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FTABman0

Last reply May 2, 2009 · posted in Free To Air (FTA) Discussion

Fortec Star Dynamic Slave Question

Has anyone had much luck cloning the software & channels STB to STB on a Fortec Star Dynamic? The book says connect a RS-32 cable to it, in which I done but it still says "turn on the slave IRD" on screen.

I know these boxes RS-32 ports uses NULL MODEM cables but is this feature done by a standard cable instead? I got a new Dynamic yesterday from Sadoun and it is getting installed for a friend tomorrow and I would love to clone the satellite list over to it from my Dynamic (Fresh Blind Scans on all Satellites from last night to today) to keep from having to do it at the new install location. Thanks for any input!

Instructions from the manual:

Firmware Download
You can transfer the firmware of your receiver to another receiver.
Please connect a slave receiver with a RS-32 Cable

Database Download
You can transfer the Database of your receiver to another receiver. Please connect a slave receiver with a RS-32 Cable

Page 18 under Operation

It says nothing about a Null Cable which I am using,,, and does not work! NADA!!

B~Man

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FTABman0

Apr 26, 2009

According to one write up, it is supposed to use the Null cable!

From SatelliteAV's web site:
The new Fortec Star Dynamic satellite receiver provides digital free-to-air satellite
reception without compromise.

The Dynamic is a cosmetically redesigned Mercury II receiver with all the great features
and reliability that you expect from the Mercury II hardware.

I could not get a Null Cable to work STB to STB! PC Cable yes!

Now what is strange is the Fortec Star Web Site Says this for the Mercury II:

Uploader - (Female-to-female 9-pin NULL modem cable needed.)

Channel Editor v.1.0 ( May 16, 2006) - (Female-to-female 9-pin NULL modem cable needed.)

I don't know, but unless a got a couple strange Dynamics, seems like they are wrong with the Null cable thing!

Have not yet had a chance to play with the Channel Editor yet with either cable. I will do that today sometime and let you all know what cable works with that!

There is a 2008 firmware version the Dynamics are using now, the new one I got had it in there before I moved the 2007 firmware to the new one by accident! both now have the 2007 version! O~well they are working fine just the same with the 2007 version of firmware!

B~Man

AcWxRadar

Apr 26, 2009

FTABman0 said:
According to one write up, it is supposed to use the Null cable!

From SatelliteAV's web site:
The new Fortec Star Dynamic satellite receiver provides digital free-to-air satellite
reception without compromise.

The Dynamic is a cosmetically redesigned Mercury II receiver with all the great features
and reliability that you expect from the Mercury II hardware.

I could not get a Null Cable to work STB to STB! PC Cable yes!

Now what is strange is the Fortec Star Web Site Says this for the Mercury II:

Uploader - (Female-to-female 9-pin NULL modem cable needed.)

Channel Editor v.1.0 ( May 16, 2006) - (Female-to-female 9-pin NULL modem cable needed.)

I don't know, but unless a got a couple strange Dynamics, seems like they are wrong with the Null cable thing!

Have not yet had a chance to play with the Channel Editor yet with either cable. I will do that today sometime and let you all know what cable works with that!

There is a 2008 firmware version the Dynamics are using now, the new one I got had it in there before I moved the 2007 firmware to the new one by accident! both now have the 2007 version! O~well they are working fine just the same with the 2007 version of firmware!

B~Man

FTABman0,

I have made all my cables from scratch. We use all sorts of strange cable types at work to communicate with Allen Bradley and Modicon and many other brand devices for industrial PLC control of automated equipment so I have access to a lot of manufacturer's components and cables. When we decommission or refurbish a machine, I can get a "grab box" full of all sorts of goodies for $2.00! A nice perk for working in the maintenance and engineering department.

With my Coolsat 5K, I used a straight RS232 cable to communicate between the receiver and the PC, but required a crossover cable to transfer data from receiver to receiver.

For the Fortec Dynamic, I used the crossover cable to communicate between the receiver and the PC. That was using the channel editor-loader program. I assume that I would have to use a straight cable to transfer data between receivers, but I only have the one IRD at this time so I cannot test this.

