where should i start?

[McGuyver]

I'm using the SG 9120 motor and the WSI 9036 dish; my problem is that I have a tile roof, so there's no easy way to just screw a tripod down to the roof. (Don takes another envious look at StanleyJohn's installation)[/FONT]

I'm thinking right now about bridging the eaves with a couple parallel pieces of Unistrut, and then U-bolting the pole to those. The trouble is that this would be off the side of the top of a two-story house, and I'm a little short on ladders and a lot short on huevos to get up there and fasten it on.

Sigh..

You could use something like this, this is easy to make and it's sturdy enough to support a motor as well. It's taken 50+mph winds and still plumb. Just be sure to use thick pipe or double tube it by sliding another inside as I have for the lower section at least, then you can center punch a few areas on the outer tube which will keep the tubes locked together, this prevents the U-bolts from crushing the tube.

 

[stanleyjohn]

Hopefully what Mc has to offer can workout for you Drboy!.In my case mounting on the side like Mc did was not an option because of the roof overhang.Don't forget some pics of the install when its finished ok!everybody loves pics.I have to tell you that all my research on FTA receivers has been pretty frustrating.It seems that no mater what receiver you look at! problems and shortcomings apply to them all.I know that the sathawk has its problems !but for a rookie like me !as long as i get some sat programming (big RTV fan)ill be happy.In time after i find out what i may be missing and have some first hand experience i may look into something better.

 

[delta_charlie]

---cut--- I have to tell you that all my research on FTA receivers has been pretty frustrating.It seems that no mater what receiver you look at! problems and shortcomings apply to them all.I know that the sathawk has its problems !but for a rookie like me !as long as i get some sat programming (big RTV fan)ill be happy.In time after i find out what i may be missing and have some first hand experience i may look into something better.

Hi, The first FTA receiver I bought was the Mercury II and I'm happy to say I'm very pleased with it. It has a fast blind scan, easy to use and can delete batches of channels from the blind scanning for each satellite. (that makes it easy to clear out old feeds that are not in use). It also has a fast audio signal meter that makes setting up the dish a snap. (just have to turn it on - it is not on by default). If it broke today I would be looking for a another tomorrow. With a good basic FTA receiver that has blind scan and the matchbox USB receiver you will have most of the good stuff covered. The matchbox should be able to display HD and 4:2:2 feeds. About the only thing you will not be able to receive is DVB-S2. Most of the DVB-S2 is on C-band so unless you install a BUD it would not be available. Hope this helps, DC

 

[drboyddrboyd]

Here's what I'm thinking of doing: The red is Unistrut, the black is the outline of the eaves of the house, and the blue is probably schedule 40 2" pipe.

If I paint the angled Unistrut to match the eaves, and paint the horizontal Unistrut to match the walls, it should be pretty close to invisible.

And the bracing should make it stronger than a bear's breath.

At least, that's the theory.

Hopefully what Mc has to offer can workout for you Drboy!.In my case mounting on the side like Mc did was not an option because of the roof overhang.Don't forget some pics of the install when its finished ok!everybody loves pics.I have to tell you that all my research on FTA receivers has been pretty frustrating.It seems that no mater what receiver you look at! problems and shortcomings apply to them all.I know that the sathawk has its problems !but for a rookie like me !as long as i get some sat programming (big RTV fan)ill be happy.In time after i find out what i may be missing and have some first hand experience i may look into something better.

 

[McGuyver]

Here's what I'm thinking of doing: The red is Unistrut, the black is the outline of the eaves of the house, and the blue is probably schedule 40 2" pipe.

If I paint the angled Unistrut to match the eaves, and paint the horizontal Unistrut to match the walls, it should be pretty close to invisible.

And the bracing should make it stronger than a bear's breath.

At least, that's the theory.

Keep in mind that the mounting post (pipe) must be the same size of the dish post clamp, generally most of todays 36" dishes use 1-5/8" OD diameter posts. If your's is 1-5/8" then use a thick wall pipe and make it as short as possible, keep a low profile.

