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I have a pansat 150m and a 8' c-band dish setup. My inline meter and a compas say I am pointed at 97W G-19. LO set to 5150 and getting a level reading of 80% but a quality of 0%. Inline meter is at 9. Receiver set to 3905 V 4166. Any Ideas??
7 Replies
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2324 views
M
New C bander...my kind of guy! Welcome to the hobby. Without an old analog rx or a V/G Box controller, and until you can get one, you are better off doing like Cad said and hooking the jack (actuator arm) back up (if it still works) and using a 12v car battery to drive the dish. A VERY small movement can make the difference between a solid signal and absolutely none at all. If you are not familiar with the level (sometimes, for some reason unknown to me called signal) and quality readings, essentially, the level indicates you are hooked up to a presumably functional LNB. The quality is an indication that a signal of the programmed freq/SR is present and locked. The higher this reading is, the greater the amount of unerrored (desirable) data is being recieved. For the purposes of dish alignment, it is analgeous to 'signal strength' but technically is not.
The motor is 36v so 12v gives you a very fine, slow running adjustment control. Of course being DC, reversing the polarity reverses the direction the jack operates. If you cant find one locally, flea markets, Craigslist, etc, analog C band IRDs show up on Fleabay pretty regular for a few buck over shipping, which it seems to be roughy $20 anywhere in the lower 48 for these guys. (They are a bit on the heavy side) I saw one this weekend at a garage sale for 5 bucks. Didnt get it.....got plenty of backups for the time being.
The first thing I would do is drive the dish to it's highest point, and look at the polarotor element and note it's position. It should be obvious (relative to the ground directly in front of the dish) what polarity you are restricted to searching until you can get a means of controlling polarotor position (also via an analog C band IRD) or opting out for purchasing, installing and aligning an LNBF that uses 13/18 vdc from your FTA to electronicly switch polarity. (some like this setup, but personally I dont recommend it)
The polarotor position is something you will need to control via an old C band analog rx, or if you are handy with electronics, a member designed and built a circuit that can use the 13/18 vdc shift from an FTA rx to drive the polarotor. I have not taken the time to sit down and construct one, but it looks straightfoward enough to do, and the member very generously shared his concept, design and code for the uC with the community.
The link to the thread, which links to his off site page with the details is here -
http://www.satelliteguys.us/c-band-...168889-polarotor-servo-controller-design.html
Regarding meters, I have two, and a 'toner' and have found them to be erroneous and more trouble than they are worth. On an initial setup, I drag a 13" tv, and the FTA out near the dish and go at it. ( a cooler full of ice cold Colorado Koolaid is a plus too!
: :up 
) The ir control is not very stable in direct sunlight, but all in all, IMHO, it is better and more versatile alignment setup than trying to use a meter. I have read that standing behind the dish when taking a reading helps shield the meter from unwanted readings, but I have never tried that.
Next you need to have in hand, a good list of the sat/freq/polarity/SR of the channels you want to (or can, in the case of a fixed polarity) receive. There are a number of DVB signals that have no FTA content but are still very useful as beacons to help align a dish. I am not familiar with your model FTA, but putting one of these known strong freq/sr combos in the 1st 'slot' on your freq table may be a helpful configuration when switching from sat config to scan config menu pages. After identifying a particular bird, you may find it useful to take a Sharpie or similar, and mark a reference point on the stationary part of the mount near the pivot point, and mark hashes on the moving part to be able to repeat locating that same sat in the future. An analog IRD and V/G box use pulse counts generated by the jack to keep up with the dish position in a normal installation.
No offense to the guys that take the effort to provide "The List" here, but Mike at this link does a very good job of keeping on top of current FTA data for C and Ku. It is arguably the most reliable, and up to date FTA list on the 'net. The C band info can be found here -
http://www.global-cm.net/MPEGlistCBandUS.html
Again, good luck and welcome to the hobby, and becomming a fellow C bander. We are a minority in a minority, but remember "C banders do it with the BIGGER ONES than everyone else!"
One word of caution. Dont attempt to drive the polarotor with a dc signal. It is not a 'conventional' DC motor. It is PWM controlled, and contains additional electronic circuitry that could be damaged by a continuous dc signal.
Keep us posted on your progress and pitfalls.