You mentioned two firmware revisions for the Dynamic. Do you know what the differences are? Do you have both revisions? My Dynamic shows the following info:

Model: Dynamic
Last Updated: July 16 2007
S/W Version: V1.53
H/W Version: V1.00
Loader Version: V1.0

RADAR

FTABman0

Apr 27, 2009

AcWxRadar said:
FTABman0,

I have made all my cables from scratch. We use all sorts of strange cable types at work to communicate with Allen Bradley and Modicon and many other brand devices for industrial PLC control of automated equipment so I have access to a lot of manufacturer's components and cables. When we decommission or refurbish a machine, I can get a "grab box" full of all sorts of goodies for $2.00! A nice perk for working in the maintenance and engineering department.

With my Coolsat 5K, I used a straight RS232 cable to communicate between the receiver and the PC, but required a crossover cable to transfer data from receiver to receiver.

For the Fortec Dynamic, I used the crossover cable to communicate between the receiver and the PC. That was using the channel editor-loader program. I assume that I would have to use a straight cable to transfer data between receivers, but I only have the one IRD at this time so I cannot test this.

You mentioned two firmware revisions for the Dynamic. Do you know what the differences are? Do you have both revisions? My Dynamic shows the following info:

Model: Dynamic
Last Updated: July 16 2007
S/W Version: V1.53
H/W Version: V1.00
Loader Version: V1.0

RADAR

RADAR,
I have boxes of cables too and just found that old PC data transfer cable that did the trick on the clone of the STB'S!

I tried the old coolsat Null Cable the other day and was not able to use the Channel Editor on any single Dynamic. Was strange but there was no need for me to go into it more after that so I never tried to push the issue of trying after that.

The boxes did clone fine on the PC cable I used just fine.

Now on the firmware, the new Dynamic that I got from Sadoun last week, it had 2008 firmware in it! I lost it cloning my last year's box by mistake (2007 version) to the new one. I would say there is not much difference between the 2008 or the 2007 version but I did find it odd that the new Dynamic had the 2008 version and I can't find it anyplace! Just the 2007 version! Maybe Sadoun can chime in here and tell us why!

I wonder whey the sales outlet's of these boxes do not write a background screen promoting their business in the OSD part of the screen for advertisement! Where it says Fortec Star in the OSD background they could have their own firmware that has the company you bought it from! You know if you never liked it you could always go to the Manufactures website and change it back to factory firmware to get it back looking OEM! :eureka

If it was thought of we would have seen it by now you know! Remember any Gold Sponsors that does this, I thought of it first!

The new system is up and running great and I have to give a :hatsoff

: to Sadoun for getting that system out FAST for my weekend install! About 3 days out of the shop to here! It went out to a friend of my Father N Laws house and he could not be tickled more!

B~Man

Mr Tony

Apr 27, 2009

MOst of the receivers I've used require a null modem for computer-receiver but receiver to receiver uses a straight through for some odd reason

I know the Coolsat 5000 does it that way

FTABman0

Apr 27, 2009

Iceberg said:
MOst of the receivers I've used require a null modem for computer-receiver but receiver to receiver uses a straight through for some odd reason

I know the Coolsat 5000 does it that way

Thanks Tony, the point was that I did get it to work with the PC cable STB to STB!

B~Man

gillham

Apr 29, 2009

FTABman0 said:
Thanks Tony, the point was that I did get it to work with the PC cable STB to STB!

My money says that is a "laplink" style cable. I have the exact same design with a DB9 and DB25 on each end. It is a null modem cable that is designed to let you hook up two PCs whether they had old 25 pin serial or new 9 pin. Initially for desktop to laptop file transfer, hence the name.

If you tone that cable out I'm sure you'll find it is not a straight through cable. Just check pins 2 & 3 on the DB9 ends.

FTABman0

Apr 29, 2009

gillham said:
My money says that is a "laplink" style cable. I have the exact same design with a DB9 and DB25 on each end. It is a null modem cable that is designed to let you hook up two PCs whether they had old 25 pin serial or new 9 pin. Initially for desktop to laptop file transfer, hence the name.

If you tone that cable out I'm sure you'll find it is not a straight through cable. Just check pins 2 & 3 on the DB9 ends.

