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Installed the new Metal Plate and added a new Pivot Bolt to 1 meter (40 inch) Fortec Star Dish as advised by Anole, Turnbuckle Bill, and others in an attempt to try and Fine Tune the Fortec Dish Elevation. Had mixed results. (See posted pictures).
First of all the Nuts that fit on the back of the Azimuth Bracket were Metric - 8 mm Nuts with a 1.25 degree pitch. It was almost impossible to find these at any Store in Winnipeg. One guy at Home Depot's Nuts & Bolt Dept said they really never stock Metric Nuts or Bolts! (Canada has been Metric for some 30 years). Finally found them at a Store called Adam Supply, - 11 cents each.
HH 120 Motor Shaft East & West Play
Tried fine tuning with the Threaded Rod and never could get Tp 11966 on 97.0W to get to a Q value of 60. But by far the worst Problem with this Dish and HH120 Stab Motor is the East & West Movement of the Dish and Motor. The Motor Shaft itself with the Dish installed has a slop or travel of what seems like 2 to 3 inches, - (maybe its less). We could pull the Dish at times to the left and see Q values on 11966 go as high as 60, but as soon as we let it go, it was back to 50%. This makes it next to impossible to do any type of Fine Tuning!!
Also the last 3 days have been fairly windy here, and I see "Russia Today" at times with completely Intermittant Transmission. Looking from the ground I could see the LNB on the Dish bobbing up and down, quite a bit. Q values on 11966 in the wind were going from 40 to 0 regularly in the wind. And now after 3 days of windy weather the Q value on 11966 has slipped back to about 35%. Guess I'll have to go back up on the roof and try to recalibrate, but the movement of this Dish and Motor Combination in the wind - as well as just the East and West movement of the entire Dish and Motor (when you manually pull it, when up on the Roof), has to be seen to be believed!
One Question I do have is: Is it normal for a 1 Meter Dish and Motor to have a lot of Movement - especially East to West Travel - when mounted on the Manufacturer's own Ground Mount Pole? Any suggestions would be very much appreciated. Hope the Pictures re the new Plate and Pivot Bolt work out.
First of all the Nuts that fit on the back of the Azimuth Bracket were Metric - 8 mm Nuts with a 1.25 degree pitch. It was almost impossible to find these at any Store in Winnipeg. One guy at Home Depot's Nuts & Bolt Dept said they really never stock Metric Nuts or Bolts! (Canada has been Metric for some 30 years). Finally found them at a Store called Adam Supply, - 11 cents each.
HH 120 Motor Shaft East & West Play
Tried fine tuning with the Threaded Rod and never could get Tp 11966 on 97.0W to get to a Q value of 60. But by far the worst Problem with this Dish and HH120 Stab Motor is the East & West Movement of the Dish and Motor. The Motor Shaft itself with the Dish installed has a slop or travel of what seems like 2 to 3 inches, - (maybe its less). We could pull the Dish at times to the left and see Q values on 11966 go as high as 60, but as soon as we let it go, it was back to 50%. This makes it next to impossible to do any type of Fine Tuning!!
Also the last 3 days have been fairly windy here, and I see "Russia Today" at times with completely Intermittant Transmission. Looking from the ground I could see the LNB on the Dish bobbing up and down, quite a bit. Q values on 11966 in the wind were going from 40 to 0 regularly in the wind. And now after 3 days of windy weather the Q value on 11966 has slipped back to about 35%. Guess I'll have to go back up on the roof and try to recalibrate, but the movement of this Dish and Motor Combination in the wind - as well as just the East and West movement of the entire Dish and Motor (when you manually pull it, when up on the Roof), has to be seen to be believed!
One Question I do have is: Is it normal for a 1 Meter Dish and Motor to have a lot of Movement - especially East to West Travel - when mounted on the Manufacturer's own Ground Mount Pole? Any suggestions would be very much appreciated. Hope the Pictures re the new Plate and Pivot Bolt work out.
