Need Help to set my FTA
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WesTheTinkerer
SatelliteGuys Family
NIT is Network Information Table. Say a specific broadcaster / provider owns (leases) many TPs, even on different sats. If they do, they may broadcast a NIT on a specific TP and if you scan that TP, the receiver can use that NIT to fill in all the information about all their other satellites and TPs from just that one TP (so you would only need to scan that one TP with the NIT to acquire the data about their entire fleet). It is seldom used and if you leave the NIT setting set to ON, it can really slow the scanning function down because the receiver will be searching for the NIT, when it probably isn't even there.
RADAR
Gfb,
Your setup in the menus is looking fine (except the NIT search feature). The receiver you have is going to function just swell for you and the signal level indication is a very good sign that your electrical hardware is hooked up properly and functioning. As Gene Wilder says in the movie Young Frankenstein: "It's Alive! It's Alive!"
I will just add to the comments that others have made that the rest is PATIENCE. Dialing the dish into the actual signal is where you must take much time and be very slow and methodical. You truly should have some small, portable TV close enough to you while standing at the dish and adjusting it so that you get immediate and direct feedback from your adjustments. You cannot climb up the ladder and make an arbitrary adjustment and zip back down, run into the house and check the response on the telly. You just won't get anywhere with that process, believe me.
You need to leave the dish elevation set at the closest and best possible guess you have to be correct and then monitor the signal quality on the screen you posted the pix of. Then turn the dish on the mast ever so slightly and pause to wait for the tuner and processor within the receiver to "LOCK ON" to any signal that may be there. Some receivers are very quick to LOCK a signal and many are extremely slow like molasses. Just take your time and rotate the azimuth of the dish back and forth in small increments near the general direction that you know the satellite to be in the sky, stop and pause and move it again until you cover a window of about +/-15 degrees in the general area.
If you don't detect any signal quality, record the dish elevation you currently have set, note it with "No Q Detected" and either adjust it upwards or downwards say 1 or 2 degrees and repeat the whole process. If you go downwards as much as 8 - 10 degrees and still do not detect any signal quality, reset the dish elevation to where you first began and repeat the process but start adjusting it upwards. Try up 1 degree and pan the azimuth and then up 2 degrees, etc.
If you are adjusting the azimuth slowly enough, and in small enough increments and waiting long enough for the receiver to lock (a few seconds should be sufficient), you will find the signal. This is where you really will find the portable TV handy because you might detect a "BLIP" on the radar during the process and have to focus in on that area to verify if there really was a signal there, or you just caught sight of a ghost ship.
The overall process isn't too bad, just rather tedious. Make sure you keep notes and don't give up even if it requires several attempts. Remember, you are aiming a very small antenna at a "volkswagen microbus" sized spaceship 23,000 miles away! That's way out there!
RADAR
Your setup in the menus is looking fine (except the NIT search feature). The receiver you have is going to function just swell for you and the signal level indication is a very good sign that your electrical hardware is hooked up properly and functioning. As Gene Wilder says in the movie Young Frankenstein: "It's Alive! It's Alive!"
I will just add to the comments that others have made that the rest is PATIENCE. Dialing the dish into the actual signal is where you must take much time and be very slow and methodical. You truly should have some small, portable TV close enough to you while standing at the dish and adjusting it so that you get immediate and direct feedback from your adjustments. You cannot climb up the ladder and make an arbitrary adjustment and zip back down, run into the house and check the response on the telly. You just won't get anywhere with that process, believe me.
You need to leave the dish elevation set at the closest and best possible guess you have to be correct and then monitor the signal quality on the screen you posted the pix of. Then turn the dish on the mast ever so slightly and pause to wait for the tuner and processor within the receiver to "LOCK ON" to any signal that may be there. Some receivers are very quick to LOCK a signal and many are extremely slow like molasses. Just take your time and rotate the azimuth of the dish back and forth in small increments near the general direction that you know the satellite to be in the sky, stop and pause and move it again until you cover a window of about +/-15 degrees in the general area.
If you don't detect any signal quality, record the dish elevation you currently have set, note it with "No Q Detected" and either adjust it upwards or downwards say 1 or 2 degrees and repeat the whole process. If you go downwards as much as 8 - 10 degrees and still do not detect any signal quality, reset the dish elevation to where you first began and repeat the process but start adjusting it upwards. Try up 1 degree and pan the azimuth and then up 2 degrees, etc.
If you are adjusting the azimuth slowly enough, and in small enough increments and waiting long enough for the receiver to lock (a few seconds should be sufficient), you will find the signal. This is where you really will find the portable TV handy because you might detect a "BLIP" on the radar during the process and have to focus in on that area to verify if there really was a signal there, or you just caught sight of a ghost ship.