Will have to do that and try! All I know gillham, is the regular cable that comes with most of the FTA STB'S did not work with STB to STB but the cable in the picture did work! Something is not the same here! Again, it worked and the Sat list came off and firmware cloned fine with the PC cable, the old Coolsat cable was a dead hookup!

B~Man

B.J.

Apr 29, 2009

gillham said:
My money says that is a "laplink" style cable. I have the exact same design with a DB9 and DB25 on each end. It is a null modem cable that is designed to let you hook up two PCs whether they had old 25 pin serial or new 9 pin. Initially for desktop to laptop file transfer, hence the name.

If you tone that cable out I'm sure you'll find it is not a straight through cable. Just check pins 2 & 3 on the DB9 ends.

I absolutely agree. The cable that connects 2 PCs is definately a null modem, and the Coolsat cable is most likely a straight through.

The reason I'm responding though is that the end of your post is pretty important if you have one of those 4 ended cables you describe, ie the part about using the "DB9 ends". I generally wire my own cables, but once was wiring a cable to go between 9 pin and 25 pin devices. I knew that both the 9 and 25 pin cables use pins 2 and 3 for receive and transmit, but I had never noticed that they are reversed. Ie on the standard 25 pin cable, 2 is transmit and 3 is receive, but on the 9 pin, 2 is receive and 3 is transmit. This had me VERY confused one day. I always check cables with a voltmeter before using them, because few of them tell you what kind of cable they are.
But the bottom line is that in 99.9% of serial devices, you have to connect the send line of one device to the receive line of the other, and if the two devices are the same, then that's when you need a null modem or in this case a simple 3-wire reversing cable. Computers now all have DTE configuration with pin 2 receive (9-pin). This wasn't the case back in the 80s, which resulted in me smoking a computer once. Some receivers have DTE configuration, and some receivers have DCE configuration, which has the reverse, pin 2 transmit (9-pin). To connect two DCEs or two DTEs, you use NULL MODEM. To connect a DTE to DCE, you use straight through.

rv1pop

Apr 29, 2009

I got a couple of boxes from SatelliteAV and they do have SatelliteAV and/or Glorystar branding in the menus. The DVR's also auto update and have news from Glorystar on the first 5 channel displays!

FTABman0 said:
RADAR,
I wonder whey the sales outlet's of these boxes do not write a background screen promoting their business in the OSD part of the screen for advertisement! Where it says Fortec Star in the OSD background they could have their own firmware that has the company you bought it from! You know if you never liked it you could always go to the Manufactures website and change it back to factory firmware to get it back looking OEM!

If it was thought of we would have seen it by now you know! Remember any Gold Sponsors that does this, I thought of it first!

B~Man

FTABman0

Apr 29, 2009

rv1pop said:
I got a couple of boxes from SatelliteAV and they do have SatelliteAV and/or Glorystar branding in the menus. The DVR's also auto update and have news from Glorystar on the first 5 channel displays!

Thanks Pop, guess that someone has thought of that idea! I have not yet installed one yet just for Glorystar programming, but I think that is going to be soon for I had someone ask from Clarksburg WV today about "just Glorystar".

So it looks soon I will have my hands on one of them to check out before it gets a new home!

Thanks again Pop!

K E V I N

Sadoun

May 2, 2009

Radar, yes it has been done before for several years.

We don't usually put our background image (we should

). We used to do it on the old Coship receiver about 6 years ago.

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teachtom

Last reply 4 minutes ago · posted in DISH Network Support Forum

Problem when I switch from Bonus View channels back to regular Dish channels

Hello everyone, new guy here. I'm trying to solve problem I'm having with Dish bonus view channels. When I'm watching the bonus view channels then I switch back to regular dish channels, after few minutes the screen flips to black and after 30 seconds flips back to regular channels and continues to flip back and forth until I turn off TV. After I wait 30 minutes and turn back on , I can use regular channels again. So, its after I switch from bonus view channels to regular dish channels the problem starts. Been trying to fix this for a month, but no luck
Here what I've done.
i contacted Dish support and they sent me a new Joey3, but no help. Switched to a different HDMI input on TV, no help. Used different HDMI cable , no help. Used different electrical wall plug, no help.
Finally got a Dish tech to check it. He ran all systems check and was OK. Finally he brought in a small TV and plugged in the HDMI out from the Joey to the small TV. He could not get the problem to occur on his small TV, so the new Joey was working OK. So, then the problem must be myTV. He made some phone calls and came back with the answer that there must be a problem with the analog to digital switch in my TV. Has anyone ever heard of a problem like this, or is it time to be looking for a new TV? My tv LG OLED65C8PUA. TV has been trouble free til now. Thanks

