problem hitting 123

[quasimodem]

I set my primestar eliptical dish on my roof today...I'm certain I got it plumb from three sides. My zip is 03456, I got my coordinates from the website posted in my last thread.
I set my lnb rotation to +39.6 degrees (just before +40), set my dish elevation to just before 20 (19.6), and tried a spread of about 20 degrees left and right from 255 swinging the dish a little at a time to find the signal (it looks like it's pointing just about in the same direction as my 20" dish).
I can hit the 119 dishnet bird with my 20" dish, but can't get but about a 12 signal strength with no quality with the primestar dish....(funny tho', when I set it up temporarily on my deck I got a signal strenght of 60 with no quality).

I have a Viewsat Ultra and these are my set up settings:
lnb power: on
lnb type: standard
lnb frequency: 10750 (altho' 1000 yeilds a 25 signal strength)
22khz: off
tp frequency: 11720
disq 1.0: port 4

I'm wondering how much lower in the sky the Galaxy 123 bird is compared to the Dishnet 119? I'm just able to get the 119 satellite with my 20" dish...maybe the Galaxy satellite is lower and this is why I'm not getting it? or should I try changing the lnb skew?

also, when I first set up the dish, one of the supports was in the way of rotating the dish enough, so I lifted the dish off and set it on the peak of the roof while I re-did the support. (the mast is still dead on plumb). Before I made the change, I was getting about a 60 signal strength with no quality...haven't been able to get the signal above 12 since the change...can't imagine I did anything to the lnb by just lifting the dish off the mount and putting it back.
the only other variable is that I had to attach the mentioned support arm to the tripod of my 20" dish...again, I can't imagine this would affect anything, I would think one could even mount two dishes on one tripod with no problems...

so, if anyone could make my day with a suggestion that will help I would greatly appreciate it.
frustrated,
~Q

 

[turbosat]

The 123 sat would be a little bit lower than 119, drops down as you go west from true south.
You might have to alter your elevation setting up or down a degree or two to actually hit the signal. It takes time, and some trial and error, if you don't have a nice meter to install by.

 

[quasimodem]

thanks for the fast response...
I've been at this all day, trying one adjustment after the other.
what I can't understand is, I get a better signal with my 20" dish, pointed at 119...when I change the setting so that it will hit the 123 sat., it gets about 60 strength and 30 quality.
could there be something wrong with my lnb, and how could I test it?

 

[turbosat]

Have you tried by=passing the switch, or trying another port ? If possible, I'd leave the switch out of the equation until you find the sat. Connect your cable to the V port if its got both, you've got it skewed so it should pick up a signal unless its a bad lnbf. Try 11800 if you cant find the first one. Unless there's a tree in the way you should be able to find it.

 

[pedrogarcia]

I think you need to check your positional data again for NE your elevation should be around 37, skew around +25 and pointed around 211 magnetic

 

[quasimodem]

thanks again turbosat-
I tried a few things and got better results, but still no quality.
The first thing I tried was to move the coax to another switch (I have two recievers)...this revealed that the port that I was using on the other switch must have gone south, the signal jumped to a whopping 45.
The second thing I tried after I read that the 123sat was lower than 119 was a trick I learned installing Starband (internet sat.) I loosened the bolts that tightened the dish mount to the mast and raised it about 3 inches. This brought the signal strength to 66 to 68, but still no quality. Raising the elevation did virtually nothing, and spinning the dish east or west a few degrees also yeilded no change.
So, from what I did and the results I got, I've determined that 123 is too low to my horizon.
If I can find a 2" pipe I will try slipping it inside of the mast and mount the dish on the top of it. Because my 20" dish (which is about a foot and a half higher and on the peak of the roof) is getting 78 signal strength and 66 quality for 123, I think if I raise my Primestar dish a couple of feet I should get what I'm after. (heck, if I can find a 6 foot pipe it would be even better).
I've also looked at the satellite list to see if there is a satellite that is higher in the sky.
If you (or anyone) knows of a satellite higher in the sky that has more than just one or two channels I'd really appreciate any help.
I've had to let my dishnet subscription go, I'm on a fixed income and my wife's disability just covers her medications...so it would be great to at least watch some network tv or retro tv shows.
My location is surrounded by 1600 to 2000 foot ridges (I'm at about 1300') so even a standard tv antennae only yeilds a very snowy picture on one or two channels...no cable service available, but I couldn't afford that either.
thanks again for all your continued help, you all are the best.
~Q

 

[quasimodem]

thanks pedrogarcia-
I'll check your new coordinates in the morning (where did you get them?)...
wow, this could change everything....

 

[pedrogarcia]

I noticed your elevation for Nebraska was lower than mine which can't be right . I find this site one of the best GeoSatFinder - Satellite Finder Calculator - Satellite AV

Good luck

 

[turbosat]

pedro-zip code he gave is New Hampshire. (his 1st post in the thread).

