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First of all, thanks for all the great information on this site! This site has been responsible for teaching me most of what I have learned about FTA so far - and as you will quickly see I have a LOT more to learn.
I am posting because I'm at a loss... I don't know where to look for help, and I can't find the answers on any of the posts here. I hoping someone would be kind enough to point me in the right direction after the laughing fits wane. Here goes:
I recently purchased some equipment to gain access to FTA signals with my HTPC. I built the PC last year to run everything in our home theater from one interface. FTA was always in the vision, and I figured I could get a receiver card and make use of an old DISH reflector that I still had from several years ago when I subscribed to DISH. In short, I decided against using this dish and instead opted for a 76cm Winegard DS2076 with a SG-2100 motor to drive it and a Starcom SR-3602 HD twin LNB. To receive, I invested in a TBS6981 DVB-S2 dual-tuner PCI-e card.
The installation of the card went smoothly, and I did this before installing the new dish and hooking everything up. This weekend I spent most of Saturday installing the dish on the roof and running a new RG-6 line to the theater. I spent a good part of today trying to configure the "mobilizer" portions of DVBDream and ProgDVB to get the dish moving. The software is set up to make use of or simulate USALS, which I thought would make fine-tuning the dish set up a lot easier. However, the dish does not appear to be moving at all despite the feedback in the software saying that it is. Using a signal strength meter has not helped much either, as I get the strongest signal when pointed South and the signal drops off when turning either direction (instead of finding peaks along the arc of movement where I would expect to receive signals). The meter also confirms that I am getting 18V at the dish from the receiver and I am able to move the dish manually using the buttons on the motor. I am assuming that my elevation must be off, but all of the calculations I made during installation appear correct. I would hope the installation would be close enough to pick up some signal and allow for tuning.
At this point my trouble with that approach is that I have no idea what satellite I would be tuning. When searching for channels both software packages tell me that I have reasonable signal strength but very low quality. As a result, no channels are found. This is the same for any satellite it tells me that it is searching (I believe because the dish is not turning, although the software seems to think it is).
A few of my questions (probably really dumb questions, so please bear with me and if you respond please keep the answers simple):
Does anyone have experience with the TBS cards? Are there any pointers you can give me?
Am I missing something in the set up that is preventing the receiver card from driving the motor correctly?
Does it matter what satellite I use to fine-tune the installation? Even if I have no idea what signal I am receiving?
I can't find good information on the LNB I am using. I didn't realize all of the differences in the LNBs, and I am wondering if this could be the source of my problems. Is anyone familiar with the SR-3602? Is this a good LNB to use? If so, is there something I must be aware of in setting up the receiver?
As you can see, I'm pretty lost and in way over my head. I am open to any advice given. Please keep in mind that if possible I'd really like to make this system work with the PCI-e receiver card I have now. With the exception of the LNB, I am fairly confident that this equipment should be working well together, but I'm still stumped as to why the dish will not drive from the receiver.
Thanks in advance for your help. Thanks for all the great info so far too!
I am posting because I'm at a loss... I don't know where to look for help, and I can't find the answers on any of the posts here. I hoping someone would be kind enough to point me in the right direction after the laughing fits wane. Here goes:
I recently purchased some equipment to gain access to FTA signals with my HTPC. I built the PC last year to run everything in our home theater from one interface. FTA was always in the vision, and I figured I could get a receiver card and make use of an old DISH reflector that I still had from several years ago when I subscribed to DISH. In short, I decided against using this dish and instead opted for a 76cm Winegard DS2076 with a SG-2100 motor to drive it and a Starcom SR-3602 HD twin LNB. To receive, I invested in a TBS6981 DVB-S2 dual-tuner PCI-e card.
The installation of the card went smoothly, and I did this before installing the new dish and hooking everything up. This weekend I spent most of Saturday installing the dish on the roof and running a new RG-6 line to the theater. I spent a good part of today trying to configure the "mobilizer" portions of DVBDream and ProgDVB to get the dish moving. The software is set up to make use of or simulate USALS, which I thought would make fine-tuning the dish set up a lot easier. However, the dish does not appear to be moving at all despite the feedback in the software saying that it is. Using a signal strength meter has not helped much either, as I get the strongest signal when pointed South and the signal drops off when turning either direction (instead of finding peaks along the arc of movement where I would expect to receive signals). The meter also confirms that I am getting 18V at the dish from the receiver and I am able to move the dish manually using the buttons on the motor. I am assuming that my elevation must be off, but all of the calculations I made during installation appear correct. I would hope the installation would be close enough to pick up some signal and allow for tuning.
