So I had to hang around the shop this morning to get new phone and internet service and i started checking some things out on the sensor. I performed the tests you described and everything was testing good so I tested the 2 wires out of 4 i choose to use for the reed sensor in the ribbon cable I salvaged. It turns out one of the wires tested no good (the blue wire). Not sure if it was corrosion (none was apparent with the ends stripped on either side) or if its just a bad wire in the run but i tested a different wire (a yellow one) and its working now. I assume that is why i was getting some intermittent fine dish movement and continuous movement on Thursday. So its acting as you described titanium, and i was even able to save a a couple of the positions even though i still cant figure out how to change the name i will just have to remember what satellite it saves the position to by writing it down. Thanks for jumping in last night and giving me some pointers.
Setting up 10' unimesh
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So I had to hang around the shop this morning to get new phone and internet service and i started checking some things out on the sensor. I performed the tests you described and everything was testing good so I tested the 2 wires out of 4 i choose to use for the reed sensor in the ribbon cable I salvaged. It turns out one of the wires tested no good (the blue wire). Not sure if it was corrosion (none was apparent with the ends stripped on either side) or if its just a bad wire in the run but i tested a different wire (a yellow one) and its working now. I assume that is why i was getting some intermittent fine dish movement and continuous movement on Thursday. So its acting as you described titanium, and i was even able to save a a couple of the positions even though i still cant figure out how to change the name i will just have to remember what satellite it saves the position to by writing it down. Thanks for jumping in last night and giving me some pointers.
Great troubleshooting! Glad to be able to assist.
Before this ribbon cable is buried, find the fault. For the sensor circuit, use the two wires that are surrounded by a shield and connect the shield's bare drain wire to the ground terminal on the H1. Do not connect the other end of the shield/drain wire to the actuator (leave the wire unconnected on the dish side).
Before this ribbon cable is buried, find the fault. For the sensor circuit, use the two wires that are surrounded by a shield and connect the shield's bare drain wire to the ground terminal on the H1. Do not connect the other end of the shield/drain wire to the actuator (leave the wire unconnected on the dish side).
In this ribbon cable the shielded section of the wire has 5 total wires in it, a black, brown, blue, yellow, and a bare wire. When we took the dish down I noted what colors were where on the motor so I simply reused the same colors. It was in conduit, and surprisingly enough was dry when we pulled it out. Very rarely do I ever see conduit that is dry after that long under ground unless it is one continuous run with no buried joints. The blue wire wound up being the bad wire. I also inspected the ribbon cable ( once when removed and the again when we set up the receiver near the dish Friday evening) for abrasions holes and swelling but could find no evidence of it.
When I decide to use the corotor 2 should I buy a shielded wire for that? The run for the polarity motor is not shielded on this ribbon cable. If so I'll run out and get 100' of it and pull it thru when I burry the conduit and pull the ribbon cable.
And finally I have a dedicated motorized Ku set up I'd now like to receive on the same receiver. Is this something I can still use with a diseqc switch?
It is best practice to use separate shielded 3 conductor for the Corotor servo. Servo motors are quite sensitive to interference and will chatter during motor runs if not shielded and grounded. This causes unnecessary servo wear and tear and also makes optimization more difficult if the polarization shifts during motor movement.
You could put the DiSEqC at the dish or have separate coax runs into the house. It is best practice to place the DiSEqC switch after the KU HH motor due to the current loads during motor start-up and running. Be aware that DiSEqC signals will be attenuated by long coax runs and by passing through controllers, motors, etc. This can often cause switching errors. Make sure the ribbon cable is RG-6 and not an old RG-59 type.
You could put the DiSEqC at the dish or have separate coax runs into the house. It is best practice to place the DiSEqC switch after the KU HH motor due to the current loads during motor start-up and running. Be aware that DiSEqC signals will be attenuated by long coax runs and by passing through controllers, motors, etc. This can often cause switching errors. Make sure the ribbon cable is RG-6 and not an old RG-59 type.
Well it is good that I asked then, at this point I think I'll just pull off a new run of RG-6 and purchase a couple of runs of shielded wire when I do my final set up. I'll go ahead and pull the ribbon cable thru the conduit to use for now so it's not just run across the ground.
The longest run of wire is to the 10' dish at around 90' of wire. I certainly could trim off at least 15' and still have a little extra to spare. The Ku dish is only on a 25' run as it is mounted to the roof of the shop. It would just be nice to have both dishes run off the same receiver. Since at least for now I'll be using the H1 as a dish positioner for the c-band I'll leave all the satellites set as motor setting none. It's just the motor on the Ku side I'll have to mess with.