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HipKat

Today at 5:07 PM

teachtom said:
Hello everyone, new guy here. I'm trying to solve problem I'm having with Dish bonus view channels. When I'm watching the bonus view channels then I switch back to regular dish channels, after few minutes the screen flips to black and after 30 seconds flips back to regular channels and continues to flip back and forth until I turn off TV. After I wait 30 minutes and turn back on , I can use regular channels again. So, its after I switch from bonus view channels to regular dish channels the problem starts. Been trying to fix this for a month, but no luck
Here what I've done.
i contacted Dish support and they sent me a new Joey3, but no help. Switched to a different HDMI input on TV, no help. Used different HDMI cable , no help. Used different electrical wall plug, no help.
Finally got a Dish tech to check it. He ran all systems check and was OK. Finally he brought in a small TV and plugged in the HDMI out from the Joey to the small TV. He could not get the problem to occur on his small TV, so the new Joey was working OK. So, then the problem must be myTV. He made some phone calls and came back with the answer that there must be a problem with the analog to digital switch in my TV. Has anyone ever heard of a problem like this, or is it time to be looking for a new TV? My tv LG OLED65C8PUA. TV has been trouble free til now. Thanks

First off, great TV. I'm torn between the 77C5 or the 77G5.
It sounds like the handshake between the Receiver and the TV is having a problem. Are you using the free cable that came with the Joey or a higher speed HDMI cable?? That's the f irst place I'd look

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RJT79

Today at 5:17 PM

teachtom said:
Hello everyone, new guy here. I'm trying to solve problem I'm having with Dish bonus view channels. When I'm watching the bonus view channels then I switch back to regular dish channels, after few minutes the screen flips to black and after 30 seconds flips back to regular channels and continues to flip back and forth until I turn off TV. After I wait 30 minutes and turn back on , I can use regular channels again. So, its after I switch from bonus view channels to regular dish channels the problem starts. Been trying to fix this for a month, but no luck
Here what I've done.
i contacted Dish support and they sent me a new Joey3, but no help. Switched to a different HDMI input on TV, no help. Used different HDMI cable , no help. Used different electrical wall plug, no help.
Finally got a Dish tech to check it. He ran all systems check and was OK. Finally he brought in a small TV and plugged in the HDMI out from the Joey to the small TV. He could not get the problem to occur on his small TV, so the new Joey was working OK. So, then the problem must be myTV. He made some phone calls and came back with the answer that there must be a problem with the analog to digital switch in my TV. Has anyone ever heard of a problem like this, or is it time to be looking for a new TV? My tv LG OLED65C8PUA. TV has been trouble free til now. Thanks

First off, The analog to digital switch, also known as the digital television transition, is the process of converting older analog television broadcasting technology to digital broadcasting. It's used through coaxial cable for the an antenna during the mandatory switch from Analog to Digital on June 12, 2009. You either had to get a converter for your analog (Tube TV) or use a converter box that has the analog or digital tuner or an HDTV which your is and has the tuner built in. Your TV is HD and using an HDMI Cable and nothing is connected by coaxial cable so this wouldn't apply.

In my theory it probably means a new TV. I had a TV go out on my switching between the Smart Screen from the HDMI inputs before because they went faulty. Sometimes electrical surges can cause this. If you have an older home or rent an older home or apartment sometimes the electrical outlets are not grounded and these days HDTV's need a ground which can cause them to malfunction and go bad quicker. Never plug it directly in an outlet. It will damage the TV.

Hope I could be of some assistance.

RJ T.
From Illinois

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teachtom

Today at 7:33 PM

RJT79 said:
First off, The analog to digital switch, also known as the digital television transition, is the process of converting older analog television broadcasting technology to digital broadcasting. It's used through coaxial cable for the an antenna during the mandatory switch from Analog to Digital on June 12, 2009. You either had to get a converter for your analog (Tube TV) or use a converter box that has the analog or digital tuner or an HDTV which your is and has the tuner built in. Your TV is HD and using an HDMI Cable and nothing is connected by coaxial cable so this wouldn't apply.

