Need help setting up

[FTAsquirrel]

Help

Hi all, first off this is one great forum!

I just got my new FTA system and I am new to FTA. So that is my spring FTA project and its been a big one today.

Here is my system http://www.sat-sales.com/motorized_viewsat_ultra_satellite_system.php

I have it all set up and the pole is plumb.

My issue is seems like all I can get is the echostar 121 and 110. I can't not seem to snag any other birds so far. I am located in Oregon near Idaho. I have tested and tested but seem to only get the echostar dish birds.

Anyone have an idea or tip for a newbie.

thanks

 

[iafirebuff]

WELCOME! Let's start out with what do you have for a receiver, dish, lnb, etc? What satellite are you looking for?

 

[Anole]

A list of the equipment is in the link, above.
By all accounts, a very complete and decent collection of hardware.

 

[linuxman]

I don't know much about the Viewsat Ultra, but from what I have read, your Invacom QPH-031 has four outputs two are Linear, and two are circular.

One set, a Linear and Circular needs to be set on your diseqc switch as maybe port 1 for the linear, and port 2 for the circular.

Then in your receiver satellite setup screen, you have to tell the receiver which sats are linear, and you have to choose the linear port, and make sure the lo is 10750. On the circular sats like you already have, make sure they are setup on the other port, and the lo should be at 11250.

The receiver should remember which is which.

That will allow you to get the other satellites.

Hope that helps,

Fred

 

[FTAsquirrel]

Thanks for the tips, and fast respond.

I did adjustments and it seems like I can not get the Linear sats to show up even when I connect to just the liner output of the LNBF. At one point I could get about 4 satellites that were all circular.

If I get the circular satellites am I even in the right arc for the linear ones?

Thanks for the help.

 

[bill190]

I can't properly align a satellite dish without the help of a "signal meter" such as this one...
http://www.sadoun.com/Sat/Products/Accessories/Meters/SF-95-DSS-FTA-Satellite-Signal-meter.htm

With this meter, I can make my dish go back and forth in the arc and it will get a reading as the dish hits each satellite.

When first setting up a dish, I will get the due south satellite, then move my dish back and forth, and will get satellites to either side, then nothing!
So maybe 3 or 4 satellites at first.

Then I move the dish to the furthest west or east satellite. I adjust the meter so the needle points in the center. With my hand, I push the dish downward a bit and see what happens on the meter. Then upwards and see what happens on the meter. If I need to go down (signal gets better), this means my arc needs to go down.

Then I move my dish back to the center sat. To adjust the arc smaller, I adjust the arc adjustment UP, then the dish elevation DOWN to get that due south sat again. Then move east/west again and see if I get more sats.

Hold a baseball in front of your eye and face south. See where the curves or the "arc" of the baseball come down. Now hold a basketball in front of your eye and face south. See where the curves or the "arc" of the basketball come down. The curve or "arc" is wider with a basketball.

Now have someone hold up a 10 ft. piece of plastic pipe. The ends "droop" down. This is a real wide arc and more like the arc of the earth (and the arc of satellites).

If you need a "plastic pipe size arc", but your positioner is adjusted for a "basketball size arc" (exaggeration), then you can see why you would just get the satellites at the top of the arc only.

The dish arc needs to be exactly identical to the arc of the satellites.
Now hold that basketball in front of your eye and face south again. Move the basketball east. The arc is the same, but you have moved the entire arc east.

So you can have the correct arc, but the arc is not aligned with the satellite arc. This adjustment is to rotate the entire positioner on the mounting pole. Symptoms of needing this adjustment are that the arc needs to go higher on the east, but lower on the west (or the opposite).

When the dish is perfectly aligned, you get all the sats in the arc, you can press up on the dish and get a lower reading, or down on the dish and get a lower reading. This is with any satellite in the arc.

This took me a week to get just right the first time I tried. Tons of patience. The 4th and latest time I did this, I spent 4 hours on Saturday, then 6 hours on Sunday lining up my dish.