Struggling with pointing

[Swamp_Rat]

I can't imagine a tv on my roof as steep as it is and I can't get the wife near the top of the ladder to hold it, she is afraid I'm going to give her a little push.
Back up a few posts I did mean 186 degrees magnetic.
I didn't see a mark on the lnbf but will look again.

 

[Swamp_Rat]

Alright I'm on the arc. It tracks from 79w over to 133w the only thing is as I get further west the quality drops out a little each satellite. I know it is only a 1.8 meter but would like to get a sub over on 133 and at this point I'm only getting about 10 channels on 133.
On 79 I have 85-90 sq on the free race track networks.
Is this an azimuth, elevation or declination issue?

 

[Lak7]

First thing to do is determine what makes an improvement.
I've just done this.
I determined that lowering the elevation on the West Sats improved signal, what that really means is I needed to increase my Declination.
Back to South Sat, drop Declination then raised Elevation to peak signal, then drive back to 129 and check signal.

 

[Swamp_Rat]

Thats what I figured. I know 133 will be a bit weak on a 6 foot but thought I would try to peak it to see what I can get.
Think it's time to take a night off and drink a few beers. Almost there!

Thanks for all the help! If you ever get down to south Florida I owe you one.

Marty

 

[Lak7]

Once I had C Band, I fine tuned to Ku, 87 and 129, just bounced between those 2, everything in the middle should fall in.

EDIT: I LIKE beer

 

[Swamp_Rat]

Just one more question, on amc9 I have signal quality of 85% on the amc9/3 color bar channel but can't scan in RTN on a blind scan.
What gives?

 

[Lak7]

The failure to Lock the RTN on AMC9 is what lead me to tweak my declination.
Try manually entering the TP info.

EDIT: I should add that I'm at 88west, so 87 or 89 is my True South, 83 is only a few degrees east.
With the declination just a touch off, I'd could get the Color Bar channel at Q74 and only an occasional Blip for RTN.
And White Springs on 129, was a very watchable Q70 or so.

 

[Lone Cloud]

Alright I'm on the arc. It tracks from 79w over to 133w the only thing is as I get further west the quality drops out a little each satellite. I know it is only a 1.8 meter but would like to get a sub over on 133 and at this point I'm only getting about 10 channels on 133.
On 79 I have 85-90 sq on the free race track networks.
Is this an azimuth, elevation or declination issue?

In order to figure that out, you have to go out as far as you can to the east too..

Then, although your dish mount is tightened now, there generally is some play in it.

You go to the farthest west satellite and you flex your dish this way and that and note when the signal becomes stronger
Then you go to your farthest east satellite and do the same thing.

The directions you flex the dish for better signal on each end determines what your aiming issue is.

 

[emuman100]

I'll at my experience with Fortec Star C band dishes. They are a royal pain! I have the stationary ground mounts, nothing moving. The 6 footer I have for reception of AMC1 at 103W. I finally got it aligned, but getting it to that point was a royal pain. What I'd adjust most is not the azimuth or elevation, but the skew, focal depth, f/D ratio and positioning of the scalar ring and feedhorn. The arms are thin, and do not hold the scalar ring at the right position. It requires adjusting and playing around to get it perfect. It requires lots of this tweaking with heavy LNBs and feedhorns, like Norsat LNBs and Chaparral feedhorns. The weight weighs it down and makes it a pain to find the sweet spot. I had to get a Maxpeak signal meter to properly align it. It fell down the 60ft ravine behind my garage, so I had to purchase some new panels because some got really bent. The dish is perminantly pointed to AMC1, for DW-TV and Deutsche Welle Radio.

I have an 8 foot Fortec as well. I found this dish easier to pull in signal, because the reflector is larger. Initally, I had it pointed to AMC11, for Weather Channel analog and QVC digital. I then pointed it to Galaxy 14 for Music Choice (which I miss terribly). I finally pointed it to AMC10 for the Weather Channel digital and Discovery digital. It will stay where it is for good. I'm either going to try to add another feedhorn and LNB for Music Choice at Galaxy 14 or put up another dish. AMC10 is at a very low elevation at my location, so pointing it was a major pain. It, too, had to have the scalar ring position peaked and adjusted, just as much of a pain as the 6 footer. Eventually, I got both pretty good where I'd get a decent signal. It was a royal pain, but I got it.

Jonathan

 

[Swamp_Rat]

It still needs a little more tweaking but I am close.
When I point it at 105w ku I have a decent signal quality (70-75%). If I swap it over to cband on the same sat I get nothing and no transponders.
I think my settings are correct and they are the same as what I'm using on 121 c.
I have heard the lnbf that came with the kit doesn't work with 4dtv stuff. Is that what is causing this or should I still have transponders? I know most of what is on 105 c is pay tv.

 

[Lak7]

I don't think there is any Ku 4DTV so you Should be OK.
What I did was have the 4DTV (C Band only) connected via the Loop Out of an FTA Receiver.
In the 4DTV, you will probably need to select "LNB Rotated 90" to get it to pick up signal.

 

[Swamp_Rat]

Lak to the rescue!

I have a 922 on the way here , should arrive Tuesday or Wednesday.
I was just surprised there is nothing there even though every list I can find shows NBC stuff on 105 c band.
What do you use for a feedhorn. I have the Geosat that came with the package. Should I switch to something like a corotor and if I do how do you change polarity using a fta box?

 

[Lak7]

I have the BSC621 - Standard
Polarity is controlled by Voltage, 13 / 18 volts, just like a "regular" Ku LNBF on a Little Dish.
In the FTA Receiver, you need to have a separate Sat for Ku and C, like
AMC 1 C
AMC 1 Ku
Some receivers come with it set up that way, but not all.

EDIT:

NBC stuff on 105 c band.

That is DVB-S2, do you have a DVB-S2 receiver?
Otherwise, I don't think there are any C Band DVB TPs on AMC18, only DCII for the 4DTV.

 

[Swamp_Rat]

And I have it set up as different sats.

Does the Geosat you have run the jumper from the ku to the c and an additional port on the cband lnbf to go to the receiver?

That would explain no sats showing
My receiver is a pansat 3500

I have the same issue on G5. Got decent sq and get a few channels but not everything that shows on there for 4dtv.

 

[Lak7]

I have the BSC621 not the Geosat.
I think the Geosat needs an External Switch to go from C to Ku.

 

[Swamp_Rat]

I thought they were the same. Just ordered one.
Are there markings to set the skew on this lnb?

 

[Lak7]

On the BSC621 there is an arrow to help.
If you look down the throat, is there a 1/4" metal bar?
If so, try having that Horizontal when on your True South Sat

What is your setup as you have it now?

 

[Anole]

bookmarked skew:

Anole pix of skew for CK-1 and BSC-621 LNBf's
http://www.satelliteguys.us/1281374-post50.html

If I recall correctly, the BSC-621 is Standard on Ku, and has a built-in 22khz switch.
The BSC-621-2 is Universal on Ku, and has a built-in diseqc switch.
See DMSI site for documentation.
And isn't it true that analog and 4DTV receivers cannot control either switch.?.

 

[Lak7]

And isn't it true that analog and 4DTV receivers cannot control either switch.?.

Yes, the 4DTV can not control either switch, it still requires a 2 cable solution.

 

[Swamp_Rat]

When you say a 2 cable solution is that with a disecq switch inline or is it 2 cables all the way to the receiver and no switch at all?