where should i start?

[Jim S.]

If your analog meter is indicating a signal, you should have something showing on the strength meter on the receiver no matter what you're pointed at or what transponder parameters (within a reasonble frequency range) you enter.

If you don't have a switch in your setup, I don't know whether having it set for one could be confusing the receiver or not. I've never used a Neusat and I can't find a copy of the manual online. Is there some way to set it to no switch rather than port 1?

I recently set up the same dish and motor as you have, using my SatHawk receiver. The angle scales on the motor and the dish were very accurate, I just set them as close as I could to the proper values, aimed the motor toward the sun at local true noon, told it to turn to 74W, and I was on Horizons 2! I just had to move the motor mount on the pole slightly to get maximum signals on most of the satellites I tried (I only have about 30 degrees unobstructed and another 20 degrees with questionable treetops.) I was so satisfied that I probably won't try adjusting the elevation or declination until I can put the dish somewhere with a wider view.

So, I suspect you have some sort of receiver issue.

 

[stanleyjohn]

Thanks Jim!I feel that the Neusat 9000 is the problem somehow!maybe it needs a factory reset or a firmware update.Dont know what version is installed now except it shows a early 2007 date.Today my SatHawk comes by UPS and i will hook that up and hoping for better results.If i still get no strength or quality readings then ill really be in the dark on what to do next.

 

[delta_charlie]

Hi StanleyJohn and the group, zero on the signal strength normally indicates the receiver is not seeing the LNB. If the LNB is hooked up correctly you should see something on the strength meter even if the dish is not on a satellite. The signal quality will only show when peaked on the satellite and TP. Here are a few things to check/try - after using USALS to move the dish double check the azimuth scale on the bottom the motor near the axis and make sure it is still very close to zero then disconnect the coax cable from the receiver and hook the cable direct to the LNB or analog meter. Perhaps the motor is choking off the signal. Incorrect DiSEqC switch settings can cause a zero strength too. See if the receiver can be set to no switch or (none). Picture one shows the incorrect TP for AMC 6, there is not much on that satellite other then the NBC MUX and feeds so make sure you are looking at the 12051 > 12055 vertical TP with a SR of around 6890 Hope this helps, DC

 

[stanleyjohn]

Well! some good and bad news today!Looks like something is wrong with the neusat 9000! with its dead strength and quality meter.Received my Sat Hawk 800 and hooked it up set dish to AMC6 and get a strength of near 50 and quality 5%.Most likely dish will still need alittle adjustment.Couldn't see if anything is on AMC6 since no TPs in TP list.I will add the one DC gave me and test it.That will have to wait for now!looks like a thunderstorm about to hit us and with my luck a bolt will hit and trash my new sat hawk.Thank you all the help and hopefully i will have some more positive reports to add to my thread.

 

[Jim S.]

The NBC channels on 72W will occasionally go down or drop in power. (They're so low-quality that I think they're just for cueing people in the field, not broadcasting.) There are a couple of religious channels on 72W but they have very low symbol rates and the SatHawk sometimes has trouble detecting those. So if you absolutely can't get anything locked on 72W, try 74W and program in the transponder for Ohio News Network.

 

[Jim S.]

Oh by the way, if you don't have any transponders pre-entered on the SatHawk, you don't have the latest version. Go to the SatHawk's page on Sadoun's e-store and get the newest version at the bottom of the page.

 

[stanleyjohn]

Ok! Now im totally lost! HELP!! SOS

Maybe I'm doing this all wrong! Using the sat hawk now.Do you need to be zoomed in on a active TP before you see any change in Signal strength and Quality?I still think I'm pretty close to true south for zero! Doesn't make any difference when i try to zero in on a satellite! Sig strength meter just floats between 43 and 45% and Quality floating around 3 to 5%,no mater where i move the dish!its the same.bypassed the motor and no change.will someone please tell me what I'm doing wrong. PS changed LNB freq settings also!this didnt effect meter readings that much also.

 

[Jim S.]

You'll almost always have a medium signal strength reading wherever you're pointed as long as you have electrical continuity with your LNB, the gain on these things is really high. You won't get a significant quality reading until the receiver can demodulate a DVB signal, and the lower the error rate gets the higher the quality will go. On that note, yes, you do need to select (or enter if you don't have the firmware image that has them pre-entered) a transponder that's active on the satellite you're aiming for so that it knows what polarity to select on the LNB and what symbol rate to try to demodulate. After you've got a decent signal strength, then you can use the blind scan function to find all the transponders and all the channels on them.

Are you moving the dish very slowly? The meter on the SatHawk doesn't respond as fast as some I've seen. If you're just sweeping the dish around, you're not going to find anything. You have to aim as well as possible by eye and/or calculation, then move very slowly in each direction til you find a direction that gives you an increase. Also, try to select a transponder with a medium symbol rate if that's possible on the satellite you're looking for. SR's around 30000 need precise aim to get good quality from, but on the other hand, SR's around 3000 are VERY slow to be detected by the SatHawk no matter how strong the signal is.

 

[stanleyjohn]

Thanks again! Guess it get alittle frustrating at times but I'm no quitter and will get this right.Is there a link that could show me the best TPs i should use in my area? I loaded up the latest firmware and now have plenty of TPs to choose from.Been doing alot of looking but still haven't found what i need to understand the goto x function and others in the motor setting diseqc screen.I'm guessing this is where i go to move the motor just alittle east or west.you can choose 0 to 60! but what does each no. mean? how far the motor will move before stopping?.Is it normal to see the signal and quality meters flash on and off while the motor is active.I have a web cam set up so that i can look at my TV thru a laptop to see whats happening while adjusting the dish.

