the concept now....
like others have said you dont need to use a satellite directly south....you could use 87w for aiming as long as you use USALS FIRST to drive the dish there THEN do your aiming.....
when you refer to 82w are you talking about nimiq4 ???
if so, that would require a circular lnb....also that is a canadian satellite with a very "tight" canadian footprint.....you wont/cant receive signal from that satellite in the USA unless you are in the extreme north very close to the canadian border....
like others have said you dont need to use a satellite directly south....you could use 87w for aiming as long as you use USALS FIRST to drive the dish there THEN do your aiming.....
when you refer to 82w are you talking about nimiq4 ???
if so, that would require a circular lnb....also that is a canadian satellite with a very "tight" canadian footprint.....you wont/cant receive signal from that satellite in the USA unless you are in the extreme north very close to the canadian border....
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