Need help from FTA gods

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Tphambo

Active SatelliteGuys Member
Original poster
Apr 18, 2016
15
15
Lancaster pa
Trying to get 97w and having a hell of a time! Not sure what I'm doing wrong but managed to get this below. Scanned for channels and got one! It said Galaxy 28 on the top right. Is this another satellite? Am I even close?
image.jpeg
 
Manually put in this transponder:

Frequency: 12152
Polarity: Horizontal
Symbol Rate: 20000

Then slowly tune your dish until you hit this and fine tune for max quality.
Then do another blind scan, you should then get a big list of channels. ;)
 
It takes time to get your first satellite but once you get it you want to work out from that satellite location back and forth. I started out at 101w ku then went to 97w ku then I found 103w ku and so forth. We are here to help just ask us.
 
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Trying to get 97w and having a hell of a time! Not sure what I'm doing wrong but managed to get this below. Scanned for channels and got one! It said Galaxy 28 on the top right. Is this another satellite? Am I even close?View attachment 116349
Your Coolsat knows where it is,you are on Gal 28 at 89w.You need to move west 8 degrees.There are Hughsnet transponders on G28 that ID the sat,there's nothing to watch there tho.
 
So it sounds like I'm getting close then! Now just have to wait till the weather cooperates! Can't wait to go out and fine tune this!

Yes, just a little ways further west! :)
I remember the thrill of locking onto 97W Ku for the first time and scanning for channels. The first channel I watched was a soccer (football) game from Kuwait, my wife couldn't believe I was getting that! :)
 
Ok! So I got the level bar up to 97 but the quality bar at only 5-6, then it started raining again so I had to stop there! What do I need to do to get the quality level up? Is there a certain settings I need to input in the receiver (frequency, transponder)? Any tips would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
 
The Signal Level only indicates that the LNBF is powering on. It really isn't useful for locating the satellite.

Signal Quality 0-10 means that you are not tuned to an active transponder and/or not aimed at a satellite and/or the LO frequency is set wrong and/or skew setting is wrong.

What is your zip code?

What brand and model LNBF? LO frequency?

What is the LNBF skew rotated to? Clockwise or counter clockwise when standing in front of the dish looking toward the reflector?

What brand and model (size) dish?

Is the dish mounted on a plumb and level post?

What is the elevation scale setting?

Have you manually inputted the active transponder date from post #3? Is this the transponder that is selected as you attempt to find 97w satellite?

Do you have a TV next to the dish so you can observe the Signal Quality meter reading as the dish is slowly moved?
 
This is my set ups:

39" dish (don't know who made it)
SG 2100 Moteck motor
Coolsat 6000 receiver
Single LNB (Orbital Tracker OTL-U01) no skew
My location is 76.3 W and 40.0 N

Mounted on a metal pole which is plumb and level.
Elevation on the motor set to my latitude whic is 40 (right?)
Dish angle according to the motor manual set at 24 (not sure if this is right)

I entered my location and turn on USALS in the receiver, but not manually imputed transponder (not sure how to do that)! Other than that everything is still factory settings! I do have a TV next to the dish.

Between the weather and work I have very little time to mess with it doing the week. Calling for rain all day tomorrow so I guess I have to wait till the weekend! Hope it doesn't rain! Thanks for all the tips! Keep it coming....I needed!
 
Need to figure out how to make sure the LNB setting is Universal. The LNB frequency then has to be 9750/10600
Need to figure out how to Program a transponder.
Need to set one on Satellite G19/97W to
Frequency: 12152
Polarity: Horizontal
Symbol Rate: 20000

Input your location in the USALS set up. to 2 digits IIRR. 40.xx and 76.3x (??)
Select satellite 97W, The motor will turn the dish.
With the entered transponder (above) selected in the tune up screen, rotate the motor/dish about the pole for maximum QUALITY reading. SEE BELOW** May also have to tweak the dish elevation slightly (not the motor elevation) for maximum. (recheck the motor L/R)
Do a Blind Scan to get them all.
If everything worked out correctly, the rest of the satellites is just select, let the dish move(and stop) and Blind Scan.

