no Ku-band sat signal

[kris_usa]

OK, I have looked around and cannot find the answer. I have got my system from FTAdirect. It is PanSat 3500s (mostly because of your review). It came with Fortec Star 33” dish, HH90 rotor, CoolSat CS-LNBC lnbf, and DiSEqC 4x1 switch. I have put everything together, lnbf to rotor, rotor to port 1 on the switch, and switch to the receiver. My closest sat is AMC5 79W. My longitude is 77W, and latitude 39N. So I setup my rotor elevation to 39 and dish elevation to 39. Then I moved the rotor to 1.7W. Could not find any signal. I tried both positioner modes and nothing. Tried 97W telestar 5 and the same result, nothing. I use standard settings for lnbf. The skew is 45 or -45 depends on a transponder. After that I decided to bypass everything (rotor and switch) and tried to caught 97W, and nothing. After many tries I was able to pickup Nimiq2. Then I put rotor back, but I had to lower rotor elevation and dish elevation by 2 degrees each. Now I’m able to pickup Nimiq 2 and 1.3, Echostar 7 and 8, but no true Ku-band sats. I use USALS mode for positioner and those 4 work fine. According to Satellite Antenna Alignment program I should have no obstacles. So what is wrong?!?!?

 

[PSB]

WELCOME to the SatelliteGuys.US FTA Forum!



It would be a GOOD idea to find and store a few satellite BEFORE adding the 
motor!

Latitude 39° 0.000'N Longitude 77° 0.000'W

              Sat Name Sat Lng Az(t) Az(m)   El  Skew
-----------------------------------------------------
*** ALL DBS SATELLITE ***
                      
            EchoStar 3   61.5W 156.2 167.7 42.0 -18.3
          EchoStar 6/8  110.0W 225.9 237.4 33.4  33.9
          EchoStar 5/7  119.0W 235.0 246.5 27.6  39.6
 EchoStar 9/Telstar 13  121.0W 236.9 248.4 26.2  40.6
          EchoStar 1/2  148.0W 257.8 269.2  6.0  49.4
            EchoStar 4  157.0W 263.7 275.1 -0.9  50.6
                      
     DirecTV 1/1R/2/4S  101.0W 215.3 226.8 38.4  26.7
             DirecTV 6  110.0W 225.9 237.4 33.4  33.9
             DirecTV 5  119.0W 235.0 246.5 27.6  39.6
                      
*** All Satellites 61W - 160W ***
                      
              Amazonas   60.0W 154.1 165.6 41.5 -19.9
            EchoStar 3   61.5W 156.2 167.7 42.0 -18.3
             Rainbow 1   61.5W 156.2 167.7 42.0 -18.3
              Nahuel 1   71.8W 171.8 183.2 44.5  -6.4
           DirecTV 5/1   72.0W 172.1 183.6 44.5  -6.1
                 AMC 6   72.0W 172.1 183.6 44.5  -6.1
             Galaxy 12   74.0W 175.2 186.7 44.7  -3.7
                 SBS 6   74.0W 175.2 186.7 44.7  -3.7
                 AMC 5   79.0W 183.2 194.6 44.8   2.5
             DirecTV 3   81.8W 187.6 199.1 44.6   5.9
               Nimiq 2   82.0W 187.9 199.4 44.5   6.1
          Brasilsat B3   84.0W 191.0 202.5 44.3   8.6
             XM 3 Roll   85.0W 192.6 204.1 44.1   9.8
                 AMC 9   85.0W 192.6 204.1 44.1   9.8
                 AMC 3   87.0W 195.7 207.1 43.7  12.1
              Galaxy 9   91.0W 201.6 213.1 42.5  16.6
             Galaxy 11   91.0W 201.6 213.1 42.5  16.6
               Nimiq 1   91.0W 201.6 213.1 42.5  16.6
          Brasilsat B4   92.0W 203.1 214.5 42.2  17.7
             Telstar 6   93.0W 204.5 216.0 41.9  18.8
             Galaxy 3C   95.0W 207.3 218.8 41.1  20.9
             Telstar 5   97.0W 210.0 221.5 40.3  22.9
             Galaxy 4R   99.0W 212.7 224.2 39.4  24.8
             DirecTV 2  100.8W 215.0 226.5 38.5  26.5
            DirecTV 1R  100.8W 215.0 226.5 38.5  26.5
                 AMC 4  101.0W 215.3 226.8 38.4  26.7
             DirecTV 1  101.0W 215.3 226.8 38.4  26.7
                AMSC 1  101.1W 215.4 226.9 38.4  26.8
            DirecTV 4S  101.2W 215.5 227.0 38.3  26.8
                 AMC 1  103.0W 217.8 229.2 37.4  28.4
              AMC 2/15  105.0W 220.2 231.7 36.3  30.1
               Anik F1  107.3W 222.9 234.4 35.0  31.9
             DirecTV 6  109.8W 225.7 237.2 33.5  33.8
            EchoStar 6  110.0W 225.9 237.4 33.4  33.9
            EchoStar 8  110.0W 225.9 237.4 33.4  33.9
               Anik F2  111.1W 227.1 238.6 32.7  34.7
         Solidaridad 2  113.0W 229.1 240.6 31.5  36.0
               XM Rock  115.0W 231.1 242.6 30.3  37.2
              SatMex 5  116.8W 232.9 244.4 29.1  38.3
             DirecTV 5  119.0W 235.0 246.5 27.6  39.6
            EchoStar 7  119.0W 235.0 246.5 27.6  39.6
            EchoStar 5  119.0W 235.0 246.5 27.6  39.6
 EchoStar 9/Telstar 13  121.0W 236.9 248.4 26.2  40.6
            Galaxy 10R  123.0W 238.7 250.2 24.8  41.6
             Galaxy 12  125.0W 240.5 251.9 23.3  42.5
          Galaxy 13/H1  127.0W 242.2 253.6 21.9  43.4
   Telstar 7/EchoStar5  129.0W 243.8 255.3 20.4  44.2
                AMC 11  131.0W 245.4 256.9 19.0  45.0
             Galaxy 1R  133.0W 247.0 258.5 17.5  45.7
                AMC 10  135.0W 248.5 260.0 16.0  46.3
                 AMC 7  137.0W 250.0 261.5 14.4  46.9
                 AMC 8  139.0W 251.5 263.0 12.9  47.5
             Galaxy 14  146.0W 256.4 267.9  7.5  49.1
            EchoStar 1  148.0W 257.8 269.2  6.0  49.4
            EchoStar 2  148.0W 257.8 269.2  6.0  49.4
            EchoStar 4  157.0W 263.7 275.1 -0.9  50.6
                      

