problems on set up

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The other scale at the back of the dish does not have a pointer as you mentioned. The area behind the bolt is simply a rounded piece of metal where the bracket ends. Up to now, I have been using the centre of the bolt, as there is no pointer.
Unless Fortec changed their setup, it is NOT the bolt. On my 80cm Fortec, the indicator is the flat metal behind the Scale.

Something like this...
http://www.sadoun.com/Sat/Products/Fortec-Star/Dishes/Elev.JPG
 
That pic looks similar to mine, the only difference is that mine has no red mark, and the straight piece where the red mark is, is more rounded than straight!

I will see if I can post some pics tonight.
 
Giovanni,

I see the pix of your dish elevation scale and I observe that it does not have a really refined scale for elevation. I would suggest taking a permanent, fine point marker and inserting scale marks in-between the major lines so that you will have some nicere reference points.

Start with one angle, closest to where you believe you dish elevation should be, and swing the entire dish and motor east and west in small increments. Continue this further for every 1/2 degree increment on the dish elevation scale.

I am further bothered by the availability of the channels on satellite 79.0'W

I cannot find many channels on this sat today. I do not find KTEL, which used to be a strong channel. I do find CNN5.5 on TP 12038 V, SR 3979, but this is a feed cannel (CNN LA 3 KU TRUCK) and has since gone off the air.

I will have to reconnect my Coolsat 5K to inform you of the better TPs and channels to use while dialing in your sat. I have my AZBox running now and it isn't a good machine to use for alignment purposes.

I will be back in a few with (hopefully) good info regarding live signals on this sat.

RADAR
 
Giovanni,

One thing to mention, and I know that there may be differences between your Viewsat reciever and my Coolsat, but work with me on this subject as I will explain it.

When I am in the DISH SETUP menu of my Coolsat receiver and I am trying to align my dish to satellite 79.0'W, the receiver looks at the very first TP in the list within its memory. Unfortunately, this TP that is listed there is not an active one.

It may be a valid TP, but it is likely a FEED TP and not a consistent broadcast.

We have given you the 11.900 GHz TP as a guide (the one with KTEL channel on it) as a reference. This is a good TP, but you may have to be in a specific mode to detect this TP's signal. On my Coolsat 5K, I have to go to the MANUAL SCAN MENU and select TP 11900 to be able to detect its signal. If I am in the antenna setup menu, the receiver looks at a totally different TP (the one that is first in the list) and since that specific TP is not active, I never see a good indication of signal strength or quality.

Your Viewsat receiver is probably similar in this respect, so you should do your antenna alignment with the receiver set in the MANUAL or TP scan mode, and not in the antenna setup menu.

I hope that I am not confusing you in this regard, but I think that may be your problem. This scenario is true for a Coolsat 4k, 5K nd 6K receiver, but I don't have personal experience with the Viewsats (I believe that is the receiver you have).

Even if I am mistaken regarding your receiver brand, this is still something that you should investigate.

I just scanned satellite AMC 5 @ 79.0'W and I picked up KTEL, WWE KU BACKUP, CNN5.5 and all the NYN channels (10 of them).

KTEL came in on TP 11.901 HORIZONTAL (symbol rate 2.170) and has VPID of 0049 and APID of 0051 and PPID or PCR of 0049.

You might try for the NYN channels on TP 12.177 HORIZONTAL (symbol rate 20.500). These may be mostly encrypted, but are stong signals.

RADAR
 
I understand what you are saying, and it may be possible.

I have attached some pics of my dish. It is hard to tell, but hopefully you can see the rounded edge on the inside of the "dish" elevation scale. You can make out the rounded edge even for the other side. The other pic is of the 'motor' scale, only on the back side. I would need to get up on the roof to get the elevation side.

I dont have time tonight, so the info for the tp's may be irreelvent by tomorrow. If it changes by then or whatever.

ps... do you see what I mean when I say that the dish looks too perpindicular to the ground?
It is currently set at all the correct angles and pointing to where I think is 'true south'.
 

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This is where I do not understand...

My Latitiude is 43.2, and I have been told to set my 'motor' angle to that.
If you follow the scale that is supplied with the motor manual, a latitude of 43 gives you an elevation of 47 to set on the scale. (according to the chart)
Yet everyone here swares to use YOUR OWN LATITUDE.
 
One side of the Motor Bracket has "Elevation", shown in your Pic, the other side should have "Latitude"
You would be setting 43.2 on the "Latitude" scale, or 46.8 on the "Elevation" scale.
 
Keep the faith, best of luck on the installation.

