How do you aim a big dish?

[sparks]

Hi everyone,


I had been viewing various kU band satellites. I more recently decided to add a C band dish to it and I did. I have been viewing various FTA programming from three kU band dishes plus a C band dish that is all connected together at a DiSEQC switch. Everything has been working well until about a week ago when a storm came through. We did have a couple of very close lightening strikes. As far as I know there were no direct lightening hits from the storm.

Because of the possibility of static discharge I have everything grounded even beyond the grounding that is required by the National Electrical Code. Since that storm I cannot get my Mercury II to connect to or switch to different dishes as it use to do. It will only receive from the terminal that is marked for dish #1 on the DiSEQC switch. I replaced the switch and that did not correct the problem. I tried a total of three new from the box DiSEQC switches. This still did not correct the problem. I did of course check to be certain that it was still set to work in the box. I restored to the factory default settings of the Mercury II and started over with everything set correctly. I still cannot view any dish except for #1. I also went a step further by connecting the different dishes to switch #1. They would all work fine but only when connect to #1 DiSEQC terminal..

At this point my guess would be that it is a defect of my Mercury II that is a result of the nearby lightening strike. I have one of the spike protectors on the coax input on the box. I also have everything plugged into surge protectors.

If anyone has any ideas on this I would like to hear them. The only other thing that I can imagine doing is to reload the software into the Mercury II. I hate to do this until I have a working backup box. I could be worse off after I download the software to the receiver.

I did buy an nfusion Phoenix receiver a few years ago for a backup. The problem with it is that there are no instructions of how to operate the thing or to set it up. I have the book that came with it. The book is the one for this box. The instructions do not match the box or its remote control. If someone has set up a Phoenix box and might like another one cheap. Just let me know and you might own it.

When I bought my big dish from Sadoun I also purchased an actuator motor and a gbox to control it. I have run the wires and I am ready to replace my turnbuckle that I put on the dish with the actuator to aim it. First I need to get the dish set up to follow the satellite arc.

I have been using kU band for a few years to view FTA. I have instructions for and can set up a motor to follow the Clark Belt arc with a kU band motor. Luckily I know enough about it to have set this C Band equipment up and to have it working without any instructions at all. Nothing came with any of the C Band equipment. I have contacted Sadoun with no response from them.

What I have is a Sadoun SD180PM polar mount dish, the DMX741 C/KU Band LNBF, a V3000 actuator controller and one of the QARL-3618 heavy duty Power Jack actuators.



Does anyone have or could someone tell me where I can find the instructions to aim a C Band dish to track the arc? Like I said I know where the satellites are. I have been manually aiming the dish to view them. I have contacted Sadoun and they are no help. I do not want to criticize one of this forums sponsors. That is the way that it is. I can go to their website and forum to find more that than I need to know about aiming a kU motorized dish. I do not find anything to do with aiming the C Band dish for tracking the arc. As I also mentioned, no instructions or literature came with any of this equipment other than a packing list.

 

[Skjellyfetti]

You can take a look at this site, it may do the trick for you. C-band Satellite Installation

 

[Babadem]

You can take a look at this site, it may do the trick for you. C-band Satellite Installation

Very informative site.

 

[Lone Cloud]

First of all your dish may have been nudged out of alignment in the wind. The next time you get the arc zeroed, you should mark the pole and the mount. If it happens again, you can get it back by going back to the marks.

Lightning storm? Something burned out maybe?

 

[FaT Air]

It doesn't take a direct hit to wipe out electronics. POOF - - SOOT!
Tying a loose loop in the coax between the receiver and grounding block can help minimize chances of lightning induced damage to the receiver or anything else in the house. This goes for any other wires between dish and house also. (servo, actuator)

 

[sparks]

Thanks again for the help. It does save a lot of time when someone will answer a question.

With the lightening problem- as I said, I can get everything that I had been getting. After the storm it is not at the same time with a DiSEQC switch. The dishes must now be connected one at a time. I do have a grounding block on it. And it probably is the box itself since I replaced everything else with new backups including the LNB's.

Thanks for the web address to set the c band dish arc. That is what I was looking for.

Now that my Mercury II is not what it should be since the storm. What is a good box with an operators manual that was put together by someone who knows what he is doing. I noticed that even more HDTV programing is available while doing power scans. If I am going to buy a box I just as well go with an HDTV box. I understand that I will still be able to get the standard definition programing with it.

Does anyone have any experience with the SatHawk PVR800 from Sadoun that is an HDTV unit. I do not care about the PVR but I might some day. I may be aggravated with Sadoun because of the lack of information about their products. They are still my preference as a company to deal with.

I want to be able to do power scans to also find programming on the transponders that I an not aware of. I understand that you can not do that with all of them. Like I said, it would be nice to have an owners manual that at least sort of tells you how to set the thing up.

I would look at Fortec since the Mercury II has done so well. It seems the no one sells them any more.

 

[Mapleleaf69]

i would suggest the azbox hd Premium Plus receiver.ive heard nothing but good things with this box.this box is capable of blind scanning in dvb-s2 feeds which is a plus.im hoping to get one myself soon.