Skew problem with Fortecstar LNB FCKUVN

**rolfw** · 24-06-2008

This is the LNB FCKUVN, which Maplins sell with their Passion HD package.

The customer had tried to set up the dish himself,but had problems, so I dropped in to do the final alignment.

With the LNB in the usual Skew position for Astra 28.2E, I was getting abysmal quality readings and a very flat spectrum, so I moved it further around until the spectrum improved, but found I was on the opposite polarity.

Well the picture attached is where I had to put it for perfect skew, have included a red line to show where I would have expected it to be.

**Topper** · 24-06-2008

That is interesting Rolf and I am sure many others will benefit from your post.
I suspect that the designer of the lnb has come of from under a rock and designed it how he/she felt it should be from the electronic perspective but failed to proof their design in a practical test.
The opposite polarity trick I used myself when my lnb began failing many years ago.
It is useful to know but difficult for people to understand why it happens, it took my brain a while to understand it but it is all down to the principle of the phase locked loop pulling in the nearest frequency of that polarity

**satelliteman** · 24-06-2008

Nice one Rolf

I bet a few of those problems newbie's have had have actually been down to this maybe

Bit like when I am checking a quatrro at dish location on systems, it faster for me to spin the LNb to check other polarity than change the band on the spectrum , LOl

**rolfw** · 24-06-2008

Yes, I was using the Satlook NIT, so new I was on the correct satellite by the spectrum display, but a non-spectrum meter using identifier transponders would have given negative or uncertain results. That's why I prefer using the Satlook on most dish setups, as opposed to the Rover ST4.

**satelliteman** · 24-06-2008

Out of interest Rolf, if you go to full span mode with ST4, doesn't that show the whole IF spectrum on the particular band you on anyway. I normally look at Horz OR Vert low band for 28e on spec in full span.

**rolfw** · 24-06-2008

It does, but not very well, the spectrum display on the NIT is very clear.

**satelliteman** · 24-06-2008

Yes, I did read a few write ups on the NIT Spec. It looks the business.

It's all about knowing the traces of satellites and how well you can identify them. That's down to experience too as you know

Would of been difficult to discover without the professional spectrum.

Nice find anyway

**Topper** · 25-06-2008

Originally Posted by rolfw

This is the LNB FCKUVN, which Maplins sell with their Passion HD package.

Perhaps the designers were not so inept after all just dyslexic

**rolfw** · 25-06-2008

LOL, I wondered who would notice the unfortunate model name.

tommo2 · 25-06-2008

HI ROLFW. What are the advantages of a professional meter compared to the ordinary variety? What is the spectrum?Shine a light on the darkness.

**rolfw** · 25-06-2008

It's all down to the amount of information available to you.

The cheap swinging needle meter/sat beeper tells you when you are on a satellite, but not which one, or what the quality of the signal is.

The new generation of digital meters will give you various degrees of signal and quality readings, some will give you a satellite identification by comparing three or four unique transponders, or read the satellite information from the datastream.

A meter with a spectrum display, will do all of that, but also show you a physical representation of the spectrum, which can be used to recognise at a glance which satellite you have found.

**Robbo71** · 25-06-2008

I think this guy may be having the same problem possibly

Help no bbc or itv on fortec start passion hd receiver

It is the same FSKUVN although FCKUVN is what they should have called it

Roly62 · 3 Weeks Ago

Hi:
How i know the north skew in this lnbf(fsku-vn) coss noy have any visible mark.

Thanks in advance

***Rd100*** · 2 Weeks Ago

A bit off topic is that a 90cm dish and was the dish also from maplin just asking as i know some one who is after the 90cm dark gray fortec star,

Originally Posted by rolfw

This is the LNB FCKUVN, which Maplins sell with their Passion HD package.

The customer had tried to set up the dish himself,but had problems, so I dropped in to do the final alignment.

With the LNB in the usual Skew position for Astra 28.2E, I was getting abysmal quality readings and a very flat spectrum, so I moved it further around until the spectrum improved, but found I was on the opposite polarity.

Well the picture attached is where I had to put it for perfect skew, have included a red line to show where I would have expected it to be.

**pedro2000uk** · 2 Weeks Ago

I think we have had someone else on DS with that problem with a Fortec /Maplin kit ... struggled for ages trying to just line a dish up .. just changed the LNB and got going all of a sudden. A lot of Fortec stuff seems to er.. fall short .. we tested an Omega and it kept crashing if you scanned something it didn't like... we swapped it over to an existing motor on USALS with exactly the same position and offsets .. and it moved it.. only a bit but enough to knock 20-30% off the signal... not sure if the USALS was actually 100% compatible. Must be the worse stuff to start on for a newby.

portly · 2 Weeks Ago

its amazing how much the skew of an lnb can improve reception,mine went from 50% intensity and 30% quality to 90% and 72% with a few degrees of skew

**rolfw** · 2 Weeks Ago

Yes it does make a big difference, hence why they alternate polarities, so as to cause minimal interference from adjacent frequencies.

@ RD100, sorry, missed your question, it was the 60cm version of the dish.

Strat · 1 Week Ago

This thread possibly solves my problem also.
I have the same kit (Passion+ HD from Maplin) and possibly because no dish instructions were included this is the first I've heard of LNB skew.
The Sky dishes around my neighbourhood all appear with the connector vertical but if the skew is internal then they would.
I guess I'll have to get the ladder out again tomorrow evening

Strat · 1 Week Ago

RolfW you are an absolute STAR.

I came home this evening and put some skew on my LNB, went inside and saw 94% quality...WOW. A bit more tweaking and it's up to 98%.

Reset and rescanned and I now have loads of rock solid channels including BBC HD.

It's just like you said (as if I'd doubt you) anti-clockwise as you face the front of the dish.

I am very happy. Please send your bill to.......

**rolfw** · 1 Week Ago

LOL, glad it helped.

**rolfw** · 1 Week Ago

Looked at another one of these today and found that there actually is a very feint scale on the top of the LNB, but even using that, the centre mark does not give zero skew.

Zero skew is around 4 O'clock.

michaelcs · 6 Days Ago

Originally Posted by rolfw

Looked at another one of these today and found that there actually is a very feint scale on the top of the LNB, but even using that, the centre mark does not give zero skew.

Zero skew is around 4 O'clock.

Rolf, I can only endorse what everyone else says. I bought this kit five weeks ago to be ready with HD for the Olympics. Was in despair as a newbie after putting it up on a terraced central London rooftop, and moving to new locations (!) every weekend trying to get better signals, and couldn't face my wife who had been sceptical throughout. (The first receiver had to go back to Maplins as the remote suddenly ceased to drive the receiver though it still worked the TV; finally got a replacement after over two weeks because Maplin lost the paperwork....). Still no signal from BBC HD. This evening back up the ladder and turned the sodding LNB as you advised - now I'm getting rock solid channels across the spectrum. (Plea for someone to write this into the set-up guides - the Fortec receiver guide is really inadequate on Disecq set-up unless you know what you're trying to cahieve, and even statelliteman's excellent set-up guide on this site doesn't explain about LNB polarity or skew. Thanks to you all anyway, including satelliteman). Without you all I would have given up long ago.

markjones · 3 Days Ago

skew angle was all my problems as well fortec star from maplin cheers folks

bartman007uk · 1 Day Ago

Just spent all day pulling out my hair trying to get one of those to work. Then I found the small markings and realized I had to turn it. Oh well another day off gone to waste. Works now. Yeah