please help, new to all this, is my lnb broken

[Topper]

And this is what the garden looked like last April - things are a bit different now as I had a swap around and the secondary area has another fencepost and a 1.1m dish on it!

I might be persuaded to do up to date pics over Christmas.

Luverly pics AS

 

[Mickha]

Hi vee-six,
have you used a satellite meter before?
Cheap satellite meters are designed to give a signal, even if not pointing at a satellite.
You turn the signal meter knob until it reads half way, about 5, you then gently move the dish to get it to go up to 10, at this point you then turn the knob again, decreasing the meters sensitivity, until back at 5.
Adjust the dish again, to get it to 10, then decrease the sensitivity, again, and adjust the dish.
You keep doing this until you get the strongest signal you can, by gently moving the dish East/West, then tilting it Up/Down.
Once done scan in some channels and check what satellite you are pointing at, using lyngsat, kingofsat or flysat.
Or post them on the forum and someone should identify them for you.

 

[vee-six]

That's very interesting and now I see why the vertical matters so much, it's very busy up there plenty satellites to choose from

Ah here we go - made by forum member Robbo a few years ago


I can see round to 57E here, then a hill gets in the way

As you can see the satellites are set along an inverted arc with the highest point at local south (1W near enough in most of the UK)

So as you track along the arc from one satellite to another you need to move the lnb up and down as well as sideways.

One tip - when you find a signal - mark the dish bolts & mounts up with black indelible marker, tippex or similar Then if you get hopelessly lost you can quickly reset and start again. It also saves a lot of aggro if the dish gets knocked by the dog, blown round the mount, the kids fall over it, etc!

View attachment 60282

Ah here we go - made by forum member Robbo a few years ago


I can see round to 57E here, then a hill gets in the way

As you can see the satellites are set along an inverted arc with the highest point at local south (1W near enough in most of the UK)

So as you track along the arc from one satellite to another you need to move the lnb up and down as well as sideways.

One tip - when you find a signal - mark the dish bolts & mounts up with black indelible marker, tippex or similar Then if you get hopelessly lost you can quickly reset and start again. It also saves a lot of aggro if the dish gets knocked by the dog, blown round the mount, the kids fall over it, etc!

View attachment 60282

 

[vee-six]

I'm wondering now you say a hill gets in the way when you get further round. Maybe the buildings are in the way here as my dish is lower down than everyone else's. I'll take a picture tomorrow when I'm here in the light.

 

[vee-six]

I hadn't used one before but did as you described although I seemed to pick up a signal almost everywhere.
How would I scan for channels the sky box says it's not locked on to a satellite when the meter says I'm getting a good signal. I have the receiver with the laptop if there's something I can do with that.

Hi vee-six,
have you used a satellite meter before?
Cheap satellite meters are designed to give a signal, even if not pointing at a satellite.
You turn the signal meter knob until it reads half way, about 5, you then gently move the dish to get it to go up to 10, at this point you then turn the knob again, decreasing the meters sensitivity, until back at 5.
Adjust the dish again, to get it to 10, then decrease the sensitivity, again, and adjust the dish.
You keep doing this until you get the strongest signal you can, by gently moving the dish East/West, then tilting it Up/Down.
Once done scan in some channels and check what satellite you are pointing at, using lyngsat, kingofsat or flysat.
Or post them on the forum and someone should identify them for you.

I

 

[Mickha]

Sky receivers only seem to be manufactured to receive Astra 2, 28.2E. I do remember that you could use the older receivers, for foreign satellites, by going into the advanced menu options, but it wasn't very good.
Hopefully someone with experience of Sky receivers can assist you. Personally I have never owned one and doubt I ever will, as I dislike all British Television: to me it seems poor quality and full of programming designed to numb the brain, which explains why it's so popular
I prefer beer, for this purpose

 

[Captain Jack]

And this is what the garden looked like last April.

No pic

Vee-six, can't really add anything more to what's been already said. The dish elevation for 28E will be same for everyone at your location. If there's something in the way, you simply won't get any signal. Do you have dishpointer on your phone to check for obstructions?

