Just got a Fortec Dynamic and I need help with usals. Could someone post step by step instructions starting with motor at "0". I have entered long and lat but it does not find sats. I know the dish is tracking properly. Been using it for over a year with previous receiver. It tracked fine from 61.5 to 129. I know I am doing something wrong for usals. Gave up on it and setup the old receiver with diseqc. Thought the old receiver CW600p had a problem with usals but I guess I am the problem since I still can't get it to work. From what I read on these forums I was expecting it to be much easier on the Dynamic because of better motor controls. Thanks to all.
Fortec Dynamic Usals
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What motor are you using? I tried to set up a SG2100 with my FS MercuryII (basically the same receiver) and the motor would go beyond the place the sat should be using USALS. I finally got it set up using DiSEqC and it works fine that way. It seems to be something with the SG2100 as I had the same problem trying to set up with the Visionsat also, and others have reported the same thing.
You may find some of these videos helpful?:
Fortec Star Mercury II Video Learning Series
How to install an HH Mount DiSEqC USALS Motor? Applies to DG280, DG280B, DG380, STAB HH100, HH120, Moteck SG2100
Fortec Star Mercury II Video Learning Series
How to install an HH Mount DiSEqC USALS Motor? Applies to DG280, DG280B, DG380, STAB HH100, HH120, Moteck SG2100
I ended up using DiSEqC with my Dynamic, because I figured it would be more "forgiving" if I was not exactly lined up on the arc properly. It was getting late when I was setting up my motorized dish and I gave up on USALS. I am using a SG2100 also, so perhaps the motor is to blame?
All this time, I knew it wasn't me
All this time, I knew it wasn't me
I don't intend to hijack this thread conversation from CBand1985, but I have to say that the videos from Fortec are extremely impressive and I believe I will be purchasing more of their receivers soon!
Phlatwound, thank you very much for putting up the links to that information! It was definitely a plus for me!
Gordy (RADAR)
I have several SG2100's and a few DG-280B/DG-380 motors and they all work fine with USALS via a Coolsat 5K and the Fortec Star Dynamic. They are all spot on and I have no complaints.
The SG2100's that I have were provided by DigiPower -> DMS International. I believe my brother has one or two that were mfg. by Moteck. He has never complained about them either.
RADAR
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I have a Digi-Power SG2100 from Sadoun, vintage 2006, that works fine with USALS. There are so many motors branded SG2100, though, that the problem may reside there.
No USALS issues with either Moteck or DMSI SG-2100s here. I currently have 2 Moteck models in the dish farm, and both respond to USALS commands from my Visionsat. The receiver, not the motor, is responsible for the USALS function.
Tron,
Precisely! I believe that as long as you have physically and mechanically aligned the dish and motor properly, the receiver (if it has an approved USALS function) will drive the dish and motor to the satellite's position without errors.
The Coolsat 4000, 5000 and 6000 receivers and the Fortec Star receivers I can attest to being accurate in this regard. The only receiver I have found that has problems with USALS is the Sonic View 360 Premier and Elite. Tron confirms that the Visionsat is also accurate here.
The only drawback I can find with my receivers is that when USALS is selected, it will not drive beyond 60 degrees east or west from my entered longitude position. If I want to go beyond this, I do have to use DiSEqC 1.2 positioning and manually find the sat. I assume this is just a limitation in the USALS program within the receiver. The motor obviously has room to drive much further.
RADAR
As discussed above, the SG2100 does work fine with USALS. The problem I had with mine, was that the motor came with the zero off significantly. Ie if you did a goto reference, it wouldn't go to zero, but would go a couple degrees off zero. Try sending the motor to zero, then go out to the dish, and look at the degree scale near the motor shaft, to see if it's really on zero {it seems to require a small mirror to see this scale, since you can't get your head in between the dish and pipe}. If it isn't at zero, then USALS will tend be off on all sats, particularly if you aligned the system using DiseqC-1.2. Originally, I was too lazy to do anything about it, so I just set up all my sats with DiseqC-1.2, which I found to be more useful, particularly if you want to play with the position a bit. But THEN, I started using a couple of these newer receivers, such as the Mercury II, and CS8100, which do NOT have full DiseqC-1.2 implimentation, in that they don't permit you to specify which DiseqC-1.2 sat number you want to use with each satellite. This makes it next to impossible to use more than one receiver with your motor. Since each receiver re-programms the motor to it's own settings, wiping out what you did with the other receiver.
