Whay do I have?

[KC0YKO]

What do I have?
I am new to SatelliteGuys and I just picked up the following for free and was wondering how far can I go with it and what else might I need.
10' Unimesh Echostar Dish
HTS servo
Chaparral horn
Aspen SLT Extended Digital C-band LNB
HTS Tracker System V Videocipher II Plus receiver w/ 2 remotes
No users manual
The received has a large opening in the back where another unit should be plugged in?
Any help would be great.
Thanks Nick

 

[ikki]

Hello Nick,


This is prob good (Better then what I have) ---> 10' Unimesh Echostar Dish

Prob OK if it still works --> HTS servo
Prob OK if it still works --> Chaparral horn
Prob OK if it still works --> Aspen SLT Extended Digital C-band LNB


Worthless for the most part, unless u want to use it just for moving the dish.
--> HTS Tracker System V Videocipher II Plus receiver w/ 2 remotes


Provided the LNB still works all you would need is a receiver. Something like the Pansat 9200 HD if you want to do mp2 and mp4 video (Will require an add on board. for MP4 Video)

Any of the sponsors located on top of this page should be able to help you make the right decision, and if you are still in doubt feel free to ask the folks in here for further clarification.


oh and btw, very nice ham shack pict on QRZ.

 

[turbosat]

The large opening is probably where the descrambler module slides inside it. Prob work without one , there's no Videocipher channels left on analog to subscribe to anyway.

 

[sergei]

Now if your after something else besides FTA then you'll need to invest in a 4DTV receiver and pay a programmer like SRL or NPS.

 

[delta_charlie]

What do I have?
I am new to SatelliteGuys and I just picked up the following for free and was wondering how far can I go with it and what else might I need.
10' Unimesh Echostar Dish
HTS servo
Chaparral horn
Aspen SLT Extended Digital C-band LNB
HTS Tracker System V Videocipher II Plus receiver w/ 2 remotes
No users manual
The received has a large opening in the back where another unit should be plugged in?
Any help would be great.
Thanks Nick

Greetings from another ham, KF4SIR.

I have the same receiver and use it to move my BUD. That is about all it is good for.

I have the manual and could scan some of the pages on programing the satellites if it would help.

Later, DC

 

[Anole]

decisions, decisions:

Some do use old analog receivers to move their dish.
I guess it's better than nothing, but it's also a big distraction for what it gives you.
(kind of a dead end)
If you're strictly going for DBV/FTA, with a modern receiver, then a controller box like the Gbox V3000 (see my signature) would be an excellent choice.
However, to move the polarity servo in your old feedhorn, an analog receiver is -nearly- the only choice.

You can branch off in two directions:
- Either hook up and learn the analog receiver to move the motor and and co-rotor.
- Replace the feedhorn with something more modern (voltage-controlled LNBF), and use a Gbox to move the motor.
While it's tempting to use the existing old hardware, some of us would shed it immediately and not be distracted.
(because I think you will eventually, anyway)

Now that I've said that, members will post arguments for going the other way.
Which is good. You will benefit from the discussion. - :up

edit:
Oh, third direction you could go. Sergei brings up a good point!
If you decide that a 4DTV receiver and subscription is in your future....
... then -that- receiver will move your dish and skew your feedhorn servo.
We have many who go that way. I just said: 'no'. -

 

[eurosport]

Something like the Pansat 9200 HD if you want to do mp2 and mp4 video (Will require an add on board. for MP4 Video)

Add on board is for DVB-S2, the 9200 does MPEG4 as is.

 

[Sandhills85]

I have a HTS 70 that does a great job of adjusting polarity and fine tuning the sat for my FTA receiver. On one 10' unimesh is some old LNBF that I don't even remember what it is and is the dish I use the HTS 70 and FTA receiver on. Works great and is fun to play with. My other 10 footer is hooked up to the 4DTV receiver.
In my case the HTS is no distraction at all and serves me well. Maybe there is some nostalgia or sentimentality mixed in since it was my first receiver.