 

[drboyddrboyd]

Right you are, as we hijack poor Stanleyjohn's thread. I'll be putting a 9120 motor on the pole, and it looks like it will do a 2" pole no sweat....

Keep in mind that the mounting post (pipe) must be the same size of the dish post clamp, generally most of todays 36" dishes use 1-5/8" OD diameter posts. If your's is 1-5/8" then use a thick wall pipe and make it as short as possible, keep a low profile.

 

[stanleyjohn]

Right you are, as we hijack poor Stanleyjohn's thread. I'll be putting a 9120 motor on the pole, and it looks like it will do a 2" pole no sweat....

No Problem!

 

[McGuyver]

Right you are, as we hijack poor Stanleyjohn's thread. I'll be putting a 9120 motor on the pole, and it looks like it will do a 2" pole no sweat....

Well, in that case of mounting a motor you could possibly use up to about 3.25" pipe diam but no need to overkill it, lol. I thought you were mounting only a fixed dish. Guess I missed the motor somewhere while reading

 

[stanleyjohn]

Still waiting for the satHawks to arrive! (sadoun giving a $20 credit for us waiting) very nice gesture.Until it arrives I'm playing with a USB matchbox pro that i got real cheap.Software seemed to load correctly but having very litle luck with it.Probably not the best receiver to start out with learning FTA .Started out trying to find AMC9 for RTV but no lock or sig readings on the software screen.I choose AMC9 from the list and motor wouldnt go anywhere.I had to use move east or west to direct dish to the location 83 west (195 deg true south).No lock,no sig readings! so i hooked up a satellite finder meter and after some small east/west moving i got a strong signal reading but nothing on the matchbox software!I'm guessing this is AMC-9 because dish seems to be pointing at the direction of it.If i cant get this matchbox pro to work i guess i will need to wait for the sathawk.Here is my dish motor set-up let me know if you see any errors in it.My Location is Lat 41.45/Lon -72.60.declination 14.7 deg.true south 194 deg.motor elevation angle 48.5 deg.dish angle 35-6.3=28.7.I set angles as close as i could tell!may be off a deg or two.Im learning but still a rookie for the near future.

 

[stanleyjohn]

hopefully soon i will be getting my new sat hawk satellite receiver and would like opinions here on some ways to set it up with the 36"(azure shine dish,power tech dg280b motor) motorized dish on my garage roof.To make things easier i can setup the receiver outside just below the garage roof and hook up a Tv to view from the roof.My location here in Ct is 41.45 Lat/-72.60 Lon and i have setup motor and dish angles per instructions.What Satellite would you recommend i start out with for alignment? Can i use one of my older cable ready TVs for temp setup outside?I have done some searching on the internet but haven't really found any real get topics on setting up for a beginner. Thanks! Stan

 

[Ironsides]

If I was you..

I am not really experienced enought to give you all the setup instructions but I would offer this, IF it is at all possible to place your system in another location I would suggest that. The roof is not a good place for a motorized system and it isn't a good place for a starter system. I would move it if it all possible.

 

[delta_charlie]

Hi StanleyJohn and the group. Looks like AMC 6 at 72 west would be the satellite to start with. I will check later today and list an active TP. To answer your question on the TV - any old TV will work, just set the channel to 3 or 4 and use the coax output from the receiver. Make sure the receiver is set to the same channel. If I was trying to set up the dish on a steep roof I might leave the TV on the ground or maybe a table and point it up so I could see if from the roof. When you get the receiver check the manual to see if it has a audio signal meter and if it is on by default. I find the audio signal meter to be very helpful when setting up because you can be moving the dish around without looking at the TV and peak the signal. Check the motor and see if it is set on zero, if it already is I would hook the receiver direct to the LNB and leave the motor disconnected for now. Try to find AMC 6 and if you do, peak on it. If you find and peak on AMC 6 and you set the mast plumb you may well find the motor will work on all the rest of the satellites after you hook it up. If you find the motor is not on zero you will need to hook the receiver up and zero it. If you hook the motor up make sure the receiver does not move from zero when you try to peak on AMC 6. Hope this helps, DC ---edit--- Looks like TP 12051/V/6891 is the one to use on AMC 6. PS - check to see if your motor has the latitude scale on the side, if it does set it to your latitude then all you have to do is peak the azimuth by moving the whole motor (loosen the bracket bolts) and move the whole motor right or left to peak the signal. Peak the elevation by adjusting the dish at the elevation mount - leave the motor alone.

