Oh, and NEVER change cables out between ports with POWER going to the DiSEqC switch.
That's all but guaranteed to blow the switch in some way.
That's all but guaranteed to blow the switch in some way.
OK, Ku, 8-place switch and Amiko have me stumped.
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If ya want, ya could built a tester: http://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/posts/994877/ or a bit more complex : http://www.juras-projects.org/eng/projects.php
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Well radio ....... any update? Hopefully you had the time and good weather to fix it.
Going to try on Thursday if weather holds. We installed new S.T.L (studio-transmitter link) equipment for the sister station today, and are doing a drive
for items to be sent to our deployed service men and women this week! A great cause, but time consuming. "stay tuned" and thanks for the interest!
for items to be sent to our deployed service men and women this week! A great cause, but time consuming. "stay tuned" and thanks for the interest!
That makes complete sense. yep, just a single line to the 8-place switch at the weatherproof box on the motorized birdview....no power inserters.Wasn't sure how you have everything configured or if there is power insertion for the multiple LNBs. If a second port is "ghosting", the unselected port LNB is receiving power.
Well, I safely changed-out the 8-place switch. I have been able to restore 72-west with good strength, (nice to have it back..also installed new LNB just to make sure all is functional)...but I am still stumped. My motorized Birdview can do 101/103/ whatever I want via port #1. ....the "fixed position" birdview is on port number 3. When I switch to the fixed dish's port, my signal disappears momentarily like it's switching, then returns as if it's different, but the signal is EXACTLY the same a on port #1. Now, there's no way the two dishes can be THAT close in alignment, and since the motorized dish has a c/ku combined LNB, I'm sure readings would never be identical....so, I'll have to pull the port 1 at some point and try to receive only on port 3. Or....seeing as how I'm not positive what bird I left the stationary one parked-on, (but it's either 101 or 103) I may bump the stationary one over to to 99, just so there's no POSSIBLE way of having it "splitting the difference"...There's enough on 99 to make it worthwhile.
Side note, I'd like to move Ku dish #7, far right, port #8 in the picture to 103 if, and only if it can get enough signal. This would free-up the 1.2m fixed dish currently on 103ku for an experiment as mini-bud on 99W C-band. Will the far-right 75m Channel Master do well for 103ku with a good LNB now that the skew is normal for the "retro" and Network feeds? (not to mention the beach cams...lol)
Side note, I'd like to move Ku dish #7, far right, port #8 in the picture to 103 if, and only if it can get enough signal. This would free-up the 1.2m fixed dish currently on 103ku for an experiment as mini-bud on 99W C-band. Will the far-right 75m Channel Master do well for 103ku with a good LNB now that the skew is normal for the "retro" and Network feeds? (not to mention the beach cams...lol)
Didn't for me. So now have a 1.2 parked there. (Didn't get the high FEC transponders.)
But, then again, YMMV. Can't remember if I tried a PLL on it there or not. 1.2 is good with a cheap ROC LNBF @ 103w.
I'll try it with a PLL LNB on there. I have a spare, more modern DTN "oval" dish I could sub-in there, too. Would gain maybe be better on their "pro" LNBs (it's a single polarity)...and, since my memory's bad, how do I know which polarity the LNB is set-for by visual? I may have experimented on this dish, and I know I didn't write down what I was hunting with it last! Thoughts welcomed!
If you're talking about a Dishnet Pro Lnbf it is a circular. It's not any good for true linear fta satellites.
Nope, it's a DTN dish, used for weather and farmers. Has the original single polarity linear, but I don't remember which way it mounted last....so, when you look at it, is it as simple as the element going horizontal IS horizontal and vice versa? This is the "style"
So, do you think the elliptical, newer DTN has a better chance at the "retro" (formerly off-skew) signal than the older .75m round?
