Need Help with DVB-S, Card ADS Tech

[Pepse]

I am new to DVB but have been a BUD user for about 15 years. Oh, yeah, I am new on this web forum, too.

Anyway I have been wanting to try DVB/FTA for years but could never afford a receiver. So, recently I purchased a ADS Tech PTV-341 PCI card and have it in my computer. I am mainly a Linux user but have a small hard drive with winXP SP2. When I installed the card in windows I installed the drivers and the software and I can't get any signal. Same with my 2 different Linux OS's. I have tried Galaxy 10R and Galaxy 14 and Galaxy 25. Only with my KU LNB as I don't have a Disequ swtch yet and since there is nothing on the C-Band KU with my short dish mover, 24 inch, I just ran the KU coax to my computer. I know my KU LNB is Good as I went to X4 and was able to bring up the program guide.

Is my mistake the ADS Tech card? Sometimes I am cheap. Or ?????

My BUD setup is a 10ft mesh SAMI going to a GI 922 4DTV receiver. Both The C and KU LNB's were upgraded about 2 or 3 years ago.

The computer is a 3.33 ghz CPU and 2 Gigs of RAM.

Later. Pepse.

 

[colbec]

Regarding Linux, the first thing to determine is if your card is supported in the linux kernel. Here is a link to get you started:

DVB-S Devices - LinuxTVWiki

What does 'dmesg' say about your card, is there any mention of whether it is found and loaded or not loaded? What software are you using in LInux to view transmissions?

It seems your card may be supported by some versions of Progdvb in Windows?

My experience so far is that you need a considerably stronger signal for reliable reception on a DVB-S card than you would for a standalone receiver. Make sure your dishes and lnbs are aligned as accurately as you can tweak them.

 

[gillham]

Under Linux you can verify the drivers are loading with some commands like this:
$ dmesg | grep video[0-9]

You should see vaguely similar to this output for my ATSC card:
[ 20.570025] cx23885[0]/0: registered device video0 [v4l2]
[ 20.577617] cx23885[0]: registered device video1 [mpeg]

$ ls -l /dev/dvb/adapter0
total 0
crw-rw----+ 1 root video 212, 1 2009-01-10 15:28 demux0
crw-rw----+ 1 root video 212, 2 2009-01-10 15:28 dvr0
crw-rw----+ 1 root video 212, 0 2009-01-10 15:28 frontend0
crw-rw----+ 1 root video 212, 3 2009-01-10 15:28 net0

You can verify if kernel modules are loaded like this:
$ lsmod | grep dvb

Again you'll see something similar (but not exactly) like this:
videobuf_dvb 15236 3 cx8802,cx88xx,cx23885
dvb_core 94720 1 videobuf_dvb

If that doesn't show anything you can confirm the PCI id with:
$ lspci | grep media
03:00.0 Multimedia video controller: Conexant Systems, Inc. Device 8880 (rev 0f)

My ATSC card again.

If your card is showing up properly you can try to scan something.
For example here's a command to scan Galaxy 19 (formerly 25):
$ scan -o zap -l 10750 -vvvv /usr/share/dvb/dvb-s/Galaxy25-97w

If you're pointed to Galaxy 19 this should find something.

After the scan is complete you should get output like this:
[...]
MHz Worldview:11789:v:0:28125:2960:2920:52
[...]

Once your scanning is working you can redirect that to a file and save it to ~/.szap/channels.conf. This will let you use the 'szap' command to tune to a specific channel.

$ szap -l 10750 -H -r MHz\ Worldview

That should get you some tuning type of information. I don't have my DVB-S card installed right now so I can't get you the exact output.

Anyway, this should get you started figuring out if your card is working. Post some details if you're not sure about something.

 

[Pepse]

Sorry for the delay in responding, but our hi speed modem died and had to wait for the phone company to replace it.

Anyway, As of this moment I am on my Mandriva Linux 2008.1. I did a " dmesg " and here is what should be relevent:


