Help save this install!

[deepdishchad]

Hey everyone. I'm a newbie here (though I have lots of experience with satellites) and appreciate any advice you can give.

I'm trying to help a friend install an FTA dish. I bought the Traxis DBS3500 receiver, the Winegard DS2076 dish with an Xtreme II LNBF and an SG2100 DiSecQ1.2 motor (thanks PSB! : ) I've installed it on the roof where I have horizon-to-horizon clear south. The dish is at zip code 28210. All mounts are level and plumb as far as I can tell.

The satellite finder started squealing immediately upon my connecting power. The blind scan confirmed for me I was on AMC9 and I had great signal on the ID bars I put up there. A quick manual jog or two to the west and I hit the MTA programming on AMC3. That's all I've been able to see so far, though if I motor way over to the west I hit two different birds that sets the satellite squealer off but it doesn't appear to be enough signal to lock up the Traxis as it blind searched.

Having thought it over overnight there are two things that I can think of that may be the problem (and of course, the combo of the two or more is a possibility). The first is that I may not have the dish pointing at true south. I think I may be pointed closer to 85 South, hence the dish caught AMC9 on the upswing and AMC3 on the down.

The second is I'm concerned about there being two latitude/elevation settings in my setup, one on the Winegard and one on the DiSeQ. I'm not sure how that combines and it has me puzzled. If you think of other things that may be the problem please let me know.

Lastly, I'm having troubles understaning the programming of the Traxis. The box the Traxis came in says it's DiSecQ1.2 compatible, but the install settings only let me choose 1.0 and 1.1. I don't know if that matteres, but I'm concerned. Also, I can't figure out how to use the Traxis to move the dish from bird to bird. If I manually move the dish between the birds I found I can see my signals, but I can't figure out how to tell the Traxis to move the motor or store any positions so it can move form bird to bird once programmed. Shouldn't I be able to do that on the DBS3500?

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

 

[voomvoom]

though if I motor way over to the west I hit two different birds that sets the satellite squealer off but it doesn't appear to be enough signal to lock up the Traxis as it blind searched.

While you're on either of these 2 sats, you can try to fine tune it for better signal. I would adjust the azimuth, by turning the motor on the pole very gently clockwise or counter clockwise to try and get your squealer to knock your ears off. Before you do any of this, you can pull gently on you dish from all angles to see which way you need to go, east west, north, south. And adjust accordingly.

The second is I'm concerned about there being two latitude/elevation settings in my setup, one on the Winegard and one on the DiSeQ. I'm not sure how that combines and it has me puzzled. If you think of other things that may be the problem please let me know.

Set the one on you motor to your location's latitude and don't bother with it again. Set the one on the dish to whatever it takes to get your LOS (line of sight) in line with the sat or sat's.

Lastly, I'm having troubles understaning the programming of the Traxis. The box the Traxis came in says it's DiSecQ1.2 compatible, but the install settings only let me choose 1.0 and 1.1. I don't know if that matteres, but I'm concerned. Also, I can't figure out how to use the Traxis to move the dish from bird to bird. If I manually move the dish between the birds I found I can see my signals, but I can't figure out how to tell the Traxis to move the motor or store any positions so it can move form bird to bird once programmed. Shouldn't I be able to do that on the DBS3500?

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

The Diseqc 1.2 compatible simply means it will control the drive for a USALS motor, nothing to worry about. I don't have a Traxis, so I may not be much help. On a Pansat, you go into the Menu and into Installation (you probably need a password) and go into Antenna Set-up and choose a satellite and go into Positioner Setting and pick USALS and it should show you the satellite position for the sat you're on. Under that should be a place for your Longitude and Latitude, this must be set, it's your location and the USALS motor needs it to work. When you set it you may be prompted to save it and do save it. The Pansat don't have the 1.0 and 1.1 setting, but I have a Coolsat and it has this function and what it's for is a Diseqc switch, it either is Off (if you use no switch), or you set it on 1.0 for a 2x1 switch or a 4x1 switch, or you set it on 1.1 for an 8x1 switch or a 16x1 switch (neither of which are available in the states, I think). Hopefully someone with a Traxis will chime in and give you more accurate info?

Al

 

[deepdishchad]

Thank you for that advice. Any others, especially about using the Traxis 3500 to control the motor?