On the Dish, I'd use the metal behind the scale, not the Bolt.
:up:up

If you have an inclinometer with a magnetic base you can put it on the LNB bar behind the dish and adjust the elevation using the scale on the inclinometer. I was where you are now in April and I had a hard time getting the elevation on the dish correct. It took me 4 days and a couple of calls to the tech guy where I purchased my setup

Before I purchased the inclinometer I made one using this website, it worked, I needed to get 24 degrees and the homemade inclinometer worked.

How to make an inclinometer

Keep the faith, best of luck on the installation.
Mike Lib
 
One side of the Motor Bracket has "Elevation", shown in your Pic, the other side should have "Latitude"
You would be setting 43.2 on the "Latitude" scale, or 46.8 on the "Elevation" scale.

As you can see in the picture, the elevation side is around the 35 mark. And I know I am at 43 on the latitude side.

Does this make sense?
 
For what it's worth, I live at 44.5 and used to have an offset dish with the same motor, and your dish looks way too low to me. What about the other elevation adjustment, not the one on your motor but the one on the dish? Looks like that's where the problem is. I have attached some pics that show that setting is much different than what you have now.
I like the suggestion of using the inclinometer. If Dishpointer.com gives you an elevation setting of 40 deg. at true south, then because your dish is offset subtract 22 from 40, the angle of your dish should be 18 deg. If you have your motor setting right, then change the one on the dish until you get an inclinometer reading of 18 at the dish.
 

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As you can see in the picture, the elevation side is around the 35 mark. And I know I am at 43 on the latitude side.
In your Pic, the Elevation looks more like 40. The Bolt is not the indicator! The indicator is the little metal point under the washer.
You should then have the "Elevation" set to 46.5.
 

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Yes you are correct...

On the other side of the dish, the latitude side I set by the pointer, no the nut. It is a 43 right now.
My mistake.

So if active transponders are questionable at certain times on 79W, any time that I get some more time to work on my set up again, maybe this weekend, how do I know what TP to set it up at?

Is there one on 79W that is consistant?

Also,

according to the "satsig" website, in order for me at 43.19 Lat. to see the 79W sat, my dish should be at 40.2 degrees (when read with an inclinometer). Just standing back and looking at my dish from the ground, you can tell that it is no where near that angle.
 
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On the other side of the dish, the latitude side I set by the pointer, no the nut. It is a 43 right now.
My mistake.
Just confirming, you raised the Motor:
Latitude reads 43.2 (a touch over 43)
Elevation reads 46.8 (just under 47)

Is there one on 79W that is consistant?
Yes, the OTB Transponder is always on
12177 H 20500
SatelliteGuys.US - 79.0°W AMC 5 Ku
according to the "satsig" website, in order for me at 43.19 Lat. to see the 79W sat, my dish should be at 40.2 degrees (when read with an inclinometer). Just standing back and looking at my dish from the ground, you can tell that it is no where near that angle.
As noted above, you must subtract your Dish's "Offset"
Fortecstar.com list's their 100 CM with a 24.62 Offset
40.2 minus 24.62 = 15.58
That's just a starting point.
 
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I believe you meant, 40.2 - 24.62 = 15.58

If that is the case, then 15.58 degrees looks more to me to where my dish is angled.

Lak7....

I will make sure of the 43.2 on the Lat. side and 46.8 on the elev. side.
I set the dish to 43.2 on the Lat. side before I even put it up on the mast. I will confirm!
 
So just to confirm....

My Lat. is 43.19193, so I have set me Lat scale on the motor to just above 43. (According to the chart for my dish I should be using 47 but I will ignore that..)
I have also set my elevation scale on the back of the dish to just over 23 (I will use the curved piece of metal in behind the bolt as a reference poit) according to the rules.

That is where my dish sits right now in the pictures I posted previously. I will need to check with the paper inclinometer to see if the dish has an angle of 15 degrees.

I will have to see if I can dial in TP 12177 on my Viewsat and then try again.
 
My Lat. is 43.19193, so I have set me Lat scale on the motor to just above 43.
Yes

(According to the chart for my dish I should be using 47 but I will ignore that..)
Don't confuse the "Latitude" scale with the "Elevation" scale.
The Book says to set the "Elevation" scale to 47 if your Latitude is 43 (90 minus 43 = 47)
Your Lat is 43.2, so the "Elevation" scale would be set to 46.8, just under 47.
Clear as Mud :)

I have also set my elevation scale on the back of the dish to just over 23
That is just a starting point, adjust the Dish Elevation for Highest Quality.
 
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