Fortec star 100cm - lnb linear ku - signal between 72%-79% but quality always 0%

[gauthier]

(This is my second try to post, the first time it was dropped because of the url I had embedded. Now I removed them. Sorry if it double posts.)
First, congrats on your site, its great.
I have been looking for a few months now before purchasing my ku linear equipment.
I purchased:
-Fortec Star 100cm KU Band Offset Dish w/ Fortec Single LNB.
-FSKUVN Fortek Ku Universal LNB
-Viewsat Pro
-50ft RG-6 cable (tested on my working Expressvu service (equivalent of dish network in Canada))
-12 inches tv set that I bring outside
Here is my issue. No matter what settings I put in my viewsat and no matter where I point my dish, I always have no quality and I have always a signal strengh between 73% to 79% never below that even when I make a 360 degree. My lnb power is on.
When I connected everything I made sure to connect/disconnect my lnb only when I unplug my vspro.
My Satellite pole is level and plumb. I made a factory default on my viewsat. I dont have a switch connected on the system yet. I dont have a ground cable yet. I set my satellite to 95W Galaxy 3c (because it is in the viewsat sat list after a factory default) and I wanted to have a high one for initial setup (I thought it would be much easier).
I looked at dishpointer dot com (url removed) for my elevation, azimuth mag, lnb skew. I set my elevation on the dish kit that came with my antenna (fc-110). I align the lnb center with the dish holder and turn the lnb 4 lines (20 degre) clockwise when standing behind the dish (as dishpointer says).
No matter where I point my dish, I get at least 73% signal. I never ever have quality. If I move the dish (slowly as recommended by Iceberg 1/8 inch at a time) sometimes I will get as much as 79%signal but still quality remains always at 0%. Since I have a Universal lnb, I set the lnb freq to 9750/10600. I checked the list for the tp freq in my viewsat setup and they match to what is listed here (url removed) the list .
At this point because of the signal behavior, I suspect my lnb to be DOA. Before going back to the store for a replacement, I want to know what you think it might be. Also, do you think I would be a much better to upgrade my lnb to a big white 50$ ku lnb (I dont have the details now but the store rep told me that it was the Cadillac of lnb's). I want to get the Atlantic birds for french channels:
Name: 34.5W Intelsat 903
Elevation: 25.2°
Azimuth (true): 131.4°
Azimuth (magn.): 146.6°
LNB Skew [?]: -31.7°
Name: 97.0W Galaxy 19
Elevation: 32.7°
Azimuth (true): 211.4°
Azimuth (magn.): 226.6°
LNB Skew [?]: 21.5°
Thanks all.
PS: I wanted to have all pertinent info. Hope I didnt miss anything.

 

[hd fan]

welcome. you do not need a cadillac when your kia will also get you from point A to point B. Strenght , what ever number is , means the LNB is properly connected to the receiver and is getting voltage. So no matter were you aim you will always see Strenght. Focus on Quality , that one will only show a number when properly aimed at the satellite and locked to a signal. Make sure you select a transponder on the list that has an active signal , try using a Strong transponder as per The List on this forum.

Most Dishes has an error on the Elevation Scale, my Fortec Star 90 cm , has 4 degrees error , so try a bit longer using up to + - 5 degrees from what dishpointer says. Move in small increments and wait a few seconds for a lock.

Forget RFO Tempo and France or the rest of 34.5W unless you go to the Caribbean (To Cuba leave the Dish in Montreal or Cuban Customs will seize it, lol, not funny but I have no other choice than to laugh I guess). As per www.Lyngsat.com (in my opinion the Holly Bible for FTAers) you will see that signals on that Intelsat 903 bird are beams covering the Caribbean and Europe (Spot 2 and 1) so unless you live on those places you wont get anything.

Start with 97W , Use this strong transponder 12151 H SR 20 000. Try other elevation values I have a feeling your LNB is ok but the Elev Scale on the dish is the problem.

 

[westcoaster]

Hi Gauthier
I think your problem maybe is your trying for a c-band signal with a ku band setup.
I think you need a c-band dish for this. But I am not 100% sure on this or if you can get this at all . Some one from this site will correct me. There a very friendly group of FTA fans here.
Like HD FAN says way not try for a satellite you can get like AMC-5 or GALAXY 18
[FONT=&quot]Probable listed on your receiver as GALAXY 10 R. ? don’t now of any French channels . You will need to reset your lnbf freq. And t.p. freq. On your receiver. Check your private message box on this site near the top right.[/FONT]

 

[gauthier]

Thanks for the quick replies.
Yesterday, I refined the level on my mast with a better level (2') instead of a hand size. I will purchase a better compass to start with a better orientation.

[hd fan]
I will then try the 97W tp 12151.
BTW, what is the H SR 20 000? Is this something I need to put in my viewsat config?

