Help needed - freesat installation

pantera2075

Member
My Satellite Setup
Maplin Fortec Star SD
My Location
Stoke ST5
If you don't mind guys:

I'm on my second setup already. Got one of them Aldi ones the other day, installed it all, and nothing - absolutely nowt on the intensity or quality. Took the reciever back for another one - nowt. Took it back for refund.
Got a Maplins Sd one now. Got 33% intensity +/- 2 % and 5% quality +/- 1%. This doesn't change wherever I point it.

I'm pretty confident it's pointing in the right direction, at about the right elevation. Power meter with the Maplin one was the same in that general direction so didn't really help.

I have a big overhanging tree that i'm going under and semi detatcheds across the road.

Any input appreciated.

Phil
 
Welcome.

Maybe a line of sight problem but suspect a possible cable termination fault or a simple dish alignment issue.
[thread title edited to a more appropriate heading]
 
Thanks for the input.

Currently, it's off its bracket upside down and still reading 45% intensity and 5% quality. I've tried it in 4 positions around the house high and low. All between vertical and about 10 deg - nothing.

Tried hotbird as it's slightly better for line of sight - nothing. Checked f connectors many times - fine.
Done a box reset to default.
Seems strange that 3 systems might all be duff?
 
I'm sure we can help. Please be patient, thread is only 2 hours old :)
 
Crikey mate, that was the quickest give up I have ever seen, LOL

Have you looked at dishpointer.com ? Point the dish that way, and a bit of a tweaky, you should be there. Just a little bit at a time.
 
Hi Phil, most novice problems with alignment are down to connections, LNB skew or dish positioning, particularly pointing the dish too high. For Astra 28.2 East, the dish face will be near vertical and must be positioned within a degree of the satellite.
 
Almost certainly LNB skew (The good old FCVN design)
 
I have exactly the same kit and have experienced problems getting reception. The odd thing is that I can receive a strong (i.e. 99%) signal from Astra 1, but nothing from Astra 2 28.8E. I can receive about 120 Dutch, German and Belgian pay channels, but this isn't much good to me!!

Admittedly, the instructions with the Aldi kit aren't the clearest (it's usually the case with Tevion gear), and the satellite finder provided is about as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike, but I'm not a complete idiot and I'm fairly sure I've been doing the right things (the connectors supplied with the kit are crap, so I've replaced them all and the cable with items from Maplin which are far better quality).

I'd be interested to know if anyone has any more success!
 
@toxophillus

You can only receive one satellite from one direction unless you are rotating the dish by hand have a motorised dish or you have a monobloc lnb but your post omits to inform us how you are expecting to acheive reception from more than one.
 
Sorry, I'm not wanting to get reception from more than one satellite, just Astra 2 28.8E!! This is what I'm curious about - why is it that I can receive Astra 1 without any problems, from the settings which I have found that I need for Astra 2? Yet I cannot receive Astra 2?
 
Are you actually moving the satellite dish whenyou turn to Astra 2 listing?

They are not at the same position in the sky and you need to move the dish eastward a little bit more and downwards just a touch. It'll help you align the dish if you've already chosen a channel in the Astra 2 listing before you move the dish.
 
take your box to a mate with sky tune the box on his dish set the channels in then take the box home .then try to set it up agian this time if the dish is right you will get pics staight away.
 
This is from a complete newbie. I bought the 28216ald kit from Aldi last Thursday and been trying constantly to achieve a set-up. I have the dish on a trypod standing about 2metres high. I intend using it with a caravan. I am getting readings of about 80 reception and 0- 56 quality, fluctuating. This is as far as I get as I have no idea what to do next even if I did get a higher and steadier quality. As mentioned before in this thread the user manual is rubbish. I'd be interested to know how to lock onto the sat and then how to get the pictures, if any, onto the screen.

Help much appreciated.

Scrubs
 
We need pictures scrubs.
 
This site although for caravanners also gives instructions useful for anyone attempting their first install
_http://www.satelliteforcaravans.co.uk/

Near bottom pf page click on type of receiver you have.

If you have tried everything on that site and still have problems then come back here for further help.
 
rolfw said:
We need pictures scrubs.

Especially of the bits at the front of the dish. There were installation troubles a couple of years back with one particular dish/LNB combination supplied through Maplin, not the quality, but the design and how it went together.
 
I did not find what I wanted on the caravan site. Since my last entry I have continued trying to get higher quality and today I have found that no matter where I train the dish it stays on 25% n,e, s or w. I have pictures of the dish and a view of the dish direction but haven't had luck in finding picture manager to send then. What other pictures would be useful?
 
Have you accounted for the fact that the dish will have an Offset LNB arm?

ie The dish face should be more or less vertical as the LNB arm is offset roughly 25 degrees which is also the approximate required Elevation.

The pics you mention might help .............. so in your Posts, select Go Advanced and then scroll down to Manage Attachments. Watch the file sizes.
 

Attachments

  • Offset Dish.webp
    Offset Dish.webp
    2 KB · Views: 21
Upload your photos here - don't bother with any photo hosting sites as the links to them can disappear.

Click the Reply to Thread button below and then click on the Go Advanced button.

Underneath the window for the text is an area Additional Options. In there is a part saying Manage Attachments. Here you can upload them from your computer to this forum.

Have you looked at _www.dishpointer.com? You can input your location and which satellite you want to receive and will show you which direction and what elevation to set the dish to. This can be your starting point for minor adjustments. You can even drag the pushpin to exactly your location so you can use local landmarks to take a bearing from.
 
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