6 Replies
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2695 views
nice plate !
Geez, that is beautiful work!
Fantastic execution, and wonderful pictures!
I was pretty sure when we discussed this in your previous thread, that the idea would work.
And apparently it did, but other factors bit you in the butt.
Can you follow-up on the pivot bolt story?
How did that work out? Much trouble to do or to get the parts?
Does it pivot pretty tightly?
As for the east-west slop, is that the motor shaft, the motor bracket, or maybe your pole on the roof?
Did you have the movement in the wind before all this dish work?
I can't see anything you did that would make it worse.
Is the weather just more windy , now?
I'm sure we can all brain-storm this some more and find a solution.
Geez, that is beautiful work!
Fantastic execution, and wonderful pictures!
I was pretty sure when we discussed this in your previous thread, that the idea would work.
And apparently it did, but other factors bit you in the butt.
Can you follow-up on the pivot bolt story?
How did that work out? Much trouble to do or to get the parts?
Does it pivot pretty tightly?
As for the east-west slop, is that the motor shaft, the motor bracket, or maybe your pole on the roof?
Did you have the movement in the wind before all this dish work?
I can't see anything you did that would make it worse.
Is the weather just more windy , now?
I'm sure we can all brain-storm this some more and find a solution.
J
Thanks Anole. The Pivot Bolt didn't seem to make that much of a difference, granted it does allow for better control, but now with the Threaded Rod you have to undo all 3 Elevation Bolts, then adjust the Threaded Rod to make Elevation adjustments anyways. My friend had the Pivot Bolt and Nut in his parts bin - it's not anything special.
The East / West slop is all in the Stab HH 120 Motor Shaft itself, and not at all related to the Ground Pole Mount on the roof which is solid and plumb. The play from East to West seems to be a lot & I am wondering if this is normal for a Motor Shaft? I mean you can grab the Dish on the left hand side, and physically see the whole Motor Shaft move from left to right!!
Can't remember the wind bothering the Dish & Motor as much as it does now. Not sure if it's more windy now than it was in March or April! But it does seem much more wind susceptable now - than before.
One thing I forgot to mention was the next day after installing the Pivot Bolt & Plate, I was on 97.0W and asked the System to drive to Ohio News Network at 74.0W. Well the Dish drove and skewed over all the way to the East way past 74.0W and stuck there! The Motor and Dish would NOT come back, even when I set in "Go to Reference" on the ViewSat Receiver. So I contacted Fortec Canada in Mississauga, Ontario and the guy said the Stab Motor had a blown circuit board, and to send it back to them at my cost - since there is a 2 year warrenty on Stab Motors. So I went up on roof (with my neighbor to take the motor off) and started loosening the new Plate Nuts when suddenly the Motor powered up and cycled all the way back to my South Satellite - G25 / 97.0W. So recalibrated & this problem has not reoccurred since.
I'm wondering if the Stab HH 120 Motor Shaft slop could be part of the Problem??
Geez, that is beautiful work!
Fantastic execution, and wonderful pictures!
I was pretty sure when we discussed this in your previous thread, that the idea would work.
And apparently it did, but other factors bit you in the butt.
Can you follow-up on the pivot bolt story?
How did that work out? Much trouble to do or to get the parts?
Does it pivot pretty tightly?
As for the east-west slop, is that the motor shaft, the motor bracket, or maybe your pole on the roof?
Did you have the movement in the wind before all this dish work?
I can't see anything you did that would make it worse.
Is the weather just more windy , now?
I'm sure we can all brain-storm this some more and find a solution.
Thanks Anole. The Pivot Bolt didn't seem to make that much of a difference, granted it does allow for better control, but now with the Threaded Rod you have to undo all 3 Elevation Bolts, then adjust the Threaded Rod to make Elevation adjustments anyways. My friend had the Pivot Bolt and Nut in his parts bin - it's not anything special.
