Looking for help with Channel Master Software

[radicalbill]

Hello Group,

I have a C-band dish I have restored and am getting ready to reassemble and put back in use.

I have to aim it and I have programmed in 137 transponders into 1 satellite on my Pansat 3500SD MPEG-2 receiver.

My thought was to program each position with a few active transponders, so 139, 137, 135, etc.. would each have their own transponders, starting at TP1 and going up, so I could just press the down button to easily get from one satellites transponders to the next as I move up the arc and have to make adjustments, back and forth.

Everything was going well, until I loaded the bin file into the receiver, it put all the TP's in numberical order.

Is there any way to make the channel master software not do this ? I looked for a way and could not find one.

It seems to automatically make the changes as you program in more TP's.

I can work with it like this, just a lot more work and a lot more time.

I tried G-tools, but that seemed to have less ability to move the TP's than Channel Master has.

Any help is appriciated.

Thanks

Bill

 

[FaT Air]

Is there any way to make the channel master software not do this ? I looked for a way and could not find one.

I don't think so. Think you'd be better off by programming satellites and naming the satellites by their position and put a couple of TP's on each. (whew, it's been a while since I've messed with CM.)
G or Vbox? Programming mine was easier with it disconnected from the coax. Programming the positions with its own buttons/remote. Then programming the position numbers into the receiver. Then connecting it to the coax.
Yeah it takes some time, but in the end, is worth it.

 

[radicalbill]

I have the sats all seperate, and I could do it that way. What I want is some way that I can just be on one sat when I am aligning the polar mount and elevation, locking it into position.

Having all the transponders for all the satellites on one sat allows me to stay in the satellite/TP install screen and I can arrow from one TP to another, so once I find AMC 8, or AMC 7, then I can mark that postition on the counter and move the actuator up and see if I can find AMC 10 next.

Once I find AMC 10 then I will need to flip back to AMC 7 and then AMC 8 to see if moving the dish elevation makes it better or worse, and spin the mount on the pole accordingly.

The fine tuning takes a lot of time, and once I finally have the peak elevation and the correct polar alignment, I can tighten even bolt down and should be good to go and clear the receiver of all TP's and do a blind scan on every sat.

The last time I did this it took months to get it aligned. I am sure this time will be the same.

Still looking for a way to build a mount that I can leave on the ground without needed to sink a pole into cement.

Anyone have blueprints for such a mount ? The type you use cinder blocks to hold down.

The pole will be 12 feet above ground level, so the mount will sit on that, making the dish about 16 feet tall.

Need something to hold it from tipping over.

Thanks

Bill

 

[T4Runner]

I have the sats all seperate, and I could do it that way. What I want is some way that I can just be on one sat when I am aligning the polar mount and elevation, locking it into position.

Having all the transponders for all the satellites on one sat allows me to stay in the satellite/TP install screen and I can arrow from one TP to another, so once I find AMC 8, or AMC 7, then I can mark that postition on the counter and move the actuator up and see if I can find AMC 10 next.

Once I find AMC 10 then I will need to flip back to AMC 7 and then AMC 8 to see if moving the dish elevation makes it better or worse, and spin the mount on the pole accordingly.

The fine tuning takes a lot of time, and once I finally have the peak elevation and the correct polar alignment, I can tighten even bolt down and should be good to go and clear the receiver of all TP's and do a blind scan on every sat.

The last time I did this it took months to get it aligned. I am sure this time will be the same.

Still looking for a way to build a mount that I can leave on the ground without needed to sink a pole into cement.

Anyone have blueprints for such a mount ? The type you use cinder blocks to hold down.

The pole will be 12 feet above ground level, so the mount will sit on that, making the dish about 16 feet tall.

Need something to hold it from tipping over.

Thanks

Bill

Bill you sure chose the right moniker for yourself! Radical certainly describes what you are doing! What size C Band dish are you trying to put up?

 

[radicalbill]

I only have an 8.5 foot now. I am eventually going to get a 10 foot, but this will get me started. I have a tight space, so I will see how this fits, then go from there.

The way I have the transponders on 1 sat is only so I can align the dish. Once I get it aligned, I will buy a new receiver that does Mpeg-4 and 4.2.2

I just need to get it up and pointed correctly as easy as I can. The less flipping around I have to do, the better.

 

[FaT Air]

Using the procedure you outlined, I can see it taking months.
"marking the clicks" during alignment is futile as it will change as the alignment progresses.
Run the actuator up to center, the highest it will aim the dish, and then move the mount/dish on the pole to find the satellite nearest your latitude. Adjust the elevation for max Quality. Then find successive satellites E or west using the actuator. Using the actuator and adjusting the mount 'twist' for max. (DO NOT ADJUST ELEVATION) Don't necessarily have to do this on every satellite, 3-4 or 5th may suffice. Pretty soon you're at the end of the arc. Tighten it up and check the other side of the arc. If it's off there, your declination is probably off.
At Zenith(furthest UP the actuator places dish) preset angles:

Declination chart (Notice "modified" Latitude angle)

During alignment, just use the movers E W buttons, but don't store any positions. Just get it tracking first. Shouldn't take months, only a few hours, max.

 

[Bongu]

My rough estimate of the weight required to stabilize a 150 pound 10' mesh (aka SAIL) and polar mount at the top of a 16' pole is 1000 pounds of ballast. That is a bit to have piled on the base. Think how many blocks it takes to get to this weight. It would look like a pillbox from WWII.

Sent from my Timex Sinclair using SatelliteGuys

 

[FaT Air]

Still looking for a way to build a mount that I can leave on the ground without needed to sink a pole into cement.

http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/277426-FTA-in-a-Small-space?p=2779881#post2779881 BUT - the pole the is only 5.5ft.

 

[Bongu]

You can always contact someone at Baird Mounts. They pop in to the forums occasionally. I am sure it would co$t, but I have no doubt they can properly engineer a ballasted mount to your specs.

I know this is sliding off topic so I will add that I have not yet found a need to use Channel Master software for any of my STBs. I am content with blind scanning and accepting the channel names as they are scanned.