Time again - Weekend Satellite Projects?

[iafirebuff]

Well, I got my father in law upgraded last night. I have never done a Dish 1000 before, it was dark, raining, and I had to redo some cables of his, ni instructions, and a litte BS'ing in the mix, oh, and his receive needed to take a software download to get the 129 software. All in all we were done in less than 2.5 hours. I would have been done in about 30 minutes if A) I had only used the dual LNB on the 119 slot to first aim the dish - it had fits trying to aim it with the Twin and the Dual both attached! B) we didn't bs. So I am very pleased! We beat the "professional" installer by 2 hours! So, hopefully I can get to trying for 30w tonight or tomorrow

 

[dfergie]

I have penetrating oil on my C-Band feedhorn to try to free up and am currently fighting the sunshine trying to get my Coolsat going...

 

[go2worku]

Do projects during the week count? I'm off on Wednesdays

Trying for G10r

I set a pole for the 30x40inch primestar dish that I picked up last weekend. Thanks to the great posts and pictures here on this site I was able to get the pole set perfectly plumb, I drilled a couple bolts in the bottom of the pole, dug the hole, set the pole plumb with straps, poured the concrete!

Thursday after working (and reading the forum all day ) I set the skew by rotating the can on the primestar lnb, mounted the dish on the pole, set the elevation and left the wrench on the bolt! Using my compass I turned the dish close to where G10r should be. Hooked up to the V port on the lnb, went in the house and turned on the Fortec Ultra. The signal meter showed 73 and 0 quality, did a blind scan and came up with several tp's for G13/127w!! Not to far off of the target.

My TV sets next to the computer so I point my webcam at the signal meter on the screen, grab my wireless laptop and go out to the dish for some fine tuning!
I used a sharpie to mark the pole/mast before moving it. Moving slowly east I see the quality shoot up to the 90's Time for another blind scan! I noticed right away (looking at lyngsat.com while tp's loaded) that I was on Echo9/121w.
More fine tunning! Looking at the elevation for 121w and 123w I needed to move down 1.3 and slightly west! Moving west first until I lost quality, I then wrenched down a little and BAM! the quality jumped up! Another blind scan showed tp's from G10r :up

Looking forward to adding another lnb to the dish soon!

My dish farm is growing and the wife is asking if it will ever end! HAHA!

 

[dfergie]

Getting close- its scanning in a bunch of channels, I moved the elevation up 5 degrees from what its marked... now to figure what sat I'm on...

 

[iafirebuff]

Well, I played with the bucket mount today, and ended up taking off the lnb and attached it to my IA5/AMC4 dish. I now have IA-6. Will see whats on there I am also in "negotiations" with my "boss" for a motor. Hopefully I can order one tonight or tomorrow

 

[Tron]

Boss = better half?

Maybe you can also fit a Toroidal T-90 into the negotiations if you point out that it will replace the Primestars

 

[iafirebuff]

Actually that is just my "excuse" that I like to use Fortunatley or unfortunatley, depending on how I look at it, she is 110% supportive of my hobbies She is the one who found the 2 Primestars for me! And, she has been telling me I should get a motor. But, I set back a certain amount of money for my hobbies, and I have really spent more than I had wanted to in the last few months, so I am trying to pace myself AND, I have some outdoor chores that need done before winter, but I keep playing with the FTA, so I am afraid if I get a motor before I finish them, that I won't get them doen. With that said, I think I will get that motor ordered asap

 

[mastermesh]

Go ahead and order the motor... Think of it as an investment in the future. If it helps, I justified my motor buying by thinking of it in terms of this being similar to spending on cable. When we had cable the price for high speed internet + digital cable package was right at 110.00 - which works out to be 1320.00 or so a year. We didn't lose all of that (yet) because we now have a 30.00 dsl package for internet... so that's 360.00 a year or so... 1320-360=960 or so bucks to play with in this justification math... that was more than enough to buy the pansat, a motor, coax and stuff, lnb, and still have lots left over. Ends justify the means... + you better hurry - winter's a coming, and I'm pretty sure you don't want to be out there fiddling with the primestars when the snow's on the ground.

