How do I get started

[a33]

OK, thát causes the confusion.

Setting latitude or setting elevation of a polar mount are two ways of talking about the very same thing.

The elevation needed for a polar mount is dependant on the site latitude: at a latitude of x degrees, the elevation should be 90-x degrees.
So if one mentions the one, the other is known directly; and vice versa.
In your case latitude 38.2* means elevation needed is (90-38.2=) 51.8*.

However the scale on the mount could give degrees latitude, or degrees elevation. Both ways are possible, but in principle identitical.
In your case, the scale mentions Latitude. So to set the correct elevation of the mount, you should set it to the correct number of degrees Latitude.
To set the elevation of 51.8* right, on the scale you should look for 38.2*. So a coarse value of 30*, and 8.2* with the fine-adjustment.

Your angle measuring instrument, however, seems to measure elevation angle (angle relevant to the horizontal), when used in the way you have shown in your pictures.
So on that instrument, you must strive towards values of 51.8*.

Does this make it clear?

Greetz,
A33

 

[beavs2112]

How do I set the declination on this thing? All I seem to be doing is bending the sh*t out of the bolt

Hi coltonjared . I also have a Winegard Pinnacle so I might be able to help. Please don't take a lovely dish to the dump I have drawn on your picture to try and help explain how to adjust declination. So it looks like someone modified your polar mount and removed the fine elevation adjust bolt. Here are some pics of my Pinnacle mount.
Hope you get it running soon

 

[coltonjared]

I wonder if this is a first generation Winegard before they went with the one you have cause I think that would make things so much easier

 

[Cham]

Beaves I think the elevation fine adjustment is under the course adjustment bolt. Think there is a screw and lock nut just out-of-frame.

 

[coltonjared]

Yes to 51.8 degree ELEVATION, that is 51.8 degrees difference towards the (horizontal) horizon.
You keep mentioning degrees, without saying degrees relevant to horizon or relevant to vertical line. That way, we cannot follow which angle you mean.
0 Latitude means 90 elevation; 90 latitude means 0 elevation.

I guess your measured value of 45.6 is elevation towards horizon (as it was first around 41 in earlier pictures).
Now that your fine-latitude bolt is better visible on your photo, it can be seen that you probably will not reach 38lat/51elev with the fine adjustment.
So set the coarse latitude to 30 (I mentioned earlier that that would probably be needed), and then fineadjust to 38lat/51elev.
Don't set it to 50, as you mention, as the scale is in Latitude!, so you must use 30.

As for dish position: yes that would be correct (assuming the dish face is exactly parallel to the spot where you want to measure. Edit: But I am not sure about that at all!).

Greetz,
A33

I don't remember where I read it but I'll half to stay on 40 cause the fine adjustment can only go -7 or +7 degrees so if I set it on 30 I won't be able to get to 38. I'm might be over analyzing everything I'm reading or getting myself messed up with all the numbers but from what you said I need to set my course latitude back to 38.2. So what would I need to adjust to get the 51 elevation or would I already get that when I get the 38.2 latitude set

 

[coltonjared]

I've been looking for old installers to see if one of them could teach me what I'm doing but so far no luck. One told me to google it, another is to busy being retired. I'm going try to call another guy tomorrow if I wake up in time cause he was suppose to call me back about an actuator but never did but maybe he could help me if he's willing to drive 50 mins away.

 

[coltonjared]

Set my course latitude back to 38.2 then took my meter and hit zero when I had it at 90 degrees and put it back on the mount and now I'm getting 51.9 degrees

 

[a33]

Well done!

Now you can set the dish to the specified (declination) angle, and then try to find some signal near your true south!

greetz,
A33

 

[coltonjared]

For my declination it's 6.1 so do I add that to 38.2 to get 44.3 or do I take 51.8 subtract 6.1 to get 45.7
Which one do I go with 44.3 or 45.7?

 

[primestar31]

You got the manual for this dish, correct?

If not, I'll try to attach it here. This is the cleanest version I've ever found. I had two of these dishes, but ended up selling them off because we moved. I never did get to actually install them, and since I had other dishes at the time it wasn't a big deal.

 

[a33]

For my declination it's 6.1 so do I add that to 38.2 to get 44.3 or do I take 51.8 subtract 6.1 to get 45.7
Which one do I go with 44.3 or 45.7?

This was addressed in post #176, and the last line of post #178.
But do check, if your dish face is parallel to where you want to measure. (Because in the end, the dishface should be at 45.7*!)

 

[coltonjared]

I went back and looked at my post 164 and figured out I had my elevation correct the first time. What I had done was set the wrong declination at 44.3 instead of 45.7
Fingers cross I get something tomorrow

 

[coltonjared]

Well still no luck so now I'm guessing it's either the LNBF or the reciever having the problem either way I'm in trouble getting yelled at that this a scam that they don't work anymore and I wasted money on it

 

[primestar31]

Well still no luck so now I'm guessing it's either the LNBF or the reciever having the problem either way I'm in trouble getting yelled at that this a scam that they don't work anymore and I wasted money on it

Anybody here can assure you they are NO SCAM, and they've been working just fine since before I installed my first one back in the early 1980's. I can also assure you that people with less knowledge than you have made it work.

So stop listening to whoever is feeding you lies, and continue to work towards figuring it out.

 

[coltonjared]

It's the boss at home. There pissed I've spend a lot of money in this and have nothing to show. They think nobody gives something away free. If I can get a lock on 87w I can show there stuff there and not just in Spanish as they think that would be there

 

[primestar31]

It's the boss at home. There pissed I've spend a lot of money in this and have nothing to show. They think nobody gives something away free. If I can get a lock on 87w I can show there stuff there and not just in Spanish as they think that would be there

Ok, I just went back through this entire thread and read each post. I did not see any post from you telling us what receiver you are using, and what settings on the receiver you've made to match your system and lnb(s).

Please lay that all out for us, and describe every connection going from the back of the receiver, all the way to the lnb(s). Coax, switch, ground block, etc, etc... The more info the better.

At this point you have far too many "unknowns" and you need to simplify down to the bare minimum, and just get even one signal up and running. I highly suggest you focus on ONLY the C-band side, and forget KU band for now.

 

[coltonjared]

I have a icecrypt s1600chd with a titaniums ck1s with a 6 ft cable from the lnbf to the receiver out on my deck

 

[coltonjared]

I'm only plugged into the cband part of the lnbf.

 

[a33]

And to add: to 'find' a satellite signal, I always use a sat-finder or sat-beeper. They are cheap.
With small movements of the dish, you can check where you find a signal.

And after the finding, comes the checking what satellite you have found, and the fine-tuning.

Setting up a motorized dish is not the easiest thing by far. But rewarding, once finished!

greetz,
A33

 

[primestar31]

I have a icecrypt s1600chd with a titaniums ck1s with a 6 ft cable from the lnbf to the receiver out on my deck

So, you have a single 6 foot rg-6 coax cable hooked to the back of that receiver, and going directly to the lnbf mounted on the dish? Seems kinda short to me, as it's 5 feet across the face of the dish all by itself... You need better (and fuller) descriptions than that, if you want us to figure out what's going on.

How about taking some photo's of all that hookup, back of the receiver connections, and photos of your receivers menu settings?