Help and info required!

D

Doubleu_Dee

New Member
My Satellite Setup
1.2mt motorised dish, 4 core cable connected plus LNB connected via sat cable. Plus second dish (1mt) also connected to a separate sat cable
My Location
Wales
I have just moved into a house which has 2 dishes at the bottom of the garden, 1 I measured is 1 Mt across, the other is 1.2 Mt across. Both are connected to separate satellite cables which run through trunking back to the house and are just hanging out of the wall.
The larger dish has a motor attached to it with a 2 core cable attached to it which also runs back to the house inside trunking, this also just hangs out of the wall in the same place as the others (in an alcove).
Would I be able to use these dishes (or just one of them), and if so what sort of equipment would i need to get them working as they are quite large I am thinking they would give me a good signal and may be better than using BT Freesat?

Any help would be grateful, I know it would be a project to get them working and probably quite a bit of money, but I may recover this in the long run as I would not have to pay another company for something I could get for free (as to speak).

Forgot to say they are both fitted to poles, one (the larger ) has a higher pole and they both are pointing the same direction)
Thanks

WD
 
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Doubleu_Dee said:
I have just moved into a house which has 2 dishes at the bottom of the garden, 1 I measured is 1 Mt across, the other is 1.2 Mt across. Both are connected to separate satellite cables which run through trunking back to the house and are just hanging out of the wall.
The larger dish has a motor attached to it with a 2 core cable attached to it which also runs back to the house inside trunking, this also just hangs out of the wall in the same place as the others (in an alcove).
Would I be able to use these dishes (or just one of them), and if so what sort of equipment would i need to get them working as they are quite large I am thinking they would give me a good signal and may be better than using BT Freesat?

Any help would be grateful, I know it would be a project to get them working and probably quite a bit of money, but I may recover this in the long run as I would not have to pay another company for something I could get for free (as to speak).

Forgot to say they are both fitted to poles, one (the larger ) has a higher pole and they both are pointing the same direction)
Thanks

WD
Click to expand...




Please provide a few photographs ......
 
Get a cheap gtmedia box and plug it in...

Sat finder is here

19.2 e is a example of Free to air via another sat position in a different direction.
 
Interesting question and Welcome to the forum, but much more information required, as Lazarus mentioned, pictures of the dishes and the LNBs would help, how long is the cable run, that may give a clue as to why the dishes are so big. Also a plan picture of your garden from Google Earth, showing where the dishes are, may give an idea of why they are situated there, obstructions by trees for example. You can use Dishpointer.com to find out which satellite/satellites they are pointing to.

A 60cm dish mounted on the house would not cost a fortune to install or even have installed, for Freesat the large dishes are overkill, unless the cable runs are very long and they are a requisite.

So more detailed information please, then we can help. :)
 
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Sorry for late reply, been on holiday, thanks all who replied. I tried just a few moments ago to send a few photo's as per Lazarus suggested, but my system (pc - Firefox) just hung so I have now re-booted my pc and am hoping to upload at least one of them, if it works I will upload more until they are all uploaded. Fingers crossed.

WD
 

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Well, look at that, they all went up!
(that's the house at the bottom of my garden, not mine) they are about 30mts away from the house and the guy gave me a quick run through telling me he could pick up around 20 satellites and programs from them including one which was called 'Hispasat'?and the other side of the movement he could pick up another which was past the sky satellite with many others in between!
I'm not sure if what he said is correct, but said they came with the sale of his house, now I don't know how the satellite would move (if it still does) or what I would use to connect the motor up and also the satellite cable which is a bit confusing, so I'm hoping for some guidance and maybe I will be able to afford to do it all.
Thanks

WD
 
SWNBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed) is calling for me to mow the lawn, so I'll have to go for now, but will check in later.

Thanks

WD
 
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The upper steerable dish is a Channel Master, the lower is a Triax.

Both could be close to 30 years old.
 
Are they any good or just scrap metal?
 
Doubleu_Dee said:
Are they any good or just scrap metal?
Click to expand...
The upper one is made of plastic, so, can not be a scrap metal :) . In fast, it is one of the best antennas on the second-hand market. Just give it a good wash and repaint the mount and system will be working without any problems for another 20-30 years.
 
Doubleu_Dee said:
now I don't know how the satellite would move (if it still does) or what I would use to connect the motor up and also the satellite cable which is a bit confusing
Click to expand...
To store and recall positions you'll either need a receiver with an internal 36v positioner or a V-box type device that will work alongside most receivers (or on it's own). Neither are particularly abundant these days but there's a V-box on ebay at the moment:

Code: 
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/127085183362

The cable from the dish motor should have at least 4 wires in order to use the V-box and you'll need to work out which pair go to the motor and which are for the sensor. It might be possible to see if the motor (AKA actuator) works by connecting the motor wires (not the sensor wires) to a car battery.
 
ozumo said:
To store and recall positions you'll either need a receiver with an internal 36v positioner or a V-box type device that will work alongside most receivers (or on it's own). Neither are particularly abundant these days but there's a V-box on ebay at the moment:

Code: 
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/127085183362

The cable from the dish motor should have at least 4 wires in order to use the V-box and you'll need to work out which pair go to the motor and which are for the sensor. It might be possible to see if the motor (AKA actuator) works by connecting the motor wires (not the sensor wires) to a car battery.
Click to expand...
Best show the exposed wires at the non-dish end first, motor and sensor on older systems are a different diameter/colour.
 
Thank you all for your advice, I shall google for a v-box device so I can power up the motor, what receiver would anyone advise that will work with the v-box and move the dish around?
 
Channel Hopper said:
Best show the exposed wires at the non-dish end first, motor and sensor on older systems are a different diameter/colour.
Click to expand...
There is just a black 4 core cable sticking out of the wall (one of the cores is smaller than the other 3) alongside the 2 satellite cables?
 
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Most receivers can control a V-Box II, using Disecq 1.2.
If you take the cover, off the motor, to view the connections, it should have 4 separate connections, Motor + (M+), Motor - (M-), and a Sensor + Sensor -.
If you have a 9 - 12 volt battery, and connect a wire, to +, and Motor +, sometimes M1, or M2, and negative, on the battery, to the second connection, on the motor, it should move, East or West, if the motor is working.

These 4 wires are very thin, like on a plug.
 
Thanks, I'll have to get a plank to span the corner where the two sheds meet to do that because the distance to stretch over to reach the motor is a little wide for me to reach it, so I'll get onto it asap.

WD
 
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