 

[Mr Tony]

no projects done this weekend. Was ouot of town and yesterday it was too dang hot out

plus watched bits/pieces of the Vikes game, most of the Twins, the end of Detroit/KC game, NASCAR race and the college hockey game

 

[iafirebuff]

Well, I just ordered the motor from PSB. HEHE! I can't wait! BIG project when the motor comes in. I plan on taking the 80cm Fortec and either putting it on a pole or replacing the Primestar with the motorized 80cm (if I can view up to 129w from where my Primestar is. I am anxious, yet nervous. I have heard everyone's horror stories on motor setup! So, I must now verify what my true south is, and check out where I am going to mount the setup so that I can be all ready when it arrives. I think I have the basic down: setup motor/dish as per instructions (elevation), 0 skew, find true south satellite, and scan it in, put in lat and long into Fortec menu, and then peak to the east and peak to the west. Does that sound about right?

 

[dfergie]

Found IA-7 , and maybe 127 had a feed and some channels with strange symbols... but I lost 121` somehow in the process... moved the coolsat back out to the camper (close to the dish ) and hooked to my 8 'BUD on G4 where with the 13k lnb the analog is booming and so is the digital C-band...

 

[Mr Tony]

well a new weekend is coming up (thank god!) and for our friends north of the border its a long weekend for some (Thanksgiving)

my projects are tenatively
-replace the LNB on the motorized with a new LNB
-run a cable from the motor into the house
-plan on reaiming the T90 a little west. Noticed my left side of the dish doesnt have much except for 110 so shifting the dish West will help the KU signals on 72,74,79,85,89
and hopefully get the C-Band set back up

 

[iafirebuff]

Sounds like Ice is goona be busy. I hope to get out and put the motor up soon

 

[Inno]

I think I might set something up to pick up IA5. The leaves are falling off the trees nicely now so I think my chances might be better. Other than that, I'm still hankering for a BUD and might start preparing for it by cutting some trees/branches down. Still have the 6' mesh and enough LNBs and feedhorns to choke a few horses (not that I'd want to choke a horse....I digress).
But yeah, definitely gonna work towards a dish pointed at IA5 for some audio etc.

 

[Mr Tony]

Sounds like Ice is goona be busy.

The LNB swap and cable run will be 1/2 hour tops. The T90 will be the longest. The C-Band is in the same elevation as when I removed it

 

[iafirebuff]

Well, all I have left to do is shorten some cable (need more f connectors), caulk some holes and blind scan Will update in new post.

 

[Das Hammer]

I'm installing the motorized 1.2Meter setup. Fortec 1.2meter, StabHH120, Fortec MercII. Hole is dug, gravel is in, pipe is painted and will be receiving the necessary anti-twist reinforcements later.

If it rains or gets dark, I'll end up working on a neo-geo arcade cabinet and watch some C band.

 

[iafirebuff]

Well, got the cement in the pole, wires all fastened nice and neat, now just need to bury the cable. Will do that tomorrow. Scanning still in progress

 

[dfergie]

While its not my weekend... (worked last night and woke up way early) I did get my Ribbon cable hooked up to the house and have a C-Band Receiver going in the house for the first time in about a year and a half... set on G4 (16) will hook up the FTA receiver to it this weekend (Tuesday-Thursday)Have other C-Band receiver going in the camper hooked to a Replay, hope to get it going in the house soon...

 

[Mr Tony]

my projects are tenatively
-replace the LNB on the motorized with a new LNB
-run a cable from the motor into the house
-plan on reaiming the T90 a little west. Noticed my left side of the dish doesnt have much except for 110 so shifting the dish West will help the KU signals on 72,74,79,85,89

all of this got scrapped.

I put the new LNB on and took it back off (the Universal issue with the Coolsat) and didnt shift the T90 west. Took off the 110 LNB and put a KU on 111.1 so now I have both satellites for SC

wedged a LNB in for 83