New FTA user

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admarvelous

SatelliteGuys Family
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Sep 12, 2018
103
10
Detroit Mi
I'm new to the FTA world and was wondering what sats can you pick up with a 30 inch dish that's what I bought and how do you use the Satlink 6933
 
Welcome to SatelliteGuys admarvelous !!!!

That dish can only be used for ku. It will get most of the channels across the arc.
Don't own the Satlink, but it works sort of like a receiver the best I can tell.

What LNBF do you have on the dish?
What receiver are you using?
Are you after a specific channel(s).

We will be glad to help you get set up, but we need a little more info. :)
 
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Welcome to SatelliteGuys admarvelous !!!!

That dish can only be used for ku. It will get most of the channels across the arc.
Don't own the Satlink, but it works sort of like a receiver the best I can tell.

What LNBF do you have on the dish?
What receiver are you using?
Are you after a specific channel(s).

We will be glad to help you get set up, but we need a little more info. :)
Well I have a 0.1 dB SatMaximum Single lnb. I also purchased a 0.1 dB Universal Single KU LNBF MX-11. Well I've looked online and here Galaxy is a good sat but I'm trying to pick up any Sat at this point like I said I'm new to FTA so I'm trying to get a signal
 
Well I have a 0.1 dB SatMaximum Single lnb. I also purchased a 0.1 dB Universal Single KU LNBF MX-11. Well I've looked online and here Galaxy is a good sat but I'm trying to pick up any Sat at this point like I said I'm new to FTA so I'm trying to get a signal
Welcome to Satellite Guys admarvelous! I'm using a 90cm (36") myself but with a 30" you should have no problem getting 97w (Galaxy 19). If you are looking for English language programming take a look at this thread to see what is currently available there.

Galaxy 19 best channels to watch

You should also be able to get 95W easily. There are not many English channels (CGTN News and CGTN Documentary) but the signal is really strong for aiming. Probably some channels on 87W and 103W. Getting sats will depend on factors such as dish quality, aiming, lnb quality, proper skew (stationary dish), location within footprint, clear view to satellite, weather, uplink levels, etc. I bought a Satlink WS-6933 a while back but haven't used it too much yet. Still glad to try to answer questions if I can. :)
 
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Welcome to Satellite Guys admarvelous! I'm using a 90cm (36") myself but with a 30" you should have no problem getting 97w (Galaxy 19). If you are looking for English language programming take a look at this thread to see what is currently available there.

Galaxy 19 best channels to watch

You should also be able to get 95W easily. There are not many English channels (CGTN News and CGTN Documentary) but the signal is really strong for aiming. Probably some channels on 87W and 103W. Getting sats will depend on factors such as dish quality, aiming, lnb quality, proper skew (stationary dish), location within footprint, clear view to satellite, weather, uplink levels, etc. I bought a Satlink WS-6933 a while back but haven't used it too much yet. Still glad to try to answer questions if I can. :)
So is it best to mount the dish on the roof to get a better line of sight to the sats
 
There is usually quite a bit of tweaking involved with FTA reception and also snow removal in the winter. Personally, I would only mount it on a roof if it were necessary to 'see' the sat(s) you want.
Ok what tweaking is involved what is true south like I said I'm new to FTA
 
Ok what tweaking is involved what is true south like I said I'm new to FTA
Tweakings are fine adjustments of the dish (pointing, skew angle of the LNBF, etc.) to get the best possible signal quality. While it's possible to do that on the roof, especially with a portable meter, or even by bringing the receiver and a small tv on the roof, it's a lot easier to do it if the dish is in a location that is more accessible. Unlike an over-the-air antenna where it's always best to seek the highest location, for a satellite dish, all you need is an unobstructed line-of-sight between the dish and the satellite. If you have obstacles (trees, other buildings), you might need to get a bit creative and sometimes mount the dish on the roof (I had to do that for 125W because of trees), but if there is not such necessity, I would strongly suggest finding an easier location. Also, being in Detroit, snow is a reality of life and it will sometimes accumulate on the dish reflector and on the mounting arm. It will degrade the reception until it melts away or until you clear it. You don't want to have to climb on a roof to do that.

True south is geographic south (as opposed to magnetic south, which is a few degrees away). It's important to know where it is if you are setting up a motorized system. For a fixed dish, you won't need it but it would still be useful to be able to get an approximate idea of where the south is and figure out where you need to point the dish at

I agree with FTA4PA that 95W is an easy target - the easiest one in my opinion. From there it's quite easy to find the other satellites such as 97W, 103W, 91 W etc.
 
Tweakings are fine adjustments of the dish (pointing, skew angle of the LNBF, etc.) to get the best possible signal quality. While it's possible to do that on the roof, especially with a portable meter, or even by bringing the receiver and a small tv on the roof, it's a lot easier to do it if the dish is in a location that is more accessible. Unlike an over-the-air antenna where it's always best to seek the highest location, for a satellite dish, all you need is an unobstructed line-of-sight between the dish and the satellite. If you have obstacles (trees, other buildings), you might need to get a bit creative and sometimes mount the dish on the roof (I had to do that for 125W because of trees), but if there is not such necessity, I would strongly suggest finding an easier location. Also, being in Detroit, snow is a reality of life and it will sometimes accumulate on the dish reflector and on the mounting arm. It will degrade the reception until it melts away or until you clear it. You don't want to have to climb on a roof to do that.

