Coolsat 8000 Satellite Location Edit

[LoTech]

I just got my Coolsat 8000, but I can't figure out how to edit USALS satellite locations. For example, I'd like to change 83.0W to 82.8W because my dish is a little off. Do any of you guys know how to do this?

Thanks,

LoTech

 

[brentb636]

What firmware are you using ? If you're using early factory, try going to the transponder edit menu, and when the satellite is highlighted, press the red button for EDIT. If you're using later firmware that gets around the 30 satellite limit, you can't edit the sat location, only the name.
If you can't edit the position, you COULD edit YOUR USALS position, or use Motor Control mode instead of USALS for this one bird.

 

[LoTech]

I think it has a hacker firmware loaded on it (11.52). I ran it through the loop out on my Coolsat 5000, and scanned some channels. I get the regular DVB SD and HD channels fine, but no DVB-S2. No signal at all. I tried downloading the Firmware Updates and loader from HERE, but the loader doesn't seem to do anything. All I get is the window shown in the attached picture. No progress bar, etc... Anyone got any ideas?

 

[McGuyver]

LoTech, these guy's will need to know if your using a laptop or desktop pc and what serial cable, straight or null. and you will also need to make sure you have a com port enabled on your pc and know which port it is.

 

[LoTech]

I'm using a Desktop with a straight though serial cable on COM1. COM 1 is enabled. I followed Iceberg's instructions and loaded the Clean.BIN file, turned the receiver off, and then on. I hit start when I saw the loader boot up. The CPU is running at 98% on CSUpgrade v3.01.exe, but it doesn't seem to do anything. Been running it for about 10 minutes now.

 

[McGuyver]

LoTech, have you checked the serial cable for continuity? I have seen bad cables before, check with a test light or meter and if that turns out good then I would try a fresh download of the loader program. Or maybe your timing is off when trying to upgrade during boot process, keep trying and good luck

Oh, I just remembered, you could try com4, set your pc to com4, set the BIT rate to 115200 and make sure you haven't a burned out com port resource chip on your pc. I also suggest to NOT hot plug the serial cable, shut down the pc, make the connections then boot up the pc, do the reverse when finished. Hot plugging serial cables will sometimes smoke your mobo resource chip. If com1 doesn't work, then the other portion of the resource chip may still be usable on com4, the odd numbers share the same resource, the even numbers do the same, so by changing from an odd number com port to an even number might do the trick.

 

[LoTech]

Duh!!! I just figured my problem out. The 8000 requires a null modem cable. My 5000 takes a straight through. Anyway. I got the firmware upgrade to work. Maybe this will allow me to see the S2 channels.

 

[McGuyver]

Good deal and enjoy!

 

[LoTech]

Thanks Brent and McGuyver. PBS HD looks great. Still no luck on DVB-S2 though.

Montana PBS-97Q
PBS HD-69Q
Pentagon Channel-50Q
OETA/LPB/NBC(DVB-S2)-0Q

That's a big difference in quality between Montana PBS and PBS-HD. Also, the Pentagon Channel comes in at 75Q on my Coolsat 5000, but only 50 on the 8000.

Is S2 generally harder to pick up than regular DVB?

 

[McGuyver]

Thanks Brent and McGuyver. PBS HD looks great. Still no luck on DVB-S2 though.

Montana PBS-97Q
PBS HD-69Q
Pentagon Channel-50Q
OETA/LPB/NBC(DVB-S2)-0Q

That's a big difference in quality between Montana PBS and PBS-HD. Also, the Pentagon Channel comes in at 75Q on my Coolsat 5000, but only 50 on the 8000.

Is S2 generally harder to pick up than regular DVB?

Sounds like you're getting closer all the time, but for the S2 sigs you'll need to have the dish peaked perfectly to get all that you can. S2 are harder to pull in and they say a BIGGER dish is always beneficial, at least in C-band anyway.

I too have trouble getting some S2 sigs, I have 5 Ku dishes and 2 C-band dishes and I'm still working out all the kinks to get the best sigs possible. Just like a drag car, always tweaking to get every drop of performance.

Tell us about your dish setup so we can help you better. type, size, etc., and location is a factor sometimes too.

 

[brentb636]

Sounds like you're getting closer all the time, but for the S2 sigs you'll need to have the dish peaked perfectly to get all that you can. S2 are harder to pull in and they say a BIGGER dish is always beneficial, at least in C-band anyway.