[westcoaster]
For 95W Galaxy 3c,
When I checked on "the list", it is listed as Ku. On lyngsat, it said that this was both C and Ku.
95.0°W Galaxy 3C Ku
11779 H 20760
Strong Transponder
Do I always put my lnb frequency to 9750/10600 (that is what is on my lnb box specification)?
My ultimate goal was to install a motor. I cannot wait to see the problems I will get into...
Thanks.

http://www.satelliteguys.us/newreply.php?do=postreply&t=183237

 

[Lak7]

If you LNB has the L.O. listed as 9750/10600 then that is what you enter into the Sat Setup menu.
You have to do the for each Ku Sat.

Pick 1 Sat to try for, for now, don't jump back 'n forth.
97 west has many strong TP to choose from, that's where I would start.
In the Viewsat's Sat Setup Menu, find the Ku Sat listed for 97 west.
The Sat names are always changing, and the receivers list's are not always up to date.
LNB Power: On
LNB Type: Universal
Low L.O.: 9750
High L.O.:10600
22KHz: off (if available, not compatible with Universal LNB)
DiSEqC Switch: off, connect cable directly from receiver to LNB
Transponder: look for 12151 or 12152

Set your Dish Elevation, properly skew the LNB, then point Dish to proper direction
Pan the dish east and west, watching for quality to light up.
The Quality meter is not a "Satellite Meter" it only reacts to the specific Transponder selected.
The "Signal Meter" indicates that you have power going to the LNB. It may go up and down as you pan the Dish, but don't think that it's reacting to the Sat you are aiming for.

Just an FYI:
C Band has a 4 digit Freq: 3720
Ku has a 5 digit Freq: 11760

 

[westcoaster]

Yes your right. There’s communist china TV on Galaxy 3 c . My mistake. (Again) I have picked this satellite up in the past. I use a standard lnbf not a universal lab. So I am not sure off all the hi low settings. I ill say out of this post now so as not to confuse you any more.
[FONT=&quot]E-mail me if I can help. Listen to LAK7. I think patience is the big thing here. Once you get one it’s real quit easy to find them.[/FONT]

 

[Lak7]

[FONT="]I think patience is the big thing here. Once you get one it’s real quit easy to find them.[/FONT]

I forgot to mention the most important thing, Thanks!

 

[gauthier]

Well, here I am again. Frustrated and angry.
I tried 97W (wich was galaxy 25 on my viewsat pro) nothing worked. I tried with +/- 5 deg elevation and I tried covering 50deg azimuth by step of 1/8 inch. I re-tested my rg-6.

I tried also all these steps by adding a new satellite with only 12151 tp and 20000 sr as sugested but again nothing.

At this point, I dont see how I could have messed up. I suspect that my viewsat is really picky in term of sat config. I really think of hiring a tech to install it. But what bugs me is I wanted to see what it was before installing a motor and I wanted to hire a tech to install the motor!

Thanks for you efforts. (3 weeks of anger...).

 

[Lak7]

did you properly skew the LNB?

Can you list your setup from the Antenna Setup menu?

 

[Bill_KY]

Well, here I am again. Frustrated and angry.
I tried 97W (wich was galaxy 25 on my viewsat pro) nothing worked. I tried with +/- 5 deg elevation and I tried covering 50deg azimuth by step of 1/8 inch. I re-tested my rg-6.

I tried also all these steps by adding a new satellite with only 12151 tp and 20000 sr as sugested but again nothing.

At this point, I dont see how I could have messed up. I suspect that my viewsat is really picky in term of sat config. I really think of hiring a tech to install it. But what bugs me is I wanted to see what it was before installing a motor and I wanted to hire a tech to install the motor!

Thanks for you efforts. (3 weeks of anger...).

On my receiver Visionsat IV 200 PVR, I selected 97 West Galaxy 19, then selected single LNB ...punched in 10750 ...and for frequency I punched in 11836 V. On the Visionsat if you have a quality signal ...both the quality and the signal both turn blue.

I use a Haier ATSC portable TV...it has AV jacks and it is very handy for "field use". Even though the TV is small, have someone hold the TV up while you are aiming the dish out back ...the approach of relaying information to someone inside works for some but not for me....I have to see it as I am aiming it..

I am supposed to align the dish at a 43 degree angle (at my location) .....however depending on the dish it is not always set in stone...for instance..I did a install with a old DirectPC dish and the degree were more like 50.

Here is a picture of what quality looks like. (And I did this on a 18" Direct TV dish with a Ku Band LNB and bracket...-as a experiment--...that is why I had low readings in the picture....)


If it was just a signal level only, it would be only yellow and one bar. If you get quality, like I said both bars turn blue...(on the Visionsat). Sometimes it will seem like a small fraction of a move to get a quality....if you start getting bits and pieces of say 6% quality at first while you are aiming...you are in the right direction....

Good Luck!

 

[gauthier]

Satellite Galaxy 25 (97W)
LNB freq 9750/10600
LNB power on
22Khz tone off
DiSEqC 1.0 none
DiSEqC 1.1 none
motor disable
TP 12152


Elevation: 32.7° (+/- 5°)
Azimuth (magn.): 226.6° (+/- 50° by 1/8" steps and wait 5 seconds every steps)
LNB Skew [?]: 21.5°

I will try to update my viewsat pro firmware and satellite list.
I cannot find anywhere a place to specify a "lnb type universal". Maybe the new version has that option.

