AZBox + G-Box / V-Box positioning issues discussion

[AcWxRadar]

I wanted to start a thread dedicated to the historical (and current) problems with the AZBox in relation to its quirks in controlling a BUD via a G-Box or V-Box.

Since many of you have referenced the issue in other discussions, it is obviously an ongoing and widespread trouble. I would like to dedicate this thread to the sole discussion of this issue and try to figure out what the root cause of the problem is.

I intend to set up my own BUD and use a G-Box or V-Box myself soon, so this issue will be important to me as well. I would like to utilize this thread as a fact-finding mission to gather specific details regarding the problem. I will condense the information and report it to OpenBox support as well as research the mechanics and help troubleshoot it.

If you have a system with this issue, please report here, but please be very detailed and specific in your observations of the problem. Your input is important if we are to fix or get OpenSat to fix the problem.

RADAR

 

[sanjap]

Radar,
Thanks for creating a new thread on this issue. I have a 6ft BUD on an H180 motor, controlled by Vbox. I have scanned in and saved satellite positions from 30W to 148W. Everything will work just fine the first day. Lets say i move from 30W to 125W, i will be fine. If i stay on 125W for a few days and try to go to say 55W, i will be a few degrees off.

For a long time, i thought this was due to my pole moving or poor mounting of my dish. A few hundred adjustments and re-inforcements have not helped... until i read a similar problem Ice had with his own setup.

Now the question is, is it a vbox issue or an azbox issue? Azbox just instructs vbox to go to a certain saved number. It doesn't control the number of clicks or direction. If it is an azbox issue, what then might be the cause of the problem?

E.g i save 55W on Vbox on position 12. Azbox instructs Vbox to go to position 12. what then could Azbox be doing wrong?

 

[crackt]

From my reading and personal observations the issues appear to be caused by two things. Blindscanning and combining diseqc 1.2 with usals. I have an elite controlling a gbox/bud and a polar modded channel master/vbox2 and have never had any operational issues whatsoever with dish positioning.

crackt out,.

edit: sanjap... does your vbox check out on a different reciever?

 

[cracklincrotch]

I have only one issue with my Elite and my G-Box.

When I have a diseqc 1.0, 1.1, or 22khz switch installed between my Elite, G-Box and my DG380, about two out of every five gbox moves will send my bud off to it's limits, where it stops and goes to the requested sat. This never happens without a switch in between. I have been unable to duplicate this on my CS5000 or my VS9000.

 

[Lone Gunman]

AZBox Elite and Ultra here with a SAMI dish and SuperJack mover and a Winegard dish with a VonWeise mover. Running Vbox Xs on both with DMX-741s. The Winegard is using a Diseq switch and the C and Ku coax that was on my old Chaparral and the SAMI is using a single coax and the built in Diseq on the LNBF.

I've been running the setup on the SAMI now for about 4 or 5 months with minimal problems since I learned of the blind scan thingie. Every once in a while one of the two will go a little funky and hang up at a random position but a shutdown and power off then reboot usually fixes that.

So I guess mine aren't as bad as what some are doing and to be honest, I'd be really happy if they would just fix the blind scan east limit thingie since it's been around for a LONG time now.

 

[sanjap]

From my reading and personal observations the issues appear to be caused by two things. Blindscanning and combining diseqc 1.2 with usals. I have an elite controlling a gbox/bud and a polar modded channel master/vbox2 and have never had any operational issues whatsoever with dish positioning.

crackt out,.

edit: sanjap... does your vbox check out on a different reciever?

Oh! yes it works pretty good with my Solomend receiver, no issues. The Azbox is just very erroneous whenever Diseqc is concerned. Screwing up my west east limits after every blindscan, you must set diseqc to "go to postion" after every update it is just annoying.

I'll leave the slow blind scanning for another day..

