Installing my first motorized C Band Satellite Dish (w/pictures)

[Titanium]

50' run is quite short and you might not even experience significant common mode coupling in this short distribution run. The only way you will know if there is a problem is if the actuator does not reliably land on programmed satellite positions.

No problem to set-up your system with the unshielded wiring and replace it later if the actuator isn't landing accurately.

Common mode is something that often occurs between electrical circuits. Great educational google reading about how robotic builders and ham radio stations deal with this problem. It is very interesting to read discussions on satellite forums when posters somehow think that their satellite systems are somehow exempted from basic laws of physics. . LOL

 

[waylew]

Yes, i used one of them to "seal" the 4x14awg cable, and the other 4, i know its wrong, but i used them to separate the cables inside the actuator

RamboHack
Monterrey, Mexico

That's not what they're for.You should have a plastic connector that the cable passes through to get into the box,similar to this,see pic.The rubber grommet goes around the cable,under the nut,tighten the nut to make a weather seal.

 

[RamboHack]

NEW UPDATE:

I spent few hours this Sunday at the roof

I installed the actuator, it was a little hard, but i think i did it well. I carefully did not thigh the bolts of the actuator, only thight enough to not move while retracting or extending.

Since the satellites i want to track begins at, i think, 40w all the way up to the 135w, i fully retract the actuator until i think is the 40w satellite located.

But when i fully extend the 36" actuator, i had a this problem:

The actuator somehow bumps with the polar base. And its not even fully extended yet.

I think, but its just my guess im not very sure, that when the actuator and the polar base hit each other, the dish is pointing somewhere at 140-145w, if thats the case, and since there is nothing more far west than 135w, then i think i will be ok.
If i can reach the 135w without the actuator hitting the polar base, then i think everything is fine then.
But i will know that until i test that satellite.

After that i point my dish to, what i think is my zenith satellite, and proceed to conect the FTA Receiver.

And guess what guys????

Whitout anything else, just connecting the reciever, i pick up the 99w!!!!

WOW! what a GREAT feeling i had when i watched the signal quality in the 72% more less!
I found like 70 channels in the 99w:

Even the weak transponder at 4120H 30000 showed 70%

Then, using the ASC1 i pressed a few times (like 12 or 15 pules) the button to the west, and i got the 101W:

i dont remembered how many channel i got at 101, but it was a lot of channels too

I press the west button again a few more times, and also got the 103W!!
i found this Univision Feed at 103W:

Then the night fall and i couldnt continue, i was also very tired, so i stoped everything and rest:

Thank you guys for all your help!!!

I am REALLY REALLY happy today with my installation progress.

Its taking a LOT of days to finish the whole installation, but that feeling when you have done the work with your own hand is priceless! And when you watch on the tv your first satellite signal pick, its priceless also!

In the next days, i will try to do, in the opinion of the majority, what is the most difficult part of everything, that is, finding all the satellites, and fine tuning the installation.... I hope it wont take another 15 or 20 days .

Any advice, comment or whatever you wanna say about my installation would be accepted, and i really appreciate your help guys!
Thank you!
Today, im happy

RamboHack
Monterrey, Mexico

 

[primestar31]

That's awesome that you locked right in to the sats! Good job, there's no better feeling when you get that first signal, and can play around to see what you can get.

I think you've been one of our best students on putting together and getting your FIRST system up and running so quickly!

P.S. Before you try to get a polar mount to move too far East to West, do some research here on "flop over". You don't want that to happen, if that mount might possibly be prone to it.

 

[RimaNTSS]

First of all, Rambo, if in real life you look like on your avatar then nothing should be hard to do for you. Even lifting your dish together with it's mount all alone! That was joke
But, seriously, good project and proper approach to installation. Learning not only by doing but also from other user experiences.
2 things I wish to say:
- Already mentioned "flopping" phenomenon. To avoid it happen I used to add adjustable mechanical stop to the mount. When it is installed it is even possible to remove actuator from the mount but dish will still be tuned to far East (West) satellite. Of course, when mechanical stop is installed, the actuator should be properly used to not break anything.You can see one of my mechanical stops on the picture
- Secondly, choose of connection points of the actuator is very important. That helps to use full length of the actuator, make it's duty easier, avoid flopping of the dish and get H-H arc. You already experienced when actuator tube almost hit the mount. Most likely you need to replace connection point of the actuator. I did it by attaching the plate (in the Red square ) with lots of holes and found the proper one to be the most appropriate.
Good luck.

 

[Bongu]

Great suggestion Rima. I am always envious of your fabrications.

Rambo, nice work with your project. Time spent setting things up precisely up front will mean more time enjoying the signals and less time fiddling with things later.

