Problem with STAB HH90

[Phottoman]

First I would like to thank el bandido for the hours and hours he spent with me on line learning to use Channel Master to set up my CNX DUO. The longer I use the DUO, the stronger the Love/Hate relationship gets (snicker).

As I was told after owning the DUO for several years, the Blind Scan is hurtful (eb's wording, not mine, I prefer to call it "Painful" because it takes about 45 minutes to scan a bird, and I haven't yet tried to use the blind scan for searching for wild feeds).

I was warned by eb that once used to set up my sats and transponders, ChannelMaster will interfere with the operation of the STAB motor. That didn't seem a big deal then, but now I have (I think) most if not all the sats I want on my DUO (maybe), but the motor IS acting up.

When I change birds, makes no difference if the dish travels East or West, it seems that most times, it stops East of the desired bird. Sometimes just a nudge or two, sometimes several sat slots away from the bird I want to watch.

I have tried and tried to read the instructions for the HH90 motor, but they just don't seem to make a lot of sense.

I have tried to adjust the motor through the DUO controls and move then save that position, but the next time I go off that bird and then try to go back, then it either over shoots the bird (always to the East) or stops short of the bird I want (again, East of the bird I want).

I have checked at the pole and I don't see that anything there has moved, and I suspect that since I am getting the entire arc I haven't lost anything AT the pole.

Once I have all the TPs and birds I want, using CM, is there any way to get the HH90 to stop ON or AT the bird I want?

Oh, I have tried to "go to '0'" to reset the alignment of sats, but that didn't seem to help.

I have saved my channel info, reset the DUO back to factory default, then reload my channel info, but that didn't seem to help either. I am wondering, when I reload the channel info, am I reloading the initial problems back into the DUO?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Photto

 

[Lak7]

I have tried to adjust the motor through the DUO controls and move then save that position, but the next time I go off that bird and then try to go back, then it either over shoots the bird (always to the East) or stops short of the bird I want (again, East of the bird I want).

If it's "always East", have you tried aiming a little to the West?

 

[Phottoman]

If it's "always East", have you tried aiming a little to the West?

No. As I said, everything I point to is SPOT on, once I find the sat. I think the only thing I haven't found yet is RTV, but that's something other's are having a problem with also.

I am getting AMC5 @ 79W through G27 @ 129, and everything inbetween, and the S and Q are very high, so I don't think I had anything move at the pole.

Photto

 

[Lak7]

Just trying to help, is it "Spot On" or "Always East"?

When using USALS, are just "nudging" the Dish to the East for Max signal?

 

[Phottoman]

Just trying to help, is it "Spot On" or "Always East"?

When using USALS, are just "nudging" the Dish to the East for Max signal?

When I nudge it West, I get good S&Q, it IS consistant. On every sat. As far as I can see, I haven't lost any sats, that's why I went out to the pole and checked. Everything there is tight, no movement, well, not enough to lose sats, but I have noticed that in the wind, it doesn't move as much as some of the other dishes I have out there, and I don't think moving it West will solve the problem. That would throw me off the arc.

Thanks for responding.

Photto

 

[Lak7]

"When I nudge it West, I get good S&Q, it IS consistant."
"That would throw me off the arc."

I'm just not following, if you always have to nudge it to the West, how can you be on the Arc?

 

[Phottoman]

THAT is my problem. I can't get the STAB HH 90 to STOP on the bird I want. I am thinking of changing over to Discq (sp) instead of USALS to control the motor.

As a matter of fact, reading the boards this morning, I discovered that RTV has 'stabilized' somewhat, so I went searching, and I FOUND IT. THAT makes me one very happy FTAer. It took info found here on strong TPs, and adding the TP and SR for RTV, but what the heck, it is clean, and watchable.

But I still don't understand why my motor won't stop ON the sat I want.

Thanks Lak7 for your concern.

As for throwing me off the arc, what I meant is, I feel I am dead on to receive the entire arc, but if I were to move the motor and dish West, THAT would throw me off and I wouldn't have any sats to watch. Is that clearer?

Photto

 

[Lak7]

When you setup the Dish, did you use USALS to drive the Dish to your Trues South Sat and Peak Elevation, or did you leave the Motor at Zero and point to your Trues South Sat and Peak Elevation?

 

[Phottoman]

Oh, wow, it's been two years, I honestly don't remember.

I am at 114.2 West, the due South to me would be Satmex6 @113, and Satmex5 at 116.8, so I probablly had it at 0 degrees, then moved the dish to either 110 or 119 (at that time), using the motor, and it would have been with USALS, then adjusted the motor AT the pole to get the best results.

I recall at that time I had a few small problems, but that would have been related to how I was putting the motor in line with the receiver, had it wired wrong, receiver to switch, then switch to motor, then motor to LNB.

That has been corrected, receiver to motor, motor to common then 4X1 to different dishes.

Is there a way to zero out the motor, or reset the motor then reload the current settings so I can find all my sats, or do I need to think in another direction?

Photto

 

[Lak7]

Due South for you is 114.2, about 168 on a compass.
Your true south Sat would be 113, a good starting point.
If you set up to 113 with the motor at Zero, and did not correct for the 1.2 degrees, that may account for why it seems to drive too far East.

