Usals

[Cascade]

Quick poll:

How many people who use USALS can hit all their satellites dead on without nudging?

If you're not using USALS, do you use 1.2 because USALS won't work?

 

[Mr Tony]

not me...I use 1.2

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

I use 1.2 as well.

 

[Cascade]

updated question, you still have to answer

 

[Mr Tony]

If I use USALS, some are off by 2 degrees. before I found 1.2, my T6 is at 94.5, SBS6 is 76.8

 

[PSB]

I use USALS and every satellite that I hit is CRACK on! Of course some satellite to the far east and west have been set using 1.2

 

[vj9999]

I use USALS for everything. On sats that I am off by alittle bit, I change the satellite's location so usals moves it to where the signal is the strongest. This way I have more control of moving in 0.1 degree increments than by nudging it using 1.2

 

[Wholeshoe]

I'm a nudger too. 1.2 does the best for me.

 

[Shawn95GT]

I currently use USALS (dead on) for Ku and 1.2 for the 'side saddle' DSS LNB.

If I ever get around to it I'll figure out exactly how far off the side-mount LNB is off and enter custom USALS positions for the circular sats.

 

[Rick in MD]

USALS I have found once I found the Clarke Belt that everything is pretty much dead on.

 

[Mark_AR]

Well this was tricky for me to answer.

I am 2 nudges off, but all I did was change my longitude from 92.3 to 92.1 and they are all dead on.

So I answered 2 nudges off.

 

[W_Tracy_Parnell]

USALS first and then I ended up using 1.2 for fine tuning almost all the sats-1 or 2 nudges.

 

[CharredPC]

USALS no worky on Twinhan cards...

 

[vj9999]

USALS no worky on Twinhan cards...

It works fine on mine!? What doesn't work for you? Keep in mind that Longitude should be entered as a negative number.

 

[CharredPC]

I've gotten feedback from a few other Twinhan card owners; USALS barely moves on our cards. If you select a bird about 25 degrees away, you might move enough to pick up the next bird over (4-5 degrees). I'm pretty sure there's a thread around here, maybe in the DVB card area... found it, here it is: http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=74986&highlight=twinhan+usals
Guess you'd know about it, you posted there as well

After I get my Patriot 1.2m, reformat my HTPC and get ProgDVB running again, I'll try using a negative number, though I'm pretty sure I attempted that before. It would move when given angular positioning commands, but not nearly enough. So I've always used Diseqc driving, and saved positions.

 

[Sadoun]

We use USALS on all of our demo units in the store and for all of our local installations.

If you have to nudge it, then your dish/motor alignment is OFF. Or, you motor might be off.

The easiest way to install a motorized dish is as follows:
1- Make sure the mast is vertical
2- Set the motor at your LATITUDE value
3- Set the motor shaft at ZERO position
4- Set the dish at proper (calculated) elevation for your location/motor
5- Mount the dish on the motor
6- Make sure the DISH/MOTOR/MAST are on the same straight line facing TRUE SOUTH.
7- Go to the receiver menu and select on of the satellites. Here you can select any of the satellites that have a LONGITUDE +/- 10 from your location's longitude.
8- Select USALS and enter your Latitude (N) and Longitude (W)
9- Click on MOVE. The motor should move your dish a few degrees and then stops.
10- If you alignment was 100% perfect, you will be lucky enough and get the signal/quality.
11- Since nothing is perfect, you will need to do small adjustments:
A- Start by adjusting the whole assembly by slightly lossening the motor off the mast then move the whole assembly a few degrees to the right or the left very very slowly.
B- If you see the quality, stop. Tighten the motor back on the mast.
C- Now, slightly adjust the dish elevation up or down a fraction of a degree to maximize the signal quality.
D- Do the final tuning by slightly moving the LNBF into or away from the dish.

See more installation details here.

 

[neil_kc1]

used usals to find my true south sat. aimed sat south, told usals to go to true south sat, then turned dish to correct position. locked it down and have used 1.2 since. got me the arc but always a couple of degrees off on the sats.