diseqc motor install - help needed

css_jay99

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Hi,

I was looking via my stab motor manual, and it says that I should point the dish towards the satellite closest to my position.

Correct me if I am wrong but my location beign south london (Lat-N51.47 & Long-E0.11) implies that 1West is my closest satellite rather than Atra/hotbird.

why is it then difficult to align a dish on 1west considering that I have in up to 5 occations installed dishes on Astra/hortbird by simply looking at where everyone's sky dish is pointing ?. Is it because there are less feeds and worst signals on 1West.

Also by using a compass dont even have an idea how to point the dish due south. Is there anyway on drawing diagrams on the floor so i can align. methods will be appreciated. I know that moving the compass too close to the dish causes a variations in the reading

cheers

carlton
 

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For a reasonable attempt at finding true south, walk around the dish until the needle points towards the post, and place a marker on the ground

The walk round the other side and again the other end of the needle will point toward the post, put the other marker on the ground

Look along the line to the first marker, if its behind the centre of the post then you have a North South line and the dish can be set up to this

DiSEqC motors are not easy if they do not have the buttons to manually move them
 

rolfw

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If you set your receiver on the transponder for BBC world, there is a FTA transmission that you can monitor. If you can first find Hotbird, then it only a relatively short upward and Westward movement of the dish to find thor. If you have an analogue receiver, you can first try and find 5W using one of the French analogue channels, it is then an even shorter sweep to find Thor.

To find Due south with a compass, tie a piece of string to your dish mount, find South on the compass and extend the string out along the projected Sothern path, a piece of wood stuck in the ground will suffice, you will need to add a number of degrees to the compass reading to account for magnetic variation, I think 3 or 4 degrees west for London, but I'll have to sheck. There is a utility in the download section for so doing.
 

css_jay99

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cheers guys. just tried to do it earlier considering the weather is briliant but the missus decided it was time for her yoga so cant use the TV

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css_jay99

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tried late yesterday

I set the dish & mount & motor up for hotbird and 1st time lucky, i was able to get Hotbird, 19.2 & 13East. I could not get the other sats.

I then retried the whole install again but using a closer satellite but i was not realy getting anything strong

By the way i thought 1west is south UK's closest satellite. if so should we not be getting stronger signals than astra/hotbird


does anyone know an anologe frequency for a channel with very strong signals on 1 West that I can use to fine tune my dish.

by the way my dish is an 88cm Triax


css_jay99
 

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If I remember correctly only a couple of D2 Mac channels are left on 1West
 

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don't think there's any real mystery about this.

There are three sats at 1west.

Thor2 is for the Scandanavian market. It's nordic beam is centred on Sweden. See http://www.thor-satellites.com/index.php?click0=3&click1=1&click2=3&sel0=3&sel1=1&sel2=3&

Thor3 is for the Eastern-European market. See http://www.thor-satellites.com/index.php?click0=3&click1=2&click2=3&sel0=3&sel1=2&sel2=3&

Intelsat707 has a couple of hemispheric beams & a global beam, all of which are therefore relatively weak. Its stronger spot beams are both intended for the Scandanavian markets and are centred on Sweden. See http://www.intelsat.com/globalnetwork/coveragemaps/707@359.asp

In most of the UK, all of these signals will be weaker than the Astra1 & Hotbird signals. The Intel707 spots will be the strongest, at between 47 and 49 dbW but compare that to 56 for Hotbird's Europe beam.

2old
 

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Cheers


RESULTS AT LAST !.

I managed to install the motor & dish on the clarke belt.
I have stored 28.2E, 19.2E,16E,13E,1W & 30W !

I am sure the neighbours must think I am Mad cos I kept going in & out of the garden to align the dish. They probably think I am a spy, afterall your average UK household has only got a non moving 45cm sky dish and they certainly dont go out in the garden touching it up

My new problem is that even thought I am getting a good picture on Hispasat (30W) i am not getting sound , all I get is hiss/ noise (i have an 88cm dish). Any ideas's ?

I will try to fine tune later on today to see if that makes a difference

TWO other questions .
1) Is it possible to use a monobloc with a diseqc motor so that when dish is parked at astra/ hotbird I can receive both sat's
2) Is there a lot of difference(in terms of speed, ease of use & install ....) between a diseqc motor, H-H mount and Actuators

cheers

css_jay99
 

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In the case of digital signals, a weak or marginal reception is not manifested as a good picture with poor sound - they will both be equally as good or bad. In fact, it's usually all or nothing. You'll either get a perfect picture and sound or nothing at all. The inbetween state is a very narrow band and if your signal strength is just on that borderline you'll see a pixellated/blocky picture and choppy sound cutting in and out. Sound is usually retained a little longer than picture.

Hissing sound suggests to me that either you're looking at a weak analogue signal, or else the audio-PIDs are not set up properly (which is actually unlikely since they come in automatically).

2old
 

lee32uk

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@Css_jay99

Hissing sound could mean you dont have your TV format setup correctly.You should have it set to PAL-I (UK) and not PAL-G.
 

css_jay99

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you are right lee32uk, its now ok



any comments regarding my question on mounts....

css_jay99
 

rolfw

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The DiseqC switch idea won't work css_jay99, there would be a conflict with the DiseqC motor, the 36 volt motor is in my experience faster, but probably more difficult to set up.
 

css_jay99

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I was thinking of the Jaeger 99G silent gold or Gemini gold.

any ideas as to where i can find install manual so i can compare with the diseqc install

css_jay99
 
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