Low signals from 61 to 83 degrees

[digiblur]

I finally finished my permanent installation of my FTA system I picked up from Sadoun. It's the Fortec Ultra IRD, Fortec 0.4 universal, Satcontrol SM3D12 Motor, and Fortec 36inch dish. I live in the 70809 zip code. I finally got the dish tracking the arc decently. I pick up IA9-129w with the signal and quality well over 90+. G10R is in the 80's on both signal and quality. AMC-4-101w, blows my doors off with well into the 90's, I even pick up WVGN. IA5 and IA6 also come in between 70-80 on the quality. But when I start swinging over to SBS6-74w I only get around 40% quality. Amazonas-61w comes in around 40-45%. I'm really hesitant to go touch that thing due to the good signals I'm getting on the other side of the arc. Now if I wasn't tracking the arc properly I don't think I would be getting signal at all at 61W. The pole is exactly plumb along with the motor mount on the pole. Anything I should look out for or try?

And jeezzz... I'll take pointing a 10 foot BUD over these little dishes anyday, they are definately touchy!

I'll have to get some pics added to the pics thread soon.

 

[Mr Tony]

I even pick up WVGN.

you suck. I can't get that damn thing in

 

[Mr Tony]

but back to the topic

amazonas I can get a 75-80 on so it may be a little low. Have you tried to nudge the dish one way to the left or right with the motor?

otherwise, you might want to see if the skew is off by a little bit. Should be at zero

 

[bigOleB]

Amazonas for me is low as well. I may need to do some adjusting... Iceberg your getting 75-80, and to think i had everything tuned perfectly.

I also get WVGN ok -> 60%Q

 

[digiblur]

I'll check the skew but I beleive I made sure the thing was perfect. It just seems if I stand behind the dish, everything to the right and the middle is perfect signal but as soon as it passes the true south and goes left of it, the signals are there but not great. Any pro dish installers have any tips?

I know what's going to happen is I'm going to move it and get a little better signal on the left side of the arc but lose WVGN, so don't worry Iceberg, I won't have it for long. I prefer my local HD OTA NBC anyway....

 

[Mr Tony]

Amazonas for me is low as well. I may need to do some adjusting... Iceberg your getting 75-80, and to think i had everything tuned perfectly.

last night was about a 80-82

remember...receiver signals vary GREATLY so my 80 might be your 70

 

[bigOleB]

Im on the ever present spazzmatic meter carrying PANSAT 2500A.

Back to topic, When I first started I got the low end of the arc very well, better than now, but the top of the arc was not nealry as strong. I checked the "plumb" of the pole and wah la it was off less than a cm. Fixed that and the whole arc is pretty good now. Weather has been my biggest problem this summer even with a 90CM dish.

Looky there, I just hit a hundred posts.

 

[sikma]

Back in my c-band days (daze) if the east half of the ark was off I had to move the mount VERY SLIGHTLY clockwise on the pole, and I mean VERY SLIGHTLY. Then I'd check the whole ark again for a consistant signal from the sw sats. to the se sats.

 

[Mr Tony]

Im on the ever present spazzmatic meter carrying PANSAT 2500A.

OK...so we are working with the same type of receiver then
(I have the 1500)

 

[jerryt]

everything to the right and the middle is perfect signal but as soon as it passes the true south and goes left of it, the signals are there but not great.

I had a problem where my LNB arm was not centered on the dish, so everytime the dish went pass center, the elevation to peak the signal changed. Like 40 degree for most west satellite and the most east satellites was peaked at elevation 38 degrees.

I just measure the distance from the sides of the dish to the LNB and sure enough it was off like 1/8 inch.

 

[digiblur]

Ok.. I had time to play with the dish a little. I first tested the skew theory. It was already set at 0, moving it didn't help the results. I then tested the LNB arm out of alignment, I push the arm a bit with a plastic pipe, negative on that test. Next I check the plumb again, dead level. Next I barely pushed left or right on the dish, signals went down and returned when I stopped pushing. Next I pushed down on the dish, instantly my signal went from 40% quality to 70% quality, this was on 70 degrees or so satellite. So I changed the elevation bolts on the dish to drop it hair, I was at the 39 and now I'm at 38. I did remember the book saying to use 41.5 based on my elevation but that was too high. Next I slid back over to G10R and frowned when it stopped. It came up to 50% quality. Next I pulled back on the dish a bit to cause the elevation to go up a hair and boom 90% quality.

What should I change to get the elevation to stay the same across the arc? Should I try changing the angle from the 31.5 on the motor?

 

[digiblur]

I finally had time to go back outside and play with the dish again. I slid the sucker down the pole about an inch, tightened, and levelled everything. I swung over to my TS sat, G11, and locked on a DirecWay's signal. I tuned everything and swung over to G10R, tuned, then swung over to Amazonas and tuned. I must have had the luck of the draw as it only took about 15 minutes. Most of the Amazonas transponders peg out the quality meter at 99%. Signals on IA7 also hit me around 95% quality. I couldn't be any happier. I'm having a ball with this system. Thanks for allowing me to use your signal DirecWay!

I was trying to make my own homebrew bracket for attaching a DSS LNB to the arm but I figured out that if I doctored the USALS position of the DSS sat's I could peg out the quality at 99% so I just ended up using some cable ties to attach which worked out pefectly.

I'll get some pics posted pretty soon and some of my other video equipment and projects.

I never realized I would be at this point today when I clicked on this forum almost 2 months ago. Thanks for the addiction guys!

"You know you're a satellite addict when you do quick surveys of the Clarke Belt at your friends house!"

 

[Tron]

You can also use Nimiq 1/3 for your TS sat. You seem to be close to me, I'm in New Orleans... Baton Rouge?

 

[Mr Tony]

Congrats on getting it working!

Pictures would be nice

 

[digiblur]

You can also use Nimiq 1/3 for your TS sat. You seem to be close to me, I'm in New Orleans... Baton Rouge?

Yup.. the big BR.

The only problem with using the Nimiq 1/3 is the power of that bird pegs out the quality meter and that doesn't help you when you are trying to fine tune.

Looks like the farthest I was able to get over to was Intelasat 707, I found some signals but nothing to watch. 707 is almost at the motors east limit. PAS9 had a few items though.

 

[digiblur]

Here are a few misc pictures. Everything is working and needs to be cleaned up so pardon the mess on some of the pictures It's always a work in progress!

I'll post comments on pictures as people ask about them instead of having to explain everything.