Astra 2D in Sicily?..not yet.... :( but Im not giving up!!!

Likvid · 03-12-2005

Originally Posted by ynot62

Hi Guys,
Yesterday I was reading once more the Install Manual of my Dish and I noticed for the first time that on point 8 regarding how to assembly the petals, it says:
Starting at the hub tighten all hardware by working outward 1 circular row at the time.
Actually we never followed this procedure but layed them one at the time screwing them to eachother as we went alone.
Could it be the reason why is not working properly?
Maybe we distorted the petals or the alignment is not proper?
If I retighten the dish again could i solve the problem?
Tony

I figured the dish was distorted, it is very important to follow the instructions when assembling petalized dish as all petals are numbered and should be assembled in the correct order.

I don't know if the dish is permantently distorted now or if it can be fixed.

You have to try and re-assemble it again....

The problem is not feedhorn or LNB, you have the right feed from ADL.

***dave branson*** · 18-01-2006

Hi Tony
Are you having any success?

**ynot62** · 19-01-2006

Hi Dave,
nothing yet.
I checked the dish once more but it seems not distorted.
It is getting more and more difficult as I am alone now.
All the technicians I called were not able to do any improvements.
I did a few more try but no improvements.
I am still convinced it is a problem of rightly aligning the dish;
At the moment my dish is working much worse then my smaller 1.2 mt offset dish.
And even about the skew, I really am not able to get the best one for better reception.
If you have any new advice, it will be very welcome.
Ciao for now
Tony

**ynot62** · 24-02-2006

Hi Guys,
I am back.
Winter is almost over here and I am starting again to look for the bloody Astra 2D.
Today I noticed how important is to skew the LNB but when I look for the best reception of the main transborder 11778 V, i noticed that i loose all the channels which are on 28.5°, i.e. Setanta Sports UK and Celtic TV and Setanta Sports 1 and 2.
I did the best reception signal on 12051 V but then I loose the whole sky package, no signal on EPG at all.
Now my question is, especially to the guys who install dishes in Cyprus:
Can you tell me what is your system to get the best reception on sky first and then on astra 2D?
Now I know that I have to work on the aligment of the dish, the right F/D and the right skew; but where I start from?
I guess I should start from the right aligment first, then the right F/D and then only at the last doing the skewing.
Do you think I am doing right if I try to get the best signal from the main transborder on 11778 V and then going on with the skewing?
Thans for now
Tony

***Zorba*** · 24-02-2006

First i find the satellite with a spectrum analyser,then adjust the skew while looking at the spectrum so you can see either the horizontal or vertical spikes,As you twist the lnb clockwise and anti clockwise you see the separate spikes come and go.When one set go away,then the skew is set.then finely move the dish up and down and left and right so the spikes are at their longest.The same when you slide the lnb closer to and further away from dish(for focal distance).If you do have a spectrum analyser,set it for horizontal (18v) and 22khz off and you should see two groups of spikes.The higher frequency are eurobird (and stronger) and the lower frequency(and much shorter) are the 2D bbc itv spikes.
Then i connect my digital sat meter so that i can input a chosen frequency so that i can maximise it .Over here 12.205v sky news is the strongest so do that first then go for a weakish like 11.778v.Then go for a 2D frequency like 10.774h for bbc.

***iceman*** · 25-02-2006

Originally Posted by ynot62

Now my question is, especially to the guys who install dishes in Cyprus:
Can you tell me what is your system to get the best reception on sky first and then on astra 2D?

I agree with Zorba...Best route would be to go for 12207V 27500 2/3 ( sky News) do all the tweaking like focal distance,LNB skew etc on this frequency trying to improve it to maximum reception..once highest readout is achieved on this transponder,go to a weaker one and try to do the same...

***bignick*** · 25-02-2006

Originally Posted by zorba

Then i connect my digital sat meter so that i can input a chosen frequency so that i can maximise it .Over here 12.205v sky news is the strongest so do that first then go for a weakish like 11.778v.Then go for a 2D frequency like 10.774h for bbc.

