problems on set up

[giovanni1]

Hi guys...

I am trying to set up a motorized dish. I have an SG2100 motor and a 33" Fortec dish with a single LNB.
If I run RG6 straight from the LNB to my Captain 7000 receiver, should I not see "Quality" even if I am not pointing to the correct spot for a sat?
I have tried a couple different RG6 cables and 2 different LNB's and still cant get 'Q".

I always thought that 'Q' meant that you have a good connection between the LNB and the receiver. Nothing to do with pointing the dish at the sat.
Am I correct?

Thanks.

 

[Lak7]

"Signal Strength" indicates you have a good connection from Receiver to LNB.
"Quality" is when you are Locked on a Transponder.

 

[AcWxRadar]

"Signal Strength" indicates you have a good connection from Receiver to LNB.
"Quality" is when you are Locked on a Transponder.

Also, if you just have your LNBF simply lying on the ground or pointed at nothing in particular, the receiver will still be detecting the inherent noise from the amplifier within the LNBF and possibly even some background RF noise.

Therefore, if your LNBF type and frequency (L.O.) setting is correct and your LNBF is good (as well as the STB and the cables/switches) you should see something displayed on your signal level indication (but it will probably be displayed in red or whatever color scheme your STB uses and it might be a very low level, but it should never be totally zero).

If there is no indication at all... el-zippo, check to ensure that the LNBF settings are indeed matched to your LNBF. If you confirm the settings to be correct, remove all switches and even try bypassing the motor and going directly from the STB to the LNBF and look for an indication of noise being registered by the signal level. If still nothing, then try a different, known good, RG6 or RG11 cable. If still no signal level is displayed at all, then try a different LNBF.

Somewhere through this troubleshooting process, you will isolate and determine the fault or error.

RADAR

 

[cracklincrotch]

You could also try using dishpointer.com. Put in your address and it will show you a satellite view of your area from google maps and draw a line showing the direction of whatever satellite you choose. That helped me because I knew what ground object was in the direction of the satellite I wanted to get.

Where you have a motor choose whatever satellite is closest to true south for you. Set your receiver to use USALS and drive your motor to your true south satellite. Then, using the ground photo from dishpointer.com point your dish/motor in that direction. That should get you pretty close to getting a signal lock.

 

[giovanni1]

I thank you for your responses....

This is exactly what I have tried to do...eliminate the problem.
This is what I have done:

My original STB was a Viewsat Extreme. When I set up the motor and dish and tried to aim at 79W (my closest to true south sat), all I kept getting was very eratic 'S' and 'Q', Jumping from 0 to 50 to 100 and back to 0 in seconds. The 'S' was maybe a bit more stable than the 'Q', but not much. I tried scrolling through some of the other TP's that were listed in the Viewsat (only 5). Some showed 0 "Q' and 'S', others were eratic again.

So I decided to use a different receiver. I have a Captain 7000. When I hooked that up I tried running RG6 straight from the LNB to the receiver to eliminate any other possible problems. I set the menu in the Captain to match the setup, and I could not even get passed the 0 on 'Q' and 'S'.

So I tried a new RG6 cable, same thing. This is when my initial question came on here asking about the connection between the receiver and LNB.

So as I understand it.... as long as the LNB and receiver are connected, and each is working, there should be a decent 'Q' reading?

Other than that, my main objective here is to get this 33" Fortec dish on a SG2100 motor working. As of yet, I cannot find one sat!
I believe I have all the setings correct on the dish itself. I have followed all of the steps and settings.

The problem I see is this....
Now that I have set the motor to the proper elevation and the dish to the proper elevation, if I stand back and take a look at the actual dish itself, it seems to me to be almost perpindicular to the ground. Not much of a tilt. But if I look at other dishes in the area, they seem to be on more of a tilt.

I am in the Hamilton Ontario area. If someone can chime in and help me out, that would be great!

Thanks

 

[AcWxRadar]

I thank you for your responses....

This is exactly what I have tried to do...eliminate the problem.
This is what I have done:

So as I understand it.... as long as the LNB and receiver are connected, and each is working, there should be a decent 'Q' reading?

Without knowing if your dish is pointed accurately, you should first be concerned with what you see on the SIGNAL LEVEL bar. The QUALITY LEVEL bar will come up when you are aimed properly at a good TP. If nothing shows in either, and especially in the signal level bar, you have a problem because the STB isn't even detecting anything from your LNBF and it should at least detect some amplifier noise. Your STB may be a little different, so someone else with personal experience should also chime in and offer some more specific information here.

