setting up used dish - no signal-cant find sats

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Hogie

Hogie

Well-Known SatelliteGuys Member
Original poster
Jun 24, 2011
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upstate NY
I also posted this on my connecting 922 thread. I thought I had best start a new thread since the hookup is good.

OK, I have the 922 all hooked up. The actuator moves the dish, the polarizer/servo motor works, the counter counts up and down as I move the dish. So I am sure I have it all hooked up correctly.
I put the dish angle at 74 degrees on my protractor for C3 (translates to 16 degrees). I spin the dish mount around on the pole back and forth looking for signal using my SkyPeaker Trio as well as watching the TV thru a window. I am unable to find any signal. I even changed the angle to 35.7 degrees for G16 and turned the dish to aprox location of the satelite. Still no signal.....I even was using Satelite finder website with google earth map showing me the direction relative to my home site. Could it be that the LNB is bad? I know the servo motor is working. I can hear it and also was able to see it change polarity. Do feedhorns go bad? The sat guy who I bought it from said he had to clean out the end of the feedhorn as it was full of bee nest.

IMG_0993.jpg


I am at a loss and getting frustrated!
 
Nevermind........I found CSPAN on channel 7 on satellite C3. I also have found some programming on G16 at channel 16 & 17. I have X4 programmed in (same position as G16) but I have no DC green lite to show a lock. Is this because I have not called for programming yet? It appears all set because the channels start at 201 and goes to 900+.

I have a few sparkles on C3 but that is due to my shooting thru the trees. G16 is clean.
 
C-band X4 (105.0W) isn't at the same location as C-band G16 (99.2W).
 
The first satellite to set up would be the one most south to your location, that's the top of your arc. Then, adjust your elevation until you have a perfect signal, then, move to the next sat, and adjust your declination. Keep doing that until you have all the sats set up.
 
Well, Skyvision's chart shows X4 as the same as G4 (Galaxy 16). I am fishing around in the dark here. So, thanx for telling me this info and giving me nothing more, Johnny.

I went a bit west from G4 until I got a DC lite. I peaked it to get signal at 100 and quality at 95. I have a DC lite so I am assuming I have X4. Nothing on the screen.

I had a C band dish and a 922 receiver for years until my wife made me "take that ugly thing down!!!" She gave the dish away for scrap and I sold my 922. She is gone now so I wanted to set it back up. I bought a used dish and 922. I see that a lot has changed. It is not as easy to find satellites when they have nothing in the clear on them to come up on the screen. I was hoping to get an MPEG decoder later.

I had pulled the plug on TV altogether due to how crappy the pizza dish was and also how expensive cable is. I have been watching TV over the air with an antenna. I watch mostly PBS. I miss some of the things I had found on the big dish. I also have the satellite guy looking for a better dish for me. I would like a 12 footer.
 
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Hogie said:
Well, Skyvision's chart shows X4 as the same as G4 (Galaxy 16). I am fishing around in the dark here. So, thanx for telling me this info and giving me nothing more, Johnny.
Click to expand...

The Skyvision chart shows the old Ku band X4.

I didn't give much info about alignment because it's a long process but I'll try to give you a brief procedure - there are online manuals that tell you how to align an antenna (maybe someone can post the link to a manual). Like the other guy said, you need to get your declination set before starting. Once the declination is set then you start looking for the sat that is at or near true south for you location (find the sat location that is at or close to your longitude). Move the azimuth (with the actuator motor) and elevation until you get peaked on that sat. If you're lucky, you'll see the sat just by adjusting the elevation. Then you move the dish to the east or west sat that has the lowest dish elevation angle for a viewable sat for your location. I forgot the actual process for adjusting on the low sat but you lift the lip of the dish to see if the signal level goes up or down and then you loosen the mount bolts and move the dish slightly east or west depending on whether the signal level goes up or down. Tighten the bolts and then repeat the process (peaking on the true south sat then the east or west sat) until no further improvement can be achieved. You should then be tracking the entire arc. If you've got the money, get something like a Birdog meter - it can be programmed with sats so you'll have some idea of which sat you're looking at and it'll give you a signal quality indication. But, these meters can give you an incorrect sat reading (because some sats have the same transponder frequency).

I would like a 12 footer.
Click to expand...
That would be a good idea since you'll get better results on FTA DVB-S2 signals (if you decide to get such a receiver).
 
Here's some good info

Hogie said:
Well, Skyvision's chart shows X4 as the same as G4 (Galaxy 16). .
Click to expand...

There is some good information about aligning a dish to the arc at these links:

http://forums.satforums.com/SatForumMaster/common/messages.php?bpr=1&msg=7324.15#7324.15

and

Footprints by Dish Size - Adjusting the Polar Mount for Prime Focus Antenna - C/Ku-Band Satellite Systems - Tuning, Tracking, Azimuth, Elevation, Declination Angles, F/D Ratio, Focal Distance, Inclinometer, LNB/Feedhorn Assembly, Actuator Assembly, C

Also, the X4 that has the Hits to Home (H2H) subscription programming is not related to the old G4/X4 c/ku satellite at 99W. The new X4 is c-band only is the same satellite that was called W5 at 105W.

There is a lot of information about the new X4 sat at http://www.themusicworkshopchicago.com/4dtv/index.html.

Good luck.

