Help Required Hotbird + Astra 28.2E in one dish

[Lazarus]

[Columbo] Oh, just one more thing: Have you adjusted the skew of each LNB by rotating them in the holder? [/Columbo]

 

[sonnetpete]

Just a couple of further observations. Did you adjust the skew of your 13E LNB for best results? I've also found that the extra weight of the bar and two LNB's tends to weigh the LNB arm down slightly. Try applying upwards pressure to the arm, while watching the meter and see if it improves results.

(Damn, beaten to it by the cigar chewing policeman).

 

[Lazarus]

 

[satpippa]

As for the apparent elevation, I wondered if you'd assembled the backplate the right way up, so have just checked on my own Triax and it looks ok. There should be a differently graduated scale on the other side of the backplate and you assemble the dish so you can adjust within an elevation range suitable for your latitude.

My TD110 has c. 10 to 45 on one scale and 25 to 60 on the other.

What does the other scale on your TD78 permit?

The dish back-mount has scales on both side but the pole-bracket has a notch only on one side, so depending how you mount the pole-bracket you can align the notch only to one scale on one side.

The instruction manual shows:


This the other side of my dish back-mount, before I had the pole bracket reversed so the notch was on this side, but 25° on this side was really skewed and I could not get proper signal at all.


@sonnetpete: I tried to play with LNBs rotation, the pictures of the meter I posted were the best results in terms of signal strength/quality I could get.

@Lazarus: Regarding your previous comment "further west (less east!)", looking at the sky, rotate dish further towards right, right?

Thanks to all for the help, before posting here I was about to give up and call and installer even it really bugged me that I could not do it...

 

[Lazarus]

Looking from LNB towards dish, move dish left (But not much). Right?!

Doing it yourself is always best for the hobbyist ..... having learned so much you'll soon be tempted to try other things

 

[sonnetpete]

One other thing......

The Triax bar has an inbuilt curve but at it's extremes I've found that the LNB needs to be pointed more toward dish focus than the bar allows. I'd slacken off the 13E bracket and see if inclining the LNB slightly towards the dish make a difference. However, you will find that a multi sat set up requires more than a little compromise to achieve results, some of which are less than ideal.

 

[satpippa]

Moving right looking at dish degrades the signal on both LNBs.
I did mark my earlier setup, I'll keep playing with it and see if I can get better results.

Thanks.

 

[Lazarus]

Did you shift both LNBs to compensate for the dish move?

Not sure you've moved the dish the right way .... Left a bit if looking from LNB to dish, or right a bit if looking from behind dish.

 

[satpippa]

Ok, I think I can live with this





My bum is freezing and I'm off the ladder for today

I've connected both LNBs to a DiSEqC Switch, tonight I'm going to check if my TV integrated sat receiver and my DS800 SE like this setup.
If they do, I'll tidy up and put all cables properly and then I'll upload pictures of the setup.

For the moment, many many thanks to all.

 

[Lazarus]

Great job.

Ten gets one Phase 2 will generate itself within weeks ......

 

[Ghostleader]

Ok, I think I can live with this

View attachment 114913

View attachment 114914

My bum is freezing and I'm off the ladder for today

I've connected both LNBs to a DiSEqC Switch, tonight I'm going to check if my TV integrated sat receiver and my DS800 SE like this setup.
If they do, I'll tidy up and put all cables properly and then I'll upload pictures of the setup.

For the moment, many many thanks to all.

Congrats mate, was freezing up here today as well........well as per usual really.

 

[a33]

Good work that you found both satellites!

Not sure why but to get a signal I had to increase the angle to what on my Triax sat scale says is 32° rather than the 25° advised by Dishpointer for my location

Looking at your pictures, I'm not sure: do you have the kind of multifeedbracket with which you can aim the LNBs higher or lower at the dish (turning point of the rail at the arm)?
Then it looks like your LNBs might be aiming to high. But your pictures don't show clearly, it might be an optical illusion. We'd need a picture from the side of the dish.
Aiming point should be about 40% of the hight of the dish, measured from the bottom.
Feedhorns that are located too high would also account for the 'higher elevation angle' of the dish; that's why I thought about this possibility.

Aiming the LNBs lower would mean adjusting dish elevation again, but all this would improve reception (a bit).

I agree with the former posters that it would be better if you set both LNBs more equally distant from the arm, but that would mean you'd have to aim the complete dish again: whole dish more to the right, and elevation a bit higher.
If you want to wait with that till better temperatures: You have my sympathy!

Greetz,
A33

BTW: signal strength is not normally important, important is signal QUALITY for good reception and weather reserve...!

 

[satpippa]

I see what you mean, I think I need to tinker more with the setup and try to get a better signal because Hotbird HD channels are "stuttering"...
Well, it's back on the ladder once the weather permits it ...