Help with first c band install

[zack]

Is this the issue? See how it's off axis. Is it supposed to be aligned straight? Is that the problem..... How it sets way off at a angle???

Yes!!!

You have to find your True North/ South first! Set that after you make sure your pole is plumb! (alignment, yes it needs to be aligned in just this way)

Do not move your dish until you have set those angles.

You have no need of any 18 volts or any other way of moving the dish until you have done this!

Plumb pole- find true north, set elevation and declination,determine your closest true south sat and fine tune!

After that, and only that, you can then move your dish!

 

[Titanium]

Maybe I am not reading this last post correctly. The dish must be centered on the mount (top of the arc) before adjusting the elevation and declination. This can be done by either driving the actuator motor or by loosening the actuator arm clamp and sliding the tube inside the clamp.

 

[zack]

Maybe I am not reading this last post correctly. The dish must be centered on the mount (top of the arc) before adjusting the elevation and declination. This can be done by either driving the actuator motor or by loosening the actuator arm clamp and sliding the tube inside the clamp.

Brian, think about it for a minute! What if he never set the North/South position, he just stuck it in the ground?

Reread the posts, I think he is that clueless!

He is new to all this and trying to install a used dish!

 

[KE4EST]

Brian, think about it for a minute! What if he never set the North/South position, he just stuck it in the ground?

Reread the posts, I think he is that clueless!

He is new to all this and trying to install a used dish!

Having a holier than thou attitude is not going to help anybody out!
There have been many that have started out with a used dish and is new to this hobby.


We enjoy helping others out. Some just may learn at different paces.

 

[Stoker]

Let me give it a try... I did this with my own dish more recently.

First thing is get a decent signal meter, not the cheapies but something like a channel master with a nice smooth adjustment. (I'd post a link to one but I am "new here"... but not.) One tool I made was a dish positioner that I can just drive the dish at the dish by pushing one of two buttons, but you'll have to use your positioner.

Try to find South with a compass, as close as you can. Put a few strips of masking tape on the pole and the mount sleeve for marking what you find with a pen. (I don't actually use tape, but it might help you "see" what you have tried.) Put a single mark on the sleeve tape. The trick I would do is find my end satellites, the most eastern and most western. Don't worry about the middle yet. Use your drive to get back and forth.

You will find your self adjusting the elevation up and down to bring in those ends. If you have to raise the dish on the west side, but lower on the east side (to find a signal on the meter), budge the dish to the west a little. Mark the tape on the pole. Eventually you will get to a point where you don't have to raise or lower the dish to hit those end satellites. Lock down the sleeve bolts- You are on South. (Remove the tape and don't mess with the sleeve bolts any further.)

At this point, you should set those two satellite locations into memory. Choose an erroneous name if you don't know the satellites for now.

Mark the turn-buckle ends with tape. Don't let the tape get into the threads when you adjust the dish, remove the one that is in the way of the direction you are starting with.

This gets a little tough... What I would do to find my declination is to locate a middle satellite by driving to the middle of the arc, then adjust the turnbuckle one direction (like raise the dish) a little at a time. (Remember your starting place with tape on the side that wont get chewed up.)

Work the dish a little East & West to see if you get a signal as you are adjusting the elevation, staying somewhat near the middle of the arc. If you do not get any signals, return to the tape mark. Now mark the other side of the turnbuckle with tape (remove the first marker tape). Now do the same thing lowering the dish and driving it E-W until something pops up for a signal.

When you get a signal and find the peak signal... mark the turnbuckle with tape on the other side. (Also- program that position in the positioner.) That should be your elevation extremes. Adjust the elevation to the center of those markers. If you had to raise the dish to center it, you need to lower the dish from the declination bolt adjustment to peak in your signal again. You are just about there.

