Setting the skew on a 3 ft. dish

[vinny6ft]

I am trying to set up SD in Poza Rica, Mexico...the skew should be 24.6 but on back of the 90 cm elliptical dish it only goes down to 38?......do I need a bigger dish or am I misssing something? I have set up other dishes in Canada with no problem....can anyone advise or help me?

 

[Mr Tony]

If the skew says 24.6 but since you can skew the dish you take that from 90 so it would be 114.6

if standing behind the dish the lkeft side of the dish should be higher.....checking dishpointer it says skew is 104

edit: checking MIke Kohl's site you may have an issue

VERACRUZ VER Lat-N Long-W LNBF/Skew EL & AZ--107.3 EL AZ Skew--111.1
Poza Rica 20.5 97.5 5:15 114 63.4 206.3 *@* 61.4 214.7 122

so skew is 122 but you wont get 107.3 as the footprint doesnt reach there
http://www.global-cm.net/CAN/point/MEXCA.html

 

[vinny6ft]

thanks Iceberg

Hey thanks for your help...there are SD dishes set up here with Pemex workers and Mexico city is 3 hours away by car .......I am going to try anyway...just that it is around 115 degrees up on the roof right now lol...nad I am a Canadain so will be sweating my rear off...but now you have given me some help with the skew.....have working with round dishes so long...

 

[DJdish]

About receiving 107.3 in Poza Rica, please note a forum member in Xalapa, Veracruz recently installed 2 separate dishes for SD with great results.
Now I do not know if Poza Rica and Xalapa are close, ?
Here in Mexico City SD reception for both birds is good

 

[vinny6ft]

About receiving 107.3 in Poza Rica, please note a forum member in Xalapa, Veracruz recently installed 2 separate dishes for SD with great results.
Now I do not know if Poza Rica and Xalapa are close, ?
Here in Mexico City SD reception for both birds is good

I have a few questions for you......if you don'r mind.....
Can you tell me what size of dish are you using and why two dishes? Are they a eliptical dish or round? Do you get hi def? what are the settings you are usiing.
I tried it to tune a eliptical 80 cm dish.....was able to tune into 41 percent on the signal meter....after using Iceberg advice and specs.....it jumped when I swung dish around, to 33 percent and then was able to fine tune to 40 then 41.....but how do I know if it is anik f1?.......could it be another sat?
I also have a KU Hughesnet sattelite internet dish that is 3 feet wide but the arm will not accept a lnb i....can I bolt the arm off of the starchoice dish onto the KU dish?
This site rocks by the way!

 

[DJdish]

I have a few questions for you......if you don'r mind.....
Can you tell me what size of dish are you using and why two dishes? Are they a eliptical dish or round? Do you get hi def? what are the skew settings you are using?
I tried it to tune a 80 cm dish.....was able to tune into 41 percent on the signal meter....after using Iceberg advice and specs.....it jumped when I swung dish around, to 33 percent and then was able to fine tune to 40 then 41.....but how do I know if it is anik f1?.......could it be another sat?
This site rocks by the way!

You may check my dish sizes in my signature, I checked with users here in the area and the consensus was to use 2 separate dishes, even though I have unconfirmed info that some folks use the single elliptical dish here in the city, anyway I believe the signal is better with 2 dishes, especially for HD channels in Anik F2.
yes I am getting HD with good signal even under moderate rain.
For skew settings I used this, looking at my dish from the front and assuming clock settings a 5:15 for 107.3 and 5:00 for 111.1
I think you will end up with a signal of at least 70s in your area with a 80 cmts dish.
You may already know the following so pardon me if I address some basics, but when you look for Anik F1 you tune into ch 299 to lock on the signal, enter 4128 for ID and if you are indeed getting the Anikf the indicator will turn green as opposed to red
Hope that helps...

 

[DJdish]

And also, you may already know that if your box has never been activated you will need to activate it to get a channel from Anik F2 to lock that bird, if you are using a separate dish for that one.
In that case the process is about the same but you will need to tune in to
ch. 70 APTN, or
700 SRC
711,712,715 or 730

 

[vinny6ft]

You may already know the following so pardon me if I address some basics, but when you look for Anik F1 you tune into ch 299 to lock on the signal, enter 4128 for ID and if you are indeed getting the Anikf the indicator will turn green as opposed to red
Hope that helps...

I haven't installed a SD dish in about 3 years.....and can't remember the code install but am back in Canada now, but will be returning shortly.
The bar went from red to yellow, but could not get it past 41% because I didn't enter the code do you think it would have went to 70%?
Do I have to use a SD lnb or another one with a round dish?

 

[DJdish]

I haven't installed a SD dish in about 3 years.....and can't remember the code install but am back in Canada now, but will be returning shortly.
The bar went from red to yellow, but could not get it past 41% because I didn't enter the code do you think it would have went to 70%?
Do I have to use a SD lnb or another one with a round dish?

Yes, I think so, because we have reports of good reception in Xalapa, Ver which is more SE of Poza Rica, and even into Villahermosa, Tabasco, which is even more SE.
Maybe once you fine tune the skew it should move from the yellow to a green lock.
Using a round single dish you have to use a lineal standard LNBF,
Once you return to Poza Rica, let me know how it goes, and I will be glad to provide any further ideas

 

[jayrey]

I have 99 signal strength on F1R using a 1.8m antenna and 94 on F2 using a 2.4m antenna in Villahermosa. I used 2 antennas as I already had them from a Dish installation; I imagine if I had to have bought them, I couldmhave had sucess on 1.2m or even smaller. If you already have a Shaw/Starchoiçe larger eliptical antenna made for receiving both sats on a single antenna, give it a try. The signal seems to be quite good in Mexico. If you need to buy antenna(s), I would recommend 2 separate antennas to get better quality.