In my theory it probably means a new TV. I had a TV go out on my switching between the Smart Screen from the HDMI inputs before because they went faulty. Sometimes electrical surges can cause this. If you have an older home or rent an older home or apartment sometimes the electrical outlets are not grounded and these days HDTV's need a ground which can cause them to malfunction and go bad quicker. Never plug it directly in an outlet. It will damage the TV.

Hope I could be of some assistance.

RJ T.
From Illinois

Thank you for the information. I do keep the TV plugged into a surge protector, but we have had pretty strong thunderstorms/lightning in the last month so that have contributed to my problem.The house was built in 2009 so everything seems to be grounded correctly. We have had a power surge also. Seems like no one fixes anything any more, so just get a new one or live with the problem. Thanks

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teachtom

Today at 7:39 PM

HipKat said:
First off, great TV. I'm torn between the 77C5 or the 77G5.
It sounds like the handshake between the Receiver and the TV is having a problem. Are you using the free cable that came with the Joey or a higher speed HDMI cable?? That's the f irst place I'd look

I think the HDMI cable is good, i used one of my own from my 4K atmos system, i'll switch it with another just to check. Also I have a bid in at Greentoe for 77" G5. Thanks

Reactions: HipKat and charlesrshell

HipKat

Today at 8:17 PM

teachtom said:
I think the HDMI cable is good, i used one of my own from my 4K atmos system, i'll switch it with another just to check. Also I have a bid in at Greentoe for 77" G5. Thanks

I hope that works. I'm waiting til Black Friday sales

Reactions: charlesrshell

Darrell S

4 minutes ago

I've had this problem with my older Sony TV. It happens when I just punch in a regular channel number. The only way it works right for me is to push guide and select a regular channel from the guide screen.

Scott Greczkowski

Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge

Last reply 12 minutes ago · posted in The Chit Chat Club

Song Name Game Part 3!

Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!

So let the game continue!

The last song was added by Bobby who posted...

One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters

CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!

Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game

Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.

Example:

Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow

Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio

Another example:

Ride the Lightning -- Metallica

Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne

Get it?

An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....

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Today at 11:00 AM

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teachsac

Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU!

Last reply 26 minutes ago · posted in TV Shows

House of the Dragon

House of the Dragon, the prequel to Game of Thrones, premieres on HBO Max on 8/21. I will be warching

'Game of Thrones' spinoff 'House of the Dragon' fires up release date at HBO, drops new character pics

The wait’s felt a little like watching for a dragon egg to hatch, but HBO’s hugely anticipated Game of Thrones prequel series finally has a release date. House of the Dragon will debut the first of its initial 10-episode season this summer, the network revealed today in a series of tweets that...

www.syfy.com

View: https://youtu.be/fNwwt25mheo

S~

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KAB

Sep 30, 2024

That was as bad as the rest of the show. Jean Smart was mostly invisible.

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I prefer the trailer for the movie adaptation of Mario Kart. At least that had Pedro Pascal in it.

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Feb 19, 2026

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TWiT Tech Podcast Network

33 minutes ago · posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network

Why New FCC Rules Could Crush Phone Privacy in the US

Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unH0Z1jl228

Direct YouTube Link - Why New FCC Rules Could Crush Phone Privacy in the US
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed

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natevw

Last reply Today at 8:02 PM · posted in FTA Receiver / Equipment Support

GEOSATpro Does anyone recognize these channels (/audio loop)?

Hi all, I recently inherited a FTA system off Craiglist and have been trying to get it set up. What I got was a Glorystar-branded ~90cm offset dish with a ground mount (/flat roof) frame, and GEOSATpro DSR200c receiver. From that initial equipment, I've replaced the old LNBF with a (cheap!) new one and also splurged on an SG-2100 H-H motorized rotor which does respond from the receiver's USALS menu.