Now that I have set the motor to the proper elevation and the dish to the proper elevation, if I stand back and take a look at the actual dish itself, it seems to me to be almost perpindicular to the ground. Not much of a tilt. But if I look at other dishes in the area, they seem to be on more of a tilt.

Don't judge the plumbness of the mast by the naked eye. Put a level on your mast and actually measure it. Measure the plumb in several positions around the mast. You do not want to be off east to west nor off north to south. Make sure it is perfectly level (vertically plumb). I mention this often to my friends here in my area and those on the websites, and I cannot stress it enough. You may be able to fudge on this or cut a corner if you are using a single, fixed point dish, but with a motorized dish, it is very critical.

I would also like to recommend the on-line angle calculator called FreeHostia. You can find this easily by Googling it. This is a very accurate calculator if your motor is included in the selection list (and most are). If you feed this calculator accurate information - and I prefer to use either the decimal degrees or degrees/minutes/seconds site coordinates - it will calculate your dish and motor angles very accurately. You will also not have to fret about the declination angle as that is figured into the calculation for you. The angles which are calculated will be within tenths of a degree or better in accuracy. You cannot even read the scales on your motor or dish that refined.

I have set up many motorized dishes using the information from this calculator for several different motor and dish models and makes and they have always proven to be spot on and follow the entire arc with USALS perfectly! There are some TPs or satellites that may be a little offset, but the majority will be right on the mark for you.

I am in the Hamilton Ontario area. If someone can chime in and help me out, that would be great!

Be certain that you check out SatBeams.com to determine of the sat and TP is going to be a strong and valid signal for your location and that your dish size is sufficient for the EIRP value. This is another excellent site to use for information.

One other site to mention for your assistance is the solar transit calculator (which tells you when the sun is perfectly aligned with a particular satellite during the spring or fall. You can find this calculator here:

Sun Outage Calculator

Thanks

Hope I have helped you with some really nice information and web sites.

RADAR

 

[Dale_Gribble]

Without knowing if your dish is pointed accurately, you should first be concerned with what you see on the SIGNAL LEVEL bar. The QUALITY LEVEL bar will come up when you are aimed properly at a good TP.

That's what I would do, I would watch the signal level meter and don't worry about the quality for now. Also it would be much easier to find a good signal at 82 west (Bell TV) instead of 79. Bell TV signals are much stronger, once you lock on to something on 82 then adjust the dish elevation to best signal quality. Now just move the dish east a bit and try again to find 79 west.

 

[giovanni1]

If I find 82W, am I then too far off now for my zero scale on my motor?

Also, will the LNB that I have on their now (that is for FTA), pick anything up on 82W since it is a circular beam?

One other thing.....

Is there a way for me to add transponders with out having locked on 79W?
My Viewsat has only a choice of 5 different ones, and the ones I have seen on this site to lock onto are not there. Also, everyone talks about 'H' or 'V' settings. How do I set them? I do not see anything in my Viewsat menu that allows me to do that.

 

[AcWxRadar]

If I find 82W, am I then too far off now for my zero scale on my motor?

Also, will the LNB that I have on their now (that is for FTA), pick anything up on 82W since it is a circular beam?

One other thing.....

Is there a way for me to add transponders with out having locked on 79W?
My Viewsat has only a choice of 5 different ones, and the ones I have seen on this site to lock onto are not there. Also, everyone talks about 'H' or 'V' settings. How do I set them? I do not see anything in my Viewsat menu that allows me to do that.

To be able to use the sat at 82'W, you would need a dual polarity LNBF (something like an Invacom QPH-031) since that sat is circular polarity.

The fact of being off your zero mark in this case would not be a huge concern. It would make some extra work in the long run, but many try to at least locate a nearby circular sat to start with since they are so much easier to detect. You should be able to align the dish without it, though.

As for adding TPs and settings, I know that most FTA receivers have a manual scan menu where you can edit or add/delete the TPs. The3 Coolsat 4, 5 and 6K's allow this. I would be very suprised if your Viewsat dows not have this ability. Play around with the scan menus (not to actually scan) but to see if you can find a method to edit/add TPs there. Look in the manual scan feature's menus.

RADAR

 

[giovanni1]

So if I find 82W first, how do I then "re-zero" up my motor? Or do I need to? My original closest to south Sat is 79W. Am I close enough?

I would think that I would need to somehow adjust it.

 

[Lak7]

So if I find 82W first, how do I then "re-zero" up my motor?