At this point my trouble with that approach is that I have no idea what satellite I would be tuning. When searching for channels both software packages tell me that I have reasonable signal strength but very low quality. As a result, no channels are found. This is the same for any satellite it tells me that it is searching (I believe because the dish is not turning, although the software seems to think it is).
A few of my questions (probably really dumb questions, so please bear with me and if you respond please keep the answers simple):
Does anyone have experience with the TBS cards? Are there any pointers you can give me?
Am I missing something in the set up that is preventing the receiver card from driving the motor correctly?
Does it matter what satellite I use to fine-tune the installation? Even if I have no idea what signal I am receiving?
I can't find good information on the LNB I am using. I didn't realize all of the differences in the LNBs, and I am wondering if this could be the source of my problems. Is anyone familiar with the SR-3602? Is this a good LNB to use? If so, is there something I must be aware of in setting up the receiver?
As you can see, I'm pretty lost and in way over my head. I am open to any advice given. Please keep in mind that if possible I'd really like to make this system work with the PCI-e receiver card I have now. With the exception of the LNB, I am fairly confident that this equipment should be working well together, but I'm still stumped as to why the dish will not drive from the receiver.
Thanks in advance for your help. Thanks for all the great info so far too!
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4355 views
Supporting Founder
Really excited for this season with Kentucky having a new coach and some really exciting recruits. Probably won't last long, but here's hoping this season is great.
143 Replies
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1433 views
Nah, you just don't understand how ignore works, which is why you made your own NFL thread thinking there wasn't one
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....
68501 Replies
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2670981 views
For quite a while now, people with a VIP211k have been losing their recordings on their activated external HDDs... even when there's nothing physically wrong with HDD. I believe this is an intentional and underhanded tactic that Dish is pulling in an attempt to force users away from the VIP211k.
They are obviously regretting that they ever let users have a "non-dvr" dvr in the first place. You would think they would be happy charging you a $40 one time fee... and then be happy letting the customer be the one responsible for HDD failures.
Dish clearly hates the 211k bitter-clingers. This recording deletion problem is intentional (IMO), and I think it is just one more tool that they are using. Hopper and a 2-year agreement... that's what they want you to have. Think about that... a 2-year agreement... with a company $30 Billion in debt (that's with a B). What happens when all that debt causes them to drop the channel that may have been your whole reason for having Dish in the first place? Guess who's stuck with a service that no longer suits their needs... for the remainder of the 2-year agreement.
On top of that, they don't want you to install it yourself. I purchased and installed all my equipment myself. That used to be common. Now, they lie to me and tell me that my dish must be updated to use a Hopper. Funny thing is... they don't even know what dish I have because they didn't install it, and I didn't tell them. If you ask what type of dish/LNBs the hopper needs... good luck getting an answer. All they know is that whatever you have needs to be upgraded by an installer.
It is quite apparent to me that they care much more about staying in their box, than they do working with the customer. That's too bad, because it hasn't always been that way. It's like they are totally unaware of the current business environment that they are trying to compete in.
I have been a customer since 2010. I will be cancelling my service before the next period. Yeah, I know, my $1,200 a year won't make a difference to them. It just seems like they have forgotten who needs who, especially when you consider the competition in today's streaming world. But hey, they will have succeed in forcing me off the 211k.
They are obviously regretting that they ever let users have a "non-dvr" dvr in the first place. You would think they would be happy charging you a $40 one time fee... and then be happy letting the customer be the one responsible for HDD failures.
Dish clearly hates the 211k bitter-clingers. This recording deletion problem is intentional (IMO), and I think it is just one more tool that they are using. Hopper and a 2-year agreement... that's what they want you to have. Think about that... a 2-year agreement... with a company $30 Billion in debt (that's with a B). What happens when all that debt causes them to drop the channel that may have been your whole reason for having Dish in the first place? Guess who's stuck with a service that no longer suits their needs... for the remainder of the 2-year agreement.
On top of that, they don't want you to install it yourself. I purchased and installed all my equipment myself. That used to be common. Now, they lie to me and tell me that my dish must be updated to use a Hopper. Funny thing is... they don't even know what dish I have because they didn't install it, and I didn't tell them. If you ask what type of dish/LNBs the hopper needs... good luck getting an answer. All they know is that whatever you have needs to be upgraded by an installer.
