Trouble with DVB-S

[tremmert]

Hello,
I just received my 30" dish, universal LNB, and a DVB-S card for my pc. I installed the dish, and used a tuner box to peak on a bird. I "think" I am on 123W, but cant seem to tune it in. I have tried DVBVIEWER, and ProgDVB, no luck. It says my signal is at 82% but quality is 0%. I am assuming I am pointing to the wrong bird??? If so, is there any software I can use that will tell me what bird I am pointing to? It would make life much easier. Already 8hrs into this project and still cant get tv to come in..

Thanks for your advice.

 

[wallyhts]

What PC card?

What transponders did you try?

Try BlazeDTV its super easy to use.

 

[FaT Air]

You must be watching an active transponder to get a Quality reading. 11775 V 2647 is the strongest I have on a 30 inch Channel Master @ 123W. FSTV is weak and conditions have to be 'perfect'.
The cheap meters will respond to any (in band) signal, on any satellite, so you may not be aimed at 123. Can you blind scan with that card? Might get a channel/TP that can be found active on another satellite. Check TheList! or Lyngsat(?) Use dishpointer.com to get your 'bearing'(?)
Maybe try 97W? Might be stronger, and their's more TP's to aim at. Confirm you have the card/software working correctly, then go after more.
>>universal LNB<< Use 22khz set to ON and L.O. set to 10600 to set the receiver for domestic transponder freqs (11.7 to 12.2Ghz)
22Khz OFF sets the L.O. to 9750 for 10(something) to 11.7Ghz. Not used on domestic CONUS satellites.
Only 8 hrs? Wait, it will rapidly count up once you're operational. Just spent an hour and a half figuring out that I had a switch failure . (Now, no-one wants their BUD down) Back now scanning the sky .
to Satelliteguys

 

[Tron]

PC based tuners are much harder to use for dish aiming purposes than a stand-alone receiver. You might want to look for a used, cheap set top receiver to help aim the dish. You can find an older DVB-S MPEG-2 standard definition receiver for around $25-30 used, or a newer DVB-S2 MPEG-4 HD receiver such as the Openbox S9 for around $50 used.

What channels are you looking for on 123W?

 

[tremmert]

You guys are awesome! Thanks for the great advice. I went ahead and borrowed a friends SonicView, and reflashed it with stock firmware from their site. I have also by-passed the motor and connected directly to the LNB. Now, what is the next procedure? The FTA receiver is asking me what dish I am pointing at. I told it 123deg. But signal is at about 80% and quality is still 0%. At this point, should I go outside and move the dish around and have someone else inside watching the screen? Are they looking for the Signal # to jump or the quality # to move up from 0? I have not specified any transponders, the only thing I changed was the LNB. From standard to a universal.

Also, is there any software I can use with my DVB-S card (HDStar) that will tell me what dish I am looking at? Not sure if this "technology" exists, or if it is just a trial and error procedure...

Thanks for the good advice, I really do appreciate the help!

 

[Tron]

The best way to aim a dish is to bring the receiver and a small monitor (lots of portable DVD players have a composite video input jack) out to the dish. That way, you get instant feedback while moving the dish and watching the meter.

On the receiver, select a strong transponder from here. Use Dishpointer to find the direction of the satellite you're aiming at. Use very slight movements when aiming the dish, and watch the quality meter. Strength only means your LNBF is hooked up.

When you get a quality spike, do a blind scan (if your receiver has the ability). Compare the channels found with those on The List here at SatelliteGuys. This will confirm what satellite you're aimed at.

This requires a lot of patience, but will get easier once you've done it a few times. Remember that linear Ku-band signals are much weaker and harder to aim at than DBS signals like Dish or Direct.