The previous owner had it set up for religious programming on Galaxy 19 and I've been trying to start by finding that same bird at least. After a couple sessions I'm not sure I have, but I've found *something* at least! A handful of motor ticks further than the dish wants to be for 97W after starting from motor 0 pointing as much south as I can guess at. (I don't have great references to aim for and it's really hard to sight where exactly the dish is pointing anyway….)

Anyway, so far there's only one transponder that I've ever been able to catch as I search. It's 12146 V and when the receiver scans it I get this list of video channels:

1.1 Srv_1
2.84 OU_Chan
3.2 Srv_2
4.5 Srv_5
5.3 Srv_3
6.4 Srv_4
7.6 Srv_6
8.7 Srv_7

There's iirc three audio channels it finds too but I didn't get a good snapshot of those. All the channels except for one seem to be dead (black screen and silent audio), except for the OU_Chan one which on both days I found it was just rolling one same ad over and over on a loop. I won't repeat the full roll since I don't want to spam the forums as my first post

but it's a long-winded spiel about "you know us as an industry-leading satellite solutions provider with over a quarter million sites" and to call them For All Your Every Needs™ type thing.

While I get little blips from other frequencies, this is the only strong transponder I've been able to come across. My receiver shows it as S 75 and Q up to 85 when I adjust it. It actually seemed to get better as I **un**skewed my LBNF — iiuc G19 was supposed to be -20º for me but however I'm supposed to be reading/referencing the angles the puck is now basically at 0º relative to the dish/arm got the strongest on this transponder.

Anyway sorry this is so long winded already… my question is, do I even have the right satellite? None of the other transponders that are supposed to be active on G-19 seem to come in. And if not the right satellite does anyone happen to recognize which one I might have found instead? I think knowing that would help me then adjust for a truer south aim and then hopeful the USALS will work automatically once I can get it dialed in.

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cyberham

Jun 2, 2026

Correct LO setting to 10600 MHz. Set receiver to 12053 V 22000. Use USALS to motor over to 97W Galaxy 19. Then, loosen bolts and rotate entire assembly (motor & dish) very slightly east or west until you peak on that transponder.

You should be able to blind scan in 6 transponders (DVB-S) and dozens of channels.

When using a motor, just set skew of LNB for 0 degrees and don't change it. The motor automatically rotates the dish to the correct skew.

natevw

Jun 4, 2026

cyberham said:
Correct LO setting to 10600 MHz. Set receiver to 12053 V 22000. Use USALS to motor over to 97W Galaxy 19. Then, loosen bolts and rotate entire assembly (motor & dish) very slightly east or west until you peak on that transponder.

Done and done and done! I ended up doing a bit more iteration (back and forth between the left-right and up-down adjustments) but I've now got it landing on G19 at its default position for 97W.

cyberham said:
You should be able to blind scan in 6 transponders (DVB-S) and dozens of channels.

Yep, ended up with a page or two full on my receiver's search. Didn't double-check that my receiver has all six of the right transponders but I can mess with that later if it turns out I'm missing something interesting but still DVB-S / MPEG-2 compatible.

cyberham said:
When using a motor, just set skew of LNB for 0 degrees and don't change it. The motor automatically rotates the dish to the correct skew.

Yep, can see definite signal degradation as soon as I skew the LNB either way from "straight" (seam on the LNB lined up with the clamps on the mounting bracket). Will make setup easier if I want to try swapping anything else in!

I don't know if there's any good (unencrypted, DVB-S) satellite farther away to really check the sweep against, but I was at least able to program in my original find at 101.0 W back in (now at the correct "12000 V 20000" setting) and can get both birds automatically.

Shouldn't be *that* exciting since it's just an ad, but still really fun to choose channels on the other one and have it jog over and lock on

Reactions: freddylq and cyberham

cyberham

Jun 4, 2026

Motor over to 123W Galaxy 18 and try for 12078 V 3680 (Korean Broadcasting System). It is DVB-S. And 12008 H 12660 (Daystar mux) on the same satellite.

Beyond these, you'll need your new receiver that supports DVB-S2.

Reactions: Brct203

Brct203

Jun 4, 2026

natevw said:
Done and done and done! I ended up doing a bit more iteration (back and forth between the left-right and up-down adjustments) but I've now got it landing on G19 at its default position for 97W.