Now, go back to the extreme East and west satellites and verify you do not have to adjust the elevation to peak them. If you do, mark the elevation on the turn buckle for the "sides" and then go back to the middle satellite. Adjust for peak. Mark the turn-buckle. Center between the marks. Adjust the declination to repeak. Do it again until you have the highest signal levels for the three locations. Tighten all bolts.

Now you can start finding satellites... and that is a thing the other guys can help you better with as I am not as familiar with "what's up there" now.

 

[Stoker]

BTW, I have never read any of the aforementioned books or videos. So I don't know if they said the same thing as what I just did.
In the old days, I did the above suggestion using a receiver and tv by the dish using the meter on the receiver and the CM meter. Now that practically everything is gone from "clear" and VC2+, I just used my Channel Master meter (that I paid over 100 bucks for years ago) to do what I did without video.

 

[(((Garyd)))]

BTW, I have never read any of the aforementioned books or videos. So I don't know if they said the same thing as what I just did.
In the old days, I did the above suggestion using a receiver and tv by the dish using the meter on the receiver and the CM meter. Now that practically everything is gone from "clear" and VC2+, I just used my Channel Master meter (that I paid over 100 bucks for years ago) to do what I did without video.

Yep the good old days, at least we made a buck back then, if I knew what the future was going to be, i would not have gotten into the dog eat dog business it became
The worst part about DTV, and dish, was when they didn't need us old timers, anymore, and started the chargebacks

 

[a33]

Well, I'm no expert on C-band Prime Focus dishes and actuators,
but I would think that with a first install, checking the relevant angles with an inlinometer first, would be far easier than checking reception at multiple dish angles.

I would check reception at different angles only AFTER I had checked all mount and dish angles.
That way you can compensate for irregularities in the dish construction, that would urge you to use other angles than the calculated angles.
But if all's well with the dish construction, your reception might be directly spot on.

But, I'm no expert on this..... I'm just imagining what would be the easiest way.
And if people want to do it another way: be my guest!


Greetz,
A33

 

[Titanium]

Backing up to the earlier posts, you indicated that you are using a feedhorn with LNB and servo motor. It is possible that the dish is tracking the arc, but the LNB is not receiving correct power or the polarity probe is not at the correct angle.It is also possible that the LNBF is not functioning. Do you have a satellite meter? If, not, does the receiver's Signal Level meter reading increase when the LNB is connected and decrease when the LNB is disconnected?

Don't have your exact address, so will provide generalized aiming for Golden, Colorado. Here is the approx dish information for a motorized system:
- - -
Address: Golden, Colorado
Latitude: 39.7555°
Longitude: -105.2211°

Satellite: True South / True North
Elevation: 44.0°
Azimuth (true): 180.0°
Azimuth (magn.): 171.9°
- - -
Satellite: 105W AMC-15 | AMC-18
Elevation: 44.0°
Azimuth (true): 179.7°
Azimuth (magn.): 171.5°
- - -
Modified Declination Chart: How I set the Declination on my antenna
- - -

You should be trying to find a horizontal transponder on the 105w satellite which is almost directly south of your location at compass reading 171. Selecting a horizontal transponder will provide the LNB with the 18Vdc that it requires to properly operate. Trying to find the satellite using a vertical transponder (13Vdc output) may not provide enough power for the LNB to operate.

Assuming the LNB is functioning, follow these steps to locate the 105w satellite.

1. Power the actuator with a 12Vdc battery and drive it so the dish mount is exactly centered.
2. Look into the feedhorn throat and verify that the probe is at the horizontal position. If not, remove the servo motor and CAREFULLY rotate the plastic bushing until the probe is exactly horizontal.
3. Look at the Modified Declination chart for your latitude and set the declination angle to approximately 5.5°.
4. Subtract 5.5° from the True South elevation angle of 44.0° ( 44 - 5.5 = 38.5) and this is the angle to set the mount Elevation angle, 38.5°.
5. Now place a straight edge on the polar axis of the dish face or on the rear reflector mount ring/bracket (12 o'clock / 6 o'clock) and verify that it is equal to the correct true South elevation angle of 44.0°. If not check the mount elevation angle and the declination angle for correct settings. The mount elevation angle plus the declination angle equals the True South Elevation angle measured on the dish face or on the rear reflector mount ring/bracket.
6. Power on the satellite receiver and enter the Installation menu. Select the 105W C-band satellite from the list.
7. Set the LNB LO to Standard LO 5150
8. Select a horizontal transponder: (Example - 3780 H 30000) Alway must select an active transponder to locate a satellite. A good list is found at www.sathint.com
   