I agree with zorba also, though the bit I have quoted is perplexing....I assume, like me, you are using a satlook digital that will not lock the last light on on the digital constellation read out (I think this is the satlooks biggest drawback). After this I usually go back to the spectrum, set it to min span on 10.773 and fine tune using the number on the right (as a rule of thumb 60 gives a good picture but 61.5 is what I look for on say, a 3.0m dish)

Which digital sat meter do you use zorba? My backup is a Lacuna 2 with north south loaded on. Though I think its an excellent meter I really don't rate it for fine tuning on 2d! - maybe I've judged it too quickly, as I got used to the satlook I virtually stopped using the Lacuna.

**simonskyman** · 25-02-2006

I also agree with Zorba.I use a Roversat digital meter and take a c/n reading on any given frequency to tune dish to that particular channel .

***Zorba*** · 25-02-2006

I use an old Promax spectrum analyser.I use to have a roversat which was quite good for tuning individual frequencies but signal cut out too soon on a weak signal.Now i am using a horizon which works on percentages so i know that when i get a certain reading,i know if its going to pixellate or not.But its set for 4 sky settings,astra high (h or v) and 2D h or v.This can be reprogrammed by connecting to the pc.

**ynot62** · 28-03-2006

Originally Posted by zorba

I use an old Promax spectrum analyser.I use to have a roversat which was quite good for tuning individual frequencies but signal cut out too soon on a weak signal.Now i am using a horizon which works on percentages so i know that when i get a certain reading,i know if its going to pixellate or not.But its set for 4 sky settings,astra high (h or v) and 2D h or v.This can be reprogrammed by connecting to the pc.

Hi Guys,
today I bought an angle finder and I surpriselly noticed that the elevation is 42,5° instead of 44,15° as my location requests.
Do you think that this difference can be the cause of my unuseful research of Astra 2D?
What amount of signal loss can provoke this difference of almost 2 degrees?
I will check the alignment in the next days but for the moment what is your experience?
And what do you think about the new BBC HD broadcasting? Would it be better to buy a FTA HDTV receiver or the sky HD box, which could be good for a future subscribing to the sky HD offer?
I guess that I can watch eventually the BBC HD on a sky HD box without subscribing to the sky HD offer?
And one more thing, where can I get a sky HD box? Living in Sicily, I am not allowed to get the HD box directly from sky.
At least we should be able to watch the whole World Cup on the interactive BBC channels, which I receive on my NOKIA 9800MM
Ciao for now
Tony

Likvid · 12-09-2006

So what is happening? you have been struggling for years now getting it to work.

**ynot62** · 25-09-2006

Hi Likvid,
I gave up..

We tried the possible and the impossible here in Sicily; nothing at all, not even a small signal from Astra 2D.
I am all confused now: I do not know if the dish is too small, if it doesnt work properly, if my LNB is not working..
I do not know anything anymore.
I called all the best installers in Italy..nothing at all
Ciao for now
Tony

Coviello · 06-10-2006

Hy Tony,

have look at this tread:
_http://www.digital-forum.it/showthread.php?t=19731&page=1

A guy in Cosenza (Calabria, Southern Italy) is able to receive ASTRA2d with a 350 cm dish!

coviello

**barney** · 08-10-2006

Originally Posted by Coviello

Hy Tony,

have look at this tread:
_http://www.digital-forum.it/showthread.php?t=19731&page=1

A guy in Cosenza (Calabria, Southern Italy) is able to receive ASTRA2d with a 350 cm dish!

coviello

i Coviello
nice to see you.....

it's true?