cx88/2: cx2388x MPEG-TS Driver Manager version 0.0.6 loaded
input: PC Speaker as /class/input/input4
cx88/0: cx2388x v4l2 driver version 0.0.6 loaded
msp3400 1-0040: MSP3430G-A1 found @ 0x80 (bt878 #0 [sw])
msp3400 1-0040: MSP3430G-A1 supports radio, mode is autodetect and autoselect
rtc_cmos 00:05: rtc core: registered rtc_cmos as rtc0
rtc0: alarms up to one month
bttv0: i2c: checking for TDA9875 @ 0xb0... not found
bttv0: i2c: checking for TDA7432 @ 0x8a... not found
parport_pc 00:0a: reported by Plug and Play ACPI
parport0: PC-style at 0x378, irq 7 [PCSPP,TRISTATE]
tuner 1-0061: chip found @ 0xc2 (bt878 #0 [sw])
tuner-simple 1-0061: type set to 2 (Philips NTSC (FI1236,FM1236 and compatibles))
tuner 1-0061: type set to Philips NTSC (FI123
tuner-simple 1-0061: type set to 2 (Philips NTSC (FI1236,FM1236 and compatibles))
tuner 1-0061: type set to Philips NTSC (FI123
bttv0: registered device video0
bttv0: registered device vbi0
bttv0: registered device radio0
bttv0: PLL: 28636363 => 35468950 .. ok
cx88[0]: subsystem: 1421:0341, board: KWorld DVB-S 100 [card=39,autodetected]
cx88[0]: TV tuner type 4, Radio tuner type -1
cx88[0]/2: cx2388x 8802 Driver Manager
ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:02:03.2[A] -> GSI 18 (level, low) -> IRQ 19
cx88[0]/2: found at 0000:02:03.2, rev: 5, irq: 19, latency: 32, mmio: 0xeb000000
ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:02:03.0[A] -> GSI 18 (level, low) -> IRQ 19
cx88[0]/0: found at 0000:02:03.0, rev: 5, irq: 19, latency: 32, mmio: 0xea000000
cx88[0]/0: registered device video1 [v4l2]
cx88[0]/0: registered device vbi1
ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:02:01.0[A] -> GSI 21 (level, low) -> IRQ 23
cx88/2: cx2388x dvb driver version 0.0.6 loaded
cx88/2: registering cx8802 driver, type: dvb access: shared
cx88[0]/2: subsystem: 1421:0341, board: KWorld DVB-S 100 [card=39]
cx88[0]/2: cx2388x based DVB/ATSC card
DVB: registering new adapter (cx88[0])


And, yes, I also have an old analog Hauppage TV/Radio card.

As near as I can tell the ADS Tech card is working. I am using Kaffeine for the DVB-S as I can't get Freevo to work in Mandriva. I WON'T use MythTV as when I load it it just makes my hard drive continuously run.

gillham,

I used the commands you gave and except for the command for Sat Galaxy 19, everything seems to check out good. As for Gal 19 the reply is:

]$ scan -o zap -l 10750 -vvvv /usr/share/dvb/dvb-s/Galaxy25-97w
bash: scan: command not found

Is zap a default item in Linux or something I need to add? Or???

colbec,

As for my windows hard drive I will check on progdvb by the weekend.

Later. Pepse.

 

[colbec]

If your kernel is picking up your card then Kaffeine will show some details. Do you have a Kaffeine menu option DVB, and if so when you go to the configure sub option does it show your card? You will see something like Device 0:0 (, Device x,x, ....) and when you click on the icon it should show a bit of detail about the card to reassure you that this is indeed your card. If there is no DVB option in your menu then your card is not being picked up by the system.

 

[gillham]

I used the commands you gave and except for the command for Sat Galaxy 19, everything seems to check out good. As for Gal 19 the reply is:

]$ scan -o zap -l 10750 -vvvv /usr/share/dvb/dvb-s/Galaxy25-97w
bash: scan: command not found

Is zap a default item in Linux or something I need to add? Or???

You probably need to add the 'dvb-utils' package. You can also build the tools from scratch if you're comfortable with that. More info on linuxtv.org about it.

If you install dvb-utils it will install files in /usr/share/dvb/dvb-s/<satellite>, but the package might have outdated information. This is just a text file you can edit, or you can copy it to your home directory and use that file instead in the scan process.

I find the scan & szap tools to be very useful and recommend trying them out.

 

[Pepse]

colbec,

Yes, Kaffeine does see my DVB card. When I goto config DVB it shows Name: Conexant CX124123/CX24109 . Type: Satellite . Tuner Timeout: 1500 ms (But it is changeable). Number of LNB's 1 (Can go up to 4 LNB's) Set Rotor Coordinates (I set it for my Lat & Long). Then it has: LNB1 Settings; and when I click on that I have: Universal LNB or C-Band LNB or C-Band Multipoint LNB. And also for each LNB option there is a choice of Dual LO Single LO or H/V LO and a scalable frequency for each. Then there is a choice between Positions Rotor, No Rotor & a USALS Rotor. And a Sources List... which enables me to select a Satellite. So, it looks like I have what is needed to find Sats; I just gotta figure out what to change in the config area.

gillham,

I read somewhere, probably in the LinTV area about the dvb-utils package. I will get it.

Later. Pepse.

 

[colbec]

Good, we are getting closer.

