From the “the last thing you’d think of” category (good Monday laugh)

[Mr Tony]

Got a laugh this weekend. From the “the last thing you’d think of” category

Now I know sometimes it can be frustrating for the newbies setting up their systems when they have issues. Well, even a vet can have issues.

Got my Satworks back so over the weekend I hooked it up to my motorized setup. Got all the satellites from 61-105 programmed into it and started getting it setup. Got a strong TP and moved the dish with no issues. Got all the satellites in but didn’t scan for any channels. I can do that later.

Permanently hooked everything up and got it in the entertainment system. Started scanning. Went to SBS6 and scanned I ONN. Went to G3 and got CCTV. Tried to move to AMC5 and it wouldn’t move. Tried to manually move it and it didn’t move (I can hear the motor move on my roof since its close enough.). Well after about 20 minutes of grumbling, I found out it wouldn’t move if I picked a vertical TP. Hmmm..maybe bad LNB?

So at 10:30 (PM) Saturday ngiht I temp. ran a cable from the motor to the unit. Took the unit out of the entertainment center and put it on top (for easy access). Hooked it up and had both V & H polarities….crap bad cable.

Sunday morning ran a new cable down and hooked it up. Everything works fine. Hooked it back into the permanent spot and hooked everything up. Only H transponders. Swapped cable from the jack to the unit. Same thing

Now I am beyond pissed. What else can it be?
LNB..no
Cable?....no
Cable into house?...no

Well, it dawned on me. I have the analog slaved to it. But that wouldn’t do anything? nah....Its slaved. So I unplugged the cable from the analog and low and behold now I have vertical TP’s too!

So I hooked a DC block on and hooked the cable back up. Still works!

So the analog, which is defaulted to H polarity, is somehow overpowering the polarity on the Satworks. I had this unit slaved to the Pansat with no issues for over a year.

So even us vets can forget to check EVERYTHING first

 

[W_Tracy_Parnell]

Good story and a point well made. In FTA, everyone will have at least one similar time of frustration-probably many.

 

[bigOleB]

I'm not a "vet" yet but, I feel your pain...

I have been hooking up the new BUD over the weekend and I had the bright idea of finding a good strong signal and then smart scanning. It was working great until Lyngsat went down yesterday. So I am at 107W and trying to get to 123W bu then again there is always this afternoon. The real curveball was a faulty port on Diseqc switch which took me five hours to figure out.

If all of this stuff was easy and non-technical we most likely would be doing something else

 

[Mr Tony]

I was worried because I just got the unit back from repair

 

[derdude]

I am no expert also but I know the feeling.
How many hours have each of us sat there moving the dish inch by inch trying to find satellite looking and waiting for the signal meter to move? We probably would not want to know the hours.
When you find it, it makes it worth this great hobby....

 

[Mr Tony]

I am no expert also but I know the feeling.
How many hours have each of us sat there moving the dish inch by inch trying to find satellite looking and waiting for the signal meter to move? We probly would not want to know the hours.

and when you find the signal, fine tuning it

I never thought to look at the slaved unit. Maybe I'll throw that DC block on there for good

 

[Shawn95GT]

How many hours have each of us sat there moving the dish inch by inch trying to find satellite looking and waiting for the signal meter to move?

When I first got my Coolsat and was ghetto pointing the P* I accidently connected the LNB to the RF out on the Coolsat . After fumbling around about 5 mins getting absolutely nothing (it worked GREAT the night before!) I decided to re-check my connections and I was horrified at my mistake.

Live and learn .

Thanks for sharing that Tony. My analog receiver was doing wierd things (H &V seemed reversed) until I added a DC block between it and the CoolSat.