LNB , how to know is dead?

[a33]

Hello I retrieved our conversation when I was trying to set up my dish/ motor back in 2017.

Ah yes.

Then the 7 degrees on your dish elevation scale is wrong; it should be Bend angle (usually 30/35/40 degrees) MINUS 6.74 degrees.
SG2100 has 30 degrees tilt in motor axis I believe, so in your case set the dish elevation scale to about 23.26*.

Advice Needed - Set up my motorised dish

Finding your first satellite is always tough, and is still difficult, without the right tools. I personally prefer to use a meter, the cheap ones, £5-£10, work perfectly. With these you instantly know if your connections are correct, as the back light comes on, and you can get a signal even...

www.satellites.co.uk

Those are the modified motor angles there, so quite all right.

Greetz,
A33

 

[Loquacious]

Please go into your menu, Tuning and scanning, select Positioner setup, and try using the fine movement options, to step the dish East, and West, to maximize your signal quality.
Your motor might no longer be finding the satellites, correctly, you can adjust this by altering your Longitude settings, by small amounts, to compensate.
If you have tried using the positioner setup option, and I've missed your posting, I apologise, as many other people have become involved, and thus I miss some posts.

Ok , I will check everything again. I also go up to the motor and loose the bolts and manually make some elevation corrections if needed.. I will let you . Thanks

 

[Mickha]

Don't touch the dish until after you've checked the positioner setup.
If you do want to start from the beginning, follow the guide, for using USALS.
Ensure the motor, and LNB, are at 0.
Enter your correct Latitude, and Longitude, into your receiver.
Send your motor/dish, to a suitable satellite, using your receiver, in your case 0.8W, would be a good choice, providing you do have a clear line of sight.

Then go to your dish, connect your meter, and turn the knob until it reads about 5. Gently nudge your dish, until the meter reads 10, then adjust the knob, again, until it reads 5, and keep doing this until you get the maximum, then adjust your dish angle, using the same procedure, until you get the maximum signal.
Now go to your receiver, and scan in some channels, to check which satellite you're on.
Use lyngsat, or king of sat, to confirm which satellite your on.

Once you've found 0.8W, then send you dishto your furthest East satellite, that has a clear line of sight, 42E, or 39E, is usually a good choice, not the signal quality readings, then send it to 30W.
If you need to make any slight adjustments, send it back to 0.8W, adjust your motor elevation, slightly, the compemsate by adjusing your dish elevatio, to get the maximum signal, then try your furthest East, and West, satellites, to see if you've improved the tracking, or made it worse.
Then you just keep making minor adjustments, after sending it to 0.8W, until you're satisfied with the signal quality.

 

[Loquacious]

Updating: I did the fine tune and stepped east until I got 80% of signal at 19.2e . I got all the channels that were before and we like to have.
When I tried to do with 13.0e I couldn't find any signals no channels.
I will put the rubber boots that just arrived so I get the analogue sat meter and see if I find any other satellites.

 

[Mickha]

Try turning off your receiver, disconnecting your LNB, then connect your satellite meter, to your receiver, ensuring you get it the right way round, then connect the cable, from your LNB, to the meter.
Turn back on your receiver, then use your meter to try to find other satellites, by gently moving it West, using your positioner Setup option, slowly until you peak a signal.
You might find 16E, first, then 13E.

 

[Loquacious]

Try turning off your receiver, disconnecting your LNB, then connect your satellite meter, to your receiver, ensuring you get it the right way round, then connect the cable, from your LNB, to the meter.
Turn back on your receiver, then use your meter to try to find other satellites, by gently moving it West, using your positioner Setup option, slowly until you peak a signal.
You might find 16E, first, then 13E.

Unsuccessful. I have only Astra 19.2 and when I scan 16E scanned the 6 first channels I got when I scanned in the first time. I've got all tr 19.2 channels now at between 50% and 70% signal quality. It is good image quality and some HD channels takes a time to come on and others don't.
I think I have to loose the bolts tomorrow and manually move a bit the dish and the motor elevation.
What you guys think?
Thanks a lot for your time to the tutorials... I appreciate it.
Have a good evening. Cheers

 

[Mickha]

You have to move the motor quite a bit, to get to the next satellite, so don't use the fine movement, but the other option, but you have to stop it fairly quickly, or it will keep on going.
Another option is to use USALS, to send your dish to 13E, then use the fine movement option to try and find a signal.

 

[a33]

What you guys think?

I don't think anything, because I don't know what motor setup manual you have used, and if you really checked (and double checked) each step.
And I've lost track, of what you (already) did.

If you ask me, I'd check and ask you these questions (and more!):
1. Pole exactly vertical, in east/west direction? (Also in north/south direction? That is not really needed, but it is practical!)
2. Motor elevation then set at proper elevation/latitude angle? Measured on elevation scale of the motor, or with inclinometer (=better)?
3. Motor goes to exactly zero, when you give the Goto-Zero/Goto-Reference command?
4. Dish is mounted exactly in line, with the motor, then (while on Zero)?
5. Arm/LNB is mounted exactly in line, with (motor and) dish, then?
6. Dish elevation scale then set at proper value?
7. Used the "USALS way" of aiming your complete setup to a reference satellite? Which satellite did you choose?