I'm not persuaded that the device you are seeing in Kaffeine is the ADS Tech - might it be the Hauppauge TV card? Just keep in mind that when you have multiple cards installed you need to be able to account for them all in the setup. Maybe Kaffeine lists the other card(s) somewhere else. That would be good, then the situation is clearer.

Regarding the DVB config, it sounds as though you have no motor on the Ku side so my suggestion is to hook your Ku lnb directly to the card. Without any intervening switches or motor makes the setup very simple and diagnosable. What type of Ku lnb is it? We need to know if it is a standard, universal or some odd configuration which will likely be on the lnb itself. If you don't know, start with a single LO value of 10750, No motor setting.

You can try increasing the timout value, it will go to 5000 but in my experience did not make any practical difference in getting a signal.

Next thing is the satellite to test on. When I was first setting up I found that I could get stuff on Hispasat 30W when other sats were iffy. So Hispasat became my testing bench. We want to point at the satellite you know you can get with a strong signal available (Iceberg has drawn up a list of these available in the sticky area). Kaffeine comes with its own set of default resource files and very likely those defaults will help you pick up something if not all of the available TPs.

 

[Pepse]

The Conexant chipset is for the ADS Tech. The Hauppage is the old BTTV 878 chipset.

I am running the KU LNB straight to the DVB card. My dish mover is my GI 4DTV box. My KU LNB is a 6 Db.

As for a test Ssatellite, I have a 24 inch arm and I can't go beyond AMC3 W3/K3. As for the other way I can go to AMC 8 W8.

Later. Pepse.

 

[colbec]

A "6 Db" does not mean much to me in terms of the required LO freq. I am afraid. I'm sure others will be able to set you straight on this.

Looks like I have contributed to the limit of my experience. Select a satellite you know your mover can hit accurately, select that sat in your Kaffeine DVB config and you should be set to watch the channels come in. Good luck!

 

[gillham]

Then it has: LNB1 Settings; and when I click on that I have: Universal LNB or C-Band LNB or C-Band Multipoint LNB. And also for each LNB option there is a choice of Dual LO Single LO or H/V LO and a scalable frequency for each. Then there is a choice between Positions Rotor, No Rotor & a USALS Rotor. And a Sources List... which enables me to select a Satellite. So, it looks like I have what is needed to find Sats; I just gotta figure out what to change in the config area.

If there is no "Standard" LNBF option, try picking C-Band and single LO set to 10750. (if it will let you) Otherwise select Universal and change the upper/high LO to 10750. (it is probably 10600 by default with the Universal)

This just tells the software what to subtract to find the intermediate frequency, so the only really important factor is having the correct LO frequency.

I would shoot for Galaxy 19 @ 97°W since it is generally easy to hit from anywhere in the CONUS. The question would be if your 4DTV can reliably get the dish positioned on Galaxy 19?

Then just select IA5/Galaxy25/Galaxy19/whatever you have for 97°W in the software and have it scan or whatever seems obvious.

 

[Pepse]

colbec,

A 6db KU LNB should be modern enough for what I am trying to do.

gillham,

I realized a few hours ago that I probably should be aiming my dish to the KU Sats; or doesn't it matter? Now as for being able to tweak any Sat for reception I have a small dilema; I would have to unhook the coax from the DVB card theen to my receiver and back and forth and.....

But I do have a couple splitters around for when I get a Diseqc. But I am not sure if these are sufficient enough. They were given to me. They are both Dish Network brand "separators" with a freq range of 950 to 2150 mhz and a one port DC pass. SO, can I take one now and use it on my KU coax? In this way I can tweak my signal without the coax switching hassle.

Also, I cannot get dvb-apps to work in Mandriva. I can untar it but there is no ./configure and when I try to "make" I get bashed. The LinuxTV web says how to install it on a Debian system, a Ubuntu system and Fedora systems, but nothing for Mandriva.

Later. Pepse.

 

[gillham]

I realized a few hours ago that I probably should be aiming my dish to the KU Sats; or doesn't it matter? Now as for being able to tweak any Sat for reception I have a small dilema; I would have to unhook the coax from the DVB card theen to my receiver and back and forth and.....

Right, I thought you said in your original post that you were trying Ku on Galaxy 25?

Also, I cannot get dvb-apps to work in Mandriva. I can untar it but there is no ./configure and when I try to "make" I get bashed. The LinuxTV web says how to install it on a Debian system, a Ubuntu system and Fedora systems, but nothing for Mandriva.

You can try checking out the code from the repository.
LinuxTV.org - CVS and Mercurial access

I've been able to compile this on Ubuntu, but I'm not sure about Mandriva as I have never used it.