The East / West slop is all in the Stab HH 120 Motor Shaft itself, and not at all related to the Ground Pole Mount on the roof which is solid and plumb. The play from East to West seems to be a lot & I am wondering if this is normal for a Motor Shaft? I mean you can grab the Dish on the left hand side, and physically see the whole Motor Shaft move from left to right!!
Can't remember the wind bothering the Dish & Motor as much as it does now. Not sure if it's more windy now than it was in March or April! But it does seem much more wind susceptable now - than before.
One thing I forgot to mention was the next day after installing the Pivot Bolt & Plate, I was on 97.0W and asked the System to drive to Ohio News Network at 74.0W. Well the Dish drove and skewed over all the way to the East way past 74.0W and stuck there! The Motor and Dish would NOT come back, even when I set in "Go to Reference" on the ViewSat Receiver. So I contacted Fortec Canada in Mississauga, Ontario and the guy said the Stab Motor had a blown circuit board, and to send it back to them at my cost - since there is a 2 year warrenty on Stab Motors. So I went up on roof (with my neighbor to take the motor off) and started loosening the new Plate Nuts when suddenly the Motor powered up and cycled all the way back to my South Satellite - G25 / 97.0W. So recalibrated & this problem has not reoccurred since.
I'm wondering if the Stab HH 120 Motor Shaft slop could be part of the Problem??
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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
51 Replies
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519 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).
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Lifetime Supporter
I've always been super interested in things space related so this is a pretty cool event coming up. Nov 18, 2026 early in the morning, Voyager 1 will reach the distance of one full light day from Earth. Took almost 50 yrs. I was 13 when it launched.
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gjHK3clOwIw?feature=share
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gjHK3clOwIw?feature=share
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73 views
Thanks for that info. I will mark it on my calendar!
Pub Member / Supporter
Now that I'm retired, obviously I have different health care insurance. I take 2 prescriptions. With my old insurance I didn't have to pay for either of them, now I do. It's not a huge amount but it led me to dig a little into the cost of prescription medications. I have been using Walgreens for the longest time. But what I found was that Walgreens price is 4.8 times more for one of my prescriptions and the other is 2.3 percent more compared to the lowest price pharmacy. If you pay for prescription medications you might want to have a look at trumprx and see if you can get a lower price.
15 Replies
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188 views
Actually I take just 2 prescriptions, Atorvastatin and Lisinopril. They cost me $6 each for 100 pills. Next year that will be nothing.That's ok. I probably take enough for the two of us.
God knows what Bobby takes. Maybe so much they count as a meal?
Looks like DTV made a deal. I'm now getting it on ch 650. The tv promise slate is gone.
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7 views
Supporting Founder
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Comcast is the first to report, with a massive 274,000 loss in video subscribers.
In the 3Q of 2016, Comcast had 21.42 million video subscribers and was the #1 provider, now at 10.39 million and is the #3 Provider, YTTV is #2 ( who also surpassed DirecTV-8 Million and Dish-under 5 Million), Charter/Spectrum is #1.
cordcuttersnews.com
In the 3Q of 2016, Comcast had 21.42 million video subscribers and was the #1 provider, now at 10.39 million and is the #3 Provider, YTTV is #2 ( who also surpassed DirecTV-8 Million and Dish-under 5 Million), Charter/Spectrum is #1.
Comcast Just Lost 274,000 TV Customers & 144,000 Internet Customers In Just Three Months | Cord Cutters News
Comcast Corporation reported its third-quarter 2026 results on October 22, showing continued erosion in its domestic residential broadband internet and video customer bases as competitive pressures intensified across the connectivity market. The company recorded a net loss of 144,000 domestic...
cordcuttersnews.com
5 Replies
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155 views
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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.
149 Replies
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3886 views
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The following is from Reddit. -
View: https://www.reddit.com/r/DirectvStream/s/orzHBkmqQW
There appears to be a new DIRECTV Gemini OTT box, the C81KW-650.