So to be sure I understand this correctly, run the coax from my receiver to the motor, then out of the motor to the switch and then a lead from the Ku lab to one port and a lead from the c band lnb to the other port?
The longest run of wire is to the 10' dish at around 90' of wire. I certainly could trim off at least 15' and still have a little extra to spare. The Ku dish is only on a 25' run as it is mounted to the roof of the shop. It would just be nice to have both dishes run off the same receiver. Since at least for now I'll be using the H1 as a dish positioner for the c-band I'll leave all the satellites set as motor setting none. It's just the motor on the Ku side I'll have to mess with.
So to be sure I understand this correctly, run the coax from my receiver to the motor, then out of the motor to the switch and then a lead from the Ku lab to one port and a lead from the c band lnb to the other port?
Also without measuring the cable in the ribbon I am fairly certain it is rg6. If anything the outer jacket on the ribbon cable is thicker and more durable then the 500' spool of the-6 I have and the center insulator is just a bit larger diameter as it takes a lot more twisting and pushing to get the connector to seat properly before I crimp it. Finally the center copper conductor does not appear to be smaller. I also noticed the newer rg-6 I know is copper clad steel but the ribbon cable appears to at the very least have a higher copper content if not solid copper. If I recall correctly I would notice a difference in size if it were rg-59 as I thought it was smaller.
The DC2 should lock on a DC2 channel if it hasn't been ruined by water, and if the on board battery that keeps the activation key stored isn't dead. I had a couple GI receivers that hadn't been plugged in for a while and the battery went dead and it lost the ID info, which made them useless, but I don't think there's any subscription services available up there for home use. I noticed that Skyvision's website is no longer active and I think they were the last of the companies offering DC2 programming.
However, on the satellites that have DC2 commercial programming on them, the receiver should still be able to obtain a lock on the encrypted channels. Since you cannot receive the other satellites, it sound as if your mount is not set true north and south. One mistake I've seen people make moving a dish is fiddling with the adjustments on the mount when they take it off the pole. If it's not moved far from the original location, a simple tweaking will get them adjusted quickly at the new location.
I have a Channel Master dual meter that allows me to watch the signal level on both polarities at the same time. When I get them peaked with similar reading on both meters, I lock down the polarity adjustment and I'm finished. If your dish came from a location close to your house, then you should be able to locate a satellite and then move it left or right to obtain the highest signal level, and the rest of the satellites should fall in place. Once you get this accomplished, you can push down, or pick up on the bottom of the dish, and if the signal drops either direction, it's probably as close as you're going to get it.
If the signal level is uniform across the arc, then you should be set to get everything in the arc that's strong enough for a 6 foot dish. Hope it works out for you.
However, on the satellites that have DC2 commercial programming on them, the receiver should still be able to obtain a lock on the encrypted channels. Since you cannot receive the other satellites, it sound as if your mount is not set true north and south. One mistake I've seen people make moving a dish is fiddling with the adjustments on the mount when they take it off the pole. If it's not moved far from the original location, a simple tweaking will get them adjusted quickly at the new location.
I have a Channel Master dual meter that allows me to watch the signal level on both polarities at the same time. When I get them peaked with similar reading on both meters, I lock down the polarity adjustment and I'm finished. If your dish came from a location close to your house, then you should be able to locate a satellite and then move it left or right to obtain the highest signal level, and the rest of the satellites should fall in place. Once you get this accomplished, you can push down, or pick up on the bottom of the dish, and if the signal drops either direction, it's probably as close as you're going to get it.
If the signal level is uniform across the arc, then you should be set to get everything in the arc that's strong enough for a 6 foot dish. Hope it works out for you.
SkyVision is now SkyXpress.net. One of the partners purchased the company and is now focusing on FTA market.
The cable cover should have imprint or stamping for the rating or a model number.
Correct, coax run from the receiver to the KU HH, to the switch then to the LNBFs.
The cable cover should have imprint or stamping for the rating or a model number.
Correct, coax run from the receiver to the KU HH, to the switch then to the LNBFs.
I was just hoping to use the old dc2 receiver as a dish mover and polarity control. I'm on the arc, as I have scanned in horizontal channels from 87w to 135w. Only reason for horizontal only was up until last night I didn't know the proper connections on the back of the h1. But I had 2 servo motors and knew for sure what lug was ground so I figured I have a 50/50 chance. Cooked the first servo motor but now have polarity control. Also only reason I haven't scanned east further then 87w is it doesn't look as if there is much for me there, and the mechanical limit on the actuator prevent me from hitting 137w by about 2 degrees. I also gotta thank KE4EST and titanium for all the great info and help.
