lost quality signal, Bent dish?

[BMXerHs]

I have my dish pointed at AMC 4 123w and HAD it working(Got a Quality signal)...but It lost the channel lock when it rained...so I went out and adjusted it with my sat finder for max signal. I think I may have bent my dish and or the lnb mount a bit trying to turn/adjust the dish. Also, how important is it for the mast to be level and plumb? My signal dissappeared after I tried to raise my dish on the pole(I thouht it might have been getting blocked by the neighbors garage when I was trying for G10)...had that one at one point too...but now nothing. I have tried moving the LNB up and down...and tried adding a washer under it to angle it up....tried washers on the rear dish mounts to change the angle of the dish mount. How can I check to see if my dish is bent or the lnb mount?


My setup is a Twinhan DTV 1025 pci card with about 50 feet of quality RG6 going directly to my Fortec star 80cm dish with the FORTEC STAR Single Universal LNBF. - (Model FSKU-V) mounted on my back porch. I'm in zip code 16701 (northwestern Pa)

I was just starting to have fun with this stuff and now I cant get a channel lock. I have already had luck/help browsing this great forum...this is my first post here...so thanks in advance!!
BMXerHS

 

[PSB]

You can remove the dish reflector and place it face down on a flat surface to see if its bent/warped.

You can also just use string from top to bottom and from left to right, the string should touch in the middle of the dish if its OK.

 

[BMXerHs]

Hey Pete(Or anyone who would like to comment),

I checked the dish and it was not too hard to straighten out...I just held it down on the ground and eyeballed it, and it was pretty obvious how to bend it straight. I still cant get a Quality signal...nothing. How can I find the best spot for my LNB mount? I suspect it may be bent in the wrong spot now. I tried using a string on the lnb mount hole..and running it around the rim of the dish...but it was rather inconclusive as its an offset dish.
I just ordered the Invacom 4 output LNBF. I fugured that that would only help. Would a 90cm dish help more than the better LNB?
Thanks again...I cant wait till I learn enough to contribute some info/help on here.

 

[voomvoom]

You probably don't want to hear this, but it sounds to me like you lost AMC4 on your 80cm dish because of the rain, which happens. I know because I have an 80cm dish. Then, I think you adjusted the dish and lost your sweet spot. Then in frustation, you changed over to G10 and found your signal and then, as luck would have it, they probably had a storm in Arkansas, where the uplink center is. Which has happened 2-3 times in the past week or so, and you lost your signal again. Then you re-adjusted your dish and lost the sweet spot again? I think all you need to do is go back to where you were, you should have marked the spots you were in. If not, you need to find it again, you've already found it, so you know it's there. If the Invacom is the QPH031, you have an excellent lnbf on the way? A larger dish would help, but I think you'll be OK with the 80cm, you just need to find your sweet spot again. Of course I could be wrong, and your dish is out of wack, like you've suggested? But, I think not, and certainly hope not. Good Luck!

Al

 

[BMXerHs]

Thanks a lot for all the help...I'm still working on it. How much would the extra decibel of gain from a 90cm dish help with the rain fade? I do have the QPH031..It appeares to be of excellent quaility...but I still cant get any quality signal. My signal strength hangs around 65%. Thanks again guys!

 

[SatelliteAV]

Many variables have been introduced into your installation since it was working.

You have switched from a universal type LNBF LO9750/10600 to a standard type LO10750 on the linear port and 11250 on the circular port. Did you connect to a port labeled L and change the LNBF type for the Twinhan to custom and enter LO 10750?

What TP frequency have you selected? Any switches or splitters in line?

The coax may have wicked water into the cable during the rain. Have you tried a temporary run of coax?

 

[BMXerHs]

Ok, I got the LNB setup correctly (thanks to Brians custom LNB setup tip). AMC4 comes in better than ever. Right now, I have a 61% strength and a 74% Quality on Fox Kuil. It was easier than ever to find the signal for AMC4 also(with the QPH031 LNB). I even got a Quality signal on my PC with my sat finder hooked up. I still could not get G10 to show any Quality signal?? Is that sat normally noticably harder to get a lock on? Has the signal been affected by whether lately? Im pretty sure I was pointed at G10 when I was scanning for it as I had the signal once before. Is it possible I was just not on it? I adjusted the skew, az and elevation for max signal and still no lock on it.
I want to thank everyone here for being truly helpfull and not treating me like an ungratefull foolish noobie that just wants the answers handed to them like some places do. I have read all the FAQ's and done as much research as possible and tried to figure this out on my own. Its nice to have like minded friends...so Thanks again!
current setup.. Invacom QPH031 on a FC 80cm disc directly going into my PCI card with quality RG6 cable.

 

[PSB]

Glad to hear you got it up and running, the correct L.O. setting are a must!

Looks like you missed the below link from our FAQ area, been there for months!

http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=66341