Need help with dish/motor settings

[dfecarter]

Hi guys,
Am pretty new to FTA and could use some help please.
I have installed a 90cm Fortec dish on my roof, powered by a Fortec Mercury II receiver, my LNB is the QPH031 and the motor is a Digipower SG2100.
I live in CT, longitude is 73.4 and latitude is 41.1.
Had it up and running but it never had the right adjustments and am trying to improve the reception and increase the number of sats and TP that I can pull in.
I've looked up my dish/motor settings from Sadoun, they call for a dish elevation of 24 deg. I believe and to simply enter my latitiude in the motor and then do your fine tunning. I don't know but I don't feel confident in these numbers (my buddy originally had the dish elevation set to 31 deg.) I've spent many hours on this install...if anyone has this motor can you let me know what I should set at?!
The motor asks for latitude on the left and elevation on right.
Thanks!
I don't have any obvious obstructions that would hinder the signal.
Oh and did I point the dish correctly, to about 193 deg. true south???????????(180 mag south) does it matter which sat I first try and tune in one person told me to try 74W another person said to just go to 97W (want to get 74W ONN, 83W RTN, 89W ABC News Now, 93W Azteca, 97W the few english chs. MHZ worldview is pretty good, RT also, 103W pentagon ch., and 123W especially!) Have gotten all of these from time to time but 123W only once unfortunately...
Thanks!!

 

[Lak7]

Motor is set using the Latitude scale.
You set it to Your Lat - 41.1 - 41 is close enough
The Dish Elevation scale can be off a few degrees, start at 24 but set to best signal
First Sat to go for is one as close to your Longitude as possible, for you that would be 74 which has ONN.

 

[dfecarter]

Thanks, well the problem I've been experiencing is that there's a little bit of play in the dish 9actually the motor) when it's locked in to a position and that slight movement causing a weakening of the signal, most noticeable when the dish is swing farthest to the east and west. For example I can aim my dish to 72W (I get a feed called CHOWDA - college hoops) but then when I move to 123 W the dish seems to be off a couple of degrees and misses the tp's from 123! What I did yesterday was to adjust the dish elevation slightly when the dish is at 123W until the meter reaches 4-5 and then I can get all of the FTA stuff on 123w! Which is great but when I go east to look for signals on 97w, etc. I get very little to nothing! which is unusual for me.
Is this minor movement normal for my motor - SG2100 Digipower?! I've check the mast and it's as level as can be.
Hey another newbie type question...the spec sheet on my LNB calls for a specific setting for Linear, 10725 I believe (not home) but yet some sats like 97w seems to like the universal LNB settings, weird any thoughts?
And if anyone has experience with this motor am concerned about this slight motor movement!
Thanks.

 

[Lak7]

If the motor has play, that needs to be addressed. Check the bolt that connects the Arm to the Motor. If that is tight, then read this thread...
http://www.satelliteguys.us/free-air-fta-discussion/162273-slack-my-sg2100-satellite-dish-motor.html

LNB Freq / L.O. is probably - 10750. Look on the LNB itself, there should be a sticker with the info.

 

[dfecarter]

Figured I'd let you all know how I made out...
Well, I went back and endeavored to make the mast even more plumb. This was more difficult that normally because I added a steel 8" pole onto the end of the mast ( I needed more height so the dish would clear the roof shingles when it swung to the right/west in order to get 123W)...
Then I checked all of the bolts on the dish and motor. Then reset the dish to my true south which is 72W for me. Had a slight problem here because I mistook 74W for 72W. Then I used my signal meter to adjust east/west then went in and tweeked the dish elevation! It was very hard for my neighbor and i to get all the sats I were shooting for, i.e. 74W,83W,97W and 123W but we finally did get it, it took hours to get the right elevation and catch the arc good.Hopefully things will hold - thanks for you help!

 

[Lak7]

Congrats!

It's all easier the second time.