Your Motor should be at Zero when setting up to your True South Sat.
What I do is: With the Motor at Zero, Lock on to your True South Sat, then have the Receiver "Drive" the Motor to your True South Sat, and re-tweak the Dish. Then check Sat to the East and West, and decide to you nee to tweak the Dish further.

 

[giovanni1]

I am having difficulty finding 79W (my sat closest to true south).
Otherwise I would lock on to that.
I was told to lock onto 82W first becaause it has a stronger signal and easier to find. (with a circular LNB of course)

Are you suggesting that I should "drive" the dish a bit further to where I think 82W is??

 

[Lak7]

I would not "Drive" the Dish off Zero until you Lock you first Sat.

Can you list what LNB settings you have in the Set Up Menu?

 

[giovanni1]

Sure....

I have a Viewsat Extreme receiver
Universal LNB
The LNB numbers I cant exactly remember but I believe they are 11750 and 9650?
TP-- the viewsat list 5 different ones, only one gives me some sort of "Q" and "S" (although very eratic!)
22KHz is off (dont have one)
SW21 switch set to Dish 2 (this is correct port)

am I missing something?

I am very uncertain about the TP's. I have read how people say to set an active transponder to find a sat signal, but I have not yet figured out how to set one?

 

[Lak7]

The LNB numbers I cant exactly remember but I believe they are 11750 and 9650?

You MUST have the correct info entered. Go to your LNB and write down the info.
What LNB are you using?

TP-- the viewsat list 5 different ones, only one gives me some sort of "Q" and "S" (although very eratic!)I am very uncertain about the TP's. I have read how people say to set an active transponder to find a sat signal, but I have not yet figured out how to set one?

Once you have the correct LNB L.O. entered (from above) use "The List" to find an Active TP: SatelliteGuys.US - 79.0°W AMC 5 Ku
Not all TPs are listed. If you don't see one that matches "The List" You'll have to enter one manually. Cross that bridge if it comes.

SW21 switch set to Dish 2 (this is correct port)

I would not use a switch at this point, connect directly to the LNB.

 

[Dale_Gribble]

The LNB numbers I cant exactly remember but I believe they are 11750 and 9650

Probably should be 9750 and 10600

TP-- the viewsat list 5 different ones, only one gives me some sort of "Q" and "S" (although very eratic!)

Hopefully after setting the LO to 9750 and 10600 now all 5 should at least display something

I am very uncertain about the TP's. I have read how people say to set an active transponder to find a sat signal, but I have not yet figured out how to set one

There are only a few active TP on 79 west, but there is one very strong one, it's station KTEL at 11900 mhz, symbol rate 2170. If 11900 mhz is not one of the 5 TPs programmed in your Viewsat, then you must enter it manually or you're never going to find 79 west.

So how do you add the TP? In the VS2000 extreme user manual read parts 4.B Channel scan and 4.B.1 (When all else fails, read the directions LOL) The user manual is here:ViewsatUSA

 

[giovanni1]

I thank you for the info.....

When I get home tonight I will try to add the transponder to my list. I know that it is not in there.

I have never had so much agrevation trying to install a dish.
Even the toroidal dish I did for a freind a while back was not this difficult!
I think it is the transponders that are giving me a hard time.

 

[AcWxRadar]

I thank you for the info.....

When I get home tonight I will try to add the transponder to my list. I know that it is not in there.

I have never had so much agrevation trying to install a dish.
Even the toroidal dish I did for a freind a while back was not this difficult!
I think it is the transponders that are giving me a hard time.

Giovanni,

You are probably correct on the TP problem. You are probably trying to dial in on a TP that is not currently active (one of the feed TPs). Use the TP that has the KTEL channel on it - this one is always active.

Ensure that you remove all the switches and have the receiver hardwired directly (through the motor to the LNBF) and the motor set to zero degrees. Then manually enter the TP with the proper frequency, polarity and symbol rate for KTEL as mentioned by Dale_Gribble.

Now simply treat your entire dish (antenna and motor) as a FIXED POINT dish to dial in on that TP signal.

Once you get a lock, you may then fine tune (adjust) everything to peak the signal.

RADAR

If your motor latitude angle is set correctly to your site latitude, then you need only be concerned about the dish elevation and the azimuth pointing of the dish.

 

[giovanni1]

so then I make sure that I am on 79W, then.....

tp frequency=11900

symbol rate is 2170,

what is the polarity?

or am I missing something?

 

[Lak7]

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