Really, the preferred method is to NOT have the dish on the motor as a first foray. Have it directly mounted to the pole. Find a satellite, then another, and then another, To 'cut your teeth' to say. And once that becomes 'easy' add the motor to the mix. At the same time you get used to programming the receiver and dish aiming as a first 'baby step'. Then add the motor.
**When aiming the dish, make a small adjustment, then wait a bit before making another adjustment. 10 seconds is not uncommon for the receiver to lock the signal and display a Quality reading. (These signals are weak)

What's up with the line spacing? The edit panel looks single spaced.
 
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What's up with the line spacing? The edit panel looks single spaced.

Very strange indeed. It looks single spaced to me also. I even changed the font and still double.
 
Okay went in and cleared ALL formatting and it fixed it. Appeared like your browser was throwing in an extra CR.

Anyway, back to your regularly scheduled programming. :)
 
Need to figure out how to make sure the LNB setting is Universal. The LNB frequency then has to be 9750/10600
Need to figure out how to Program a transponder.
Need to set one on Satellite G19/97W to
Frequency: 12152
Polarity: Horizontal
Symbol Rate: 20000

He does have the Universal LNB, I have an Orbital Tracker LNB just like it; the Universal setting would be correct. If he didn't live so far north of me, I could help him set it all up in an afternoon. :)
 
For starters motors you should not be messing with until you get used to your system and how it works. Motors should be step 2 or 3 when installing an ku band FTA system just my opinion.
 
Your dish bracket should be set to 23.7 degrees and the dish scale should be set to whatever your latitude is [40 degrees]. Once these are set, rotate the whole dish/motor by hand on the pole to aim at 97W as best you can. Once that's set, have the receiver send the dish to 97W, if the dish moves away from where you aimed for 97W with your compass, etc, rotate the motor/dish assembly by hand on the pole to point back at 97 W and then try to lock a known transponder on 97W.

You will probably have to rotate the dish/motor on the pole a bit by hand [Slowly!] as you watch your receiver's or meter's Q scale, maybe adjust the dish/motor scales a bit, the scales usually aren't spot on, but once in the neighborhood of 97W it shouldn't be too hard to find if your pole is plumb and try finding it before adjusting the scales by just rotating the dish/motor back/forth a bit by hand. You can also adjust the dish position/fine tune by changing your USALS Lat/Long settings a bit in the receiver once you do have a lock.

Keep in mind that only a small move of a 1/8" or so, or less, even, on the dish/motor, can make the difference of receiving or not receiving the signal.

Figure out how to manually add a transponder like Fat Air said, so you can be sure you have a live transponder on 97W as you search for it, That's very important! And that the LNB setting is correct, too.

For a motorized dish, your LNB skew should be zero.

Can you post some pictures?
 
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I got it you guys!! After reading all your posts over and over, and the rain finally stopped. I put in the transponder like KE4EST and FaT Air said. Moved the dish, and in less than 10 minutes, I got the green signal bars! Got it to peaked out at 91. Did a blind scan and got 195 tv and 76 radio channels. Most importantly I got 11 Vietnamese channels for my parents to watch. They love it!! The FTA gods smile upon me! Thank you all for your help!
 
I got it you guys!! After reading all your posts over and over, and the rain finally stopped. I put in the transponder like KE4EST and FaT Air said. Moved the dish, and in less than 10 minutes, I got the green signal bars! Got it to peaked out at 91. Did a blind scan and got 195 tv and 76 radio channels. Most importantly I got 11 Vietnamese channels for my parents to watch. They love it!! The FTA gods smile upon me! Thank you all for your help!

Very awesome!! Congrats! That's the feeling I got too when I first got the green lights to light up. :-D Enjoy!
 
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Awesome!

Looked through my post above and I meant to say motor bracket in the beginning of the first line, sorry about that!

Your dish bracket should be set to 23.7 degrees and the dish scale should be set to whatever your latitude is [40 degrees].

You got it though! When's the next dish going up? :D
 
Ok, now that I found 97w, does that mean I'm on the arc? Do I just pick another satellite and USALS will take me there? Are there more fine tuning I need to make? What is a next good satellite to get?
 
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