I would have the receiver drive to 113 using USALS, adjust azimuth and elevation for peak signal, and check a Sat off to the East or West.

You may be only looking at loosening the Motor Mount bolts on one side and tightening on the other. On a 2" diameter pole, 1 degree is about 1/64th".

 

[Phottoman]

If I am understanding you, wouldn't turning the dish, even the 1 degree you mention, stop me from getting the East and/or West portions of the arc? See, THAT'S where I am having a problem.

And if I failed to mention this problem started when I started using ChannelMaster to add sats and transponders to my Conaxsat DUO. (Third paragraph of my original posting).

I'm entirelly willing to go out and retune/turn the dish and see if I can get something better, but I am really afraid to try ONLY because I am getting such good readings now, with the slight irritation of having to move the dish using the Motor Control each time I want to change sats.

Photto

 

[Lak7]

I find it hard to believe that using Channel Master is affecting the Motor, unless it changed your Long & Lat settings.

You may not even be a full degree off. Like you said, you are tracking the Arc, it's just not as perfect as USALS is. You may be fine in the Middle, running a little high in the East and a little low in the West.
You could try changing your Long setting in the receiver a little to the East, and see if it starts hitting using USALS.

 

[Phottoman]

As for changing the Long and Lat settings, I don't see that indicated. When I click on the button to store my location, I don't see that anything has changed.

How far would you recomend I change the Long East? A degree, 2 degrees? More?

Thanks for the help you have given here, this may all be just what I need.

Photto.

 

[Lak7]

Try subtracting 1 degree from your Long, then check a couple Sats, see if you are still too far East.

 

[Phottoman]

I finally gave up, Phottomate is pissed about not getting it to stop on the sat, so I went back to DiSeQc 1.2, seems to be working better now.

Thanks for the help, but I never did get it working right.

Photto

 

[Phottoman]

Follow Up:

I finally gave up and ordered a new motor from Sadoun. I was going to get the DG280 (I think it was) but the lady I talked to advised I needed the DG280B because of the size of the post off the motor to hold the dish.

Well, to make a long story short, I was suffering the exact same problem, telling me now it is the receiver, NOT the motor (so now I have TWO motors, that will come in handy). Remember when I said I was told that ChannelMaster might screw with the DUO? Well, I think it did.

I was given a heck of a deal on a CS5000 (which I love, and only $20 hand delivered) and after two days of working and aiming with the new motor, everything just falls perfectly into place.

I am getting the entire viewable arc from here, very few problems. One small thing was changing the location of one bird that I just couldn't nail down, but I changed the location within the CS5000 of the 129W Gal 27 from 129 to 128 and that now comes in perfect.

All in all, I think I am ONE HAPPY FTAer Dude.

Thanks for all the help guys, but I went a different way.

Photto

 

[turbosat]

Good outcome! Even if it cost you another motor, you can always use a 2nd motor. 2nd dish , a spare, etc..

 

[guapoharry]

Guess this means that the CNX DUO is not compatible with USALS / Goto XX?

 

[Phottoman]

Guess this means that the CNX DUO is not compatible with USALS / Goto XX?

Actually, as I stated before, until I loaded Channelmaster update, it WAS compatable with USALS.

So ....

And "Go to XX?" I had been using 1.2 instead, but ... well, no sense in going over it all again.

Now I have to find another dish to put the old motor on and try it again with the other DUO, or search around for another CS5000, that has been a pure pleasure to play with.

Photto

 

[Phottoman]

Good outcome! Even if it cost you another motor, you can always use a 2nd motor. 2nd dish , a spare, etc..

The grove is growing, soon to be a forest of dishes.

I'm going to have to write a sig with all that I have now.

I just picked up another BEAUTIFUL and in GREAT condition ten foot dish, with an actuator, and an analog (I believe) LNA C Band. It's still on the truck, I'll take it off the truck in the morning before going to work, I am just too pooped tonight.

I have the 33" on the new motor, the channel master 30" on White Springs, the ten footer on Carabean mux C band, that beautiful Patriot 1.2m on RTN, now two ten footers ready to mount and aim, plus a couple of 30 to 33 inch tx/rx (with both the tx's removed) internet use dishes that I haven't had time to mount or dig posts for yet.

Ya know ... when it rains, it pours dishes, and only ONE of these have I paid for, the 33" on the motor, that was almost five years ago. I've had great luck with that one, even with the bent LNA Arm.

Life is good.

Oh, yeah, in case anyone is wondering how Phottoette feels about all these dishes in the yard, well ... she went with me to work today, so that I wouldn't have to come in the opposite direction when I went to look at this newest dish.

She saw it first from almost a block away, reached across as I was driving, put her hand on my arm and said "I hope it's THAT one." It was. She has been MORE than great with this hobby, especially now that I have the CS5000 working propperly. She is home days and now just goes to the fav list, pickes what she wants to watch and presses the "OK" button.

Yesterday she met me at the back door and was telling me all about the reporters she listened too (and could see ocasionaly) at Hianias Port. I asked if she'd scanned the sat and she admitted she didn't know how and would I teach her.

Now folks, could life BE any better?

Photto