 

[McGuyver]

will someone please tell me what I'm doing wrong.

It doesn't look like anything is wrong with your Neusat, from what I've seen in your posts, it's simply a dish pointing error. You don't have the dish aimed properly and I suspect the dish elevation is off. the motor declinaton isn't as critical when seeking your true south, declination misalignment will be obvious when scanning the arc. I believe you need to set the declination according to the motor manual and your longitude and then with the dish centered on the motor (dish and motor at zero azimuth facing straight ahead to true south the best you can) adjust the elevation to see if you can pick up a signal, you will also need to tweak the azimuth a bit while doing this until you find something, the SS should be in the upper 60's to 70% range even before getting a QS status. The low numbers you posted indicate you are between satellites. Just keep in mind, your receiver should be adequate for aiming the dish and motor, your new meter isn't going to help you or do any adjustment for you. Once you set the motor declination as I stated, leave it alone! Don't touch it... play with the dish settings only. It's a good possibility that your dish elevation is too high, this is a common error that many do because they think the dish needs to point straight at the satellite, instead the dish acts as a mirror, a reflector. I'm trying to give you some ideas to ponder. take one step at a time.

 

[stanleyjohn]

It doesn't look like anything is wrong with your Neusat, from what I've seen in your posts, it's simply a dish pointing error. You don't have the dish aimed properly and I suspect the dish elevation is off. the motor declinaton isn't as critical when seeking your true south, declination misalignment will be obvious when scanning the arc. I believe you need to set the declination according to the motor manual and your longitude and then with the dish centered on the motor (dish and motor at zero azimuth facing straight ahead to true south the best you can) adjust the elevation to see if you can pick up a signal, you will also need to tweak the azimuth a bit while doing this until you find something, the SS should be in the upper 60's to 70% range even before getting a QS status. The low numbers you posted indicate you are between satellites. Just keep in mind, your receiver should be adequate for aiming the dish and motor, your new meter isn't going to help you or do any adjustment for you. Once you set the motor declination as I stated, leave it alone! Don't touch it... play with the dish settings only. It's a good possibility that your dish elevation is too high, this is a common error that many do because they think the dish needs to point straight at the satellite, instead the dish acts as a mirror, a reflector. I'm trying to give you some ideas to ponder. take one step at a time.

Thanks! Im really having fun!just like old SWL Dxing days .I finnally think i had a breakthru!I set up on AMC6 again and found a strong TP listed 12143 V 2573 and slowly moved my dish via motor until i saw the meters jump! SS went from 45 to 85 and Q went from 5 to 50 but i got greedy and lost it.But now i know its just a mater of time.PS using my Sat hawk now! when i get better at this i will give the neusat another try!havent given up on it.

 

[phlatwound]

Not sure if this is what you need yet, but as you start looking for more sats it may come in handy:

http://www.satelliteguys.us/free-air-fta-discussion/85225-i-need-strong-transponder-aim-my.html

 

[stanleyjohn]

YES!!!!!!

Got my first satellite broadcast! GBN - Gospel Broadcasting Network AMC6 12143v/2573.Turned motor off and in the mourning i will be able to see exactly where AMC6 is and adjust for proper zero.

 

[stanleyjohn]

Yes i am a happy man

Went up on the roof this mourning and did dish alignment again and i think i got it!!.Scanned AMC9 and got good sig and quality on RTN east and west plus several other channels.I will play around with it today and see how good the arc is.Hey! again thanks to you guys and gals! without your help and Sat guys i wouldnt be at this point today.

 

[McGuyver]

Good to hear you're getting it under control Enjoy!

 

[stanleyjohn]

well i did some playing around today with the blind scan and seeing what i can get.Looks like my range is at least 30 deg w to 125 deg west! At 30w (Hispasat) i have alittle digital breakup at times on all Tps,could this be from my motor angle being slightly off?or just a weak signal!at 125w at the other end i find a good signal.When i do a blind scan and after testing a tp it says failed! what would be the reason for a fail??.

 

[stanleyjohn]

Does the EPG really work?? Nothing but blanks for the channels.

 

[McGuyver]

Does the EPA really work?? Nothing but blanks for the channels.

You must mean the EPG... Extended Program Guide

No they don't work on FTA because it's FTA, The big guys like Dish Network and DirecTV have EPG data because they put it all together for you in a package and that's what subscriber's pay for, their service of reliable and consistant data and broadcasts but when it comes to FTA we are the workers who gather up the bits and pieces off the sats that don't have any EPG data, therefore the EPG will not populate without the EPG data being present.
Whewww! I said that in one breath too!

 

[stanleyjohn]

Thanks McGuyver!That would make things tooo easy.Looks like its going to be much googleing to find some detailed info of these FTA stations while i try to put some kind of programming guide together.I know that satellite guy has a list with some info but i was wondering if there is a more detailed information list on FTA channels.

 

[phlatwound]

I have never figured out how to make my own custom list, but I think some of the folks here have created their own guides with TitanTv:

TitanTV - Free Customizable TV Listings

Also, some of the channels list schedules on their websites.