Ok, I replaced the missing mesh, I have been using a battery charger for days now trying to get a signal, I had been trying to get 91 galaxy 17 I think it may be closer, but I tried 133 galaxy 15 today, I changed the TP settings to the ones in the list, I have an inline signal meter while I am looking at the tv screen while watching the dish moving it very little at a time, I know the servo is working, It was in one position when I was on a H TP then I put it on a V TP and it changed positions, no better than 55% on the level and 0% on quality, if it take out the inline meter the 55% level drops to the 30's ... any suggestions?
Dish indentification
- Thread starter FLCountryman
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It appears that you're between a rock and a hard spot with the dish up so high and the old technology hardware. It looks like the height is essential for having a clear line of sight over the neighbors houses, etc so you're going to have to deal with it. If it was mine, I would mark the post and clamp using masking tape to mark on, one strip of tape on the post clamp and one on the post, then make your mark with a marking pen, losen the clamp and rotate the dish so you can swing it over the roof for access to the LNB. I would then replace the scalar ring and LNB with a newer model without the servo.
You can also remove the motor from the actuator tube and manually turn the worm shaft if power is a problem.
If you want to retain the usage of the actuator/motor for navigating the dish then you should get a Gbox as other's suggested.
If you find that you only want a few selective satellites that are grouped close together then you can try mounting multiple LNB's on the monopole and fix the dish in one position and don't use the actuator/motor.
You can also fabricate a quad feed pole arrangement for greater support if you choose to add multiple LNB's, this is only suggested if the monopole is not rigid enough or easily adaptable for adding more LNB's. These are just some of my crazy thoughts I wanted to share.
You can also remove the motor from the actuator tube and manually turn the worm shaft if power is a problem.
If you want to retain the usage of the actuator/motor for navigating the dish then you should get a Gbox as other's suggested.
If you find that you only want a few selective satellites that are grouped close together then you can try mounting multiple LNB's on the monopole and fix the dish in one position and don't use the actuator/motor.
You can also fabricate a quad feed pole arrangement for greater support if you choose to add multiple LNB's, this is only suggested if the monopole is not rigid enough or easily adaptable for adding more LNB's. These are just some of my crazy thoughts I wanted to share.
McGuyver, Thanks for the reply . I read your PM's and your reply
I would like to replace the LNB with the newer one, (I would certainly like to have multiple LNB's eventually) but from the way everyone is talking I will have a heck of a time lining it up because I have to be pointing to my true south and to adjust it when it is facing true south It will be almost straight up.
Since I have been operating the motor I have found that with the dish pointing as far west as I can get it I am able to get to the LNB from the edge of the roof .
Since this house was a rental at one time , I have a feeling someone may have tried to adjust it, so I am reading everything I can find to figure out what I can, while I try to figure out what my next move will be,
I would like to replace the LNB with the newer one, (I would certainly like to have multiple LNB's eventually) but from the way everyone is talking I will have a heck of a time lining it up because I have to be pointing to my true south and to adjust it when it is facing true south It will be almost straight up.
Since I have been operating the motor I have found that with the dish pointing as far west as I can get it I am able to get to the LNB from the edge of the roof .
Since this house was a rental at one time , I have a feeling someone may have tried to adjust it, so I am reading everything I can find to figure out what I can, while I try to figure out what my next move will be,
Is the dish pole secured to the house in any way? if it is, you might try rigging up some sort of platform or scaffolding beneath the dish so you can work on it. Even if you have to align the dish to your true south, the backside of the dish where the polar mount is will be beneficial because that's where you'll need to make the adjustments, the current LNB that's on it looks like it's a fixed scalar, the servo is probably positioned on one of the two polarities, horizontal or verticle, so I'm guessing you could use it just like it is for aligning the dish. Then after you're satisfied with getting the dish on the arc then you can change out the LNB. Keep in mind that if you fool around with the LNB and the dish alignment, it will complicate the whole project. Always make one adjustment at a time if you can keep it simple, making multiple adjustments will have you scratching your head and you won't know what did what. Does this make sense? Don't be too hasty in assuming that the dish was tampered with, always try it as it is before changing anything, then take it one step at a time, the LNB last but not before aligning the dish.