 

[jmltv]

AZBox turns off power to g-box and lnb when selecting Diseqc port 2,3, or 4

I have a c/ku lnb with separate RG-6 cables running from my BUD into the house. The AZBox Ultra's LNB-in port is connected to my G-Box, and between the G-Box and the two RG-6 runs to the dish is a SW21. I previously tried a number of different brands of 2 and 4 port Diseqc 1.0 switches in this location, and found that the AZ Box would shut off the LNB power whenever I selected an antenna that was not on port 1 of the Diseqc switch. My Pansat 2500 had no such problem with this setup using a Diseqc switch. Using an SW21 seems to have fixed this problem. I wonder if this is because the AZBox has problems with cascading a Diseqc 1.0 switch behind a Diseqc 1.2 positioner, and if using a Diseqc 1.1 switch would also be a possible fix.

I also always have the issue that a blind scan resets my lower positioner limit to the location of the sat being scanned.

sanjap...I had the same issue that you are describing when I was using my Pansat 2500 with a VBox. I read some postings that suggested the GBox is more precise in counting the pulses from the positioner sensor, and ordered one. The GBox does seem to be much better, but still not totally immune to the issue...over time I eventually have to fine tune the saved position for a particular satellite a click or two east or west.

 

[crackt]

Fine tuning of positions probly has more to do with mechanics rather than electronics. A person might want to check the clearance between the magnet wheel and reed switch or check for any slack in their actuator. I myself have to bump the dish whenever i go over the apex.

If your switch is failing after the gbox try measuring the line voltage under load. Ive read about power supply issues with the azboxes a couple times and some switches are pretty sensitive to low voltage. Also check the ground on the dish and the coax for small shorts that could drain voltage to ground.

crackt out,.

 

[stanleyjohn]

I have yet used my AZ-box to store and move satellite positions.I stored all my satellites via the v-box remote!works fine this way with few headaches.

 

[rodder]

i have had no problems with my G-box on C-Band as long as i turn it off before doing a blind scan.

 

[goaliebob99]

The isssues I have with mine is that the azbox will take forever before sending a command to the G/V box from the menus. Also when doing a blind scan it will send a limit command to the G/V box. That limit command prevents me from moving the dish or bumping it for fine tuning. I have to go into the menu every time and select disable limits in order to bump or move the dish. The limit command is only for the west, and I can move east, but I have to disable the limits in order to move back to the west.

Sometimes, the azbox will turn off the V/G box and still move the dish.

 

[freezy]

cant the vbox be used by itself. then treat the azbox like a bunch of fixt dishes with no switching

 

[stanleyjohn]

The v box can be used by its self! Thats how i use it.I use the vbox remote to move the dish to the satellite i want then set the AZbox to the desired channel to watch on the selected satellite.Alittle more work but not really a problem with me,Also the dish only moves when i know what satellite i want and the somewhat noisy actuator doesn't disturb the locals as much,especially late at night or early mourning.

 

[MarkVA]

Cutting My Losses -- Using G-Box as Standalone Positioner

The v box can be used by its self! Thats how i use it.I use the vbox remote to move the dish to the satellite i want then set the AZbox to the desired channel to watch on the selected satellite.Alittle more work but not really a problem with me,Also the dish only moves when i know what satellite i want and the somewhat noisy actuator doesn't disturb the locals as much,especially late at night or early mourning.

I've come to the decision to use my G-Box as a standalone positioner as you've described. My experience has been that virtually everything I change in the AzBox messes up the G-Box. It either tries to reset limits, moves the dish to an unknown location, or erases a location. The effect upon the AZBox has been that I have memory losses (the AZ -- not me!) and entire satellites just drop out. None of this happened when I used a standalone positioner (DSR-922 or G-Box).

So, I decided to keep the G-Box as a standalone positioner until, or if, the company ever fixes the firmware. I like my AZBox and I like my G-Box. It's just that they don't play well together. Going through separate steps to tune to a transponder and move the dish is worth the alternative.