It's great to buy new equipment and play with it. It's also very satisfying to put something to use long after most people have written it off. It's your call. This is a throw away culture now and people would rather buy the latest greatest thingamajigger rather than face the shame of having something older than the guy next door. That's the way it is.

I also restore old cars...do I see a pattern here?

 

[KC0YKO]

Ok guys, thanks for all the info....
So it sounds like for starters I can hook everything up an verify that the receiver will move the dish. If that works, next I can hook the receiver to a TV and look for some analog sats to verify that the LNB is working. If all that seems to work, and I want to step up to Digital, I will need to upgrade to a different receiver. Is the receiver needed for the free stuff (FTA?) and the pay stuff different or are there ones that will do both? What sat do you recommend for a strong analog signal for me to figure this out easily?
The dish originally had a C band and a Ku band LNB but the guy I got it from said he upgraded a few years back and it now only has C band. I pulled the cover and it does have a small blue box mounted on the horn with small control wires attached....for polarity control?
I notice that the sats are referred to by the AZ location. What elev do I set the dish? Do I leave the elev what it was set at for the other location? (40 miles West of me)
I have about 10' of cable still attached to the dish so I can test everything without too much investment.
DC, A few scans of the manual would be great!
Thanks Nick

 

[delta_charlie]

Ok guys, thanks for all the info....
So it sounds like for starters I can hook everything up an verify that the receiver will move the dish. If that works, next I can hook the receiver to a TV and look for some analog sats to verify that the LNB is working. If all that seems to work, and I want to step up to Digital, I will need to upgrade to a different receiver. Is the receiver needed for the free stuff (FTA?) and the pay stuff different or are there ones that will do both? What sat do you recommend for a strong analog signal for me to figure this out easily?
The dish originally had a C band and a Ku band LNB but the guy I got it from said he upgraded a few years back and it now only has C band. I pulled the cover and it does have a small blue box mounted on the horn with small control wires attached....for polarity control?
I notice that the sats are referred to by the AZ location. What elev do I set the dish? Do I leave the elev what it was set at for the other location? (40 miles West of me)
I have about 10' of cable still attached to the dish so I can test everything without too much investment.
DC, A few scans of the manual would be great!
Thanks Nick

I think you may be better off getting the DVB receiver first. Leave the elevation alone for now. If the poll the dish was mounted on was plumb and you install the new poll plumb you should be very close. Next forget about the old receiver for now and simply hook the two large wires that go to the motor to a couple of car batteries hooked up in series (24 volts) you will be able to test and move the dish if the motor is good. You can move east and west by simply flipping the wires. Test the LNB by making sure the probe is vertical when the dish is pointed due south and try to find and scan G17/G11 at 91 West. There are some fun and strong channels on that bird. Scan only the vertical polarity for now. If find something you should be able to start fine tuning the dish by flexing it one way at a time until you figure out where to point it.

I will try to get the scans on monday.

Good luck, DC

 

[KC0YKO]

G17/11 will have analog?

 

[delta_charlie]

G17/11 will have analog?

Hi, no there is no analog on 91W. I really think you will be wasting your time trying to use the old receiver to pick up what little analog there might be on other satellites. The old receiver is only good (in my opinion) for moving the dish and setting the polarity. It works great for that.

I scanned the parts of the manual that have to do with setting the receiver to move the dish. You should be able to view and download them at:
skiworldorlando.com/tracker/

Let me know if you have any trouble finding/viewing them.

A couple of notes - I found the old receiver does not even have to be hooked up to the LNB. I used the extra features to turn off the auto polarity. I peak the dish by hitting the west or east buttons on the remote while listing to the tone on the signal meter for the DVB receiver. The old receiver is not even in the same room as the DVB receiver. Then you can save the positions and the polarity.

Take a look at the last image at the link above, it lists the default password. It may be the same on your receiver and you will need it to reset the memory.

One more note - if you do not have a DVB receiver you might want to take a look at the Pansat 3500SD. It is the only DVB receiver that I know of that has the connectors for the polarity control. They can be had on ebay new for about a buck and a quarter.

Hope this helps, DC