Bob in Lone Oak, TX
 
Thanks, guys! I was told by the satellite guy that the dish came from a nearby location so I should not have to set the declination. He told me to set the angle of the dish (with the actuator) to 16 degrees for C3. Then to rotate the mount on the pole until I picked up CSPAN on channel 7 on C3. I found that one. I then moved to the approximate location of G16 and found Shepards Chapel on that. The picture was clean on G16 but a few sparkles on C3 due to trees. So, I am confident that I have it on the correct arc. Starting at G16, I moved the dish towards the west while watching for a DC lock green lite. I peaked the dish there but all I have on this position is a strange pattern of colors on my screen for every channel. Is there anything in the clear on X4? I would imagine that I should get a message telling me that I need a subscription so I may not be on X4 yet. But it should be close to G16 since it is only 6 degrees difference. I used a site that uses google earth to show what direction my dish should be pointing for any given satellite..
Satellite Finder / Dish Pointing Calculator with Google Maps | DishPointer.com
 
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I got it working. Thanks for all the info guys!

I had to unplug the 922 and plug it back in. This got rid of the wierd color pattern on my screen on X4. After that I saw what was on each channel with a message that I needed a subscription to view. When I called for programming we had to do a reset (option 6778 0) before it would increment the hit counter. I now have programming and I am watching History International. Signal 100 with quality 98.

I love 4DTV!!!!

Next I want to get MPEG reciever. I am thinking of getting the Manhattan RS-1933. What are everyone's thoughts on this receiver?
 
Hogie said:
I got it working. Thanks for all the info guys!


I love 4DTV!!!!

Next I want to get MPEG reciever. I am thinking of getting the Manhattan RS-1933. What are everyone's thoughts on this receiver?
Click to expand...

Check the rest of the discussion topics about this but basically right now it appears to be vaporware. Manhattan does have a website but it doesn't list any such. Lot of talk but nothing solid at all.

Manhattan Receivers » Products » Satellite Receivers
 
Asket said:
Check the rest of the discussion topics about this but basically right now it appears to be vaporware. Manhattan does have a website but it doesn't list any such. Lot of talk but nothing solid at all.

Manhattan Receivers » Products » Satellite Receivers
Click to expand...

So that Manhattan RS-1933 I played with all last weekend was just vapor ware?

Doesn't matter to me. It still scanned hundreds of channels and I watched some fantastic HD programming and some not so HD. HDMI out works great. Scanning is fast and sensitive (it added programs that were barely coming in because of mispointing of dish, press info to get signal/quality display then peak... great).

The receiver does exist and so far I'm impressed with everything it does. Doesn't do 422, but never claimed to. Everything I was interested in worked fine. Have to set up a switch for C/KU switching, but there's so much available just on C-band I'm not in a big hurry. Mike Kohl had pre-entered all of the satellites for the US (and some I can't even reach for the benefit of those in Hawaii, etc.).

I'd recommend it.

Regards
Bob in Lone Oak, TX
 
I am still learning. I have a dual feedhorn on the 10 foot dish. The KU LNB is bad and will have to be replaced. I was told it was hit by lightning. Do I use the KU band LNB on this dish or is it best to get a 90cm dish? I do know that the dish needs to be in perfect tune to use KU. I never had much luck using it on the 922. So, I was thinking of getting an MPEG receiver and hooking the KU coax to that.

In my reading I have seen references to a smaller dish with a mover on it. I guess I should do more reading before I buy a receiver......
 
Hogie said:
I am still learning. I have a dual feedhorn on the 10 foot dish. The KU LNB is bad and will have to be replaced. I was told it was hit by lightning. Do I use the KU band LNB on this dish or is it best to get a 90cm dish? I do know that the dish needs to be in perfect tune to use KU. I never had much luck using it on the 922. So, I was thinking of getting an MPEG receiver and hooking the KU coax to that.

In my reading I have seen references to a smaller dish with a mover on it. I guess I should do more reading before I buy a receiver......
Click to expand...

That dish appears in good condition and should work well if the mesh is very fine. Perforated dishes such as The 10ft Wiengard Pinnacle I have work very well on C & KU. Get a good quality KU LNB and I think it will be fine. KU is not that much difficult than C band and if you have that aligned properly all you may need is the LNB.
:)
 
Well, I ordered the Manhattan RS-1933 receiver. I am picking up a brand new KU band LNB from the guy I got the dish from for $40 bucks. It is a .7 db. I looked on Skyvision but they say that they do not have them for available for shipping and will put you on a shipping list......And I don't see any on Ebay. (at least not the type I am looking for for my dual feed feedhorn)

I anxiously await the arrival of the receiver. I can't program in more sats until I get the KU working. I have C3, G16, and X4 programmed in now. C3 is the lowest to the west that I can get due to trees. Still not sure what I can reach to the east.....
 
I replaced my KU band LNB today. I am still searching for satellites. I found 2 today but I am not sure which ones they are. One is more to the west and has Documentary TV and Mnet. These are the only 2 channels I find on it. Saved as G0 but i am not sure if that is right......

I still have had no luck finding anything east of G16. I want to find NASA TV.
 
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Hogie said:
I replaced my KU band LNB today. I am still searching for satellites. I found 2 today but I am not sure which ones they are. One is more to the west and has Documentary TV and Mnet. These are the only 2 channels I find on it. Saved as G0 but i am not sure if that is right......

I still have had no luck finding anything east of G16. I want to find NASA TV.
Click to expand...

When you get your Manhattan you will be able to get NASA.
 
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