Fortec Lifetime Ultra Motor settings reset??

[Technojunky]

I finaly got my Stab HH90 motor to work in a decent way. The problem came when I came accross a problem that PBS helped me with, it was how to reset the Fortec receiver. The reset was needed to combat a problem where certain chanels would cause the receiver to lock and reset itself. I had just gotten the feeling of success when I succesfully scanned three seperate satellites and they all looked very good.

The problem: I reset the receiver and I now can not get past the true south satellite that I zeroed on. This would be 79 degrees, Amsat-5. What I can do , it select reference and get Amsat-5 with not problem. I set my coordinates, and save my positon. When I go to the next satellite, Nimiq-1/3, it no longer works. I didn't change any positoon on the dish itself, I jsut select USALS and set the proper LNB and it never finds it. It was working before the reset, but not now.

Is there a way to resync my receiver so more than my reference satellite works?

Stumped again.. Joe

 

[PSB]

Make sure you enter your latitude and longitude and make your True south satellite your reference satellite.

Longitude is west

Latitude is north

 

[Technojunky]

Thanks Pete, I did that first. Set my coordinates in the same menu as setting my true south sat, AMC-5 at 79 degree's. After the reset, I went into my antenna settings for AMC-5, hit reference to get back to zero, which is 79 degrees, and there was AMC-5. That is where it all stops. I save my settings at true south for AMC-5, do a scan of it so it, and let it save the channels. Then when I go to Nimiq 1/3, and select USALS, it never gets there. Before the reset, both Nimiq 1/3 and AMC-5 were perfect. I also was getting signals fro ma few other birds, that is when I turned it all off an took it inside. I did the reset after I scanned one too many and it started doing that reset thing on certain channels.

Am I resetting this properly. Once I get the receiver back online, I go to my true south Sat, 79 degree's, and store it. I thought everything would be fine when that worked. Any other ideas are welcome.
Thanks, Joe

 

[Technojunky]

Pete, I have my motor working very, very well, but only when I am outside. From inside, I don't think it moves. I have a Diseq in-line, but it worked with my old motor, so I figured it had to work with this one.

The common sense approach is telling me to cut all the ends off, one by one and see if replacing any of them helps the situation.

The main questions I have about motors, this one being a Stab HH90, are these: Once the moto is set to my True South Satellite, is there any receiver setting to use when using USALS? Or, is the motor completly automatic once it is set to True south mechanicaly, and USALS is selected?

What about selecting Diseq 1.2, is this the same?

I see the word NULL in the Diseq menu, then numbers which sart with 27.

Can Diseq be mixed with USALS in the same receiver configuration. Say my motor is perfect for all but one and it might be a half of a degree off. Could somone set their one odd Satellite to Diseq and nudge the motor a little and then save it that way, while still using USALS everywhere else?

I am going to move the receiver back inside and start replacing my compression connectors.

Thanks, Joe

 

[Mr Tony]

yes 1.2 can be mixed with USALS..I do that right now

 

[Technojunky]

Thanks for the reply. I did replace some of the compression F connecors and I think there is an improvement in the motor movement. I won't know for sure until I do more testing of movement between satellites. So far, so good.. Joe

 

[Technojunky]

BTW - Iceberg, can you tell me if the True South saltelite is set by setting the motor to zero, then point at the true south bird, once I have the signal, I don't have to do anything else to set it?

I am trying to figure out the use for the MOVE command. ALso, is the Store command only for Diseq use?

Thanks, Joe

 

[Mr Tony]

correct...motor should be 0..then aim for true south (unless you dont have a true south)

To use 1.2, use the left/right arrow to move the dish...then top row where it says "null", change to a position (27 as an example) and then go to store and store it

 

[Technojunky]

I had my receiver on a satellite and receiving some channel that I wasn't actually watching. I left it on for a few hours while I was doing other things. When I went back into the bedroom, the TV showed 'No Signal'. I checked the antenna settings and it was set for USALS and was OK the last time I checked. I coudl not get the DISH to move back to the satellite I was on, so I went to my true south bird and it would not go there either. I turned the receiver power off and back on, and it worked normal again. Is this something that has happened to any of you? Should it concern me? It has been working OK for the last few hours now.

 

[PSB]

Only a problem if it keeps happening, I have to do it on average of about once a month.

 

[Sadoun]

Technojunky

Moving the motor to 0 then aiming at your True South satellite will work only if your LONGITUDE is exactly equals to the LONG of the satellite. If the satellite is off by a fraction of a degree, that will through your satellite ARC out of alignment.

The best way to aim a motorized dish is to use the USALS feature in your receiver. Simply:
1- Adjust your motor and dish angles according to proper calculations
2- Use the USALS feature in your receiver to enter your latitude & Longitude.
3- Select one of the active satellites that is close to your longitude (true south)
4- With the motor at 0 position, aim your dish assembly to your TUE SOUTH angle using a good compass.
5- Use the MOVE to satellite command in your receiver's USALS menu to make the motor move the dish the proper amount.
6- Watch the screen for Signal AND Quality.
7- If no quality, then stand behind the motor. Hold the motor body with both hands and try to turn it East or West a few degrees (very very slowly). You don't want to be too far away from the TRUE SOUTH position.
8- IF you get QUALITY, then maximize it and stop moving the motor. Adjust the dish elevation slightly to get the max quality.

Good luck.

 

[Technojunky]

Your instructions appear to be what I did. In every instance, I can go back to my true south and get it. The motor wants to go back to zero whenever the receiver is reset. I always can count on this when I reset my receiver.
The problem comes when I tell the motor to take me to one of the other satellites, it sometimes will, but will not always stay there. In some cases, I can't get the motor to move unless I power my receiver off and back on. I am running through a pair of diplexers, and they appeared to work with my old motor just fine. This Stab motor worked fine when I was on a short coax to install it, the problems started when I went inside. I run through over 100 feet of coax, and 75 feet of it before the first diplexer, then about 40 feet more before the next diplexer, then 10 feet more to the receiver.

I may try to elminate diplexers from my setup. there might be a chance that i can shorten the run of coax too. I just did a complete factory reset again, and locked onto my true south in two seconds. Then I sent the motor to another satellite and it went to it with no problem. It is this good behavior, followed by odd , confused behavior that makes me think that something is wrong.

Thanks for the help, it was very clear and easy to follow. The steps that confused me a little were 4 and 5. When I set my true south satellite, I do not use the Move to satellite. I picked my true south bird, 79 degree's, then set my angle, and turn the motor (while it is set to zero), to hit the 79 degree bird. Once I am pointed at 79 degrees with good quality, I store it. Where am I going wrong?

Let's say that I reset my receiver again and the dish is at zero, and pointing to 79 degrees. I have good quality at zero (motor)= (79 degree's). What is the next step? What am I doing wrong?

Joe

 

[Tron]

Is there a way on the HH90 to reset the motor?

I would move the motor to '0', reset it, and reset the receiver. This often helps with problems on an SG-2100...