Barney

Coviello · 08-10-2006

Hi Barney,

I did not have the opportunity to check personally the good news for people living in Southern Italy (watchable reception of Astra2d) with a resonable big dish. I asked the Calabrian guy to give me some more information, like how many hours of a day he has got a watchable reception, who produced his dish (Patriot, Prodelin, etc.) with somewhat unusual diameter (350 cm), frequences, lnb. I only know that the signal is low and when it rains reception is impossible. I hope I will get his e-mail answer very soon.

Coviello

Likvid · 08-04-2007

How is it going? it's been a few years now.......any updates?

Here is a photo for reference from the feedholder on a Patriot 3.1m dish.

ceevee · 09-04-2007

Hi There... I have a friend of mine who lives in Gozo (Malta's sister island) and he has a 4 meter dish in his garden, and he recieved 2D quite well... although now in summer time between 12 - 16 he gets alot of boxes and sometimes no signal at all... any way, the point is that in Sicilia i think you can get 2D 24/7 if you get a 4 meter dish... just slightly bigger then the one u have i guess. Sicilia is only a few miles north of Malta, so i don't think it would be impossible. If you align your dish in the right way i am sure you will get it, if not 24/7 you will get it at least between 17:00 and all through the night till maybe noon or so... Good luck and don't give up... I only have a 1.5 meter dish here! So I won't even dream of getting free little britian and the carry on movies etc!

hehe But there is always Canal + and the other UKTV channels

Enjoy!

Likvid · 09-04-2007

But this guy already have a 3.8m Patriot commercial dish so 20cm more doesn't matter really.

Don't really understand either why he can't get it to work, must have been damaged when they installed the dish petals together so the dish warped or something.

The Swedish Television broadcasting SVT1 and SVT2 in my country have their offices close to me and they have two Patriot 3.8m antennas for uplink facility and according to the them they perform good if you install it right as they mentioned it was tricky putting it together correctly.

DAVID CARABOTT · 10-04-2007

Hi Ceevee,
Like you I am from Malta and long for and crave to get the Beeb - the real thing not the BBC Prime crap.
On my 1.8m fibreglass dish I do not get any 2D although 2A/B North Beam is OK.
This is the very first time I have heard of anyone receiving the 2D signal in Malta. I have enquired and enquired, and everyone tells me that it is close to impossible because of the very bad reception here. Rumour has it that not even the Melita Cable huge 11-metre dish at Madliena can get it although I do not know whether this is true and have no means to verify it.
If this is true it is good news indeed.
Is there any way I can contact our Gozitan friend e.g. email or private message. Perhaps he can give some advice for anyone interested in trying it out.
Thanks and regards.

***iceman*** · 10-04-2007

Originally Posted by DAVID CARABOTT

Hi Ceevee,
Like you I am from Malta and long for and crave to get the Beeb - the real thing not the BBC Prime crap.
On my 1.8m fibreglass dish I do not get any 2D although 2A/B North Beam is OK.
This is the very first time I have heard of anyone receiving the 2D signal in Malta. I have enquired and enquired, and everyone tells me that it is close to impossible because of the very bad reception here. Rumour has it that not even the Melita Cable huge 11-metre dish at Madliena can get it although I do not know whether this is true and have no means to verify it.
If this is true it is good news indeed.
Is there any way I can contact our Gozitan friend e.g. email or private message. Perhaps he can give some advice for anyone interested in trying it out.
Thanks and regards.

If we can receive 2D (horizontal transponders only) in Cyprus with a 4.2m dish...I believe you have a good chance of picking it up with a similar size dish in Malta..

http://www.lyngsat-maps.com/maps/astra2d.html

DAVID CARABOTT · 10-04-2007

That's what I used to think. Cyprus is more distant from the UK than Malta. But Cyprus is close to a relatively strong signal sidelobe and Malta is in a cursed cold spot location as regards 2D reception!
Regarding Eurobird 1 and the 2A/B North Beam signal it a different story - here we get them all even with good offset 1.2m dishes (mine is 2.8m) but in Cyprus I read that larger dishes are needed.

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