 

[JerryVT]

Roof Mounting

StanlyJohn,

I too did my first setup on the roof as it was the only place I could get height over the trees on the whole arc. I got it done in one long day once everything was mounted, but you will be taking your time. Other members suggested not to do a roof mount but I figured, "how hard could it be" . The answer, hard.

The single thing that surprised me was how less forgiving the KU FTA is over the old DirecTV I was used to. It is truly cm's between good and no signal.

I live North of you, and started on AMC6, then moved to Galaxy 19, Over to AMC21, and back to AMC6 swinging the arc several times and tweaking for best signal. Have the wrenches in your pocket, and make small adjustments. The visual signal and quality meters were key. Now that I understand it, I think I could use the sat meter, but I could not use only that first time out.

Good luck and have fun, and be careful on the ladder! Don't get discouraged, it takes time to get it. Once you do its pretty damn cool.

 

[stanleyjohn]

No receiver yet but i have checked out the operation of the motor and the tracking of the dish and all seems ok.Time for a few questions !I checked and double checked motor and dish angles and they are correct.At true south elevation of true sat is around 44 degrees! and dish angle seems less than that!is this normal?Also at farthest east and west the disk elevation looks like maybe -5 degrees.so tracking the polar elevation it goes from maybe -5 deg to a high of maybe 30 back down to -5.Note! my elevation dish setup looks alot like Sadouns motorized dish you tube video which makes sense since we are just about at the same lat.One last question! everyone chats about a very straight vertical mast.After much playing to get it to 90!i got to maybe im off a quarter of a degree!will that be ok?.

 

[Jim S.]

At true south elevation of true sat is around 44 degrees! and dish angle seems less than that!is this normal?

If by angle you mean a line perpendicular to the center of the dish, then yes it's normal. The dish is elliptical and the LNB is below the center, so the elevation it's focused on is above the center.

There is the issue of some dishes' elevation scales not being very accurate for some reason, but if I remember rightly you're using a Geosatpro 90cm, and mine is right on.

As for the issue of the pole being slightly off plumb, I don't know how much that's going to matter. I very much doubt that mine is exact and my motor works fine, but then again I only have about 30 degrees of arc unobstructed and another 20 degrees partially occluded by treetops. Still, out of that 50 degrees of arc, about 45 degrees of it is west of south and I still get decent reception at the west end of it, missing only DVB-S2 signals and that may be because of branches.

 

[delta_charlie]

No receiver yet but i have checked out the operation of the motor and the tracking of the dish and all seems ok.Time for a few questions !I checked and double checked motor and dish angles and they are correct.At true south elevation of true sat is around 44 degrees! and dish angle seems less than that!is this normal?Also at farthest east and west the disk elevation looks like maybe -5 degrees.so tracking the polar elevation it goes from maybe -5 deg to a high of maybe 30 back down to -5.Note! my elevation dish setup looks alot like Sadouns motorized dish you tube video which makes sense since we are just about at the same lat.One last question! everyone chats about a very straight vertical mast.After much playing to get it to 90!i got to maybe im off a quarter of a degree!will that be ok?.

Hi StanleyJohn, my experience has been the elevation markings on the dish can be off quite a lot and should only be considered a starting point. The steps that really matter are set the motor to your latitude, make sure it is on zero for the azimuth and then peak the dish on your true south sat. Everyone says the mast must be plumb but that's not completely true - the motor must be plumb, shims can be used to true up the motor if the mast is off a little. Take a small level and check it against a wall by marking a vertical line with a pencil then flip the level around and see if the vertical line still lines up. If it does you have a good level and then use it to check the body of the motor and make sure it is plumb.

