azbox and pointing

[olliec420]

does anyone else think the meter for Q sucks for pointing on the azbox elite hd? i can be on the damn thing and not see any Q on known good TP. Im going to switch back to the viewsat for pointing and see if that can help me tonight.

I have been so close I'm getting the chans in the list and lock but no pic or sound except for a little tiling but still ! reads no good and when go to move it it never goes up?

 

[Keith Brannen]

I use my Pansat 3500SD for any pointing, only use the AZBox Ultra for fine-tuning of S-2 signals (and even that seems to take longer than it should). The AZBox's meter is too small, it's hard to see from a few feet away, and next to impossible when up a ladder or on the roof!

Even when fine tuning, it can have the annoying habit of when you adjust too far and lose the signal, if you move back to where the signal was it won't show it, which requires you to go to a different transponder and then back again to re-acquire the signal to continue.

 

[olliec420]

do you notice its a little delayed and causes a miss or is that just me?

 

[olliec420]

do you notice its a little delayed and causes a miss or is that just me?

need to buy a damn birddog

 

[Keith Brannen]

do you notice its a little delayed and causes a miss or is that just me?

need to buy a damn birddog

No it is not you, that's one of the reasons I stopped using it to point. The first (and only!) time I tried to use it to add an LNB to one of my dishes to point at 61.5 for some ITC channels, I knew roughly within a two to three inch space where the LNB should be. This was for a circular satellite that I should have been able to find in a minute or two. Could not get it to come in with the AZBox. Even wasted my time doing a blind scan, without a hint of a signal. Eventually, I used the Pansat and had it peaked and locked down in minutes. Also with the Pansat, if it picks up a hint of a signal on a blind scan, but not strong enough to lock, it pauses, which shows you that you are close to a signal. The AZBox doesn't give you such hints.

 

[ccvalentino]

It took me almost a year to figure out that the azbox is not worth anything when it comes to pointing. I use an openbox s9 to aim and the azbox for 4:2:2 feeds.

C

 

[AcWxRadar]

Just to comment along the same line:

I found that once I had my Ku band H-H motorized dish optimaly aligned to the arc by using my Coolsat 5K, I was able to set up all the satellites in the AZBox that I could dial in via USALS and they all just fell right in place lickety split. The problem I ran into was with satellites which were outside of the limits for the USALS function. For me that was basically Hispasat @ 30.0°W. I was required to use DiSEq 1.2 motor commands for this bird (on both the Coolsat and the AZBox as well as others).

I set up my Coolsat to be a slaved receiver off of the LOOP OUT from the AZBox and then just monitored the signal quality meter on the Coolsat while I stepped the motor using the AZBox DiSEq 1.2 controls. This worked extremely well as the Coolsat Q meter is highly responsive (quick to "POP"), regardless of how accurate or inaccurate the reading may be. This allowed me to fine tune my DiSEq positioning for Hispasat with the AZBox to an extremely accurate position.

I had attempted to dial Hispasat in over and over again with just the AZBox and it was nearly futile. The Q meter just does not "POP" in quickly enough to give you any indication that you are even getting close. Although it can be accomplished, it is a very frustrating and time consuming challenge, it is not worth the trouble in my opinion.

P.S. I have also used my SuperBuddy meter on the LOOP OUT of the AZBox and set to Hispasat (and the Cubavision channel's TP) in the same way. That worked equally well.

RADAR

 

[wbarrett]

P.S. I have also used my SuperBuddy LOOP OUT of the AZBox and set to Hispasat (and the Cubavision channel's TP) in the same way. That worked equally well.

RADAR

Wow. Learn something every day. This is brilliant, Radar. It never occured to me to use loop out with my meter. Thanks.

===
Bill