Newb motorised setup woes!

[Sir Bronking]

look at this piccy while i do a bit of typing (got to rush city on soon)

 

[Sir Bronking]

first set bracket to what it say's in manual ie latitude/elevation then using spirit level and bevel gauge tilt dish as shown in piccy. if dish won't go there because of bracket adjust elevation bracket to suit and give your self a bit of play/adjustment. then set motor to 0deg's, and look for thor (slow sweeps,if you don't get it first time (but i think you'll be close) do another sweep slightly adjusting dish angle (very slightly) once youve got it post back
good luck

 

[rolfw]

Please don't get hung up on degree settings on the dish, it is just wasting time.

If your longitude is 2.5 degrees West, then the dish would move 1.2 degees East to find Thor at 1 degree West (as you are further West than it). When you have asked the receiver to do that, do not touch the motor movement controls again, but go outside and by slowly moving the whole assembly on the pole and the dish elevation only, try and find 1W.

 

[hacksawbob]

Thanks Rolfw tried that, Still nothing!!! tried a few slow sweeps from side to side at each dish degree setting. I even tried removing the motor out of the loop and going straight from receiver to LNB, NADA. Just out of curiosity it took the voltage from the outer of the F connector to the mounting pole, tested at 80 volts, does that sound OK? sounds a lot for an external voltage.

 

[Yeshi]

i had this problem with mine,... I ended up lowering the dish slightly (not the motor) // then thor fell in.. and its been a cuty ever since ;)

 

[hacksawbob]

C.C...C...CC...CC.C..cold Frostbite stopped play, still no joy I'm affraid. had the dish off again. noticed the lnb was a smidge off centre on the bracket, reset and tried again I cant beleive I'm getting absolutely nothing not even a bad signal. I'd hate to admit defeat, and get someone in. :mad: try again tommorrow if weather allows.

 

[rolfw]

The voltage at the motor/lnb should be a maximum of 19 volts, if you are reading 80v, there is something seriously wrong.

 

[hacksawbob]

Hi guys, I'm back I'm affraid. False alarm with the voltage my meter needed a battery change. Weather hasn't been up to much lately as I'm sure your aware, I have tried sweeping the dish back and forth around the due south mark at varying dish declinations looking for thor. Not a saussage. any ideas? I am at a loss where to go with this. I've remade all the fconnectors SURELY the only thing left is the lnb, dont these go wrong?

 

[rolfw]

Yes the LNB could be faulty, but the most common mistake I see is that members tend to point the dish too high.

 

[hacksawbob]

Hi rolf, I take it form the earlier post that the dish needs to be at about 10 degs off perpendicular, I have measured this with a spirit level (with an angle finder) which equates to 27 degs on the dish bracket. Am I right in thinking that I will not get ANY signal unless I'm bang on the satellite? how much overspill do you get either way? would moving the lnb one cm be the difference between some signal and absolutely nothing? I'm just trying to guage how much I need to be mong the dish by.

 

[rolfw]

Yes, you certainly need to be pretty close, not really sure how the difference between hit and miss would equate to movement at the end of the boom arm though.

That 27 degrees sounds a bit high.

 

[hacksawbob]

YEs it says 27 on the dish bracket but the 'real' measured tilt from vertical is 10 degs even though the scale on the bracket says 27!

 

[Jeff_19341]

Hi
You do have an offset dish hence difference in numbers.
Declination for your neck of the woods about 7 degrees set the dish angle scale to about 29 -7 = 22.

Jeff;)

 

[hacksawbob]

where do you get the 29 figure from?

 

[rolfw]

29 degrees (or thereabouts) is the elevation from your location for the top of your arc.

 

[Jeff_19341]

Rolf is correct.
Use Calculator for azimuth and elevation angle
this calculator .
Jeff;)

 

[longstockings]

That calculator is absolutely brilliant
Thanks for posting such a great link

I'm of the opinion that the dish is set to high which is why nothing can be found

 

[Jeff_19341]

Usefull little tool Longstockings, glad to be of use. I also agree the dish is pointing too high. As they say "a miss is as good as a mile"! , in trying to pick up a satellite located about 40000kms away out in space.

Jeff;)

 

[bishbosh]

i use a post level used for fencing this is simply a piece of plastic with 3 levels and two sides on only cost £3-4