Advice on install needed

[chum1976]

I received the sadoun motorized dish for a gift and installed it today. Everything went well and I got G19 with signal/quality both at 70%, but when I move the dish I cant pull in any other satellite. I have the receiver set for multi satellites, and the mast is perfect plumb. I am most interested in the PBS channels. Is a 31" dish big enough? Thanks for any advice.

 

[SatelliteAV]

75cm/31" dish is adequate, but you should really consider a more appropriate 90cm/36" dish.

Was the LNBF rotation (skew) set to 0 when the motor azimuth is in the 0 position?
Did you activate the receiver using USALS, enter your Longitude / Latitude and allow the motor to move to calculated position prior to aiming?
Is the motor angle set to the correct angle (your Latitude).
Is the dish angle set to the calculated position (between 20 - 30 degrees)?

 

[chum1976]

Hi, Yes the skew is at 0 when the motor is on 0. I used a compass to find my true south, hit usals and entered my longitude/latitude which moves the dish to the correct spot. The motor angle is set and I had to tweak my dish angle a bit to hit the best quality. I figured the dish could be too small. I will tinker with it tomorrow and if it dont work I will purchase a larger dish. I saw your ebay listings. Thanks!

 

[AcWxRadar]

Chum,

70% signal strength is reasonable, but 70% signal QUALITY from G19 with any receiver is not. The 75 cm dish you have is just fine for your location in PA. This should be a strong sat for you.
Since you are that low on G19, I think that you are not dialed in (aimed) perfectly. So, when you go seeking other satellites, you are worse off and therefore not pulling them in. Most likely, it is just your alignment. Work on improving your signal quality from G19 and get it tuned in better. I think you should get ~90% or better. If you dial G19 in this well, the others should follow when applying USALS.

A larger dish may lessen the affects of rain fade, but you won't gain too much in regards to signal quality. Not in PA. I have a couple Winegard DS-2076 dishes and a couple 1.2 M GeoSat Pro dishes. I do not gain a great deal, but I notice the improvement when it is raining and I also notice the trouble when the wind is blowing hard. The size of the dish you have is fine for your area, for most satellite signals. Your alignment is just not perfect. I know that you can do better, unless you have a warped dish or a poor quality receiver or LNBF. But, I doubt that is the case. Work on the alignment more. Since you have G19 coming in, start there and work to improve it.

The alignment does require a lot of patience. Understand this and resolve yourself to a committment here. You really have to strive for the best results that you can get. If you settle for anything less than perfection, your results will be the same.

If you cannot get G19 to come in any better than 70% Q, then we will have to look into other troubles because I know that isn't right.

It will help us if you list your receiver model and the LNBF that you are using. Then we can get a better idea of what your signal meters should be indicating. This varies between receiver to receiver.

RADAR

 

[chum1976]

Thank you very much for the info. I will take out my 7" portable tv and work on it tomorrow.

 

[SatelliteAV]

Hi, Yes the skew is at 0 when the motor is on 0. I used a compass to find my true south, hit usals and entered my longitude/latitude which moves the dish to the correct spot. The motor angle is set and I had to tweak my dish angle a bit to hit the best quality. I figured the dish could be too small. I will tinker with it tomorrow and if it dont work I will purchase a larger dish. I saw your ebay listings. Thanks!

The 75cm/31" dish size is adequate and would not be the reason that you are not receiving other satellites. I agree with AcWxRadar that this is most likely an alignment issue or it could be a menu setting on the receiver. Depending on the brand and model of the receiver, a Signal Quality reading of 70% on G19 with a 75cm/31" dish may actually be a very good reading!

The main issue with a 75cm/31" reflector is that it is not 2 degree compliant and will not reject competing signals from adjacent satellites resulting in lower Signal Quality. The smaller size will also make it difficult to receive lower power and SCPC (single channel per carrier) channels like news trucks use. Smaller dishes also will have more difficulty in receiving channels with high FEC rates. With that said, you may be quite happy with the performance on the channels that you are wishing to receive with your current equipment. Please understand that I am not trying to sell you a bigger dish, just answering your question!

What receiver Brand and Model are you using?

What LNBF Brand and Model?

What Motor Brand and Model?

Is the correct LNBF type and LO frequency selected for the additional satellites?

Are you selecting an active transponder frequency on the additional satellites?

When inputting the Longitude and Latitude were they correctly assigned to Longitude WEST and Latitude NORTH for North America? For example, if Latitude SOUTH were accidently selected, the dish would pan the opposite direction of where it should move to locate additional satellites.