I put an add in the local swap shop paper that comes out once a week here for old stand alone motor drive boxes that people may have lying around. That paper is pretty good at locating such items because almost everyone reads it within a 6 county area. I put an add in it for satellite dishes and had a bunch of calls from people wanting to get rid of them. I'll see what turns up with the motor drive boxes, and if I hit the jackpot, I'd be more than happy to send you one. Never know when you might need a spare. You folks are always helpful when I run into a problem. Let me know if you're interested and I'll keep you posted.
I appreciate that offer! I have been making a lot of local contacts since i started playing in this sandbox and personally know where several dishes are as i travel about a 3 county radius. All thats left for me to do is stop and ask some questions. I know an ASC1 is in the near future but with winter coming on we are pushing to get several concrete jobs completed so money will be tight until they are done to ensure we are able to cover the concrete plant bill until we collect from customers. Then it wont be an issue really. With the help of Titanium i have been able to kinda figure out some of the issues with the old macom dish positioner, and thu trial and error (one fried servo motor) figure out what leads control the servo motor. Since then i have been able to successfully save 7 satellite positions in the H1 positioner, all i have to do is manually move the skew which is a lot harder then it sounds, lol. Another issue reared its head a couple of days ago, and to be honest i expected it, the old lnb has started to fail. Not drift but flat out fail as in stops working completly. If i turn off all power input to the lnb it starts to work again. Yesterday i took the lnb off the other polarotor i had and installed it on the polarotar that is installed on the dish but it is suffering from drift i beleive or its just not as good as the first one i tried. Dont have a whole lot of time to really play around with it right now, but we probably will try to get a C1-PLL working on this dish over the weekend, maybe, if time permits.
I do so enjoy the helpful people on this forum, and I certainly will keep your offer in mind. I really have enjoyed the challenges this hobby has presented, and the rewards from figuring out and troubleshooting my first 2 installs (first motorized Ku, then a week later the C-Band dish) with all the help from members here. And its let me relive some of the "good ol days" i remembered from the late 80's early 90's of working on and watching C-Band with my dad.
I am glad it's working out for you. In the not too distant past, I was new this FTA thing and it took some reeducating myself and learning the new technology. It's been fun because I love working with electronics. Any time I can help or if I have something you need, just ask. If I got it, I sure don't mind sharing some of my finds and rare treasures. Right now, I'm looking at 3 commercial fiberglass dishes still on poles at an old cable head end setup. I'm fixing to put a bid on all the dishes. I don't know if I'll be in the ballpark or not, but I'm going to try to acquire at least a couple of them. The ones I looked at are 14 footers with quad feeds on them.
I have no idea what's in the head end shack, but I will cross that bridge when the time's right. Luckily, these dishes are within 30 miles of my house, so it won't be a big deal to get them home. I'll post a picture of my find if I'm successful in purchasing them. Cheers, have a good evening.
Ah, I wondered about that. Couldn't imagine Skyvision just disappearing. Thanks for the info.
So I finally got my dish running, and the H1 dish positioner sensing pulses from the reed sensor and able to control polarity and figured out how to save positions (after help from Titanium and KE4EST), I finally had time this afternoon to go thru and start saving positions along the arc. I went from 97w down to 135w first as i had already scanned these in when i first started playing around with this thing a week or so ago. Then i checked mo make sure the positions were saved accurately, and they were. Then i switched the power off to the dish positioner and came back a bit later to start moving east from 97w and discovered my fist problem. It no longer had the positions saved. I didnt unplug the positioner but did switch it off, could there be a battery inside that is causing this issue? (though its really kinda a non issue after i replace it with an asc1) second and one that i feel is the more pressing of the 2 is I went to move east fir the first time since the reed sensor was working and it didnt move very far east of 97 and it showed LE or limit east. So i waled out the the dish and removed the cover and sure enough the cam had tripped the switch, but it didnt look like the actuator was extended but maybe a little over half way out. The lower cam is the east limit and the upper one is west limit. there are 2 screws that hold the cam in place and there is slots on the top cam to adjust the limit position. so i loosen the screws and half the cam falls off. Appears to have been this way for a while as the break doesnt look clean, as in its kinda dirty and dull. Can I glue or epoxy this back together or is there a place i can get a replacement. second there appears to not be an adjustment on the lower east limit cam or am i wrong. The actuator is a 24" superjack 2. No idea how old it is for sure. I wished i woulda taken some photos but i left my phone at the house while i was at the shop and can take some tomorrow.
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