The motor is 36v so 12v gives you a very fine, slow running adjustment control. Of course being DC, reversing the polarity reverses the direction the jack operates. If you cant find one locally, flea markets, Craigslist, etc, analog C band IRDs show up on Fleabay pretty regular for a few buck over shipping, which it seems to be roughy $20 anywhere in the lower 48 for these guys. (They are a bit on the heavy side) I saw one this weekend at a garage sale for 5 bucks. Didnt get it.....got plenty of backups for the time being.
The first thing I would do is drive the dish to it's highest point, and look at the polarotor element and note it's position. It should be obvious (relative to the ground directly in front of the dish) what polarity you are restricted to searching until you can get a means of controlling polarotor position (also via an analog C band IRD) or opting out for purchasing, installing and aligning an LNBF that uses 13/18 vdc from your FTA to electronicly switch polarity. (some like this setup, but personally I dont recommend it)
The polarotor position is something you will need to control via an old C band analog rx, or if you are handy with electronics, a member designed and built a circuit that can use the 13/18 vdc shift from an FTA rx to drive the polarotor. I have not taken the time to sit down and construct one, but it looks straightfoward enough to do, and the member very generously shared his concept, design and code for the uC with the community.
The link to the thread, which links to his off site page with the details is here -
http://www.satelliteguys.us/c-band-...168889-polarotor-servo-controller-design.html
Regarding meters, I have two, and a 'toner' and have found them to be erroneous and more trouble than they are worth. On an initial setup, I drag a 13" tv, and the FTA out near the dish and go at it. ( a cooler full of ice cold Colorado Koolaid is a plus too!
: :up ) The ir control is not very stable in direct sunlight, but all in all, IMHO, it is better and more versatile alignment setup than trying to use a meter. I have read that standing behind the dish when taking a reading helps shield the meter from unwanted readings, but I have never tried that. Next you need to have in hand, a good list of the sat/freq/polarity/SR of the channels you want to (or can, in the case of a fixed polarity) receive. There are a number of DVB signals that have no FTA content but are still very useful as beacons to help align a dish. I am not familiar with your model FTA, but putting one of these known strong freq/sr combos in the 1st 'slot' on your freq table may be a helpful configuration when switching from sat config to scan config menu pages. After identifying a particular bird, you may find it useful to take a Sharpie or similar, and mark a reference point on the stationary part of the mount near the pivot point, and mark hashes on the moving part to be able to repeat locating that same sat in the future. An analog IRD and V/G box use pulse counts generated by the jack to keep up with the dish position in a normal installation.
No offense to the guys that take the effort to provide "The List" here, but Mike at this link does a very good job of keeping on top of current FTA data for C and Ku. It is arguably the most reliable, and up to date FTA list on the 'net. The C band info can be found here -
http://www.global-cm.net/MPEGlistCBandUS.html
Again, good luck and welcome to the hobby, and becomming a fellow C bander. We are a minority in a minority, but remember "C banders do it with the BIGGER ONES than everyone else!"
One word of caution. Dont attempt to drive the polarotor with a dc signal. It is not a 'conventional' DC motor. It is PWM controlled, and contains additional electronic circuitry that could be damaged by a continuous dc signal.
Keep us posted on your progress and pitfalls.
Why are ViP922s So rare? like its crazy how ebay has none, i checked everywhere, also, i got a ViP222k now, which is actually activated!
32 Replies
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878 views
I remember this in the news too...
www.nbcnews.com
$14,000 spent on rented rotary phone
A widow rented a rotary dial telephone for 42 years, paying what her family calculates as more than $14,000 for a now- outdated phone.
www.nbcnews.com
That is a misnomer. In the old days you subscribed to telephone service. That included the telephone line and one telephone. An extension cost $1 a month extra. So that $14,000 over 42 years was for the service not the leased telephone. There is no way they paid $28 a month for 42 years for a leased telephone.I remember this in the news too...
$14,000 spent on rented rotary phone
A widow rented a rotary dial telephone for 42 years, paying what her family calculates as more than $14,000 for a now- outdated phone.
Lifetime Supporter
I know HipKat said that they were working on conversions but we got the official news yesterday right from Dish that starting next month all DMA's will be on the western arc, and all customers will be assigned to that. That's gonna mean a lot of customers around here aren't gonna get Dish unless there are exceptions. Too many mountains and trees.