Anyway, I eventually decided that with some receivers, I needed to use USALS, so I finally went out and calibrated the motor. With my version SG2100, if you first send a goto reference command, then go out and manually move the motor to the actual zero, then, there is a button there with which you can do a hard-reset, which will reset the motor to whatever position you've moved the motor to. Once I did this, I've been able to use USALS without lying to the receiver (ie the other option is to give it a wrong longitude for your location).
So for anyone who can't get USALS to work, check to see if the zero position is correct. On MY SG2100, I think that it has changed a couple times, possibly due to corrupt signals being sent to the motor, so it may be something you need to check from time to time.
Anyway, I eventually decided that with some receivers, I needed to use USALS, so I finally went out and calibrated the motor. With my version SG2100, if you first send a goto reference command, then go out and manually move the motor to the actual zero, then, there is a button there with which you can do a hard-reset, which will reset the motor to whatever position you've moved the motor to. Once I did this, I've been able to use USALS without lying to the receiver (ie the other option is to give it a wrong longitude for your location).
So for anyone who can't get USALS to work, check to see if the zero position is correct. On MY SG2100, I think that it has changed a couple times, possibly due to corrupt signals being sent to the motor, so it may be something you need to check from time to time.
Yes, I have this problem with Hispasat. I'm at 90.1w longitude, and Hispasat is at 30w. USALS will not work on this satellite. Not wanting to set the rest of my arc off, I experimented with changing Hispasat's programmed position. I first tried 30.2w, but that wouldn't work either. I had to go above 31.1w in order for it to work using USALS, which was too far off to receive a decent signal (I did receive Hispasat with the motor set at 31.1w, but it was just at or below the threshold to lock). I therefore need to use DiSEqC 1.2 for this bird.
EDIT: On the other end of the arc, I can hit 148w with no problems using USALS.
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Reset motor first
You can try doing a "hardware reset/memory erase" on the motor to make sure that settings associated with your previous receiver are not being stored in the motor.
I've found that my DG380 doesn't always act right when I switch receivers without resetting the motor's satellite table first. Combining Usuals with Disecq 1.2 may cause problems as well, especially if you swap receivers.
You can try doing a "hardware reset/memory erase" on the motor to make sure that settings associated with your previous receiver are not being stored in the motor.
I've found that my DG380 doesn't always act right when I switch receivers without resetting the motor's satellite table first. Combining Usuals with Disecq 1.2 may cause problems as well, especially if you swap receivers.
I too have a Digi-Power SG2100 manufactured in the year of 2006, no issues using USALS for 3 years now!
Works fine also if you want to use it with DiSEqC 1.2, have used and tested it with both and it works immaculately and flawlessly either way!
Any motor can operate a little flakey on the older STB, but for the most part it has worked on every receiver I have tried but only one.
The SatPros DSR-500s would be the only exception with known reason.
I think also that it may be a clone mass produced copy that sadly circulated around and IS not the same motor!
I own a Fortec Star Dynamic and it works just fine on either DiSEqC 1.2 or USALS! I prefer to use USALS though for it is the most dependable for me.
On some hard to get USALS to move to any bird you can mix them up and use DiSEqC 1.2 to get to them and save! It works with one of my West positions I can’t get to which is my furthest West at 148 degrees.
Radar,
I have had the same problem almost with the Digi-Power SG2100, mine goes to 30 East fine from my position but will not go all the way to the 148 West position my furthest west.
:up THE FIX :up:
I manually drove the dish over west or bumped it to 148 and saved the position in the receiver. It used to just stop at 129 degrees West only using DiSEqC 1.2 for just that sat set at in the receiver. It was the limit out of the box! Goes there just fine now but I have noticed the other day it is gone, some trees here have Sprung to Spring here and a cut back is in order!
