Pointing motorizes system

[PANHANDLER]

I,m setting up my DG-380 motor with a fortec 31" dish useing a Fortec star reciever i just purchased from Sadoun . After several days of fiddling , i don't get any signal . In my wiring setup is basic ,, lnb to motor then to reciever ( no switches ) i have the connection on the lnb ( cuad polar ) to only one L output and reciever is setup for Galaxy 25 Ku - 97 W, lnb type 10750( closest to sout for me ) , positioner i tried both Diseq 1.2 ans USUALS . Now for the question , The elevation and declanation angle table that came with the system coverts my elevation angle to 48 deg. my actual latitude is 42, i was reading and every where i get info it says to set the elevation on the motor to your latitude ( 42 ) and the dish angle should be 28.5 . My actual longitude is -79,408 and latitude is 42.425 . what setting is correct , please help ,,,,, frustrated

and yes i am pointed at true south , i used the sun when it was in highest point in the sky method

 

[cracklincrotch]

Then I'd set your receiver to AMC5 at 79W and align to that as that is your closest true south bird. Use USALS in your receiver to drive the motor that half a degree and align from there.

Set your receiver to monitor 12176 H 20500. That's a strong transponder on AMC5. Once you get your motor/dish aligned on that you should have pretty much everything else. You should then be able to go to a far east or west satellite and lock a transponder on it. If it's weak or you're unable to get it, tweak a bit to get it. Then send it back to 79W and see if you can still get it. If you can, congratulations are in order.

 

[PANHANDLER]

Thank you for the quick reply , I adjusted to the settings but still no signal , i didn't go out side yet and tweak , but i'm still wondering if my elevation angle and dish angle is correct , i have them set to the chart that came with this motor ( DG-380 )

 

[Lak7]

Motor Latitude scale: 42.4, 42.5 if fine set it and forget it, no tweaking
Dish Elevation: 28, tweak to best signal, scale maybe off a few degrees
Double check Pole is Plumb with Dish and Motor mounted.

In the receiver set up menu
LNB type: single or standard
LNB L.O. / Freq" 10750
LNB Power: On
Transponder: 12176 H 20500 (it may be 12177)

If possible, bring the receiver and TV to the Dish.

Loosen the Motor Mount bolts just enough so you can twist the Motor on the pole
If the Motor is not at Zero, have the receiver drive the Motor to Zero
Then twist the Motor on the pole so that it is too far east, then slowly, very slowly rotate to the west watching for the Quality meter to "light up"
If nothing, Raise or Lower the Dish Elevation 1 degree and repeat.

 

[AcWxRadar]

Thank you for the quick reply , I adjusted to the settings but still no signal , i didn't go out side yet and tweak , but i'm still wondering if my elevation angle and dish angle is correct , i have them set to the chart that came with this motor ( DG-380 )

Panhandler,

From the coordinates that you stated, your motor latitude should be set to 42.43 degrees. Your dish elevation should be set to 28.46 degrees.

Make sure that you are using the leading edge of the metal plate (for the dish elevation) and the arrow marker or pointer (for the motor latitude) that you can see through the "cutout" window of the scale (don't use the fastening bolt as the marker).

In your first post you stated that 97W was your nearest true south satellite. I assume you simply made a typo and meant 79W?

Radar

 

[AcWxRadar]

Double check Pole is Plumb with Dish and Motor mounted.

If possible, bring the receiver and TV to the Dish.

These are most excellent tips!

Some people do not follow this advice and they end up wasting their time and may not understand why they cannot track the arc.

A plumb mast or pole is crucial and is the basic foundation for all other angles.

A portable TV and receiver set near the dish allows you the convenience of viewing direct (immediate) feedback from your alignment procedures.

Radar

 

[PANHANDLER]

Thank you Radar , ooops that was a typo on the 79 , i'm famouse for that lol. and yes i took great care in setting the pole ( 2" water pipe 3 feet down in cement ) and i'll take your advise and bring a small tv out side ,

 

[AcWxRadar]

Thank you Radar , ooops that was a typo on the 79 , i'm famouse for that lol. and yes i took great care in setting the pole ( 2" water pipe 3 feet down in cement ) and i'll take your advise and bring a smell tv out side ,

Panhandler,

Here is another tip. If you take a smelly TV outside with you, keep it downwind from you! Ha Ha!