145 Replies
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3707 views
Staff member
Pub Member / Supporter
Cutting Edge
The TPN Map Excel Presents all DIRECTV Channels:
Understanding the TPN Map
Making Sense of the TPN Map Display Conventions
National (50-States or wide/NAT+PR beams)
Local (Local-Into-Local or narrow/Spot beams)
Local (Local-Into-Local or narrow/Spot beams)
Additional tabs provide:
OTA the (Over-The-Air) Database
VOD (Video On_Demand) Records
Offline Records
Engr Records
Net Decoder a graphic presentation of all satellites and transponders
VOD (Video On_Demand) Records
Offline Records
Engr Records
Net Decoder a graphic presentation of all satellites and transponders
Domestic Satellites
@99W...... D11, D14
@101W.... D16
@103W.... D12, D15
@110W.... D5
@119W.... D8
@99W...... D11, D14
@101W.... D16
@103W.... D12, D15
@110W.... D5
@119W.... D8
Understanding the TPN Map
Making Sense of the TPN Map Display Conventions
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937149 views
Pub Member / Supporter
Lifetime Supporter
I'm surprised Walmart hasn't banned this guy from all of their stores. He has been on their CASE the past few months.
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/f3zr37ekgKM?feature=share
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/f3zr37ekgKM?feature=share
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376 views
Unless the specific product or its packaging is known at the time of weighing, estimating the tare weight for a PoS system is a tall order.
I'm pretty sure that produce bags can't get any thinner.
You certainly don't want to put unbagged produce on a belt, scale, or in a clerk's hands (gloved or not).
I would think that all the packaging would already be accounted for ... they weigh the container, subtract that from the scale, then add the product , so its weighing the Product onlyUnless the specific product or its packaging is known at the time of weighing, estimating the tare weight for a PoS system is a tall order.
I'm pretty sure that produce bags can't get any thinner.
You certainly don't want to put unbagged produce on a belt, scale, or in a clerk's hands (gloved or not).
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Yn1fIBkbJDQ
Direct YouTube Link - Glenn's Pick of the Week: The Vevor Automatic Tape Dispenser
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Yn1fIBkbJDQ
Direct YouTube Link - Glenn's Pick of the Week: The Vevor Automatic Tape Dispenser
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
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3 views
Staff member
HERE TO HELP YOU!
Cutting Edge
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....
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....
68585 Replies
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Supporting Founder
Lifetime Supporter
This thread is a place to discuss the 4K events that appear on channel 540. We are getting, at this point, one college football game a week. Let's hope there is more coming.
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299512 views
Hmmm, I'm not seeing anything like those events in our Hopper 3 guide for tonight or Saturday.
I went into the Tools menu and requested a Guide Update. I'll try looking at it after the update completes.
edit — I now have the 148-01 4KFox events for Saturday, but not anything for 148-02 or 148-03 which don't even show as available channels. I do have 148-04 4KUSA.
As I recall you have the Flex package. Do you sub to multisport? -02 is FS1 and -03 is ESPN. -01 is Fox so you would get that if you sub to locals.Hmmm, I'm not seeing anything like those events in our Hopper 3 guide for tonight or Saturday.
I went into the Tools menu and requested a Guide Update. I'll try looking at it after the update completes.
edit — I now have the 148-01 4KFox events for Saturday, but not anything for 148-02 or 148-03 which don't even show as available channels. I do have 148-04 4KUSA.
Even though it didn't work out for the Hoosiers, this event recorded and I was able to watch it in full 4K HDR.
Timer is set to Record the Series. Thanks, Bobby!
I haven't posted in almost 17 years. Over the air, sat, offline, anything-but-the-internet is still one of my avid pursuits. Been playing with offline tv viewing and offline web browsing. I have great appreciations for this site still being here. It's so hard to find public communities that haven't sold out to social media company.
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Welcome back, as you can see we branched off into a bunch of things since Satellite is what it is now, so lots to talk about here. 
Staff member
Pub Member / Supporter
Cutting Edge
In order to participate in any Cutting Edge testing, you must sign a Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA). Attached are a .docx (Microsoft Word) and PDF version of the latest DirecTV NDA. I found it easiest to complete the .docx version then paste a photo or scan image of my signature, cropped closely to just the signature into it as a picture. Then set Word to wrap text around the picture so that the picture follows the text "Signature".
People who have better PDF tools than I do may prefer that version.
When you apply for any Cutting Edge testing, you will be told how to send the signed copy.
People who have better PDF tools than I do may prefer that version.
When you apply for any Cutting Edge testing, you will be told how to send the signed copy.
1 Replies
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48 views