 

[Pepse]

Every now and then my mind slips a gear or 2. Anyway what about using a splitter that I mentioned?

As for Kubuntu, I have that on another hard drive and dvb-apps works there. But I am still trying to figure out the commands for it to scan a satellite.

"Right, I thought you said in your original post that you were trying Ku on Galaxy 25?"

I was just aiming the Sat in the general direction; not thinking that I needed to aim it at a KU sat. Sorry.

Later. Pepse.

 

[gillham]

Every now and then my mind slips a gear or 2. Anyway what about using a splitter that I mentioned?

If it is a "Dish Pro Plus Separator" that could be a problem, I don't think they are truly splitters, but I don't know for sure. With a regular one port pass splitter you won't be able to select polarity from the non power pass side. At least with a voltage switching LNBF. Since only one port passes power, you can't really hurt anything by hooking it up and trying it.

As for Kubuntu, I have that on another hard drive and dvb-apps works there. But I am still trying to figure out the commands for it to scan a satellite.

What are you typing, what's the error message?

 

[Pepse]

Both separators are Dish Pro. I will try one, but I will get me a couple good ones and a Diseqc switch.

" What are you typing, what's the error message?" scan -c
using '/dev/dvb/adapter0/frontend0' and '/dev/dvb/adapter0/demux0'
WARNING: filter timeout pid 0x0011
WARNING: filter timeout pid 0x0000
dumping lists (0 services)
Done.

Also, I did scan -l lnb-type to see what it sees and here is the result:


jim@jim-desktop:~$ scan -l lnb-type
-l <lnb-type> or -l low[,high[,switch]] in Mhz
where <lnb-type> is:
UNIVERSAL
Europe
10800 to 11800 MHz and 11600 to 12700 Mhz
Dual LO, loband 9750, hiband 10600 MHz
DBS
Expressvu, North America
12200 to 12700 MHz
Single LO, 11250 MHz
STANDARD
10945 to 11450 Mhz
Single LO, 10000 Mhz
ENHANCED
Astra
10700 to 11700 MHz
Single LO, 9750 MHz
C-BAND
Big Dish - Monopoint LNBf
3700 to 4200 MHz
Single LO, 5150 Mhz
C-MULTI
Big Dish - Multipoint LNBf
3700 to 4200 MHz
Dual LO, 5150/5750 Mhz


Later. Pepse.

 

[gillham]

Also, I did scan -l lnb-type to see what it sees and here is the result:

You need to scan like I mentioned in my first post:

If your card is showing up properly you can try to scan something.
For example here's a command to scan Galaxy 19 (formerly 25):
$ scan -o zap -l 10750 -vvvv /usr/share/dvb/dvb-s/Galaxy25-97w

Assuming your Ku LNB has a standard LO of 10750, this should scan something.

 

[Pepse]

Sorry, I forgot. In fact I like it that I can use command line for this as it might be a better crap shoot than trying to scan with a GUI program.

I gotta switch to my Kunbuntu hdd and see what happens.

Later. Pepse.

 

[Pepse]

Okay, I tried X0 & L5 here are the errors:

scan -o zap -l 10750 -vvvv /usr/share/dvb/dvb-s/Galaxy18-123w
scanning /usr/share/dvb/dvb-s/Galaxy18-123w
using '/dev/dvb/adapter0/frontend0' and '/dev/dvb/adapter0/demux0'
ERROR: cannot open '/usr/share/dvb/dvb-s/Galaxy18-123w': 2 No such file or directory
ERROR: initial tuning failed
dumping lists (0 services)
Done.
jim@jim-desktop:~$ scan -o zap -l 10750 -vvvv /usr/share/dvb/dvb-s/Galaxy25-97w
scanning /usr/share/dvb/dvb-s/Galaxy25-97w
using '/dev/dvb/adapter0/frontend0' and '/dev/dvb/adapter0/demux0'
ERROR: cannot open '/usr/share/dvb/dvb-s/Galaxy25-97w': 2 No such file or directory
ERROR: initial tuning failed
dumping lists (0 services)
Done.

Later. Pepse.

 

[gillham]

Here's where you can get the scan files. If you want all of them you probably want to just download the source code.

On this link, click on the word "file" after the name of the satellite and then click "raw" on the top right. That should get you the raw text to save to a file.

Here's a direct link to the two you were trying:
http://linuxtv.org/hg/dvb-apps/raw-file/0e9cc025bffe/util/scan/dvb-s/Galaxy25-97w
http://linuxtv.org/hg/dvb-apps/raw-file/0e9cc025bffe/util/scan/dvb-s/Galaxy10R-123w