 

[turbosat]

You might be on to something there with raising it higher. Quality is what you want on the meter, signal strength alone won't tell you much, except that your lnb is connected.

 

[quasimodem]

well, I ran up the roof before it got any darker and changed the settings...
to my surprise the signal strenght jumped to 74, but still no quality.
tomorrow I'm working at a friend's house who is a ham radio expert...he has a junkyard in his front, side and back yards full of radio antennae and general junk...I would bet he has just what I need...I would also bet I'll be home early to give it another try...(lol)
I think I'll change the coordinates back before I lift the dish....

 

[phlatwound]

Have you entered your address into:

Satellite Finder / Dish Pointing Calculator with Google Maps | DishPointer.com ?

If you zoom into your property, you can move the pointer to almost exactly where your dish is, then in the dropdown menu pick the sat your are trying to hit.

It should give you a real good idea of where (azimuth) to point your dish, as well as your elevation and skew settings.

 

[quasimodem]

Have you entered your address ............... should give you a real good idea of where (azimuth) to point your dish, as well as your elevation and skew settings.

thanks...I think I have my coordinates all figured out.
I'm going to try to lift my dish about four feet tomorrow, I think the added elevation will help lower the horizon...

 

[Tron]

Signal STRENGTH is only an indication of the condition of the LNB connection. QUALITY is what you want to watch when aiming. Also, be sure your receiver is set to an active transponder. You could be on the satellite, but if the selected transponder is inactive you won't get any quality reading.

You should get decent signal STRENGTH even if the dish is pointed at the ground or at a wall. If strength is fluctuating wildly, you probably have a connection problem somewhere (try replacing the cable or fittings). Can you bring your receiver and a small TV to the dish site? If so, try aiming your dish with a short piece of new coax (ONLY use RG-6 or RG-11 cable, not RG-59 or smaller)...

 

[quasimodem]

thanks tron,
signal is steady, but will change when the dish is rotated from one position to another.
I'm using a 10 foot length of coax...
there is a dormer close to where my dish is mounted, I only have to climb down a half dozen steps on my ladder to see the receiver's setup program on the tv...
as I stated before, I'm quite certain at this point that I just need to raise the dish three or four feet to get the signal quality that I need. My 20" dish is about two feet higher than the Primestar, and it gets 78 signal strength and about 66 quality...I'll mount the extension pipe and raise the dish this afternoon and report back....
thanks again to all....
~Q

 

[quasimodem]

well, I raised my dish four feet.
no change in signal quality.
I get better signal quality from 123 with my 20" dish, and no quality from my primestar on sats like 119 echostar.....
I'm pretty discouraged, maybe the lnb is not working right?
signal strength is still about 65 to 70...but nothing for quality.
any one have any ideas where I should proceed from here?
another lnb?

 

[amc1]

what kind of lmbf are you using? pretty sure you will need a bigger dish as well . a small dish may get a couple transponders.

 

[turbosat]

Quasi, sorry you are having such a time, you are giving it a good try. Have you tried running the cable straight to the lnbf (v-side output, if it has more than one) to see if the switch is bad?
Or tried using another port on the switch? Personally I suspect all diseqc switches bad from the start, and leave them out until I have found a signal with a test cable direct to the lnbf. remember to unplug the receiver before connecting/disconnecting cables to a diseqc switch, you can blow ports or the whole switch.
Here's some other things you might try. Pick a transponder on 121 and see if you can find it, there was a test pattern frm Dish there in the past "Congrats you have a dish pointed at 121" Should be on The List, above menu bar. Is your dish an 84E? , is stamped on back.
Lnbfs can go bad, but until I have tried sev channels on diff sats I won't call one dead, those pstar lnbs are usually very reliable.
edit: That tp is 12074Vertical, SR20000 on the 121 sat, you won't have to mess with the skew as its that close to where you've already set it.

 

[quasimodem]

thanks for the advice turbosat,
I'll have to bypass the switch and give it a shot. I have tried the two unused ports on the switch. I did run into a problem with another switch I had used...only showed about 12 signal strength and no quallity. When I swapped switches the strength came up to 68 but still not a sign of quality.
what I can't understand is why I've never seen the slightest indication of signal quality.
and yep it's an 84e
and I'll give the 121 a go...
I've set up a lot of dishes, this is the only one that has given me this much grief.

and thanks for your reply amc1-
my dish is a 30x40 primestar oval with the original lnbf...pretty certain it's big enough.

 

[turbosat]

It's plenty big enough for 123. Run direct to that lnbf and if you got good cable ends on it, eventuallly you'll find something, if that lnbf ain't t-totally dead. I've had about 6 of those primestars and so far only found one bad lnb.