Just trying to change some angles, without a diagnosis and proper plan: I don't like that. (But that's me... Others might do it differently.)

Greetz,
A33

 

[Terryl]

#1 is very important, if the mounting mast is off vertical,(left/right, front or back) you can miss satellites at either end of the arc.

And another point, the dish and motor assembly should be aligned directly DUE South first, or again you can be off the arc. (due North for those in the Southern hemisphere)

 

[Loquacious]

You have to move the motor quite a bit, to get to the next satellite, so don't use the fine movement, but the other option, but you have to stop it fairly quickly, or it will keep on going.
Another option is to use USALS, to send your dish to 13E, then use the fine movement option to try and find a signal.

I did it..no signal.

 

[Loquacious]

I don't think anything, because I don't know what motor setup manual you have used, and if you really checked (and double checked) each step.
And I've lost track, of what you (already) did.

If you ask me, I'd check and ask you these questions (and more!):
1. Pole exactly vertical, in east/west direction? (Also in north/south direction? That is not really needed, but it is practical!)
2. Motor elevation then set at proper elevation/latitude angle? Measured on elevation scale of the motor, or with inclinometer (=better)?
3. Motor goes to exactly zero, when you give the Goto-Zero/Goto-Reference command?
4. Dish is mounted exactly in line, with the motor, then (while on Zero)?
5. Arm/LNB is mounted exactly in line, with (motor and) dish, then?
6. Dish elevation scale then set at proper value?
7. Used the "USALS way" of aiming your complete setup to a reference satellite? Which satellite did you choose?

Just trying to change some angles, without a diagnosis and proper plan: I don't like that. (But that's me... Others might do it differently.)

Greetz,
A33

Yes, I think is that... What is funny , is I have 19.2 when sending the the dish to other satellites, I cannot signals in any of them . Thanks

 

[Loquacious]

#1 is very important, if the mounting mast is off vertical,(left/right, front or back) you can miss satellites at either end of the arc.

And another point, the dish and motor assembly should be aligned directly DUE South first, or again you can be off the arc. (due North for those in the Southern hemisphere)

Not long ago, I had 13.e and 19.2 on my old dish ( the famous fortec star plus HD which blowed off. ) . The dish itself looked the same, but I believe maybe tilted or move due to the weather.. whate do you think? Thanks

 

[Mickha]

It looks like your dish is no longer tracking the satellite arc.
When you searched for other satellites, by gently moving it West, to the right, in positioner setup, and attaching the meter, to your receiver, did you remember to turn down the knob, until it read 5, after you'd lost satellite signal or didn't you try attaching your meter, to the receiver?

If you really have lost the satellite arc then you need to begin the process, of setting up your dish, all over again, following the guide, I posted earlier, but as a33, posted, check the basics, that your pole is still plumb, firmly attached, and can hold the weight, of dish, and motor, without bending.

 

[Channel Hopper]

Not long ago, I had 13.e and 19.2 on my old dish ( the famous fortec star plus HD which blowed off. ) . The dish itself looked the same, but I believe maybe tilted or move due to the weather.. whate do you think? Thanks

As above, if you can provide a couple of side on images of the dish, someboody here will have an idea if the angles look right for your location.

 

[Loquacious]

As above, if you can provide a couple of side on images of the dish, someboody here will have an idea if the angles look right for your location.

Hello Channel Hopper and all
I come to a conclusion that my dish loose signals in spring/summer as have a couple of trees that have been growing in sizes and consequently have more leaves blocking the satellite arc ( I suppose).. As the last week past, today I tried again at 13.e with the TVE international transponders and I got 50% signal and it locked but because of the wind down here and the leaves coming down, I got the channels in the TVE transponders.
So , do you think it is what causes the problem?

 

[Channel Hopper]

Hello Channel Hopper and all
I come to a conclusion that my dish loose signals in spring/summer as have a couple of trees that have been growing in sizes and consequently have more leaves blocking the satellite arc ( I suppose).. As the last week past, today I tried again at 13.e with the TVE international transponders and I got 50% signal and it locked but because of the wind down here and the leaves coming down, I got the channels in the TVE transponders.
So , do you think it is what causes the problem?View attachment 152183View attachment 152185

I had meant from a distance.

 

[Loquacious]

I had meant from a distance.

 

[Channel Hopper]

View attachment 152186View attachment 152187View attachment 152188

And from the side.

 

[a33]

I come to a conclusion that my dish loose signals in spring/summer as have a couple of trees that have been growing in sizes and consequently have more leaves blocking the satellite arc ( I suppose).

Your are just a few days after sun outage, for your location. Presently the sun is about 2 degrees below the clarke belt.

So: is your dish still in the sun, with no (or hardly any) shadow at the bottom of the dish, during the day?
If there is no shadow, you're OK. If there is, at various times, shadow, then it indicates that at that time the satellite at the sun longitude is shadowed...

Greetz,
A33

 

[Mickha]

Can you try moving your dish East, first to 23.5E, which is as strong as 19.2E, then to 28.2E, if you have a clear line of sight.
Then peak the signal quality, and post the results.