Scanning Nimiq @91

[MJL]

LNB problem?

Hi guys,

I have been trying for days to get a satellite signal from the 90.9 bev bird. I am using my old Directv satellite dish thats about 10 years old. Its been mounted on the outside of my house for a long time not being used. My problem is that my signal meter really doesn't move much on the IRD. I have tried moving it all over the place, spent hours on it. I know I am in the right area. The interesting part is that the signal will occassionally just shoot up to like 80% then drop back down to 20%. It does this every few minutes, I have tried to fine tune it to lock onto this signal but have had no luck. It always just does this same thing. I am wondering if my LNB is screwed up or something. Does this sound like a symptom of a faulty LNB? or should I be using an LNBF instead? I have tried everything except replacing the LNB itself.

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

 

[drhydro]

It really helps if we know the following:
Size of dish ( i assume an 18")
type of reciever
channels you are trying to get

 

[MJL]

Sorry, its an 18" dish, viewsat extreme,

Whatever channels are available on Nimiq 1,2 @ 91 is what I am looking for. I just don't know if my old directv dish has the correct LNB on it, or if its damaged.

From what I have read it needs to be a KU-band, circular standard 11250mhz LNB to receive this.

Like I said the signal appears, then disappears. With a satellite meter it shows a signal, but on the IRD screen it doesn't. With the viewsat though I notice that when I change the frequency from the 11811 or whatever it was at, the signal comes in better, but it doesn't save that other frequency. Just goes back to the other one.

 

[Mr Tony]

There isnt much on Nimiq1. A couple preview channels and some Canadina audio

LO needs to be 11250 and in the list of frequencies they have to be at least 12224 or higher. Here are some of the transponders

12224 freq
V pol
20000 symbol rate

12238 fre
H pol
20000 symbol rate

What other dish(es) do you have in your setup?

 

[MJL]

I have a dishnet dishpro500.

 

[MJL]

Does anyone know if when I am scanning for a signal using a viewsat extreme and an old directv dish, should I be using a specific transponder frequency? I think the default was 11811 or something, but I wasn't getting anything on there. i didn't change it for scanning because I didn't think I was supposed to... but when I changed it to 11250 there was more of a signal. At 11811 the signal would jump in and out.

 

[Mr Tony]

merged threads

I posted above a couple frequencies on Nimiq1 above that you can use as a starting point.

Do youi plan on getting a larger dish 930" or larger) int he future for the true FTA? You wont get much on Nimiq1 with a 18" dish 9that was posted above too)

 

[MJL]

I see the merge, thanks Iceberg.

I think the area I am getting confused with is the transponder frequencies. If I start with that one freq. you stated, 11250, and I get a stronger signal, will the IRD then know that the signal is the strongest at that freq? For example, when I change it to 11250 and get a signal, go out of that menu and back into it the default values are back again, not showing a signal. If I did try scanning at the 11811, and it was in fact not the correct one, would that explain the signal jumping in and out irratically? Thanks again for the help !!!

 

[Mr Tony]

I think we are dealing with 2 different things here.

There is a LNB Power (might be LNB LO). That needs to be at 11250 (this is near the top of the screen)

Then down at the bottom are the frequencies. These should already be in there

They'll say 12224 V 20000, then 12239 H 20000 etc.

 

[MJL]

The LNB power option just says ON or OFF.

 

[Mr Tony]

keep it on

I don't have my Viewsat anymore and I'm not at home to see the screenshots I took. is there anything that says "LNB LO"

I guess what are the options on the top of the screen?

 

[MJL]

screen shot

Here is a pic of what that signal screen looks like.

 

[Mr Tony]

OK...that whole thing is whack

satellite needs to be Nimiq1
LNB Power is on
LNB type is standard
LNB Freq is 11250
22k is OFF
TP freq should be 12224, 12239, or something like that
search option should be "FTA" or "Free"
Diseqc should be OFF
motor off

 

[MJL]

I know that, this was just a pic I took off of the manual Iceberg. I know its set somewhere else. I just tried to find you a pic of the menu. Sorry I should have specified.

 

[Mr Tony]

but what I posted above is what it should be

 

[MJL]

You said there wasn't much there but some audio and previews? Is it even worth climbing the ladder over? Maybe there are some others that have good FTA channels to offer? Sorry, I am so new to all this. Just trying to make use of the dish thats out there already, or I will just take it down.

 

[Mr Tony]

with a 18" dish you won't get much.

For true free to air, you need at least a 30" dish and a different LNB

 

[SatAdam]

You said there wasn't much there but some audio and previews? Is it even worth climbing the ladder over? Maybe there are some others that have good FTA channels to offer? Sorry, I am so new to all this. Just trying to make use of the dish thats out there already, or I will just take it down.

You can get NASA and some free audio... it's worth it having a small dish for those things..

 

[Tron]

Depending on what you're looking for, there's a decent amount of audio on both 91w and 119w. If you want broadcast radio stations out of Canada, aim at 91w. If you want a bunch of music channels similar to Music Choice, aim at 119w. 119w will also give you NASA and the ever-popular compelling Dish 101 channel.

That's about all an 18" dish is good for, but if you like music and/or radio stations from other places and NASA, its worth leaving it up there.

 

[MJL]

Thanks to you all.

Iceberg, I changed the satellite freq. like you suggested. I put the IRD onto the Nimiq 1,2 @ 90.9 and started moving the dish. Wasn't long before I got a good signal that was steady on that frequency. The biggest problem was that when I went out of the menu the frequency wouldn't stay there, it would go back to that 11811 on me which showed no signal. I did the channel scan thing for FTA but still got nothing but blank screens. The little window on the bottom showed the satellite signal strong, but nothing. Do these LNB's have a set frequency? I am wondering if this one is not a KU band or something, or if its just too old.

I also noticed on some channels the box on the bottom would say Nimiq 1,2 but on the top of the screen it would say Nimiq 2 ........

So now I am wondering if I am locked onto Nimiq2 instead of 1, how close are these two birds? I thought I was on 90.9 because the signal came in with that other frequency, but then just defaulted back to that other 11811 freq. The channel scan did show some of these stations you had mentioned, but when I went to them, there was nothing there.

Any ideas?