 

[chum1976]

Hey guys sorry for the delay but the weather had me delayed. I purchased a heavy duty 5' tri-pod and mounted the dish on it and it was worse this time. The pole is plumb on all four sides with the dish mounted on it and I have a clear view of the southern sky. I just dont understand it. I took the motor off and had signal of 85%, but not one blip of quality. G19 went up to 35%, but quickly went back down. Could it be a bad LNBF? I am using the GEOsatpro dsr200c receiver, and the sadoun standard linear ku 0.4 db lnbf, and a 31" offset ku dish. The lnbf is at 10750, and I also had an active transponder selected for the satellites. Should I try another lnbf? Thanks!

 

[SatelliteAV]

The DSR200c will register Signal of 70 - 85% when connected to a LNBF that powers up, so that seem normal. The Signal Quality may spike occasionally, but the indicator bar will not turn green unless you are on a satellite.

• Perform a factory reset on the unit and activate temporarily in the Glorystar mode.
• Not sure exactly where you are in PA, so these coordinates should be close.
• Rotate the LNBF counter clockwise to a +18 degree setting.
• Aim the arm of the dish to a compass reading of 215 degrees and identify a landmark in the far distance (tree, telephone pole, chimney, etc.) that aligns with this compass reading.
• Set the dish elevation to approximately 40 degrees using the angle scale on the back of the dish.
• Select channel 901 and observe the Quality Reading as you SLOWLY sweep the dish 10 - 15 degrees on each side of the landmark. If the Signal Quality does not increase and the TV display programming, increase or decrease the elevation by one degree and slowly sweep either side of the landmark. You may have to repeat this movement many times and go 5-10 degrees above or below the starting elevation setting.
  
• Once you receive the Signal Quality reading and a picture on 901(transponder frequency 12152, strongest TP on Galaxy 19) exit the Signal meter screen and enter the menu.
• Perform a factory reset and activate in the Advanced All Satellite mode.
• Enter the Channel search menu and verify Galaxy 19-KU is selected and the LO Frequency is set to 10750, then perform a Blind Scan Search of FTA channels using 6 or 8MHz steps.

This should scan all of the free channels available on Galaxy19. Once you feel comfortable playiong with the fixed dish, add the motor into the mix!

 

[chum1976]

Thanks for the tips. I will try again........

 

[Mikey11]

Chum,

70% signal strength is reasonable, but 70% signal QUALITY from G19 with any receiver is not.

i dont really agree with this....you cant compare quality numbers from one receiver to the next....those numbers are generated by the receiver itself....some show higher numbers and some show lower numbers....i used to get 90-100Q on 97w with a coolie then if i switched to my pansat i would get 60-70Q....my SV8000 would even show lower numbers around 50Q....same stationary dish, same cable, same TP....70Q i think is reasonable on some receivers....

 

[AcWxRadar]

i dont really agree with this....you cant compare quality numbers from one receiver to the next....those numbers are generated by the receiver itself....some show higher numbers and some show lower numbers....i used to get 90-100Q on 97w with a coolie then if i switched to my pansat i would get 60-70Q....my SV8000 would even show lower numbers around 50Q....same stationary dish, same cable, same TP....70Q i think is reasonable on some receivers....

Mikey,

While I agree with you on the general gist of your statement, I disagree (with reservations). Without knowing the receiver model, I am only going off Chum's location (PA) and the satellite that he is looking at (97W) and the dish size (31"). Regardless of the receiver make or model, I honestly think that the Quality reading should be higher than 70% in this case. Not trying to compare apples and oranges as the statement goes, but I do believe that a Q level 85 or better should be registered if aligned well. Please understand that I am using a broad brush in this instance, but I don't see any receiver exhibiting 70% Q if all else is well. 97.0°W should appear a lot stronger in Q than that for Chum in PA, regardless of the receiver (again, the broad brush).

RADAR

 

[surfster]

I started my hobby last fall with a 31in Sadoun fixed system with the GEOsatpro dsr200c.
After the issue of plumb pole I found once I got G19 in pretty good I started playing with the elivation angle.
I now get G19 in the upper 90's in western NY
I also pick up AMC9 RTV and TuffTV
I pick up PBS on 63w to many trees in the other direction.
I turn dish by hand and I keep finding new things to watch.
Cant wait for spring to set up 6ft C dish. Its 26 degrees today.

 

[AcWxRadar]

I started my hobby last fall with a 31in Sadoun fixed system with the GEOsatpro dsr200c.
After the issue of plumb pole I found once I got G19 in pretty good I started playing with the elivation angle.
I now get G19 in the upper 90's in western NY
I also pick up AMC9 RTV and TuffTV
I pick up PBS on 63w to many trees in the other direction.
I turn dish by hand and I keep finding new things to watch.
Cant wait for spring to set up 6ft C dish. Its 26 degrees today.

I'd say that a "Way To Go" award is due to you, Surfster! And may I say to satellite guys (and gals)!