With a remote to do wrapping up collecting items for our Troops this afternoon, the "aligning" has stopped. NO luck with horizontal feed on that "retro" (comfortable...hehe) network on 103, swapped back to other DTN dish with new Maverick PLL lnb, and had no luck duplicating my PBS, either, but..it's windy, cold,
and time to give in for the day. Hopefully a break in the nasty winds soon, and a chance to try aligning. Maybe santa will bring me a satellite meter and help me do this more efficiently, the small ones are horrible, I use the signal tone of the Amiko on an FM transmitter, but I suspect the AMIKO doesn't respond very quickly to signals being "caught and gone." Easier to hone in on existing signals displaying TV pictures with this box! ...."stay tuned."
and time to give in for the day. Hopefully a break in the nasty winds soon, and a chance to try aligning. Maybe santa will bring me a satellite meter and help me do this more efficiently, the small ones are horrible, I use the signal tone of the Amiko on an FM transmitter, but I suspect the AMIKO doesn't respond very quickly to signals being "caught and gone." Easier to hone in on existing signals displaying TV pictures with this box! ...."stay tuned."
Transient voltages between multiple dishes and the structure ground can also cause strange switching and failures. As I recall, you have some high power transmissions going on? Be interesting to check the wires with a VOM and also check for grounding/bonding voltage potentials.
I will, when time permits do that just for fun! Always a good reminder, Titanium!
There's always 4 volts on anything here. Won't ever go away. Put your finger on a frequency counter....your body will read "1430" khz. That's why we had to have a custom box made by our engineer to convert the voltage UP leaving the positioner on the C-band dish, so that 4 volts wouldn't affect the pulses going to and from the equipment. Nobody believes us, but that's what had to be done. The difference between "on" and "off" at 5 volts being sent when there's 4 volts on the line is not enough for a positioner to work.
Our positioner's voltage is stepped up to something our rotary encoder can handle, but that 4 volts of RF can't affect. ANY positioner we use has to go through this box before going to the dish. It's an external modification. There's a mechanical relay inline in that box because 5 volt pulses alone can't survive in this environment, but a mechanical on/off at higher voltage works where "true" digital signals don't. (granted, all on/off cycles imply "digital.") Basically, a "matchbox" for low voltage pulses to higher voltage pulses is used here because of the constant RF. (The actual MOTOR voltage is never changed, only the pulses.)
However, the likelyhood of grounding issues is nil, if there's ANY place that grounding is done well its at radio stations. Our equipment is all bonded to the cables in the ground which are bonded to all the racks, the AC panel, outside ground grid, etc....The dishes' poles are inches from buried ground radiating cables which originate at our towers, and tie in to the building as well.
Will check voltages when time permits....I think, however on the signal front I'm just losing my former "easy to get it aimed" situation. Seems like I work harder lately to get the signals in.....or I just don't do it enough! As long as I make progress, I still enjoy the hobby.
There's always 4 volts on anything here. Won't ever go away. Put your finger on a frequency counter....your body will read "1430" khz. That's why we had to have a custom box made by our engineer to convert the voltage UP leaving the positioner on the C-band dish, so that 4 volts wouldn't affect the pulses going to and from the equipment. Nobody believes us, but that's what had to be done. The difference between "on" and "off" at 5 volts being sent when there's 4 volts on the line is not enough for a positioner to work.
Our positioner's voltage is stepped up to something our rotary encoder can handle, but that 4 volts of RF can't affect. ANY positioner we use has to go through this box before going to the dish. It's an external modification. There's a mechanical relay inline in that box because 5 volt pulses alone can't survive in this environment, but a mechanical on/off at higher voltage works where "true" digital signals don't. (granted, all on/off cycles imply "digital.") Basically, a "matchbox" for low voltage pulses to higher voltage pulses is used here because of the constant RF. (The actual MOTOR voltage is never changed, only the pulses.)
However, the likelyhood of grounding issues is nil, if there's ANY place that grounding is done well its at radio stations. Our equipment is all bonded to the cables in the ground which are bonded to all the racks, the AC panel, outside ground grid, etc....The dishes' poles are inches from buried ground radiating cables which originate at our towers, and tie in to the building as well.
Will check voltages when time permits....I think, however on the signal front I'm just losing my former "easy to get it aimed" situation. Seems like I work harder lately to get the signals in.....or I just don't do it enough! As long as I make progress, I still enjoy the hobby.
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Jim I know you remember selling me that nice phone for my Mother. Which she still uses and loves BTW. OH also she chose to keep your voice for the answering machine since my father passed a couple of years ago, and it gives her peace of mind with a strong male voice. anyway........
Same way at her house since she lives right next to a radio station tower.
I told Jim on the phone or via email before, but for others reading....When I say right next to it, people have asked if she is the owner, it is in the next lot over and I can literally throw a rock and not try and hit the tower.
