Advice Needed Problems with new motorised set-up

[Archive4]

Hi all, like many I try new tricks now and again, so decided to set up a 1.1 motorised unit.
All ok on West sats, but keeps passing east sats, ie 23.5 and 28.2
set the box to 28.2, no signal, manually adjusted dish to get best on 28.2, lost 5 db on 12.5 w
Please help!

 

[Costactc]

What is your southern sat and have you fine tuned that one yet?

 

[Mickha]

Sounds like your dish isn't tracking the satellite arc correctly and requires some fine adjustments, or your pole isn't plumb.
Are you using USALS, to position your dish?
Did you follow the basic setup guides?
1. Ensure your pole is absolutely plumb, and secure enough to take the weight of the dish/motor, and any wind.
2. Set everything to 0, motor, dish, LNB.
3. Enter your correct Latitude, and Longitude, into your receiver, remember negative Longitude readings = West, positive = East, then use your receiver to move to a suitable satellite for alignment.
4. Manually move the dish to get the best possible signal, on the selected satellite, once done 0, on the motor, should be pointing at your Longitude position.
5. Send the dish to a suitable East satellite, like 39E, then West, like 30W. Check the signal quality readings then move the dish back to the satellite you aligned it to, to make fine adjustments. Keep sending it East/West, to check if the quality has improved, then back to the starting satellite to make more fine adjustments, until you're satisfied with all the quality readings.

 

[Archive4]

Thanks for the help. Have spent this afternoon/evening playing. Changed the dish for another 110, same problem.
Had expert help setting up the dish and floor mount so nothing wrong there.
After about three hours of playing have found by changing LONG and LAT manually in set up can fine tune each sat to get max signal.
By changing my LONG to 0.9 East when looking to East sats I can get them no problem, when looking West change of LONG to 0.7 West also gives me max signal. Lat also makes some, but less difference. Using 0.8W as initial set up sat.
Either way, can now see all sats I was looking for, and some others, I´m even able to watch BBC1 London at the moment on the 110 which is virtually impossible to find here by manual adjustment, even using the Emitor.

( Sorry for delayed response, busy playing and no email alert to advise posts had been made )

Thanks again

 

[Vipersan]

Thanks for the help. Have spent this afternoon/evening playing. Changed the dish for another 110, same problem.
Had expert help setting up the dish and floor mount so nothing wrong there.
After about three hours of playing have found by changing LONG and LAT manually in set up can fine tune each sat to get max signal.
By changing my LONG to 0.9 East when looking to East sats I can get them no problem, when looking West change of LONG to 0.7 West also gives me max signal. Lat also makes some, but less difference. Using 0.8W as initial set up sat.
Either way, can now see all sats I was looking for, and some others, I´m even able to watch BBC1 London at the moment on the 110 which is virtually impossible to find here by manual adjustment, even using the Emitor.

( Sorry for delayed response, busy playing and no email alert to advise posts had been made )

Thanks again

Your 'expert' is not quite that imo..
Assuming your pole is truely vertical.
Your dish is not tacking the arc as it should.
You should not have to make any adjustments at all once set up correctly ...
Changing the Long and Lat manually depending on whether you are E or W of South is just fudging the AZ position.
either your Elevation is out or your Declination is out from the symptoms you describe...
rgds
VS

 

[Archive4]

Your 'expert' is not quite that imo..
Assuming your pole is truely vertical.
Your dish is not tacking the arc as it should.
You should not have to make any adjustments at all once set up correctly ...
either your Elevation is out or your Declination is out from the symptoms you describe...
rgds
VS

It´s rather hot on the roof at the moment ( 45+ ), so we did a quick set-up. The expert is very good, but it was a no charge late afternoon job.
From your experience, is it high or low, bearing in mind I changed the dish and set 0.8W up to max dB ( 16.0 according to the Emitor )
The expert is only a Skype, email or phone call away, but I like to learn things for myself!
I will drop the dish, try again, then raise the dish and try again, but for now, with easy remote control changes, all is good

 

[Vipersan]

It´s rather hot on the roof at the moment ( 45+ ), so we did a quick set-up. The expert is very good, but it was a no charge late afternoon job.
From your experience, is it high or low, bearing in mind I changed the dish and set 0.8W up to max dB ( 16.0 according to the Emitor )
The expert is only a Skype, email or phone call away, but I like to learn things for myself!
I will drop the dish, try again, then raise the dish and try again, but for now, with easy remote control changes, all is good