Yep, ended up with a page or two full on my receiver's search. Didn't double-check that my receiver has all six of the right transponders but I can mess with that later if it turns out I'm missing something interesting but still DVB-S / MPEG-2 compatible.

Yep, can see definite signal degradation as soon as I skew the LNB either way from "straight" (seam on the LNB lined up with the clamps on the mounting bracket). Will make setup easier if I want to try swapping anything else in!

I don't know if there's any good (unencrypted, DVB-S) satellite farther away to really check the sweep against, but I was at least able to program in my original find at 101.0 W back in (now at the correct "12000 V 20000" setting) and can get both birds automatically.

Shouldn't be *that* exciting since it's just an ad, but still really fun to choose channels on the other one and have it jog over and lock on

beside 123W, another one to try (if it's above the horizon at your location) is Hispasat @30W. It has at least 2 DVB-S transponders with SD/Mpeg2 channels

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natevw

Today at 7:36 PM

cyberham said:
Motor over to 123W Galaxy 18 and try for 12078 V 3680 (Korean Broadcasting System). It is DVB-S. And 12008 H 12660 (Daystar mux) on the same satellite.

No luck finding this one. I motor over and it seems like a pretty dead spot of sky. I did get a slight blip (Q up to 1% or 2%) if I lowered the dish slightly. So I wonder if my polar mount itself maybe needs a bit of fine tuning?

Even when loosening the bolts and manually nudging the dish up/down/left/right nothing seemed to really wake it [new receiver, see below!] up and never saw anything more than 4% or 5% which I don't know is even real or could have been just noise?

Brct203 said:
beside 123W, another one to try (if it's above the horizon at your location) is Hispasat @30W.

I'm in Washington state (northwest CONUS) so this one's not an option for me.

cyberham said:
Beyond these, you'll need your new receiver that supports DVB-S2.

I now have a V8 Finder 2

I've been able to scan in more now on G-19, and as well as watching the ad on SES 1 and getting some PBS stations there and G-16 both. So three satellites kinda in the general vicinity of each other (97W/101W/99.1W) programmed and able to rotate between.

Is G-18 at 123W as strong as the others? According to Satbeams I should be at least somewhat in its footprint although it looks like it's maybe focused more on Alaska.

Now that I'm back at my computer waiting for the Finder to charge back up looks like the Eutelsat(s) 117W have a couple Ku transponders I could look for too.

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cyberham

Today at 8:02 PM

On 117W, try for BVN. It has a C/N lock of just 1.0 dB so it's easy to receive. See transponder data on Lyngsat. 123W is receivable. Your motor is not perfectly on the arc yet.

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TWiT Tech Podcast Network

Today at 7:52 PM · posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network

Google’s New Translate Tool

Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wW3qReY-JYA

Direct YouTube Link - Google's New Translate Tool
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed

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TWiT Tech Podcast Network

Today at 7:52 PM · posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network

Another Cisco SD-WAN 0-day?

Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zh1RgcJue0

Direct YouTube Link - Another Cisco SD-WAN 0-day?
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed

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natevw

Last reply Today at 7:19 PM · posted in FTA Receiver / Equipment Support

OTHER Does the GT Media V8 Finder2 run rotor motors? (/DVB-S2 recommendations)

I'm having trouble finding a for sure answer on this. When I first started diving back into satellite stuff I noticed the GT Media V8 Finder2 which looks pretty cool and relatively low price point. But I can't find an answer, seems like some people (and Amazon's own AI guesser-bot) say it doesn't support motors.

The manual itself (the PDF that I found is named 20220718043903GTMEDIAV8FINDER2.pdf and it's on page 6 of 8) does show on the installation screen a "Motor Setup" menu item and says "If select DiSEqC1.2 or USALS, we can press ◀︎▶︎ to select IF Channel, and use number key to input Center Frequency."

Which…… the USALS part seems promising, but I don't know what IF and Center frequencies have to do with anything? Can it drive the motor off its battery for one, and does it have options for e.g. using the ◀︎▶︎ arrows to change the aim and save adjustments?
The closest I've found to real-world experience here is in Long shot with TBS6909X card where someone is talking about a different rotor and says:

> when I connect my V8 Finder 2, it immediately moves the dish if it's not in the correct position

which seems really promising! Moving the dish is what I'm after here, with something newer than the old MPEG-2 receiver I have now. Even for other receivers its really unclear if motor support is just pretty much a safe assumption that they don't even mention it anymore?

