StarChoice Step #2 Installation Questions

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Iceberg said:
0 wont show up but believe me it works...I check my Ebno # all the time

options 6-0-5 right arrow to diagnostic c
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Yes, I guess I wasn't clear again :(

I found it and was excited to find a "secret menu" with more numbers to look at!
 
HDTVFanAtic said:
BTW, if anyone Florida would bother telling me what they get in terms of signal, I would be interested in knowing so I can see how far off optimum I am.
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I'm in Brandon, with the 75cm dish & quad LNB. I get EcbNo readings on my DSR500 generally between 8.0 and 10.0, though a few transponders on F1 are lower. F2 readings are generally slightly higher than F1, though the difference between the birds was minimized after the satellite replacement last fall.

The dish was installed last summer and hasn't been tweaked since then, so my readings may be less than optimal. I'm also using 125' of 15-year old RG6 (from a former BUD install), so that may be less than optimal as well.

Would be interested in what signal readings you're able to get.
 
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Iceberg said:
between +8 and +10 is really good. I'm in MN with a 76cm dish (aimed at F1 only) and my numbers are around +8 to +9.6
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Thanks for the confirmation, Iceberg. My F1 numbers down here were quite a bit lower (+5 to +7) until they replaced that bird last fall.
 
Now that I know that I have the right bird and working equipment, I will try and tweak it this weekend.

Now I know what to shoot for.

Thanks again......I hate feeling like a n00b :(
 
ok...I hoped this thread would go away, but I guess I have one more question:

The used 405 was located in the Eastern Part of Canada and I am subbed from the Western Part.

Thus, my mapping shows The Movie Network (which I am not subbed to of course) and not Movie Central (which I am subbed to).

It also shows the Detroit SD Channels and not the Bufallo SD Channels.

How do I get the channels remapped in the 405?

I have set it to 299 and pulled the plug and plugged it back in, but that did not seem to work. I don't have the 2nd lnb (only 107) active at the moment (thanks to the Sadoun switch issue).

What is the proper procedure - and then this thread can close!
 
Kryspy said:
HDTVFanatic,

There is no way for you to correct the mapping.

Re-mapping requires a call to Starchoice. No other way around it.

Kryspy
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Hmmmmm.......

Starchoice says they have me on Movie Central. However, its still not showing in my mapping on the 405s. The Movie Network is still showing in the mapping, though of course I am not subbed.

Do I have to be on a certain bird and channel to have them do it at a specific time?

Or what do I ask for? For my channels to be remapped, lol. I doubt most subs would have a clue what that is.

And why in the heck did they need to know the serial number of the HDD-200?
 
And the dumb question just keep on rolling......

On TSN-HD and RSN, I am getting Spokane Locals in SD.

292 has ABC-Spokane in SD as well.

Is this a remapping issue as well?

Again, what exactly do you have to tell StarChoice to get this straightened out as it was supposed set up for a West sub?

Is it really this difficult to get SC working correctly? I've never had this many issues with Dish, Directv or BEV in the past.
 
HDTVFanatic,

I would phone Starchoice back and ask for a tech specifically.

Tell them what is wrong with your set up piece by piece.

Maybe they have you under a east coast postal code or something as Starchoice actually does have the ability to map by postal code unlike ExpressVU.

Kryspy
 
bwaldron said:
I'm in Brandon, with the 75cm dish & quad LNB. I get EcbNo readings on my DSR500 generally between 8.0 and 10.0, though a few transponders on F1 are lower. F2 readings are generally slightly higher than F1, though the difference between the birds was minimized after the satellite replacement last fall.

The dish was installed last summer and hasn't been tweaked since then, so my readings may be less than optimal. I'm also using 125' of 15-year old RG6 (from a former BUD install), so that may be less than optimal as well.

Would be interested in what signal readings you're able to get.
Click to expand...

I am still tweaking the 75cm trying to get numbers even close to yours.

I had planned to use my Toroidal 90cm for this with an Invacom Quad slighly off 110W to supply SC and Dish 110W but that did not work and thus lnb spacing made it impossible to get both.

Finally after all the issues along the way, I had a 75cm up and properly operating yesterday. Thus far I am well below your readings - averaging 5.5-7.5 depending on channel/bird. The tweaking will continue.

Anyway, what reading are you getting for City Toronto on 344? I have no idea which transponder this is on, but its clearly the worse in my lineup, only showing a 1.6 this morning?

Also, what is the skew on your dish? KuSAT says mine should be at 119.5 but my calculations show it should be closer to 130. As these are linear lnbs, I am wondering if that is part of the issue. By my calculations:


F1 107.3W 224.1 228.7 47.6 127.9
>> 109.2W 226.6 231.2 46.3 129.9
F2 111.1W 228.9 233.5 44.9 131.7

KuSat is showing

>> 75cm 226.03 46.32 119.5

Of course KuSAT also shows these birds at 105.0W and 113.0W :confused:

http://www.kusat.com/install/calculator2.php
 
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HDTV
I assume you have a 75cm dish just at AnikF1?

For a fixed dish at Anik F1
47.5 elevation
224.7 azimuth
skew 130

For a 75e that gets both birds
44.8 elevation
229.4 azimuth
skew at 132

Linear LNB's need to be skewed properly for optimum signal
 
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I will check the signal on 344 for you later today (wife would get upset if I messed with her World Cup watching right now).

As for skew, Iceberg is correct. Here in Brandon, my 75E w/quad LNB has skew set to 132.

EDIT: 344 is at +7.2 for me right now (with a few clouds in the area where the dish is pointing)
 
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Well that confirms the skew issue. I am not sure why the chart on KuSAT is so far off on this one.

Actually, I assumed one would choose a place in the center of the 2 birds and that is how I figured I should approach it - from a position of 109.2W - but I couldnt believe KuSAT was that far off when the other figured seemed really close.

Quite simply, after all the other misteps including a very non-plumb mast setup that i had to correct, I set the skew and elevation in place and threw the 75cm on the pole - getting a signal without even checking for azimuth.

I couldnt believe I was that lucky - tried to tweak and found out i had hit the sweet spot by blind luck. I should have played the lottery at that point. Since the sune was already setting I decided to leave well enough alone overnight.

I thought it was probably the skew when I tried to tweak it this morning and found the azimuth and elevation were getting me no additional signal.

If KuSAT's webpage calculator is so far off for skew - and the satellite calculators I have give me:

F1 107.3W 224.1 228.7 47.6 127.9
>> 109.2W 226.6 231.2 46.3 129.9
F2 111.1W 228.9 233.5 44.9 131.7

And I assume 109.2 is the center, then which program are you using to calculate this?

For a 75e that gets both birds
44.8 elevation
229.4 azimuth
skew at 132
 
HDTV

Unlike a DIsh500, the StarChoice 75e (and 60e) the LNB for 111.1 is "right down the shaft" so you don't split the difference. You aim as if its for 111 & 107 just falls into place

Here's where I got my info
http://www.global-cm.net/CAN/SC/point/USAangskew.html

I know I used my SC dish once for 97 & 101 and I took the numbers for 101 and 97 fell into place.

The Dish500 has both LNB's off center, thats why you pick 114.5
 
Thanks - that makes some sense, especially as I was looking at it today wondering about that - one looks pretty dead on with the other to the side.

However, you would think KuSAT would not have a calculator for the SC 75 that has bogus info - as it clearly does with the skew info listed as it is.
 

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