Same way at her house with a freq. counter, just look at the thing crooked at her house and it reads 1320 kHz.
Hell when I lived there as a teen I could pick up the radio station in one set of headphones I had....Nothing else attached!!
Anyway this all leads to this.
I got into Amateur Radio in my teens and got really serious with it. I even put my first cobbled together repeater system up then and had a Packet digi-peater running there, since it is up on a hill above town.
BUT wow the months I spent learning and learning and learning..remember I was a late teen into early twentines then, really learning about how RF works.
It took forever modifying things to work in that RF rich environment. Anywhere else they would work fine, and even asking other guys they couldn't understand and even chalked it off to that I was too young and was probably doing it all wrong and that is why I was having issues.
Many filters later and voltage bleedofffs or I called them I got it all to work.
Reading 4 volts on everything is bad for this stuff, you may have to resort to building another box for your switch with all the inputs, with caps to ground. You will have to experiment with every value from .001µ to 1µ non-polorized.
Same way at her house since she lives right next to a radio station tower.
I told Jim on the phone or via email before, but for others reading....When I say right next to it, people have asked if she is the owner, it is in the next lot over and I can literally throw a rock and not try and hit the tower.
Same way at her house with a freq. counter, just look at the thing crooked at her house and it reads 1320 kHz.
Hell when I lived there as a teen I could pick up the radio station in one set of headphones I had....Nothing else attached!!
Anyway this all leads to this.
I got into Amateur Radio in my teens and got really serious with it. I even put my first cobbled together repeater system up then and had a Packet digi-peater running there, since it is up on a hill above town.
BUT wow the months I spent learning and learning and learning..remember I was a late teen into early twentines then, really learning about how RF works.
It took forever modifying things to work in that RF rich environment. Anywhere else they would work fine, and even asking other guys they couldn't understand and even chalked it off to that I was too young and was probably doing it all wrong and that is why I was having issues.
Many filters later and voltage bleedofffs or I called them I got it all to work.
Reading 4 volts on everything is bad for this stuff, you may have to resort to building another box for your switch with all the inputs, with caps to ground. You will have to experiment with every value from .001µ to 1µ non-polorized.
Thank you for the kind words about the voice and the phone/answering machine. SO GLAD it worked for your mom! I'm happy to be a bit of a "firewall" for her where phone calls are concerned, and I know others who do the same.
I'll run that by my engineer! We never thought about that, and...the reality of an 8 x 1 switch going out could simply be that, for instance, in my location, 72 west puts the dish aiming in the general direction of our towers. The RF itself wouldn't hurt anything, but...the towers OFTEN get hit by lightning...and the static ALONE could be enough to cause issues. I've not, historically had any LNB or switch issues on the feeds aiming in other directions....The big lightning rods (towers, 3) tend to protect most of my equipment from hits, because THEY direct the lightning to ground via spark gaps...but, it IS possible we lost a feed or two to static, which, even in rain, you can hear coming down the guy wires, jumping over the insulators when they're wet, and when lightning is even NEAR us.
At least, for the winter, we're safe, and can plan our attack in the Spring. I have all new cabling on the dishes, two new LNB's, one spare now, one deployed on 72 west, a known good switch in place, and all it will take is some patience on a good weather day to realign some dishes. I'm only using 4 of the 7 right now...and that's not cool for a true FTA farm!
I'll run that by my engineer! We never thought about that, and...the reality of an 8 x 1 switch going out could simply be that, for instance, in my location, 72 west puts the dish aiming in the general direction of our towers. The RF itself wouldn't hurt anything, but...the towers OFTEN get hit by lightning...and the static ALONE could be enough to cause issues. I've not, historically had any LNB or switch issues on the feeds aiming in other directions....The big lightning rods (towers, 3) tend to protect most of my equipment from hits, because THEY direct the lightning to ground via spark gaps...but, it IS possible we lost a feed or two to static, which, even in rain, you can hear coming down the guy wires, jumping over the insulators when they're wet, and when lightning is even NEAR us.
At least, for the winter, we're safe, and can plan our attack in the Spring. I have all new cabling on the dishes, two new LNB's, one spare now, one deployed on 72 west, a known good switch in place, and all it will take is some patience on a good weather day to realign some dishes. I'm only using 4 of the 7 right now...and that's not cool for a true FTA farm!
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