If you absolutely must, you can also remove the servo and manually turn the probe to horizontal or verticle but this could be very tricky as the adjustments are extremely critical.
Again, if you are really serious about getting this dish set up then build a scaffold from wood and work up from the ground, 14 ft isn't that high considering the lumber you'll need, 2x4's are cheap, bolt them together so you can easily dismantle it, build it in sections on the ground then start stacking or use any method that suits you, build around the pole. Just keep safety in mind if you have any children that have access to the yard.
If you absolutely must, you can also remove the servo and manually turn the probe to horizontal or verticle but this could be very tricky as the adjustments are extremely critical.
Again, if you are really serious about getting this dish set up then build a scaffold from wood and work up from the ground, 14 ft isn't that high considering the lumber you'll need, 2x4's are cheap, bolt them together so you can easily dismantle it, build it in sections on the ground then start stacking or use any method that suits you, build around the pole. Just keep safety in mind if you have any children that have access to the yard.
I haven't changed anything .I have been using the motor to move it to try to find a satellite ,I cant find a signal!!. I can get to the back of it from the roof. I was just saying I wouldn't mind changing the LNB if I needed to. But I will definitely want to change it eventually. I will work on uploading photo's into my profile
yes signal finding
Yes signal finding is a work of art. Especially if this is the first time aiming a sat dish. Even if you setup dtv or dish dish. This is alot more fun or hardwork. I also hope you lubed the actuator too. As for the receiver. I read something about the older lnb requires a different voltage. (perhaps another member can chim in.) Luckly if I ever get the big dish up I scored on. I scored a 4dtv receiver. If I didn't have that I would have probably changed the lnb out with an all in one unit lnbf. I'm also going to keep my smaller ku band dish around even though the bud dish I got has both ku / cband lnb.
Josh
Yes signal finding is a work of art. Especially if this is the first time aiming a sat dish. Even if you setup dtv or dish dish. This is alot more fun or hardwork. I also hope you lubed the actuator too. As for the receiver. I read something about the older lnb requires a different voltage. (perhaps another member can chim in.) Luckly if I ever get the big dish up I scored on. I scored a 4dtv receiver. If I didn't have that I would have probably changed the lnb out with an all in one unit lnbf. I'm also going to keep my smaller ku band dish around even though the bud dish I got has both ku / cband lnb.
Josh
Yes USS I did lube the actuator really well. I heard that about the Receiver too, but nobody ever said what the older lnb requires, I prob will add a new lnb later, but for now it would be nice to get lined up to a satellite. McGuyver do I really want to have a scaffolding under the back side of the dish, I thought I needed to make adjustments on top at the LNB?
Countryman, the idea of building a scaffold is to get access to the entire dish, not just the back. you'll have to use your own judgment on how to build it, the platform will need to be wide enough to expand to all sides. I myself would build it in such a way that it fastens to the edge of the roof for support, this way you can move from the roof to the platform easily and get access to the entire dish. The scaffolding should be based on the ground, sort of like a windmill structure.
The current feedhorn & LNB should be useful if it's still working, if you suspect it's dead, then you can purchase a newer LNB and mount it on the existing feedhorn, I myself have two old feedhorns much like your's and I use them. My 8 ft dish has both of these old style feedhorns mounted side by side, one is used for the 103W sat and I set the probe to the horizontal polarity because I'm not using the servo, all of the desired channels on 103W are horizontal polarity. The other is a Chaparral, maybe identical to yours and I use it for the vertical polarity on the 95W, I might be sacrificing only a couple of channels this way which I don't care for anyway. I have replaced the old dinosaur style LNB's with the newer/smaller style with a lower "K" rating. I eliminated the feedhorn elbow because space allowed and it increases signal Quality. A replacement 13K rated LNB sells for about $13 on eBay, it's a lot cheaper than replacing the entire LNB device. This method suits my needs very well because I have multiple LNB's mounted on the same fixed dish. If you plan to keep the dish motorized & movable then you'd be better suited to replace the entire LNB for about $50 to $60 for a decent model that sees both polarities.
