Hello! Newbie

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Just wanted to say hi!

I started looking for satellite forums mainly to put an old but never used Primestar dish to work to get mostly the GloryStar programming. It's a bit of a struggle but at least I have my years of Dish & Direct TV experience so that I at least kinda know what needs to happen to get up & running.

But of course this is the non-technical forum and I only mention all this to say how I landed at this site.

Ironically, I see that you have a SkyAngel forum. My luck to find it on the eve of it's demise.

 

[Anole]

We have a GloryStar forum department, but if you're going to mount a Primesar dish, and buy an FTA receiver, this FTA Department is a good place for you.

If this thread of yours starts getting technical, the moderator will move it out into the more technical section, so no worries there.

Welcome aboard!

 

[qwert1515]

So other than the Primestar dish what equipment do you have?

- You will need the dish (You already have this )
- Two Ku Band Linear LNBs and a LNB holder for both (With 4 degree separation) or one Ku Band Linear LNB with a motor.
- Coaxial cable from the place you want your dish to your TV.
- A FTA Receiver.

 

[Scroll]

I'll just list what I have.

I have the *Choice elliptical 2 position lnbf with integrated 4 outputs

I actually have 2 Primestar dishes with a single lnbf but only one I know of that has all the parts. Haven't even opened the 2nd box yet.

A new Disque switch

And my receiver is an Orasat v5.0 which I'm told is like a Coolsat 5000 or 6000 and made by them. I later found out this might not have been the best receiver to have chosen, for reasons I won't mention. But I'm kinda stuck with it. Now I wish I'd just got the GloryStar receiver.

I've had no luck even just getting a signal via the *Choice antenna which is pointed at their bird. I realize it's mostly Digicypher there but I was told of some unencrypted transponders that would at least be able to show me if my receiver was a dud but I don't even see those transponders in my list of available ones.

Not a big deal in iteslf, since I will have to re-point anyway. Just wanted to make sure everything was actually working while I was pointed at a known good location.


The Primestar dish I've decided to ground mount due to it's size and the fact that here in Florida it tends to be a tab bit windy at times.

I've been told everything from both antennas should work fine to "you need new lnbfs and need to change the arm length."

As far as what all the settings on the receiver should be I am pretty clueless. I'm just having to guess at this point.

 

[Wescopc]

Welcome to FTA and the Satellite Guys
Bob

 

[Anole]

some random thoughts

Here is SatGuy's TheList, where you should be able to find plenty of info about 97/101 programming, strong transponders for aiming, etc.
It's recently been upgraded with an aiming calculator, to help you get on target.

Lots of complaints about the average diseqc switch getting blown out by mis-handling.
Make sure you ALWAYS turn off your receiver with the rear-panel switch before changing any cabling that goes to or through those switches.
DirecTV and Dish switches are much hardier.
Diseqc switches default to their first input, so wire it up accordingly.
And for first tests, leave all switches out of the equation, just to make sure they aren't a source of your problems.

The Primestar dishes should work as is.
It's likely you can get their LNBs to work for you, but we need more info.
How many connectors do the LNBs have?
If you could supply some pictures of the dishes and LNBs, that would help.
Run a tape measure across the dish and vertically
Look on the back side - there are mold markings impressed into the dish that describes the size.

I don't recall any scenario that would require you to change the arm length.
We can direct you to threads with pictures, where other members have mounted two LNBs onto similar Primestar dishes.
You may decide to put up both dishes, using the existing LNBs.
Depending on your equipment and preferences, we might suggest a 4x4 multiswitch, but it's way too soon to tell.


As for the StarChoice dish and LNB, maybe Iceberg or another member will cover that subject.
... and that still leaves plenty to talk about as to the settings for your receivers ....

 

[Mr Tony]

If the SC dish is aimed right now at StarChoice (107.3 & 111.1) and has the quad LNB (4 output) hook the cable up to the LNB

settings are
LNB LO 10750
22k OFF for 107.3 & ON for 111.1

try and do a blind scan or enter the info from thelist for those 2 satellites just to make sure its working

The SC dish will work fine for KU Band. I use to have one of those at 30W and another time it was at 91/87. The spacing is 3.8 degrees apart so you do have to compensate if you do 2 satellites but for one it works great

 

[Anole]

is SC dish in use or free to re-aim?