 

[iBoston]

Its funny looking at pictures of a dish so SOUTH. It looks like his dish is just about pointed straight up. Congratulations. Doesn't it just tickle you every time your receiver pulls in another channel..

 

[espaun206]

satellites-gallore
I bought mine on Thursday, they only created a tracking number and supposedly
it was supposed to be sent today but the tracking number still shows,,,, Shipping label created

 

[Arion]

Very nice job indeed. You took your time and were careful to do everything very slowly and the right way and you were rewarded with an immediate signal. Better to do it right the first time instead of having to go back and do it again and again.

 

[Titanium]

Congrats!
Thank you for sharing your experience complete with the questions, problems, solutions and SUCCESS!

Personally, I would weld an angle iron to the mounting ring in an "L" shape and move the reflector's actuator mounting point 16 - 24" further out from the current mounting point and 6 - 8" away from the reflector. This change will not only eliminate the pinch point, but also add provide more counts per degree of travel and have better stability in wind loading.

By extending the side bar on the lower actuator tube, the result will be increased western travel before the "flop". Ultimately, keep your eye out for an old satellite dish with a horizon to horizon mount. Swap out the mount for complete horizon to horizon travel. The HH mounts are rare, but especially useful near equatorial locations since the polar mount design cannot see the entire arc that is usually visible in equatorial locations and the dish movement is so extreme.

 

[RamboHack]

Thank you very much for all your respondes and advices. I am paying special attention to all your recomendations about what should i do or attach to my current installation.

Im gonna take a day or 2 off. Im very tired (physically) of going to the roof almost everyday for 2 weeeks and i need a small rest to recover myself Maybe this wednesday i'll continue with the tunning of the whole arc.

Right now, im just enojoying my Azimuth Satellite, which is Galaxy 16 @ 99w.

I was making a comparisson of the channel i got in the blind scan, and the channels that are posted at lyngsat: Galaxy 16 at 99.0°W - LyngSat

And i can proudly say, that i have almost EVERY single channel that is posted there!
With the exception of 2 or 3 channels that i think they are no longer active.

I can get with 74% the ABC feeds (somebody told me this channels are very "fine tunning" or difficult to get) and i got them without even adjusting the LNB, without adjusting the elevation and Declination level.... i guess i had luck or my dish meassures were very precise

Right now im gonna rest the next 2 afternoons and just gonna enjoy this channels at 99W:

ABC Feed:

NBC HD:

eScapesTV HD:

Fox HD KRBK:

In the next 2 days, im gonna read, read and read again, the Titanium ASC1 online manual to know how to store the satellite in the memory and all its functions, and i'll also read, read and read the C Band installation manual to learn in precision how to fine tune and peak the big dish and how to get the whole satellite arc.

Thank you guys, and any tips or advices on how should i fine tune my dish, will be greatly appreciated

RamboHack
Monterrey, Mexico

 

[bpalone]

You have done well. Now, enjoy some of the fruits of your effort. Then take the time to tune it up well and then enjoy again.

 

[wvman]

I use a gin pole.
View attachment 129109

View attachment 129111

Great device for raising dishes to high locations. It cuts down on the effort to get one up that high. We've installed them in places like that, but we assembled them on the roof (Flat Roofs), and then we had one guy with a safety harness get to the edge of the roof to guide the mount over the pole. Of course, we always had a nylon safety cable hooked to the dish to avoid an unexpected drop. The gin pole would have been a better rig for this.

We were lucky. Never lost a dish over the side or had anyone go over the edge. These dishes are not heavy, but they sure are awkward to handle. We never did an install like this when it was windy.

 

[wvman]

Thank you very much for all your respondes and advices. I am paying special attention to all your recomendations about what should i do or attach to my current installation.

Im gonna take a day or 2 off. Im very tired (physically) of going to the roof almost everyday for 2 weeeks and i need a small rest to recover myself Maybe this wednesday i'll continue with the tunning of the whole arc.

Right now, im just enojoying my Azimuth Satellite, which is Galaxy 16 @ 99w.

I was making a comparisson of the channel i got in the blind scan, and the channels that are posted at lyngsat: Galaxy 16 at 99.0°W - LyngSat

And i can proudly say, that i have almost EVERY single channel that is posted there!
With the exception of 2 or 3 channels that i think they are no longer active.