RADAR

 

[chum1976]

The DSR200c will register Signal of 70 - 85% when connected to a LNBF that powers up, so that seem normal. The Signal Quality may spike occasionally, but the indicator bar will not turn green unless you are on a satellite.

• Perform a factory reset on the unit and activate temporarily in the Glorystar mode.
• Not sure exactly where you are in PA, so these coordinates should be close.
• Rotate the LNBF counter clockwise to a +18 degree setting.
• Aim the arm of the dish to a compass reading of 215 degrees and identify a landmark in the far distance (tree, telephone pole, chimney, etc.) that aligns with this compass reading.
• Set the dish elevation to approximately 40 degrees using the angle scale on the back of the dish.
• Select channel 901 and observe the Quality Reading as you SLOWLY sweep the dish 10 - 15 degrees on each side of the landmark. If the Signal Quality does not increase and the TV display programming, increase or decrease the elevation by one degree and slowly sweep either side of the landmark. You may have to repeat this movement many times and go 5-10 degrees above or below the starting elevation setting.
  
• Once you receive the Signal Quality reading and a picture on 901(transponder frequency 12152, strongest TP on Galaxy 19) exit the Signal meter screen and enter the menu.
• Perform a factory reset and activate in the Advanced All Satellite mode.
• Enter the Channel search menu and verify Galaxy 19-KU is selected and the LO Frequency is set to 10750, then perform a Blind Scan Search of FTA channels using 6 or 8MHz steps.

This should scan all of the free channels available on Galaxy19. Once you feel comfortable playiong with the fixed dish, add the motor into the mix!

Hi,

I followed your advice today and I had 85% signal on G19, but the quality would jump from 4 to 80 back and forth and only the red quality bar...no green. I called my uncle over who is a carpenter and the tri-pod pole is perfect plumb. We tried moving the dish each way for the strongest signal but no green. I also had 75% signal and 40% red quality on the pbs satellite. This sadoun dish seems really light and flimsy. We looked for bends, but could not find one. I am thinking of ordering the glorystar 90cm dish you advertise. It looks like a better constructed dish. I will let you know how that goes, and thanks guys for all the help!

 

[AcWxRadar]

Hi,

I followed your advice today and I had 85% signal on G19, but the quality would jump from 4 to 80 back and forth and only the red quality bar...no green. I called my uncle over who is a carpenter and the tri-pod pole is perfect plumb. We tried moving the dish each way for the strongest signal but no green. I also had 75% signal and 40% red quality on the pbs satellite. This sadoun dish seems really light and flimsy. We looked for bends, but could not find one. I am thinking of ordering the glorystar 90cm dish you advertise. It looks like a better constructed dish. I will let you know how that goes, and thanks guys for all the help!

Chum,

There is nothing wrong with the dish that you have (provided that it is not bent to pieces like a cattle stampeed ran it over). Don't go out and buy a new dish on a whim only to find that you have a simple alignment problem. Our sponsors here will advise you not to buy a new dish until you determine that that is the problem. Obviously, they are in business to sell their merchandise, but they are not going to be a used car salesman here. They want to be sure that they pinpoint your trouble first, then they will advise you.

So please do not jump to any conclusions just yet. Your problem may be fixed with just some dish and or LNBF realignment, Not a new dish. This hobby is expensive enough as it is, because most of us like toys, but there is no need to throw money away. 96%-98% of the time the equipment is not the problem, it is what you are doing with it. Buying new equipment won't solve that problem. So, hold off on purchasing new equipment until you can isolate the error first, otherwise you are just throwing money at a problem in a hap-hazard manner. That's not the way to fix things and it isn't the way to learn about your system.

RADAR

 

[SatelliteAV]

Sounds like the dish is either pointed at the wrong satellite, skew is set incorrectly or the LNBF is bad. If the receiver is tuned on 901 the Signal Quality would " jump from 4 to 80 back and forth and only the red quality bar...no green" the dish is most likely on 103W satellite and not the 97W.

I agree with Radar. Even a bent or warped dish will catch some signal and provide minimal signal lock, unless the dish looked like it had been in a train wreck or at least visibly tweaked.

How to check for a bent or warped dish: Stretch two strings across the center of the dish, one vertically from edge to edge and the other horizontally edge to edge. Do the strings lightly touch as they cross? If not, the reflector is warped and will need to be corrected.

Hold the dish like a steering wheel with the reflector facing away from you and holding by the edges. Grasp the dish by the edges that have the high string and make a motion like passing a basketball while continuing to hold the dish edges. This action will cause the dish to flex and should return to the original pressed shape. You may need to repeat this action several times. Check the strings between each flex to verify the distance on the strings.

 

[perazzimx15l]

if you can get a 36" 90CM dish that is even better because with bad weather you will still have 85 90 signal strenght even in the worst weather. Wish you the best of luck.