True south is geographic south (as opposed to magnetic south, which is a few degrees away). It's important to know where it is if you are setting up a motorized system. For a fixed dish, you won't need it but it would still be useful to be able to get an approximate idea of where the south is and figure out where you need to point the dish at

I agree with FTA4PA that 95W is an easy target - the easiest one in my opinion. From there it's quite easy to find the other satellites such as 97W, 103W, 91 W etc.
Thanks for the info ok so here's the question how close does an object tree/house have to be to obstruct the dishes view
 

Thanks for the info ok so here's the question how close does an object tree/house have to be to obstruct the dishes view
If you go to www.dishpointer.com you can enter your exact coordinates and select a satellite from the drop-down box to easily see the azimuth (both true and magnetic), elevation setting and lnb skew at your location for any satellite. Zoom in and drag the green pin to exactly where your dish is (or will be). Check the box on the right to 'show obstacle (line of sight check)'. Drag the red pin along the greeen line to the obstacle in question and it will tell you the distance to the object and the height it must be less than in order to 'see' the sat over the obstacle. Note measurements are in meters so you will need to convert to feet. :)
 
Your a great help I can get the DB up to 76 but have no signal quality what tweaking do I have to do
Are you trying for 97w? At my location using the WS6933 I have 11836 V 20765 on 97w locked on an 80cm dish (about 31") with the following readings:

WS6933 97W KU.JPG


I haven't touched the dish since last fall so I might be able to get better but I do have a lock. If you are aimed properly at the sat and on a known good transponder the green S:LOCK will show on the display along with a Q reading and the lock LED will illuminate. Your readings will likely differ from mine based on which transponder you are aiming with but this is what you are looking for in general. Have you verified that you are using the correct azimuth, dish elevation and skew (verify with dishpointer)? What tools are you using to aim the dish (compass, phone app, etc)?
 
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Make sure your lnb settings are correct in both your meter and your receiver. Verify that your lnb is skewed the proper amount and in the correct direction. When aiming the dish, loosen the mount just enough to be able to rotate the dish on the pole (azimuth). Rotate left, then right very slowly until you get a lock. If you get a lock do a blind scan and compare the channels with www.lyngsat.com, www.sathint.com or www.tvrosat.com to see what sat you are on. If you get no lock raise or lower the dish elevation a little bit and repeat the above. Movements must be very small because a fraction of an inch means the difference between a strong signal and nothing at all. Be patient and you will get it.
 
Are you trying for 97w? At my location using the WS6933 I have 11836 V 20765 on 97w locked on an 80cm dish (about 31") with the following readings:

View attachment 134938

I haven't touched the dish since last fall so I might be able to get better but I do have a lock. If you are aimed properly at the sat and on a known good transponder the green S:LOCK will show on the display along with a Q reading and the lock LED will illuminate. Your readings will likely differ from mine based on which transponder you are aiming with but this is what you are looking for in general. Have you verified that you are using the correct azimuth, dish elevation and skew (verify with dishpointer)? What tools are you using to aim the dish (compass, phone app, etc)?
Ok I'm using a phone app compass and dish pointer I'm also using the sat finder app. Ok now is the azimuth the compass direction and am I supposed to adjust the Voltage on the sat link am I supposed to adjust the lnb
 
Ok I'm using a phone app compass and dish pointer I'm also using the sat finder app. Ok now is the azimuth the compass direction and am I supposed to adjust the Voltage on the sat link am I supposed to adjust the lnb
Someone else will have to comment on the accuracy of a phone app compass as I use a real one ;). Yes, the azimuth is the compass direction in degrees. When you select a vertical or horizontal transponder the meter will set the proper voltage - 13v for vertical, 18v for horizontal.
 
Make sure your lnb settings are correct in both your meter and your receiver. Verify that your lnb is skewed the proper amount and in the correct direction. When aiming the dish, loosen the mount just enough to be able to rotate the dish on the pole (azimuth). Rotate left, then right very slowly until you get a lock. If you get a lock do a blind scan and compare the channels with www.lyngsat.com, www.sathint.com or www.tvrosat.com to see what sat you are on. If you get no lock raise or lower the dish elevation a little bit and repeat the above. Movements must be very small because a fraction of an inch means the difference between a strong signal and nothing at all. Be patient and you will get it.
Ok maybe I should invest in a real compass and where would I find the lnb settings
 
Ok maybe I should invest in a real compass and where would I find the lnb settings
A compass is very helpful but you can use the green line on www.dishpointer.com as a pretty good reference by spotting objects along it's path. If an object falls directly on the line you can point your dish at it and you should be very close with the azimuth setting. :)
 
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