9. LNB Power set to ON or Auto
10. Slightly loosen the mount bolts on the pole just enough to rotate the mount on the pole so the dish is pointed towards a compass reading of 171.
    
11. Identify a landmark in the distance that lines up with this compass reading.
    
12. Watch the Signal Quality Meter reading and SLOWLY rotate the mount on the pole up to 10 degrees on either side of the landmark. When the Signal Quality meter reading increases, the105W satellite is probably located.
13. Once you have optimized the Signal Quality meter reading, lightly tighten the mount bolts to the pole.
    
14. Gently push and pull on the bottom of the reflector to see if the Signal Quality meter reading increases or decreases. The Mount Elevation angle may need to be slightly adjusted to optimize the Signal Quality meter reading.
15. Once the Signal Quality meter reading is optimized, perform a blind scan to log all available services on the satellite.
16. Match the found service names to a satellite list such as www.sathint.com to verify that the dish is aimed at the correct satellite.
17. If so, crack open a cold one and relax watching some TV!

 

[bubbs16]

Thanks guys. Gary and Brian have helped me a ton. So today I am very close. Drove the dish to top of the arc and lined it up with a battery hooked up to it. Got 107.3 Now to get it to 105w. I'll finish this up tomorrow I hope, getting dark soon and gotta stop for the day. Prolly wouldn't be so a hard if I had a lnbf or a box to change polarity lol. My fault.

 

[bubbs16]

I got more done today In like 30 min then I did the past 3 weeks.

 

[(((Garyd)))]

Well, I'm no expert on C-band Prime Focus dishes and actuators,
but I would think that with a first install, checking the relevant angles with an inlinometer first, would be far easier than checking reception at multiple dish angles.

I would check reception at different angles only AFTER I had checked all mount and dish angles.
That way you can compensate for irregularities in the dish construction, that would urge you to use other angles than the calculated angles.
But if all's well with the dish construction, your reception might be directly spot on.

But, I'm no expert on this..... I'm just imagining what would be the easiest way.
And if people want to do it another way: be my guest!


Greetz,
A33

Your right, 100% right it must be ball parked first, But Tim did not understand that fully, somehow he thought he could make it work without a analog receiver, bottom line, after talking for about 20 minutes on the phone I learned he has no way to move the motor NO ONE HERE FULLY UNDERSTOOD. For all I know he may have to ouch dig a new hole

 

[Stoker]

I learned he has no way to move the motor

One period in time, when I had nothing else, and the jacks had a slot where the motor connected to, I used a drill and a wood drill bit to drive the dish from east to west. It was fast as hell. It was also funny as hell to move the dish from end to end in about 30 seconds.

 

[luke rizzuto III]

Im on ca at 122° degrees.... find the sat at your degrees and point due south then raise to approx 45 angle from due south... thats the middle of your satellite arc

 

[luke rizzuto III]

*in ca

 

[(((Garyd)))]

One period in time, when I had nothing else, and the jacks had a slot where the motor connected to, I used a drill and a wood drill bit to drive the dish from east to west. It was fast as hell. It was also funny as hell to move the dish from end to end in about 30 seconds.

That would work kid, crap my first dish had only a square tube, inside another bigger square tube, with a bolt to lock it in place hacksaw marks to find the birds you custom made back in 1982