I can get with 74% the ABC feeds (somebody told me this channels are very "fine tunning" or difficult to get) and i got them without even adjusting the LNB, without adjusting the elevation and Declination level.... i guess i had luck or my dish meassures were very precise

Right now im gonna rest the next 2 afternoons and just gonna enjoy this channels at 99W:

ABC Feed:

NBC HD:

eScapesTV HD:

Fox HD KRBK:

In the next 2 days, im gonna read, read and read again, the Titanium ASC1 online manual to know how to store the satellite in the memory and all its functions, and i'll also read, read and read the C Band installation manual to learn in precision how to fine tune and peak the big dish and how to get the whole satellite arc.

Thank you guys, and any tips or advices on how should i fine tune my dish, will be greatly appreciated

RamboHack
Monterrey, Mexico

I'm impressed. You have done well. I know people who would have either given up or decided not to do what you've done. Tweaking a dish takes patients. A little adjustment here, another one there, and eventually your getting all the signal possible. I still do occasional adjustments on mine that gains me a point or two on the meter. Every little bit helps. I learned something right off the bat when I got into FTA. You can have a dozen different receivers, and none of them will read the signal level the same.

I have two stand alone meters I use to tweak my dishes. The levels are even a bit different between them. Just take your time and you'll get where you want to be. Great job. Give yourself a pat on the back.

 

[JFOK]

RamboHack,

Enjoyed reading your progress and eventual success with your dish installation.
This is a great group at Satellite Guys and they helped me immensely when I relocated my dish.
Enjoy the fruits of your labor.

John

 

[Richinald]

Hi Rambo Hack,

Great installation, and thank you for sharing all your installation progress and tips with us.
Just I had a question which receiver are you using for receiving the satellite broadcasts ?, the quality on the pictures looks really great.

Thanks.
Richinald

 

[KE4EST]

Just I had a question which receiver are you using for receiving the satellite broadcasts ?

This was posted in post #1. I would not recommend this box though if you were just going to go out and buy one. This is one he already had. That box is sold as a hacker box, and could pose issues down the road.
Usually DiSEqC and USALS are not fully implemented on boxes such as this, sometimes there are, or they could have other issues.

 

[wvman]

Hi Rambo Hack,

Great installation, and thank you for sharing all your installation progress and tips with us.
Just I had a question which receiver are you using for receiving the satellite broadcasts ?, the quality on the pictures looks really great.

Thanks.
Richinald

I just bought a Linkbox 9000i from Hypermegasat, and on the shake down run, I was a little skeptical of how it worked, but as I played with it and learned all the perks, it turned out to be a very nice receiver with crystal clear video and great audio hooked to my Bose surround sound. I can't vouch for the USALS because I am running it through a DiSEqC switch running 5 BUD's, and it works great with it.

It does have one little problem with the 1080p setting, which is jittery and unusable. Other than that, I am pleased as punch with it. You can get this receiver with a OTA tuner, which I have been told that it's an excellent tuner, and it comes with a wifi antenna for hooking to the internet. It's slightly higher with the OTA tuner, like $20 I think. I didn't get it because I can't get locals where I live. Too many mountains.

It cost me around $150 and I think it's well worth the money. I like it because it has in internal power supply. I hate wall warts, and this one doesn't need one. You may want to consider one of these.

 

[RamboHack]

Hi guys! im back.

Its been raining here for the last 2 days and its impossible to get the roof at this time. Weather forecast says its going to get better today or tomorrow, but who knows.... i'll have to wait until the sky clear up and i'll post more pictures of my installation progress.

In the meantime, i already read like 4 times the ASC1 manual, an i think i already understand all the features and settings the great device has.

Both the reciever and the ASC1 has to be in "syncronize" using diseqc1.2 and they have to share the same satellite position in order to control the actuator from the reciever (thats what i understood from the manual)

And, using your advices, i wont use the 4x14AWG i bought few weeks ago. So i bought this cable from DX Engineering and it arrived today:

It has 2x18AWG for the motor and 2x12AWG shielded for the sensors.

But i have one question: What should i do with the "extra" cable? i though i only 4 cables, but it seems that there is this extra cable:

I guess is for the ground connection right? in my venture actuator, there is an extra bolt at the center, should i connect this cable here?:

and @ the ASC1 i should connect it here:

By the way...i also recieve in the mail today, this brand new Diseqc, so i can connect both systems i have, the C Band and the KU motorized dish i already have:

And one last question:
The 4x14AWG cable that i wont use, because i bought the right one from dx, the 4x14AWG can i use it to make ground connection directly from the satellite dish all the way down to a rod buried in the backyard.

in this picture says it should be 10AWG for ground connection, but if i use the FOUR CABLES 4x14AWG...is it better? or i sould use only one of those cables?

Thank you, and sorry for asking too many questions

RamboHack
Monterrey, Mexico

 

[KE4EST]

sorry for asking too many questions

Don't be! That is what we are here for.