Primestar Dish Set-up

[Anole]

No, the whole point is to retain the Primestar horn, as it matches the dish better than anything else.

The only flange-mount LNBs I've ever held in my hands, were the Dish FSS shown in my picture above.
They are bolted solidly to their feedhorn.

Previous pictures of Primestar feedhorn / LNB combinations -looked- like they were bolted up solidly, as well.
(beercan LNBs)

 

[Gary Z]

No, the whole point is to retain the Primestar horn, as it matches the dish better than anything else.

Ok I understand now... it may work then.

 

[gabshere]

yes i believe thats why my QPH doesn't perform better than a direcpc lnb adapted to the primestar feedhorn. on my 1 meter primestar dish.

i can't adjust/tweak the QPH all the way.

 

[ChuckBoozer]

No you can't make skew adjustments on the reflector, you adjust the skew by loosing the bolts on the LNB and rotating the LNB to the proper skew. There is a gauge on the LNB that shows what position it is at. I had downloaded a program that told me what postilion it should be at for my zip code.

The bolts you loosen for the Skew are not the bolts that mount the LNB to the Dish arm they are on the body of the LNB.

Quick question - what do I do if my proper skew goes outside of the gauge (ie. my proper skew for G10 at zip 21801 is +42.9, but the gauge maxes out at +40). Does this mean I cannot see the satellite properly?

 

[gabshere]

you can go beyond the scale its just not marked , adjust it to Signal Quality

 

[Gary Z]

Quick question - what do I do if my proper skew goes outside of the gauge (ie. my proper skew for G10 at zip 21801 is +42.9, but the gauge maxes out at +40). Does this mean I cannot see the satellite properly?

I think it will rotate past the scale... just keep adjusting and watch the meter on your TV to peak the signal. Same with your elevation numbers you may need to raise or lower it to peak signal. I used a computer program to give me the skew and elevation numbers for my area... but I found that will get you fairly close, then you can peak from there.

 

[ChuckBoozer]

Well, I got my dish set-up this afternoon. I plugged into the V ouput for now until my multiswitch arrives later this week.

Got the dish pointed to G10 and I have been having trouble locking in any signals (signal strength in the 60's w/ quality readings around 10).

I am using the SatPros DSR-500S - do I need to set the LNB to Standard 10750 since I am using the original Primestar LNB?

It got dark, so I couldn't keep troubleshooting. Maybe my dish is not aligned properly, although I think my settings are correct for my location:

Zip code: 21801

Compass reading: 250.70°
Elevation: 24.10°
LNB Skew: +42.93°​

Any help would be appreciated.​

 

[Gary Z]

The Primestar LNB Should be STANDARD....... 10750 L.O.
Also make sure you have a clear line of site to G10.

Compass reading: 250.70°
Elevation: 24.10°
LNB Skew: +42.93°

That seems right for your location. I know when I set up my Primestar I didn't get a signal at first either I had to raise or lower the elevation in small increments while watching the meter on the TV until I got a signal. You may also have to add or subtract some from your compass reading also move it in small increments.

SatelliteAV posted this nice link to a Satellite Aiming Calculator http://www.geosatfinder.com/

 

[ChuckBoozer]

The Primestar LNB Should be STANDARD....... 10750 L.O.
Also make sure you have a clear line of site to G10.

Compass reading: 250.70°
Elevation: 24.10°
LNB Skew: +42.93°

That seems right for your location. I know when I set up my Primestar I didn't get a signal at first either I had to raise or lower the elevation in small increments while watching the meter on the TV until I got a signal. You may also have to add or subtract some from your compass reading also move it in small increments.

SatelliteAV posted this nice link to a Satellite Aiming Calculator http://www.geosatfinder.com/

Thanks for the feedback - the line of sight may be a problem due to such a low elevation setting. As a newbie, is there another sat that would be a good one for me to try to hit?

 

[gabshere]

yes set lnb to standard 10750

also if there is a way to choose a live transponder and watch it or manually add a live transponder from the list at the top of the forum making sure its vertical.

this is the part that can be frustrating but it takes a little bit of time and a lot of patience. now after you adjust the dish ever so slightly (using maybe 1/16 inch movements pausing to let the receiver tune) left & right and maybe up and down

the 250 degrees Az & 24 degrees elevation are going to get you pointed in g10's general direction it might differ slightly from that. might end up being 252 & 27 degrees elevation.

 

[gabshere]

Galaxy 25 97.0W has a lot of stuff usually easy to find

the line of sight may be a problem due to such a low elevation setting.

also the dish might look like its pointed low but is actually pulling a different angle ... theres a chart here somewhere that explains it

 

[gabshere]

here's the chart so if your elevation is 24 degrees the dish is actually looking at 46 degrees

 

[ChuckBoozer]

here's the chart so if your elevation is 24 degrees the dish is actually looking at 46 degrees

Does this mean I am not setting the correct elevation? Does this difference need to be factored in somehow?

 

[gabshere]

oh no your setting it right....
just remember if you have a line of sight problem the chart shows how the dish points its about 22 degrees offset so when you set the dish elevation to 24 degrees the dish is actually looking at 46 degrees...

 

[ChuckBoozer]

oh no your setting it right....
just remember if you have a line of sight problem the chart shows how the dish points its about 22 degrees offset so when you set the dish elevation to 24 degrees the dish is actually looking at 46 degrees...

Thanks for the feedback. It looks like I will just need to keep tweaking the dish settings until I can pick up a decent signal. All part of the fun!

 

[Gary Z]

How are things going Chuck?

 

[GreatFTA]

I was on my way home from Lowes Saturday (about 20 miles from my home) and I passed a Cafe that had a Primestar dish next to it. I stopped and took a look at it and to my surprise it was a 1.2 meter dish!
I went to the Cafe to find out who owns it but the place was closed till 4:30. I went next door to a motel and found out the owner name and phone number.
I called at 4:30 and talked to the owner and asked him if he wanted to get rid of it. Just take it he told me and make sure the hole was filled up when finished.
I got it the next day and did what he told me to do. The ground was so soft and only took 5 minutes to pluck it out! The dish was so clean it looked new! And it had no Primestar logo on it.
I gonna take this dish and replace the 1 meter dish because it has a place on the side of the dish where a riding mower hit it. It will fit the bracket that Old John created.
It does pay to keep your eyes open!!!

 

[Gary Z]

I passed a Cafe that had a Primestar dish next to it. I stopped and took a look at it and to my surprise it was a 1.2 meter dish! \

Nice find there!

 

[ChuckBoozer]

How are things going Chuck?

Unfortunately, no news to report - due to my work schedule this week, I won't be able to play with the dish until the weekend.

 

[ChuckBoozer]

If you plan on using the Primestar LNB, combine the H and V outputs via a multiswitch. Doesn't have to be a 4 x 4... A 2 x 4 or 3 x 4 (most commonly found, it has a third input for OTA antenna) DirecTV-style multiswitch will work well.

Quick question for the group: if I switched out the original Primestar LNB with the single output Hughes LNB (see picture), would this combine the H and V outputs and thus avoid the need for a multiswitch?