The current feedhorn & LNB should be useful if it's still working, if you suspect it's dead, then you can purchase a newer LNB and mount it on the existing feedhorn, I myself have two old feedhorns much like your's and I use them. My 8 ft dish has both of these old style feedhorns mounted side by side, one is used for the 103W sat and I set the probe to the horizontal polarity because I'm not using the servo, all of the desired channels on 103W are horizontal polarity. The other is a Chaparral, maybe identical to yours and I use it for the vertical polarity on the 95W, I might be sacrificing only a couple of channels this way which I don't care for anyway. I have replaced the old dinosaur style LNB's with the newer/smaller style with a lower "K" rating. I eliminated the feedhorn elbow because space allowed and it increases signal Quality. A replacement 13K rated LNB sells for about $13 on eBay, it's a lot cheaper than replacing the entire LNB device. This method suits my needs very well because I have multiple LNB's mounted on the same fixed dish. If you plan to keep the dish motorized & movable then you'd be better suited to replace the entire LNB for about $50 to $60 for a decent model that sees both polarities.
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McGuyver, If I have to make any adjustments to the Lnb, I used to own some scaffolding like the contractors use, with the economy as it is maybe I will be able to get some,
I am not sure about the servo, but the last time I was trying to find a sat when I put the pansat on a vertical tp the servo kept moving from 12 to 4 and back consistently, if I left it on a horizontal tp the servo stayed at the 12 position, but as I move the dish the position of the servo looks more like 10 and 4 so Im not sure if the lnb is on a Horizontal or Vertical or if the pansat is even matching the lnb ,I didn't even get to work on it for a few days . I would like to use the motor for now but if I can add lnbs later and not have to use the motor that would be better.
If I do replace the lnb with a newer one, do I have to adjust it while facing the closest true south satellite or can it be any satellite?
I am not sure about the servo, but the last time I was trying to find a sat when I put the pansat on a vertical tp the servo kept moving from 12 to 4 and back consistently, if I left it on a horizontal tp the servo stayed at the 12 position, but as I move the dish the position of the servo looks more like 10 and 4 so Im not sure if the lnb is on a Horizontal or Vertical or if the pansat is even matching the lnb ,I didn't even get to work on it for a few days . I would like to use the motor for now but if I can add lnbs later and not have to use the motor that would be better.
If I do replace the lnb with a newer one, do I have to adjust it while facing the closest true south satellite or can it be any satellite?
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I have a feeling that the LNB, or connection to it, is bad. That would explain why you signal drops to 30 when you remove your signal meter. try this, don't hook anything to the panny, and check you signal level, betcha it's 30. My 3500 acts exactly this way. If it is the LNB, go with a voltage switched polarity model.
I've worked on a few mounted like this, and the easiest way, for me was to remove the bolt that attaches the arm to the dish, at the dish end. Let the dish down opposite the jack. Then loosen the bolts that hold the dish from rotating on the pole, and rotate it around till you can work on the feed safely. The key work here is SAFELY. Don't do this alone, you may not have the ability to call 911 if something happens.
You may have to rotate the dish on the pole first to get to the jack-dish attachment.
Put your signal meter meter between LNB and cable up here to see if your getting LNB power. If not , repair as necessary. If powered, I suspect LNB failure.
I've worked on a few mounted like this, and the easiest way, for me was to remove the bolt that attaches the arm to the dish, at the dish end. Let the dish down opposite the jack. Then loosen the bolts that hold the dish from rotating on the pole, and rotate it around till you can work on the feed safely. The key work here is SAFELY. Don't do this alone, you may not have the ability to call 911 if something happens.
You may have to rotate the dish on the pole first to get to the jack-dish attachment.
Put your signal meter meter between LNB and cable up here to see if your getting LNB power. If not , repair as necessary. If powered, I suspect LNB failure.
nothing hooked up and signal strength 30% . put the inline meter up at the LNB and nothing, I bypassed the coax going through the tube and went straight to the LNB and now I get up to 88% level but still 0% quality,
Sounds like you eliminated a bad cable or connection, the 88% signal means you now have a very good connection between the stb and the LNB but the dish is not aimed at the specific TP you're seeking. It's now just a matter of locating a satellite and a live TP, then you should get a Q signal.
Also when I wave my hand in front of the LNB the inline meter would go up and down, I took the inline meter back down on the ground and tried scanning for sats and the inline meter would go in and out but never over a 0% quality. I could peg the inline then back it off and keep doing that until I went to much the other way and still 0% . what am I doing wrong? I know it is seeing satellites now the inline meter keeps going crazy.