When I added a satellite manually, I called it 97W, TP 12152, SR 20000, (but there was a "fec" option that I left to default).
I will get more precise options soon.

 

[Lak7]

LNB freq 9750/10600

That is the Universal LNB option, should be good.

LNB Skew [?]: 21.5°

Very important to have correct LNB Skew
Universal KU LNBF - Single Fortec Star Wideband

+/- 50° by 1/8" steps and wait 5 seconds every steps

On a 2" pole, 1 degree is .017" (1/64th")
Make much smaller moves.
To me, it's easiest to have a TV at the Dish.

 

[gauthier]

Thank you for sticking with me.
I have a 4" pole.
I got a hiking compass and I made an alignement on the roof to point my dish to a closer start point.
I have a 12" tvset that I bring on the balcony and I can see and control it when I am at the antenna. My lnb is as showed on your sadoun link. And I skewed it counterclockwise when standing in front of the dish as prescribed on dishpointer.

How can I know if I need to replace my LNB? Is there a test I can do? Basically if I have a signal, this means the electricity goes to the lnb but does it prove it works?

Would a satfinder be of help?
http://www.sadoun.com/Sat/Products/Accessories/Meters/SF95L-DSS-FTA-Satellite-Signal-meter.htm

 

[SatelliteAV]

Universal LNBFs have a high band and a low band output (9750/10600). The 22KHz setting needs to be set to AUTO so the LNBF will switch between the high and low frequency bands. With the 22KHz setting off, the frequency that you are trying to receive is not available.

 

[Lak7]

Blind Scan, maybe something will pop in.

To get a good starting point, lay a broom (or anything non-metal and straight) on the ground and use compass to align to the proper Azimuth. I have to be about 10 feet away from my house to get an accurate compass reading. Just a thought.

If the LNB is new, 99.99% chance it's good, especially if you show Signal Strength.

I have a 4" pole.

1 degree is 1/32"

 

[guapoharry]

The only reference I see to polarity is on post #2,

TP 12152 H is correct.

 

[Bill_KY]

Satellite Galaxy 25 (97W)
LNB freq 9750/10600
LNB power on
22Khz tone off
DiSEqC 1.0 none
DiSEqC 1.1 none
motor disable
TP 12152


Elevation: 32.7° (+/- 5°)
Azimuth (magn.): 226.6° (+/- 50° by 1/8" steps and wait 5 seconds every steps)
LNB Skew [?]: 21.5°

I will try to update my viewsat pro firmware and satellite list.
I cannot find anywhere a place to specify a "lnb type universal". Maybe the new version has that option.

When I added a satellite manually, I called it 97W, TP 12152, SR 20000, (but there was a "fec" option that I left to default).
I will get more precise options soon.

Lyngsat shows that Galaxy 19 is 97 West and Galaxy 25 as 93.1 West.

Galaxy 19 at 97.0°W - LyngSat

Galaxy 25 at 93.1°W - LyngSat

Galaxy 25 cannot be 97 West according to Lyngsat....

Also as far as the LNB goes, you should be able to select single LNB and also manually punch in 10750 (if you have to). On my Visionsat I selected single and 10750 for the LNB.

Please recheck your settings again especially with regards to Galaxy 25 and "97 W" ......something is wrong there ....it should be Galaxy 19 and 97 W...if you need a series of pictures with the setting...feel free to ask.....I'll be more than willing to help and post them here if you need them...

 

[Tron]

Galaxy 25 was originally at 97w until Galaxy 19 was launched and replaced it there, and Galaxy 25 was moved to 93w to replace Galaxy 26 (IA-6, T-6). Many people still refer to the satellite at 97w as Galaxy 25, or IA-5, or even Telstar 5 (Galaxy 25's previous names). Most receivers still list 97w as Galaxy 25, and that adds to the confusion. Some still list it as IA-5 or T-5.

 

[gauthier]

Ok, I purchased the satellite finder and I got it between my lnb and my receiver. I was able to get the buzzer going on a few signals close to were 97W Galaxy 19 was supposed to be. I was not able to get a quality on my receiver however. This tells me that my receiver has something wrong.
I went on viewsat and downloaded the latest satellite list (wich did not contain Galaxy 19) and I downloader the latest firmware (v107). Got that into my vspro and now I am ready to test again sometime soon. The menu is not the same but all options are identical (as far as I can tell). There is still nothing about the "lnb type" I only have "lnb freq" that I can set to 9750/10600 (so I assume this tells the box that the lnb is a universal as stated earlier by Lak7. When I select "lnb freq = 9750/10600", the receiver is automatically greying out the "22khz" option line (wich makes sense).
If I had a spare receiver, I could position my antenna and then I could spend all my energy on fixing the viewsat. Wish me luck.
Again, thanks to all. This looks like a receiver issue.

 

[Lak7]

Blind Scan where the "buzzer" goes off, never know.

I also found this....
http://www.satelliteguys.us/free-air-fta-discussion/157807-invacom-twh-031-universal-lnb.html
read post #5