 

[vinny6ft]

I have 99 signal strength on F1R using a 1.8m antenna and 94 on F2 using a 2.4m antenna in Villahermosa. I used 2 antennas as I already had them from a Dish installation; I imagine if I had to have bought them, I couldmhave had sucess on 1.2m or even smaller. If you already have a Shaw/Starchoiçe larger eliptical antenna made for receiving both sats on a single antenna, give it a try. The signal seems to be quite good in Mexico. If you need to buy antenna(s), I would recommend 2 separate antennas to get better quality.

Yea I got a 41 % and best I could get with a 80 cm....I have never pointed a round dish....tho I probaly could with the settings.....I will have to try to access the dish(es) down there.....any idea for settings and how much for the dishes?

 

[DJdish]

Yea I got a 41 % and best I could get with a 80 cm....I have never pointed a round dish....tho I probaly could with the settings.....I will have to try to access the dish(es) down there.....any idea for settings and how much for the dishes?

The person who installed in Xalapa, Veracruz used 2 separate dishes, a 1.2 mts and a 80 or 90 cmts. (he mentioned it was a Sky Mexico dish).
Not sure which one for what bird.
Anik F2 has a stronger signal than Aniik F1 and HDs are on Anik F2.

 

[QCK]

and HDs are on Anik F2.

The majority of HD channels are on Anik F2 but some are on Anik F1R.

 

[DJdish]

Yea .I will have to try to access the dish(es) down there.....any idea for settings and how much for the dishes?

For 90 cms dishes, you may find the ones used for Sky Mexico pretty useful and at low prices (I am sure you can get them easily in Poza Rica), and for 1.2 mts dishes and larger a good source is Antenas de Jalisco, you might as well take a look at their website and check them.

Antenas de Jalisco

 

[vinny6ft]

For 90 cms dishes, you may find the ones used for Sky Mexico pretty useful and at low prices (I am sure you can get them easily in Poza Rica), and for 1.2 mts dishes and larger a good source is Antenas de Jalisco, you might as well take a look at their website and check them.

Antenas de Jalisco

I am back in Canada right now but happen to have a 92 centimeter eleptical dish here. It is a Hughesnet Ku satellite dish and the lnb holder will have to be a add on. My question is, can I modify the dish to hold a lnb and use that? I didn't see any eliptical dishes on the link, which, thanks for sending.

 

[DJdish]

I am back in Canada right now but happen to have a 92 centimeter eleptical dish here. It is a Hughesnet Ku satellite dish and the lnb holder will have to be a add on. My question is, can I modify the dish to hold a lnb and use that? I didn't see any eliptical dishes on the link, which, thanks for sending.

Like a Direcway dish you mean ?

 

[DJdish]

I am back in Canada right now but happen to have a 92 centimeter eleptical dish here. It is a Hughesnet Ku satellite dish and the lnb holder will have to be a add on. My question is, can I modify the dish to hold a lnb and use that? I didn't see any eliptical dishes on the link, which, thanks for sending.

Here is a thread about using that type of Direcway dish

http://www.satelliteguys.us/free-air-fta-discussion/160268-newbie-hughesnet-dish.html

Subject to someone's better opinion and experience with this dish, I think it would work, Are you still thinking of using one dish or using 2 separate dishes ?
Yep, you are right about the link I sent you for Antenas de Jalisco they don't carry 90 cmts dishes, actually none of the retailers that I know or that I have used in Mexico carry elipticals.

 

[vinny6ft]

Like a Direcway dish you mean ?

Not familiar with Direcway.....but this dish is just a larger version of dish that SD uses in Canada....eliptical almost oval...and with a larger mount and is thicker.... I have an arm from a smaller 80 cm dish that will work to hold the lnb...I really would like to access a 120 cm eliptical dish in Mexico....

 

[DJdish]

Here you will see another retailer in Mexico carryng smaller dishes like 1.20 mts and 90 cmts, they are in Guadalajara, Jalisco, I have bought smaller parts from them.

CP Electronics: ANTENNAS

 

[jayrey]

Not familiar with Direcway.....but this dish is just a larger version of dish that SD uses in Canada....eliptical almost oval...and with a larger mount and is thicker.... I have an arm from a smaller 80 cm dish that will work to hold the lnb...I really would like to access a 120 cm eliptical dish in Mexico....

The larger eleptical Starchoice antenna should work if the signal strength is sufficient; I have read about folks in Guadalajara and maybe Mexico City with these and moderate signal unless it rains. It will be important to get your hands on the lnb that is made for that antenna as it is designed to give you the 4 degree split you need for getting F1R and F2 on a single antenna. You won't find a 1.2 m eliptical antenna in Mexico. There is nothing an eliptical antenna can do that a round or offset antenna can not. It is just a part of the parabola that focuses part of the beam when there is a very strong signal; think of it like a cutout from a larger parabolic antenna. If you have a weak signal, you are better with a larger offset antenna (an offset antenna is also a partial parabola that only uses the top part of a parabolic antenna) and can even try to rig a lnb holder to get 2 lnbs spread by 4 degrees. It is easier with 2 antennas, but like I said before, if you already have the antenna, give it a shot.