I have a coolsat 5000 I could try, if that may be bettter than the pansat 2500A. I have never used the coolsat.
I have a coolsat 5000 I could try, if that may be bettter than the pansat 2500A. I have never used the coolsat.
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Nothing. It's a "signal meter", it reacts to almost any microwave signal. For C Band, you should keep the meter behind the Dish.
The meter in a receiver is a "Transponder" meter, it only show quality if you are pointed at a Satellite "and" have a Hot / Active Transponder selected in the setup menu.
Have you connected the wires to control the polarity?
Did you Blind Scan yet?
Countryman, the signal meter is quite sensitive in comparison and even when the dish is slightly out of alignment the signal will indicate that you are in the vicinity of a satellite although not close enough to gain a Q signal. I suspect two things, either the LNB polarity is not positioning properly or the dish is off in possibly the elevation settings. The declination adjustment could be as well but this is where you'll need to take one step at a time. You can try one other approach, if you can swing the dish around and mount a Ku band linear LNB on the side of the scalar ring you can then try and see if you can pick up a Ku band signal and use that to check the dish alignment, keep in mind that the azimuth will be off by the offset of mounting to the side of the center bore sight but at least it will be hopefully helpful in checking the elevation. You can use almost any method of mounting the Ku LNB, just make sure the face of the LNB is flush with the face of the scalar and the skew is straight up and down with the dish. It's worth a try IMO
a few days ago I was trying to find a satellite when I put the pansat on a vertical tp the servo kept moving from 12 to 4 and back consistently,
if I left it on a horizontal tp the servo stayed at the 12 position,
Im not sure if the Horizontal or Vertical at the lnb are matching the pansats Horizontal or vertical setting ,
so I left it where it wasn't moving back and forth and did not hook the wires back up,
I mentioned it awhile back in the thread and nobody said anything so I assumed it was in the V position and I started looking for galaxy 18 with the V TP setting on the pansat.
I did not do a blind scan
How can I know if the LNB polarity is positioning properly?
I am trying to understand the Elevation and Declination settings so I can check the Elevation and Declination before I make any adjustment.
Mcguyver, when you say "mount a KU LNB on he side of the scalar ring" do you mean any of the lnbs I have laying around from an old DTV dish ?
if I left it on a horizontal tp the servo stayed at the 12 position,
Im not sure if the Horizontal or Vertical at the lnb are matching the pansats Horizontal or vertical setting ,
so I left it where it wasn't moving back and forth and did not hook the wires back up,
I mentioned it awhile back in the thread and nobody said anything so I assumed it was in the V position and I started looking for galaxy 18 with the V TP setting on the pansat.
I did not do a blind scan
How can I know if the LNB polarity is positioning properly?
I am trying to understand the Elevation and Declination settings so I can check the Elevation and Declination before I make any adjustment.
Mcguyver, when you say "mount a KU LNB on he side of the scalar ring" do you mean any of the lnbs I have laying around from an old DTV dish ?
That's the trick, especially since it's very difficult for you to get to the Feedhorn.
Can you see up into the Feedhorn, and tell which way the Probe is pointing?
Lak7 is right, it's tricky, this is why I suggested the Ku lnb, yes a DTV lnb will work. You can use one of the Echostar sats to point at, one that is closest to your true south.
The probe alignment is critical and if it's not dead-on you won't get a Q sig. If your dish was on the ground or if you had scaffolding to access the lnb as you work on it, you could then manually move the probe having the servo removed. It's a hit and miss matter and takes great patience and lots of luck. BTW, Good luck
The probe alignment is critical and if it's not dead-on you won't get a Q sig. If your dish was on the ground or if you had scaffolding to access the lnb as you work on it, you could then manually move the probe having the servo removed. It's a hit and miss matter and takes great patience and lots of luck. BTW, Good luck
Yes, kinda......
The Elevation is the Main Axis, the pivot / rotation point, kinda like the Tube on a Ku H-H Motor.
What you are measuring would be the Declination.
The Elevation is the Main Axis, the pivot / rotation point, kinda like the Tube on a Ku H-H Motor.
What you are measuring would be the Declination.
I would Blind Scan
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