Follow Mikha's advice re satellite meter and you'll soon find what you're looking for.

 

[pgh13]

I hadn't used one before but did as you described although I seemed to pick up a signal almost everywhere.
How would I scan for channels the sky box says it's not locked on to a satellite when the meter says I'm getting a good signal. I have the receiver with the laptop if there's something I can do with that.
I

Are you seeing a change on the meter as you move the dish? You should see it increase as you find a satellite and need to adjust the meter control to keep it mid range so you can make minor adjustments to the dish to 'peak' the signal. I'd be more inclined to use the laptop. I think you're more likely to lock on a channel. Doesn't matter which; as explained, there are many satellites up there and once you start to receive pictures you can identify the satellite and decide what to do next. Also, when you have a peak signal I'd remove the meter and reconnect the receiver. I've had situations when the meter shows good signal but the receiver won't show a pic.

 

[Analoguesat]

Oh drat - the link has wandered off whilst I wasnt looking.

Lets try again


http://www.satellites.co.uk/forums/threads/current-state-of-the-dish-farm.158318/

 

[vee-six]

No pic

Vee-six, can't really add anything more to what's been already said. The dish elevation for 28E will be same for everyone at your location. If there's something in the way, you simply won't get any signal. Do you have dishpointer on your phone to check for obstructions?

Follow Mikha's advice re satellite meter and you'll soon find what you're looking for.

yes i do have one i just felt the elevation was to high compared to all the other dishes. but there is a lot of buildings all around us and my dish is only 3ft of the ground, maybe its not getting a clear view

 

[vee-six]

Oh drat - the link has wandered off whilst I wasnt looking.

Lets try again


http://www.satellites.co.uk/forums/threads/current-state-of-the-dish-farm.158318/

i still cant see a photo, and i really want to

 

[vee-six]

Are you seeing a change on the meter as you move the dish? You should see it increase as you find a satellite and need to adjust the meter control to keep it mid range so you can make minor adjustments to the dish to 'peak' the signal. I'd be more inclined to use the laptop. I think you're more likely to lock on a channel. Doesn't matter which; as explained, there are many satellites up there and once you start to receive pictures you can identify the satellite and decide what to do next. Also, when you have a peak signal I'd remove the meter and reconnect the receiver. I've had situations when the meter shows good signal but the receiver won't show a pic.

yes i see a change but i get lots of signals more than i thought i should. i didnt try removing the meter every time but wondered if it would make a difference. actually i also got a signal pointing at a wall ?

 

[vee-six]

My landlord thinks Im nuts but he still comes round to ask questions occasionally

None of them are anything like permanently mounted - I just bang fenceposts into the ground and bolt the dishes to those. Ok they need realigning every so often but thats part of the fun.

Oh and I guarantee you will align a dish onto the wrong satellite at some point - we have all done it at some point or another - you hit the scan button and a completely unexpected selection of channels pops up!

Have a look here:

http://www.flysat.com/satlist.php

We cant get everything on this list, but the selection of satellites in my signature are in the main fairly easy to get although once you get round past 40E the dishes start to look very strange as they lean forward to follow the arc!

Now somewhere on the forum there is a very nice diagram that shows how the orbital arc works. I'll see if I can find it

thats a long list of satellites cant wait to see whats on, although i have enough trouble with channel hopping as it is mmmmm how will it be with a few thousand channels lol

 

[Analoguesat]

Click on the thumbnail pics on the first & fourth posts. they will open up more or less full screen. If you still have problems I'll post them here too tomorrow

 

[Analoguesat]

thats a long list of satellites cant wait to see whats on, although i have enough trouble with channel hopping as it is mmmmm how will it be with a few thousand channels lol

As Chris Eccleston used to say in Dr Who - FANTASTIC!

 

[vee-six]

Click on the thumbnail pics on the first & fourth posts. they will open up more or less full screen. If you still have problems I'll post them here too tomorrow

oh yeah got them now and amazing how they all seem to point in what appears to be the same position but obviously they dont.