Satellite Finder is (c) Copyright 2004, P. Lutus

 

[kris_usa]

What do you mean "find and store"? Pansat has most of those sats preset.

 

[PSB]

Find = move dish until you get signal quality on a LIVE channel or TP.(transponder)

 

[kris_usa]

Well, as you can read in my initial post i can find only few sats (nimiq 1.3, 2 and echostar 7, 8). Could be something with lnbf?

 

[Mr Tony]

-The dish elevation shoudlnt be 39....needs to be lower
-You should be using the KU LNB, not the DBS LNB
-LO frequency (2nd option in antenna setup after standard needs to be 10750)

 

[Arion]

Also, the usls won't do you a bit of good unless the system is properly set up and aimed correctly. Until your aimed dead nuts on your due south satellite the USLS won't work as it needs a reliable, known starting point. You can be 1 degree off on your elevation and totally miss the sat. Best thing is to get one of those $20 sat meters and use that to hit your due south satellite. I have never set up a system yet but just setting my positioner elevation and dish elevation and be right on the satellite.

 

[kris_usa]

so what dish elevation should i use, and what skew should be? I have KU lnb.

 

[Mr Tony]

skew would be 0 since its motorized

put the motor at your true south and adjust the dish elevation to get the best signal. Dont touch the motor setting (should be 39...same as your latitude)

 

[kris_usa]

Arion
I understand that i have to set dish correcttly to one of the sats, preferablly the one that is closest to true south. but my problem is that next to amc5 79w, that is my almost true south, there is nimiq2 82w, which has strong signal and every time when i move arround i find nimiq 2 no amc5.

 

[Mr Tony]

something isnt set right then because I can hit AMC5 with no interference on Nimiq2

Make sure the LO frequency is at 10750 and that you have a KU band LNB, not a DBS
The numbers on it should say frequency 10.7-12.75 or 11.7-12.2

 

[kris_usa]

OK i will keep rotor elevation at 39, now how do i find dish elevation, and should i turn rotor to desire position as they say in the manual, and then look for signal. Or keep this at 0 position..

 

[kris_usa]

OK, i have tried everything and nothing works. I have read on other thread that there are two kinds of lnb. Linear and circular. I got with my receiver CS-LNBC wich I belive is circular. To receive signal from Telestart 5 and other linear sats i will need linear lnb. I just need somebody to confirm if i'm right. Is CoolSat CS-LNBC circular or linear lnb?

 

[beeb]

If you are only getting the DBS sats you mentioned, it's a proof that you have a circular LNB and need to get a linear one for the Ku sats.

 

[Mr Tony]

I just need somebody to confirm if i'm right. Is CoolSat CS-LNBC circular or linear lnb?

If you got the Universal package, that is the KU band Linear (for FTA) not circular

 

[kris_usa]

Just to make things clear. My problem was wrong LNB that I have received with the system. I have got LNBC, which is circular and should be linear. I have replaced LNB and it works fine.