I too have trouble getting some S2 sigs, I have 5 Ku dishes and 2 C-band dishes and I'm still working out all the kinks to get the best sigs possible. Just like a drag car, always tweaking to get every drop of performance.

Tell us about your dish setup so we can help you better. type, size, etc., and location is a factor sometimes too.

Bigger dish is a big help on Ku band DVB-S2, too. I went to a 1.2M just to facilitate the DVB-S2 signals, then later found an orphan 1.0M dish that works just fine.

 

[LoTech]

Thanks guys. I kinda figured that. I tinkered a while longer last night, and then gave up, had a cold beer and a salisbury steak, and watched a little TV.

As for my setup.... Well I have a landscape timber pole sunk about 2 feet in the ground with the dish mount bolted on about 4 ft high. Not real sturdy - the pole keeps moving/warping/shifting in the ground. Its always worked fine for the regular DBS signals though. I even had RTV at 69Q not long after they moved to AMC9. I guess I'll have to sink a metal pole and peak my dish again. Maybe that will yield some results.

 

[Mr Tony]

When did Pentagon move to 125W?

 

[McGuyver]

Thanks guys. I kinda figured that. I tinkered a while longer last night, and then gave up, had a cold beer and a salisbury steak, and watched a little TV.

As for my setup.... Well I have a landscape timber pole sunk about 2 feet in the ground with the dish mount bolted on about 4 ft high. Not real sturdy - the pole keeps moving/warping/shifting in the ground. Its always worked fine for the regular DBS signals though. I even had RTV at 69Q not long after they moved to AMC9. I guess I'll have to sink a metal pole and peak my dish again. Maybe that will yield some results.

LoTech, If you feel creative and have the tools and skills you can possibly make use of these plans I drew up some time back. See attachment photo.
Hope this helps

 

[LoTech]

When did Pentagon move to 125W?

It didn't. It's still right there with NBC on AMC1. I just threw Pentagon and Montana PBS in for signal comparisons to NBC and OETA/LPB.

LoTech, If you feel creative and have the tools and skills you can possibly make use of these plans I drew up some time back.

That's pretty cool. Using that setup you can re-plumb the pole if it somehow shifts in the ground, or replace the top pole if it gets bent. Ingenious.

 

[McGuyver]

It didn't. It's still right there with NBC on AMC1. I just threw Pentagon and Montana PBS in for signal comparisons to NBC and OETA/LPB.



That's pretty cool. Using that setup you can re-plumb the pole if it somehow shifts in the ground, or replace the top pole if it gets bent. Ingenious.

And you can replace the upper post if you switch to another size dish.

 

[LoTech]

Bigger dish is a big help on Ku band DVB-S2, too.

I had NBC-HD for just a minute at very low quality. I guess it might be time for a little larger dish.

 

[Mr Tony]

remember the funky skew on AMC1

 

[LoTech]

remember the funky skew on AMC1

Thanks Ice. I first got about 7% quality, and then I played around with the skew a little when I got the signal up to about 30. Low, but good enough to lock. My setup is so shaky though that when the wind would blow the signal would go to zero. Maybe tomorrow I'll get a new metal pole in the ground, and then I'll re-peak the system. Perhaps I can find a happy medium between the skews so I can pick up most of my regular channels and NBC.

 

[B.J.]

Quote:
LoTech, If you feel creative and have the tools and skills you can possibly make use of these plans I drew up some time back.

That's pretty cool. Using that setup you can re-plumb the pole if it somehow shifts in the ground, or replace the top pole if it gets bent. Ingenious.

My first BUD had a plumb adjustment built in. I don't know why they don't sell mounts like this anymore, as at least an accessory. But the way the plumb adjustment worked, was that the bottom of the actual mount was connected to a flat triangular plate with an indentation in the center, and holes for bolts at the three ends of the triangle. The part of the mount that slipped over the pipe in the ground was a bigger pipe with a similar triangular plate welded to the top, again with an indentation in the center. Then they had a big ball bearing, maybe 1/2", that sat in that indentation, and the triangular plate of the upper part of the mount then sat on top of the triangular plate of the lower part with the ball bearing sandwiched between, so that the upper part could move around at any angle on top of that big ball bearing. Then, with nuts/bolts through the 3 holes of the 2 triangular plates, you could adjust the plumb of your actual mount by tightening/loosening the 3 bolts. The thing came with a little level permanently attached to the top plate, so that you could see the level as you adjusted the 3 bolts. Pretty nifty. That being said, it's not really necessary to have a plumb pole, but it sure makes things easier.