The FCC listing is partially available, and a Geekbench entry confirms it uses an Amlogic S905X5, a solid SoC for a set-top box.
I also see 4GB of RAM, and the manufacturer is SEI Robotics.
DIRECTV C81KW OTT Box - Android TV Guide
Ok found a picture of the Box too on Reddit:
View: https://www.reddit.com/r/DirectvStream/comments/1twlex0/comment/opzeqi1/
View: https://www.reddit.com/r/DirectvStream/s/orzHBkmqQW
There appears to be a new DIRECTV Gemini OTT box, the C81KW-650.
The FCC listing is partially available, and a Geekbench entry confirms it uses an Amlogic S905X5, a solid SoC for a set-top box.
I also see 4GB of RAM, and the manufacturer is SEI Robotics.
DIRECTV C81KW OTT Box - Android TV Guide
Ok found a picture of the Box too on Reddit:
View: https://www.reddit.com/r/DirectvStream/comments/1twlex0/comment/opzeqi1/
23 Replies
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955 views
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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....
68590 Replies
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2676927 views
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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.
1936 Replies
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299664 views
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!
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HERE TO HELP YOU!
So...DirecTV advertises the Choice package with 95+ bonus channels for Satellite customers. You don't want 90+ of the 95...
Excluding PPV, premium networks, infomercial, shopping, religion, and non-English programming, there are 7 channels on satellite that are not on streaming:
NFL Network, MavTV, FE TV, Free Speech, NASA, INSP, and Pursuit. I'm pretty sure a couple of those are public interest that they have to carry to meet an FCC quota on satellite.
I hope they get called out for this advertising because that is ridiculous. One big network, NFL, will probably get added to streaming when their next agreement comes up, and the rest are likely very low viewership.
What about streaming, what do you get extra with the Choice package that isn't on Satellite:
Two stations - one of which is an internet TV - Fox Weather, and Heros & Icons (a diginet). Nothing special here to look at either.
If they cleaned up a couple of their agreements, added a few public interest stations to streaming, they could probably have their lineups match. It's close now, if you take out all the garbage on satellite that they earn money on. If they can sell infomercials on satellite, why can't they on streaming, seems like a miss. A bigger miss, including those stations in the "bonus channels just for satellite customers." Pretty sad marketing right there.
Attached is a comparison sheet of satellite vs streaming for the three main packages if anyone is interested.
MOD EDIT: See Post #3 for an up to date list of what channels are available on sat but not on streaming/internet, see Post #21 for an up to date list of what's available in the app for streaming customers, but not for sat customers.
Excluding PPV, premium networks, infomercial, shopping, religion, and non-English programming, there are 7 channels on satellite that are not on streaming:
NFL Network, MavTV, FE TV, Free Speech, NASA, INSP, and Pursuit. I'm pretty sure a couple of those are public interest that they have to carry to meet an FCC quota on satellite.
I hope they get called out for this advertising because that is ridiculous. One big network, NFL, will probably get added to streaming when their next agreement comes up, and the rest are likely very low viewership.
What about streaming, what do you get extra with the Choice package that isn't on Satellite:
Two stations - one of which is an internet TV - Fox Weather, and Heros & Icons (a diginet). Nothing special here to look at either.
If they cleaned up a couple of their agreements, added a few public interest stations to streaming, they could probably have their lineups match. It's close now, if you take out all the garbage on satellite that they earn money on. If they can sell infomercials on satellite, why can't they on streaming, seems like a miss. A bigger miss, including those stations in the "bonus channels just for satellite customers." Pretty sad marketing right there.
Attached is a comparison sheet of satellite vs streaming for the three main packages if anyone is interested.
MOD EDIT: See Post #3 for an up to date list of what channels are available on sat but not on streaming/internet, see Post #21 for an up to date list of what's available in the app for streaming customers, but not for sat customers.
241 Replies
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31763 views