That should get you going, DC

 

[stanleyjohn]

Ok DC tell me if im in the ballpark!Here are my receiver settings.
satellite AMC6,72w
TP 12051 V 6891
deseqc switch>>motor
LB1
LNB freq >>standard
LNB hi/lo>>10750
Sid search>>disable
network switch>>disabled
search type>>all
legacy sw>>off
am i missing anything?? and is above ok
PS BUMMER!! dont know why AMC9 is not included on sat list .Seems no way to add satelites to the neusat 9000 list.Really hope AMC9 is included on Sathawk 800,I really like RTV.

 

[delta_charlie]

Ok DC tell me if im in the ballpark!Here are my receiver settings.
satellite AMC6,72w
TP 12051 V 6891
deseqc switch>>motor
LB1
LNB freq >>standard
LNB hi/lo>>10750
Sid search>>disable
network switch>>disabled
search type>>all
legacy sw>>off
am i missing anything?? and is above ok
PS BUMMER!! dont know why AMC9 is not included on sat list .Seems no way to add satelites to the neusat 9000 list.Really hope AMC9 is included on Sathawk 800,I really like RTV.

Hi StanleyJohn and the group, provided you have a standard LNB and not a universal the settings about look good to me. One note on the active TP on AMC 6, lyngsat lists it as TP 17 and shows 12055/V/6890. It is common for different LNBs and receivers to list the frequency and signal rate a bit different so if you can't get a lock try adjusting the frequency or signal rate a little bit. I would be surprised if there is not some way to add a new satellite. In the worst case if you are going to use DiSEqC to control the motor you might be able to substitute a nearby satellite that is already in your receiver. Good luck on your setup. DC

 

[McGuyver]

Ok DC tell me if im in the ballpark!Here are my receiver settings.
satellite AMC6,72w
TP 12051 V 6891
deseqc switch>>motor
LB1
LNB freq >>standard
LNB hi/lo>>10750
Sid search>>disable
network switch>>disabled
search type>>all
legacy sw>>off
am i missing anything?? and is above ok
PS BUMMER!! dont know why AMC9 is not included on sat list .Seems no way to add satelites to the neusat 9000 list.Really hope AMC9 is included on Sathawk 800,I really like RTV.

stanleyjohn, even if you can't add a satellite in your receiver you don't actually need to since you have a list containing many satellites you'll never use. At times I find it necessary to add a satellite that's not in the sat list of certain receivers so I often just use another satellite in the list.

Know this; the receiver is dumb and doesn't know the difference between AMC4 or AMC6 and so on, the receiver is actually looking for a specific signal on whatever frequency is in the satellite data that you're seeking providing that your dish is aimed at AMC6 72W, therefore you can use another satellite with another orbital position that's close or far (makes no difference) as long as it's not already in use by the receiver. All you have to do is either add the 12055 frequency to the substituting satellite or edit one that's there to reflect the same frequency 12055. Then use that substituting satellite just as if it's AMC6, you can even (usually) rename the satellite even if the obital position title is different such as I would use the 79W because it's commonly in every receiver's satellite list and it's a dying bird anyway. I hope this makes sense, it's just another way of accomplishing this task.

 

[stanleyjohn]

Houston!We have a problem

Getting nothing but zeros on strength and quality meters.Went up on the roof today and hooked a satellite strength meter in series with the LNB and the motor.Used usals to aim dish to AMC6 and with motor off i did some small E/W adjustments on the motor dish assembly i got and peaked the meter then did a slight adjustment on the dish angle for a better signal.Meter blasting away with signal level adjustment knob almost all the way down.I'm pretty sure I'm on right satellite with compass and satellite dish pointer.I'm stumped!!Heres a few pics of settings I'm using.Oh!! dont know if this means anything but theres a auto switch feature that detects ports for LNB 1-4 and comes up with a search error.PS i did a tp scan of adjacent satellites just in case i didn't have AMC6 and still the same results!no signal strength or quality.Whats my next move???