What am I Receiving?

[cyberham]

I am looking for PBS channels on AMC 21. While moving my 1-metre dish I blind scanned in something with SL 90% and SQ 45%. 12190 H 20000. Four channels scanned in: $Ch-559, $Ch-9660, $Ch-9662, $Ch-9997. I don't want to move dish until I know what this is so I know where I am.

 

[Magic Static]

Your are picking up Anik F3 118.8°W Dish Network

 

[cyberham]

Anik F3?? That just might make sense. I'm way too far east. I'll try swinging further west. Thanks!

 

[cyberham]

Had to stop for evening due to dark and cold creeping in. I've locked down now on Echostar 9/Galaxy 23 @ 121W and am scanning the channels here in. Next day I'll trying bumping another few degrees west to see if I can find the elusive AMC 21.

 

[jorgek]

That PLL LNB is rated to 12700. It does scan in strong circular TPs. I have also blind scanned $5xxx channels from DN.


118.8 DN is circular polarization.

 

[cyberham]

You are right about the circular polarization. That's why the SQ was not so high. But 121W has linear signals so I am receiving up to 70%.

The microHD only scans up to 12200 MHz. Anyway these are just pauses in my goal to find AMC 21 which is 3 more degrees west and 3 degrees down in elevation at 11 degrees.

 

[jorgek]

Yes there are a couple of channels on 121 ITC. Also the DN welcome channels.

 

[cyberham]

That PLL LNB is rated to 12700...

Forgot to mention, I'm using my Multistar non-PLL universal LNB on my fixed dish for this. Of my 3 non-PLL LNBs, it's the best. Like all universal LNBs, it's rated to 12750 MHz too. But I need to use my S9 to scan that high since the microHD seems to stop at 12200 as though you're using a standard LNB, even if you are actually using a universal LNB.

 

[Magic Static]

Forgot to mention, I'm using my Multistar non-PLL universal LNB on my fixed dish for this. Of my 3 non-PLL LNBs, it's the best. Like all universal LNBs, it's rated to 12750 MHz too. But I need to use my S9 to scan that high since the microHD seems to stop at 12200 as though you're using a standard LNB, even if you are actually using a universal LNB.

You can set the MicroHD scan parameters to higher frequencies ie 12700 in the menu where you hit OK to start the scan. They were set to North American common settings for default. It does scan higher frequencies

 

[cyberham]

I'll be a monkey's uncle! I never knew that. This is good to know. Now scanning the entire band of 11700~12750 on 121W just before I photo the insanely downward pointing dish before I move on to find the next satellite to the west: 123W. A great sunny clear day to do it too.

Added: Never found anything above 12200 on 121W anyway.

 

[Magic Static]

I'll be a monkey's uncle! I never knew that. This is good to know. Now scanning the entire band of 11700~12750 on 121W just before I photo the insanely downward pointing dish before I move on to find the next satellite to the west: 123W. A great sunny clear day to do it too.

Added: Never found anything above 12200 on 121W anyway.

Another observation about the scan function of the microHD: I think the LNB LO settings have more to do with how the microHD scans than the frequency settings in the scan parameters. I use a combo C/Ku LNB setup. 5150-10750 LOF. When I set the scan for KU band only, it still scans the c-band during the first 50% of the scan process, just never displays and stores results for anything out of the set parameters.

 

[northgeorgia]

Don't know if this will apply in your case. I use a Ku-band only universal LNBF. At first, I tried to set the frequency parameters, but of course it still scanned in the whole frequency set of the LNBF (just not displaying the ones I didn't want "scanned"). So, then I actually tricked the microHD to treat the LNBF as a standard Ku-band LNBF by changing the LO to 10600 and turning the 22khz to ON.

 

[jorgek]

The one thing I don't like about the universal PLL LNB is that it will scan to 12700. No FTA up there at least not in N. America.
The S9 does not have parameters to set like the MicroHD does. Point here is that blind scans take longer because its scanning non FTA frequencies.

 

[cyberham]

I now only use universal LNBs on each of my two dishes. I set LO of 10600 with 22kHz ON all the time. The only exception is for satellites on the eastern end of the arc just in case a blind scan might catch a feed on a frequency below 11700 MHz.

So today I found Galaxy 18 @ 123W. It didn't take much work. I didn't even have to change azimuth from 121W. I simply dropped the dish elevation ever so slightly and Veteran Affairs Knowledge Network appeared. I was able to scan in 8 channels on 123W including University of Washington and Daystar.

I then actually found AMC 21 for the first time in a long time. The tp that jumped out were the scrambled Claro TV channels. I am now receiving this tp SQ 60%~70%. But...nothing else. No PBS at all! On the PBS frequencies I get a SL indication and a bobble head of SQ but no real signals. I was worried I couldn't get the dish elevation low enough (11 degrees) but I can tell I am going through the Claro TV lobe as I change the elevation so I should be good on elevation. Here's what the dish looks like now in my "outdoor lab". 121W through 125W are about at the telephone pole in azimuth and just above the pole in elevation.

 

[Lak7]

Which PBS TPs were you looking for?
12180 V 30000 should be doable.

 

[jorgek]

Have you tried to manually input the PBS TPs? Then tweak the dish.
I get most of the PBS channels but my LOS is not as critical as yours.

 

[cyberham]

I've tried all that I know of: 12106 V 2397, 12112 V 8703, 12180 V 30000. No receivable signal. I know for LPB at 87W that night time signals are significantly stronger.

 

[cyberham]

Have you tried to manually input the PBS TPs? Then tweak the dish.
I get most of the PBS channels but my LOS is not as critical as yours.

All three tps are entered and I see SL 45% with peak SQ 10%. I've tried panning the dish across and up/down while monitoring all three entries.

 

[cyberham]

The one thing I don't like about the universal PLL LNB is that it will scan to 12700. No FTA up there at least not in N. America.
The S9 does not have parameters to set like the MicroHD does. Point here is that blind scans take longer because its scanning non FTA frequencies.

Fair comment. I'm normally not in such a hurry when I blind scan. I only really needed a universal once while receiving 8W.

 

[jorgek]

Another thing I forgot to mention, I can't use my Ecoda 22khz switch because the universal LNB is hogging the 22khz tone.