B~Man
Works fine also if you want to use it with DiSEqC 1.2, have used and tested it with both and it works immaculately and flawlessly either way!
Any motor can operate a little flakey on the older STB, but for the most part it has worked on every receiver I have tried but only one.
The SatPros DSR-500s would be the only exception with known reason.
I think also that it may be a clone mass produced copy that sadly circulated around and IS not the same motor!
I own a Fortec Star Dynamic and it works just fine on either DiSEqC 1.2 or USALS! I prefer to use USALS though for it is the most dependable for me.
On some hard to get USALS to move to any bird you can mix them up and use DiSEqC 1.2 to get to them and save! It works with one of my West positions I can’t get to which is my furthest West at 148 degrees.
Radar,
I have had the same problem almost with the Digi-Power SG2100, mine goes to 30 East fine from my position but will not go all the way to the 148 West position my furthest west.
:up THE FIX :up:
I manually drove the dish over west or bumped it to 148 and saved the position in the receiver. It used to just stop at 129 degrees West only using DiSEqC 1.2 for just that sat set at in the receiver. It was the limit out of the box! Goes there just fine now but I have noticed the other day it is gone, some trees here have Sprung to Spring here and a cut back is in order!
B~Man
Just don't ever delete a satellite, or all your DiseqC-1.2 positions will be scrambled (assuming that the firmware on the Dynamic is the same as on the Mercury, which we have been told is the case). Ie, not only do Mercury (and Dynamic apparently) receivers not allow you to specify DiseqC-1.2 sat numbers, if you delete a satellite, the sat numbers remain in the same order in the receiver's memory, and the positions remain stored in the motor's memory however the satellites assigned to each satellite number get re-assigned. It doesn't matter whether you've deleted a satellite which has been assigned a DiseqC position, or if it's one you've been using with USALS, all the positions get re-assigned to the next satellite.
I too have a Digi-Power SG2100 manufactured in the year of 2006, no issues using USALS for 3 years now!
Works fine also if you want to use it with DiSEqC 1.2, have used and tested it with both and it works immaculately and flawlessly either way!
Any motor can operate a little flakey on the older STB, but for the most part it has worked on every receiver I have tried but only one.
The SatPros DSR-500s would be the only exception with known reason.
I think also that it may be a clone mass produced copy that sadly circulated around and IS not the same motor!
I own a Fortec Star Dynamic and it works just fine on either DiSEqC 1.2 or USALS! I prefer to use USALS though for it is the most dependable for me.
On some hard to get USALS to move to any bird you can mix them up and use DiSEqC 1.2 to get to them and save! It works with one of my West positions I can’t get to which is my furthest West at 148 degrees.
Radar,
I have had the same problem almost with the Digi-Power SG2100, mine goes to 30 East fine from my position but will not go all the way to the 148 West position my furthest west.
:up THE FIX :up:
I manually drove the dish over west or bumped it to 148 and saved the position in the receiver. It used to just stop at 129 degrees West only using DiSEqC 1.2 for just that sat set at in the receiver. It was the limit out of the box! Goes there just fine now but I have noticed the other day it is gone, some trees here have Sprung to Spring here and a cut back is in order!
B~Man
You two are detecting the same thing I am and are using the same method to compensate (DiSEqC 1.2 to manually drive the motor to the sat position).
I notice this with all three of these motors: SG-2100, DG-280 and DG-380 as well as with my Coolsat 5000 and the Fortec Star Dynamic receivers.
I therefore assume that the problem lies within the USALS programming. It is as if they didn't expect anyone to drive their motor to any position beyond 59 degrees east or 59 degrees west of their home position. So, they just didn't develop the program any further than that.
Just taking a semi-educated guess. I think it sounds reasonable.
RADAR
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There are USALS issues with some newer SG-2100 motors. I tried two from DMSI at the end of 2008 and they both had an overrun issue using USALS. Others have reported the same.
http://www.satelliteguys.us/free-ai...-sg-2100-issues.html?highlight=sg-2100+issues
http://www.satelliteguys.us/free-ai...-sg-2100-issues.html?highlight=sg-2100+issues
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