FTA Installation for Telstar 5 -- 60% Level only

[Cyberian75]

Hello all;

I recently purchased this system, and I'm trying to access Telstar 5 (97W); however, I only get 60% Level and 0% Quality. My location is 45.5N 122.8W (Oregon), I think, so my azimuth is 145.9 degree minus 20 magnetic field deviation. 125.9SE is where my dish should be facing, right? And my KU LNB is -23, is this correct?

Thanks in advance.


Mike

P.S. What does 60% Level and 0% Quality mean?

 

[tom_v]

Hi Mike,
Welcome!

Only "Quality" does matter! This is a game of inches and minutes, so be very patient!
Portland's mag. dev is 17.2 degrees now (this changes with time)., so use azimuth as 145.8 - 17.2 = 128.6 degrees and elevation as 31.7 degress. Note that certain dishes normally don't have correct "elevation" setting , so try it up and down a little bit. KU LNB is.skewed somewhere between 6 and 7 o'clock (looking into the front dish) from your location.

Again, be patient!

 

[Cyberian75]

Hi Tom,

Thank you very much for your reply.

According to Sadoun website, I'd minus about 15 degrees from the elevation value. Is this correct? Also according to that site, 40%-60% Level and no quality mean I'm getting SOMETHING from the dish. Is this correct also?

Thanks a lot!

 

[air88]

Hi

 

[Cyberian75]

Hi, Michael;

I'm VERY new to this. What's "USALS"?

I've a Traxis receiver, so I don't know what you mean by power scan. Do you mean to scan the satellite for known frequencies?

Thanks.

 

[tom_v]

Mike,
You are confused between the "dish elevation setting" and the "dish elevation" !!

The dish elevation is the angle between the red and cyan lines in the attached picture which is normally 15 degrees for all dishes. You don't have to concern about that much (only if you install in your back yard and facing toward your house/trees)
What you need to deal with is the "dish elevation setting" where you can change the whole dish up/down.

For you and IA5, use 31.7 degrees a a starting point, then change it up/down until you get signal quality....

- You can get the "signal strength" up to 60% by touching your finger at the coax's end (!?). So, again, only "signal quality" matters !!!

 

[Cyberian75]

Lnbf

Is this "Universal" or "Normal KU"? Would I be able to access IA5 with this?​

 

[Cyberian75]

What you need to deal with is the "dish elevation setting" where you can change the whole dish up/down.

For you and IA5, use 31.7 degrees a a starting point, then change it up/down until you get signal quality....

You mean the dish clamp/mount, or an actual placement of the whole dish setup? If it's the latter, I don't understand how you put it in terms of degrees.

 

[air88]

hi

 

[Cyberian75]

Beaverton.

So I'd set the receiver to "Universal" LNB?

 

[ken2400]

The link he sent us says Universal. Your picture looks like standard.

One thing with Universal is that the $15 or so signal meters on E-bay will not work. Most signal meters works on standard LNBs.

So where do you go from here. Get a signal meter. The SF-95 on E-bay works for me.

Use the signal meter to get you in the ball park and then SLOWLY move the dish around. Go to the signal/quality menu and mess around. A campus will also help point the dish so you are near the sat you want.

It takes time BUT once you get the hang of it it is fun. The sats are all in a line BUT not straight. The east ones are higher than the west. This also make the angle of the dish change from east to west. Also think of the signal from the sats as light. Anything in the way will block it and lower the amount you get.

Is this "Universal" or "Normal KU"? Would I be able to access IA5 with this?​

 

[Cyberian75]

Thank you all for your assistance.

If it's the quality that matters, why would I need a signal finder?

I've attached the dish on the side of my patio roof, so it's pretty accessible with a short ladder, though I can't see the TV from there.

 

[tom_v]

++ The rule is ....
If the LNBF has upper limit other than 12.2 KHz, it is UNIVERSAL
If the LNBF has upper limit of exact 12.2 KHz, it is 'STANDARD' or 'NORMAL'

So, it looks like your is a "normal" or "Standard" LNBF.

++ Yes, the dish elevation setting is normally (close to) where the dish attached to the pole.
++ The signal meter might work against you when there are many nearby satellites( 95W, 97W,....). Use your receiver's indicator is still the best.

BTW, ...hello to the Nike headquarter town....

 

[Cyberian75]

So, it looks like your is a "normal" or "Standard" LNBF.

The seller says it's "Universal." So I'd set it to that in the receiver menu, right? How about voltage? Anything else I'd know about? To reiterate, the LNB skew is at 1 o'clock with the coaxial cable pointing at 7 o'clock, right?

BTW, ...hello to the Nike headquarter town....

Heh, I haven't gone inside yet.

 

[air88]

hi

 

[Cyberian75]

Can someone point me to a reference that explains the importance of "elevation"? I still don't get why it's so important.

 

[Cyberian75]

No, you should set it to "normal" or "Standard". I have the same one as yours.

"Normal KU" it is then. Thanks!

 

[PilotS77]

Can someone point me to a reference that explains the importance of "elevation"? I still don't get why it's so important.

Elevation is important because it ensures that you are "looking" at the satellite, along with the azimuth (the right-left direction); elevation (the up/down) is needed to ensure you are pointing your dish correctly

 

[Cyberian75]

Woudn't the elevation differ depending on how low/high I placed the dish setup???

 

[PilotS77]

No (and a Little bit yes) - the elevation depends on the coordinates of your location - because of the distance between you and the satellite a few feet up or down in your location is not measurable.