Sorry, just giving you a bad time on the typos!

But, please give thanks to Lak7 for the previous suggestions. I was simply reiterating his advice.

Radar

 

[PANHANDLER]

Hmm i jst noticed in the settings for the Fotech star under AMC 5 79.0 W , under transponders there is no 12176H / 20500 in the list , only 11742V/1110 , 11900/H2170 , 12182/ H 2300

 

[PANHANDLER]

Thank you Lak 7 that is great advise and i'm still trying , lol :} Radar i fixed that typo

 

[cracklincrotch]

You would have to add that transponder to the list in your receiver. I don't have a Fortec so I couldn't help you with that.

If you can't get the elevation on your dish correct, there is another method that I used to get the correct elevation since the elevation scale on my dish isn't marked off.

Your dish elevation needs to be 28.3 degrees to work correctly at your location, 44.2N 79.4W. If you point your dish at SatMex 5 at 116.8W, your dish will be at 28.5 degrees. That's pretty close to 28.3. Tighten up your elevation bolts. Next, put your dish back on the motor with the declination already set. Set your motor back on your mount. If you drive your motor to AMC5 at 79W, it should now just be a matter of turning the motor on your mount/pole left or right to get a signal as the elevation is already taken care of.

If your not positive about the direction the dish should be aimed Satellite Finder / Dish Pointing Calculator with Google Maps | DishPointer.com is your friend! It uses Google Maps to give you a satellite image of your area and draws a line pointing in the direction of the sat. VERY handy.

 

[Lak7]

Hmm i jst noticed in the settings for the Fotech star under AMC 5 79.0 W , under transponders there is no 12176H / 20500 in the list

You need to manually add it, instructions should be in the book
Freq: 12176
Polarity: Horizontal
Scan Rate: 20500

Just so you know, the Quality Meter will only light up if the Transponder you have selected in the setup menu is Active / Live. You could be dead nuts on a Sat, but if the TP list does not have an Active / Live TP to select, you will not get a Quality reading.

 

[PANHANDLER]

I want to say thank you all for your help my dish was off a few degrees it ended up hitting on 30 drgrees ,, i have great signal on AMC5 at 79W , but still unable to edit the tp on the fortec, i'm going to reconnect my pansat 3500 sense i know i can edit it in there , if anyone knows how to edit the tp's on the Fortec star please chime in ( if there is a way ) once again i want to thank everyone for there assistance i think i'm up , now to scan a few more sats , ;}

 

[Lak7]

Congrats!
Use the receiver that you are most familiar with for set up.
Pick a Sat in the West like 123, 125, 129 and see if you can get them.
Use Lyngsat.com of "The List" at the top of these web pages to help get current TPs.

 

[Sadoun]

if anyone knows how to edit the tp's on the Fortec star please chime in ( if there is a way )

No need to edit the TPs, just do a Power Scan and the receiver will capture and store all the active TPs from that satellite.

Power Scan is easy, on the remote control there is a button called "P. Scan". Just click it once, then click OK. The receiver will do it work for you.

 

[Lak7]

No need to edit the TPs, just do a Power Scan and the receiver will capture and store all the active TPs from that satellite.

I think he wanted to enter a new TP, so he had a known good TP to align to.
His Trues South Sat is 79west, not much there except Horse Racing.

 

[Sadoun]

Ok, you can see on this screen:

To edit TP, click on RED button on the remote.

 

[PANHANDLER]

Thank you Sadoun , that helps me out alot i was wondering how to edit the Tp's ;}or in this case add them , everyone has been a great help to with this project ;}

 

[Sadoun]

You welcome, glad to help. Good luck.

 

[PANHANDLER]

I finnaly got the time to get back to fine tunning this system ( same as above ), after dialing my true south and i do believe i have it nailed down ,i'm able to get a strong signal from 72 AMC6 threw 101 AMC4 but any sats above 101 i am unable to get any signal . I am using USUALS for the motor and i tried to fine tune useing Diseqc 1.2 tweaking a little west and east with no luck . Could it be i need to adjust the declination angle on the dish ? Bottom line the firthur west i go the less the signal . ;} just a note i'm scanning these birds only on the L side of the lnb set to 10750