The V9 Prime actually looks pretty nice too and assuming it runs motors maybe that'd be better than the V8 Finder 2 for actual long term use since it has networking. But I'm having trouble finding listings for it (and actually most other receivers I see mentioned here) on Amazon or eBay or even Aliexpress. I'm wanting a DVB-S2 receiver for at least MPEG-4 with H.264/AVC and maybe should just get H.265/HEVC while I'm shopping. Main criteria:

* run my "Goto X"-era SG-2100 rotator
* be able to view most/all modern FTA satellites
* ideally a scheduled DVR feature and/or network would make it more useful
* I don't mind if it has… "alternative" firmwares or features but just for broader compatibility/interest

My main goal is I guess just exploration, seeing what's up there. Honestly not a big TV guy and definitely not into infomercials but if I can time shift the occasional Bob Ross or Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, or catch some world events as they're being uplinked, that sort of thing might be interesting. (Honestly main goal started out as weather satellites but this is kinda a warmup excercise for what will likely be a separate setup due to the frequencies.)

My dish is kinda far from my house and even farther from my "radio shack" so if I could just run a PoE ethernet line to something in a box below the dish, or a coax only to the crawlspace where I have 110V but either way would need it full remote including changing between satellites. To avoid having to buy and pull tons more coax up and down through the house. I'm into open source and real standards, so I'd much rather something that I can say use with VLC or go2rtc via a raw IP address and protocol rather than some convenient but proprietary iOS cloud app thingy.

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cyberham

Jun 2, 2026

I have the GT Media V9 prime receiver. It's a good modern receiver for its price. I think it's no longer available new since GT Media stopped making receivers.

The V9 supports USALS and Diseqc motor positioning. I have 125 feet of RG6 to my dish. I'd recommend 100 feet of cable maximum due to voltage drop issues as the cable gets longer. In my case, my motor works but at times when I move the motor I stay tuned to horizontal (H) transponders which sends a higher motor voltage than if tuned to a vertical (V) transponder.

natevw

Jun 2, 2026

Thanks, great tips and yeah when I'd read how the H/V bias worked I wondered if the higher voltage was ever useful for better power transfer

It was perhaps slightly impulsive (though I guess not too late to cancel) but instead of the Finder unit I ended up going for kinda the opposite: a completely faceless USB tuner box (TBS5930) which should have RF support all the way up through DVB-S2X. If I'm understanding correctly the actual video/audio will then be whatever I can get software/GPU support for so my hope is that any unencrypted MPEG-2/AVC/HEVC feed can be viewed with VLC or whatnot. As well as access to what I assume is pure data like the Blockstream stuff just for example. (They had a lot of good resources for reception of their own signal in lots of various interesting ways and is kinda how I found the TBS options.)

And I think I will be able to control DiSEqC stuff through Linux including motor commands. So the idea is kinda what I mentioned, hoping this can just get chained in to an old thin client PC or if there's any Raspberry Pi that doesn't cost triple digits these days, somewhere physically convenient and then run it all over LAN from my laptop.

All this is somewhat theoretical of course based on what I'm piecing together but at a certain point I usually have to close all the browser tabs and just commit to try *something* that looks promising and go from there.

natevw

Today at 7:19 PM

natevw said:
I'm having trouble finding a for sure answer on this.

Had a mixup with the TBS5930, got sent a cheaper Lite model than I paid for and am returning that. Ended up with the V8 Finder 2 after all.

And can confirm that it *does* have motor support! There's options for each satellite:

* None
* DiSEqC 1.2
* USALS

If you choose USALS (after setting device lat/lon) then it simply goes to where it thinks the satellite should be. If you arrow over to the DiSEqC option then you can press "OK" on it and pull up a menu with the ability to save position presets and also a motor nudge feature.

So between the two I can first choose USALS to get my initial setting, and then switch to DiSEqC to see if fine tuning helps.

That's all in the "Installation menu". When just watching channels it automatically switches between satellites too. Can even do a multi-satellite scan although it seemed it maybe didn't wait for the motor to finish before starting the scan.