It's not just a question of raising or dropping the dish sadly ..
..but a combination of Elevation of the Motor and Declination of the Dish usually ..
Set and dont change your long and lat...
Point your dish at your Due South Sat ..
If you can see Thors at 1W use this as it's roughly top of the arc ..
Set Elevation of motor for max signal ...then move to a sat on the East or West Extreme of your arc and adjust declination for max on chosen sat/transponder ...do the same at the other extreme..
Then back to 1W tweak again the Motor Elevation for Max ...then back to East tweak declination for max ...then West for Max ..
Rinse and repeat until perfect..
best of luck..
rgds
VS

 

[Huevos]

Your 'expert' is not quite that imo..

Thanks. I didn't continue to adjust the setup as the motor was going east but failing to return west without help.

 

[Mickha]

Do you know your actual Longitude, as Spain provides approximately -3.7, which equates to 3.7 West, but Spain is a bit vague, so doesn't give a precise Longitude.
Your latitude, and longitude, are very important, in setting up a dish, using USALS.
Once entered, into your receiver, the USALS programming does most of the work for you. Hence, with everything at zero, USALS will get your receiver to move the dish/motor to 0.8W, then you can physically align the dish, and automatically correct for your True South position, which is your Longitude.

Sorry just noticed the two other posts, made while I was typing.

 

[Vipersan]

Thanks. I didn't continue to adjust the setup as the motor was going east but failing to return west without help.

Fair enough ...
Sounds like the motor is a bit dodgy then ..
No wonder you gave up getting it perfect..

 

[Huevos]

Do you know your actual Longitude, as Spain provides approximately -3.7, which equates to 3.7 West, but Spain is a bit vague, so doesn't give a precise Longitude.
Your latitude, and longitude, are very important, in setting up a dish, using USALS.

Lat/Lon were spot on. Straight off the GPS. Was tracking the arc fine but something strange with the motor. When going much past 35E it wouldn't pull the dish back up again. And don't forget dishes here point up an extra 14º compared to in the UK so motor has a lot more work to do.

 

[Archived-1]

Lat/Lon were spot on. Straight off the GPS. Was tracking the arc fine but something strange with the motor. When going much past 35E it wouldn't pull the dish back up again. And don't forget dishes here point up an extra 14º compared to in the UK so motor has a lot more work to do.

Did you check the pole was level both ways Huevos ?.

 

[Archive4]

Do you know your actual Longitude

According to the book that came with the motor, I am 38.1 N 0.41 W, however, Google maps put me at 38.1N 0.7239 W, so that is probably more accurate

 

[archive10]

Did you check the pole was level both ways Huevos ?.

Most poles are not level after a few Tyskie or Zywiec.
As this was an late afternoon job, quite a few could have been consumed by then...

 

[Huevos]

Did you check the pole was level both ways Huevos ?.

Yes according to my calibrated digital level that is accurate to < 0.1º. Anyway what is the point trying to fine adjust if one of the components is faulty?

 

[Vipersan]

According to the book that came with the motor, I am 38.1 N 0.41 W, however, Google maps put me at 38.1N 0.7239 W, so that is probably more accurate

So was it a new out of box motor ?
If so ..I'd want it changed..
If what Huevos has said is correct ..and I don't doubt it ...it should not labour shifting a 1.1 dish through say 100 degrees.
My Dark motor has no probs shifting a TD110 ..and thats a heavy beast...

 

[Archived-1]

Anyway what is the point trying to fine adjust if one of the components is faulty?

If your not going to back and finish the job lots, Brian just could have swapped the motor and turned it into place.

 

[Archive4]

Anyone doubting the pole can now look to the night sky for the red dot from my magnetic laser level. It will be directly above 38.1N 0.73W for all to see, and is upright from all angles!

 

[Vipersan]

Anyone doubting the pole can now look to the night sky for the red dot from my magnetic laser level. It will be directly above 38.1N 0.73W for all to see, and is upright from all angles!

Dont leave it on too long ..
U dont want to be dragged into court for blinding an airline pilot and downing the plane ..
;)

 

[Archive4]

Dont leave it on too long ..
U dont want to be dragged into court for blinding an airline pilot and downing the plane ..
;)

That´s no problem, blame it on the 12 year old on holiday next door, who bought a laser pencil from the " looky looky " man!