The overall process isn't too bad, just rather tedious. Make sure you keep notes and don't give up even if it requires several attempts. Remember, you are aiming a very small antenna at a "volkswagen microbus" sized spaceship 23,000 miles away! That's way out there!
RADAR
Satellite meters like this one are generally a bit lame. There is no way to know which satellite you are on until you scan and verify it with your receiver. This type of satellite meter is basically performing the same function as your signal level meter on the receiver. It will detect ANY satellite, but you don't know which one. You need the QUALITY LEVEL meter to really inform you what is going on. You can utilize this type of meter to help you get in the ballpark, though. If you cannot get a portable TV or some sort of monitor out to the dish, you can try it with this meter.
With the dish not pointed at any particular sat, just picking up background noise, use the adjustment dial knob to position the needle at 1/3 to 1/2 scale and then start panning the dish in the azimuth. When you see the needle jump way high, readjust the knob to bring the needle back down to mid scale and continue adjusting the dish until you peak the signal again. When you cannot increase the reading any longer, then revert to your receiver and your TV monitor and verify the QUALITY SIGNAL level. If it seems like you are getting a "HOT" reading there, you can try to scan and then verify if you hit the RIGHT satellite or not.
RADAR
I used a meter like this many times.
Do like radar said.
You still move your dish very slow when making adjustments and while making adjustments look at the meter. The meter response faster than the receiver will, at least that is my experience.
Like Radar said this meter will not tell you what satellite you are aiming at, it will only tell you that you get a signal and that you are aiming at a satellite.
When I am trying to aim a dish at a satellite I always take my small TV and receiver to the dish. I set everything up so I can see the TV, my meter, and able to use my remote right there from the dish while adjusting it. I also keep tools in my pocket to have them ready.
WesTheTinkerer
SatelliteGuys Family
GFB,
Get yourself one of these (see first photo). They run off battery power or from an AC to DC power adapter. Since the switch to digital TV broadcasts they show up quite often at thrift shops and yard sales. I paid $3 for mine and it came with the power adapter (wall wart). Make sure it has the RCA inputs (composite inputs ) for the audio and video signals coming out of your receiver (see third photo). They are so very handy. -Wes
Get yourself one of these (see first photo). They run off battery power or from an AC to DC power adapter. Since the switch to digital TV broadcasts they show up quite often at thrift shops and yard sales. I paid $3 for mine and it came with the power adapter (wall wart). Make sure it has the RCA inputs (composite inputs ) for the audio and video signals coming out of your receiver (see third photo). They are so very handy. -Wes
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I don't know if $100-$200 is in your budget, or if you will be moving the dish often, for feeds and what not, but birdogs are on ebay in that price range and mine made my life MAJORLY easier.
Hello, GFB,
To get the dish on right azimuth for satellite 97, you can turn it to certain position following the shadow of the LNB cast on your dish. Providing, of course, that the Sun is not obstructed by clouds. For your city, Stillwater, the Sun will be on azimuth 179.9 on Monday, Jan. 7, at 12.34. Next day, Tuesday, the Sun will be there at 12.35. At this hour and minute, the shadow of LNB should be on the axis of symmetry of your dish - if not, you should turn the dish to get the shadow at this position. This will save you time to "pan" the dish - instead of panning it from minus 15 degree to plus 15 degree, you could pan it only 2- 3 degrees. If getting small portable TV is not feasible for you, you can still use headphones connected to sat. receiver to its RCA audio output - red or white, with maybe extension thin cable, so, when turning the dish, and/or lifting it up/down, you can hear the audio of the satellite. Cheers, polgyver
To get the dish on right azimuth for satellite 97, you can turn it to certain position following the shadow of the LNB cast on your dish. Providing, of course, that the Sun is not obstructed by clouds. For your city, Stillwater, the Sun will be on azimuth 179.9 on Monday, Jan. 7, at 12.34. Next day, Tuesday, the Sun will be there at 12.35. At this hour and minute, the shadow of LNB should be on the axis of symmetry of your dish - if not, you should turn the dish to get the shadow at this position. This will save you time to "pan" the dish - instead of panning it from minus 15 degree to plus 15 degree, you could pan it only 2- 3 degrees. If getting small portable TV is not feasible for you, you can still use headphones connected to sat. receiver to its RCA audio output - red or white, with maybe extension thin cable, so, when turning the dish, and/or lifting it up/down, you can hear the audio of the satellite. Cheers, polgyver
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