Iceberg -

Is the StarChoice dish a little too small for Glorystar use?
It would seem the LNB spacing was probably good enough (as long as it was left on the original dish).
And the fact that the SC dish can be skewed (I assume), that should make for a practical test.

 

[Mr Tony]

been there done that
did it almost 2 years ago with my SC dish
http://www.satelliteguys.us/545931-post8.html

 

[Anole]

save the primestars !

Thanks Ice.

This seems like a slam-dunk, if that StarChoice dish is available to be re-pointed.

See the thread Iceberg posted, and at his post #11, are the receiver settings for use on Glorystar.

Setup is as such

101 would be
LO 10750
22k on

97 would be
LO 10750
22k off

one cable needed and you can easily switch between channels with no extra switches needed

 

[SatPhreak]

The starchoice dishes are great for 4degree setups. I had mine set for 97 and 93 mostly but tried it at a couple places.

If you haven't moved the dish yet from *choice scan the sats, you should get something. Not much but it will help you get used to the reciever settings before you repoint.

If you repoint the *choice dish to get glory star channels you might think of puting up the primestars also aimed at other sats. With the DiSeqC switch you can run all 3 dishes.

 

[Scroll]

As some or all of you know I have been working on this in another thread, but I need some clarification about the StarChoice dish.

I have a Dish Network 2 position antenna with integrated quad lnb. Works fine to get Miami locals, Angel One, and NASA via Echostar 7 and Hawaiian music courtesy of KTLA on Echostar 6,8.


But I've still been unable to get a thing via the Starchoice dish pointed at F1 & F2. Sometimes before I try to scan the receiver falsely shows a signal & quality, only to later find it was somehow picking up Echo 7 and of course the scan fails.

One thought was that perhaps the lnbs were fighting? Except that I can't get the FTA receiver to work at all for F1 & F2. Works just fine on a previously subbed StarChoice receiver though.

So I'm confused. It sounds like I should be able to get *C unscrambled channels or at least a signal/ quality on the FTA receiver, no? And I'm concerned that if I repoint to another bird (it's in a kinda hard place to experiment) I'm worried that it might not work at all.

What am I missing here?

 

[Scroll]

If the SC dish is aimed right now at StarChoice (107.3 & 111.1) and has the quad LNB (4 output) hook the cable up to the LNB

settings are
LNB LO 10750
22k OFF for 107.3 & ON for 111.1

try and do a blind scan or enter the info from thelist for those 2 satellites just to make sure its working

The SC dish will work fine for KU Band. I use to have one of those at 30W and another time it was at 91/87. The spacing is 3.8 degrees apart so you do have to compensate if you do 2 satellites but for one it works great

Somehow I must have missed this before so I just gave it a try. I had no luck. I'm assuming the lnb setting is standard, but I even tried universal, wideband, and DishPro.

 

[Mr Tony]

yes standard

 

[Scroll]

What might I be overlooking?

It's on a direct connection, so it's not a DISEqC issue.

 

[Mr Tony]

is the dish still aimed at anikf1 & f2? If so do a blind scan for all. There are some transponders on there but no free channels

 

[Scroll]

It's still pointed at them. As it searches it says fail.

 

[Mr Tony]

something isnt right then because there are a few strong transponders on AnikF2. See thelist for the channels. They're all scrambled but should work

 

[Keith Brannen]

What might I be overlooking?

It's on a direct connection, so it's not a DISEqC issue.

Are you using the same coax and port output from the LNB to test between the two receivers (don't forget to unplug the receivers before switching coax)? If not, try it, as may be one of the port outputs is burnt out.

 

[Scroll]

I have a theory, going by what has been said.

Could it be that F1 is properly alined but F2 has slid out of place? Would that account for it?

I'm using the same coax and can pick up unscrambled channels with my StarChoice receiver. So if my FTA receiver can only ever see the F2 transponders that could at least explain the results.

If that is a likely culpret then which birds might I want to take a shot at for actual FTA reception? If I point it at 101, for example, would I be able to get 3ABN (if I understand right)?

Wow! This is all kinda fun and kinda frustrating all at the same time. At least for a newbie.