It is quite apparent to me that they care much more about staying in their box, than they do working with the customer. That's too bad, because it hasn't always been that way. It's like they are totally unaware of the current business environment that they are trying to compete in.
I have been a customer since 2010. I will be cancelling my service before the next period. Yeah, I know, my $1,200 a year won't make a difference to them. It just seems like they have forgotten who needs who, especially when you consider the competition in today's streaming world. But hey, they will have succeed in forcing me off the 211k.
167 Replies
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7424 views
For some reason, the satelliteguys.us site is loading a lot slower than usual on both Chrome on my Asus laptop and Safari on my iPhone.
I'm also seeing longer appearances of the blue bar at the top and the "3 blue bars" loading symbol.
Is anyone else also having the same problem? Thanks in advance.
I'm also seeing longer appearances of the blue bar at the top and the "3 blue bars" loading symbol.
Is anyone else also having the same problem? Thanks in advance.
530 Replies
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18078 views
Remember folks... just like DNS... its always Foxbat. 
WTF… …What the Foxbat!Remember folks... just like DNS... its always Foxbat.
S
wow what a kick in the balls!!! the wife blames you when things don't work now scott's blaming youWTF… …What the Foxbat!
I know. Here's what Scott has in store for me if I get out of line:wow what a kick in the balls!!! the wife blames you when things don't work now scott's blaming you
S
OMG to freaking funny
You're no fun.
I thought I would come here and find lots of complaints about the update to the dish anywhere mobile app, but am not seeing any. It used to look just like the desktop webpage. Now you can no longer filter by sports channels or movie channels. Plus that they made it look like a big button telephone and you see fewer channels in the screen which requires more scrolling. Yes I realize you can look at sports then select which sport you want to look at, I just liked being able to see all sporting events in the guide with all other channels being filtered out. Am I alone in the wilderness on this?
7 Replies
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123 views
Supporting Founder
Pub Member / Supporter
Lifetime Supporter
Apple has finally released their Apple TV 4K with built-in Siri and a microphone so it can respond to your queries even if you don't have the remote. It also increases in price, to $299. I had been planning on updating my current Apple TV 4K streamers, but that's $600 for the two of them, and that's a pass at this point.
At $299, it had better come with 256 GB of Storage, Gigabit (or better) Ethernet, the latest HDMI tech and standards, and one year of free Apple One. But it probably won't…
At $299, it had better come with 256 GB of Storage, Gigabit (or better) Ethernet, the latest HDMI tech and standards, and one year of free Apple One. But it probably won't…
Apple TV 4K
Apple TV 4K. New Siri AI and hands-free control. Stunning picture and immersive HomePod surround sound. Works with your Apple and smart home devices.
www.apple.com
20 Replies
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285 views
S
. apple's been making money off of software and not hardware for a while
they all do that anyways.. ever notice your cell phone slows down when you come up for an upgrade..
. apple's been making money off of software and not hardware for a while
You should have looked in the APP STORE instead.
Supporting Founder
Several Dish offers showed up today in my account. Once you choose one the rest are removed. Offers were Showtime, Starz, AMC and others.
35 Replies
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1672 views
Not for me, mines has no mention of how long aka the offer period and the Terms and conditions the $0.00 is good for. All I see is one can lose $5.00 if you decide to remove it before day 31 after you add it to the account.
You have a different offer that is free for a shorter timeframe which is different than the one that I and bnewt saw without defining the promotion period as I sent the question to DISH Care via Facebook Messenger and this is the response I got back 20 minutes ago.
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4Edq2eavsQ
Direct YouTube Link - This Week in Space 232
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4Edq2eavsQ
Direct YouTube Link - This Week in Space 232
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
0 Replies
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17 views
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/oRVxjGm0qtE
Direct YouTube Link - Tim Cook, Elton John & King Charles: A Royal Tech Event
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/oRVxjGm0qtE
Direct YouTube Link - Tim Cook, Elton John & King Charles: A Royal Tech Event
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
0 Replies
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13 views
TFLEV
Time for another AWESOME video from TFL Electric Vehicles!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyF_RH1m0mc
Direct YouTube Link - Watch the New Tesla Roadster Jump, Fly and Barrel-Roll in Mid-Air!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyF_RH1m0mc
Direct YouTube Link - Watch the New Tesla Roadster Jump, Fly and Barrel-Roll in Mid-Air!
0 Replies
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23 views