USB nova and motor system?

[kevin-f]

I'm trying to use a NOVA-S-USB2 to receive from a motorised dish - not to move it, just to receive from a single satellite, which their tech support assures me should work. Using my existing Echostar box, I point the dish at a test sat (astra 28.2E) and try a test channel (Al Jazeera Eng) to check all well, then remove the cable from that and plug it into the nova, then try to scan for channels, telling it which sat the dish is pointing at. But the scan always comes up blank.

Having been round the houses with Hauppage tech support, they're now telling me the nova must be faulty. I'm not convinced there isn't another problem (partly because their tech support does not inspire confidence). Does anyone know if there's some other factor that would stop this working? I'd hate to replace the nova then end up with the same problem ...

I'm a bit new to this so unsure how much is relevant, but the Echostar (a DSB 808 2Ci) has a screen showing the following tech info:
System setup -
DiSEqC: 1.2
LNBs: 1
Polarity: LNB
Switch: 0/22KHz
LNB1: Enhanced LNBF
User LNB Setting -
User's LNB: USER LNBF1
Low freq.: 11300
High freq.: 11300
DiSEqC: DiSEqC 1..4
DiSEqC port: 1
Polarity control: 13/18V
Band control: Disable
Ku/C Control: Disable
0/22KHz control: On
0/12V Control: Off

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[Lazarus]

Incorrect LNB settings.

Should be "Universal"- and having selected that, it should then show 9750 & 10600 for Low and High Frequency respectively.

I'm not familiar with that Card or its Menu System, so you'll need to work out how to alter the settings to caterfor a Universal LNB.

 

[Lazarus]

Just re-read your Post and realised the settings you listed are not from the Card, but are from the Echostar!

That means my reply can be ignored - that said, the Echostar settings seem somewhat unusual.

Have you tried matching the Nova settings to those for the Echostar?

What settings are you currently using for the Nova?

 

[kevin-f]

It is such a pleasure to get a more informed response than those from Hauppage

I gave them the same info from the Echostar, but they didn't mention changing the nova/wintv settings from the 'universal' defaults.

The device setup for the nova within Wintv 7 has three initial options 1. None (single LN 2. 22KHz A/B switch 3. DiSEqC 1.x A/B/C/D. I've tried each, and am guessing it's the first I want. With that one selected, there are 4 further options. 1. Sat selection (set to 0282 ASTRA) 2. LOF1 (set to 9750). 3. LOF Switch (set to 11700) 4. LOF2 (set to 10600).

I have tried setting the latter 3 values to match those reported by the Echostar, but without success - but this may be because the naming is slightly different and I'm not doing it right (before contacting Hauppage support, I posted a question in their forum about exactly this at _http://www.hauppauge.co.uk/board/showthread.php?t=17950 but got no replies).

If you happen to be able to help me 'translate' from Echostar to Nova, I'd be very pleased to try it out!

Thanks very much for help so far

Kevin.

 

[Lazarus]

Well it's kind of you to consider my response informed - especially bearing in mind I misread your Post!

But as I said, I found the Echostar settings perplexing and, as that Box actually works, I am wondering exactly what LNB you do have on your Dish?

The default mode (which you seems to agree with) is Universal 9750/10600 so that's what we assume is being used unless there is evidence to the contrary: It might be that the strange Echostar settings are evidence of an unusual "legacy" LNB (or it might be that I'm talking out of my hat ........)

So I think the next step is for you to tell us anything you can about the LNB itself: Make/Model/vague recollections - anything!

Also, this delaying tactic of mine might give time for an Echostar afficionado to appear on Forum

 

[Lazarus]

One further idea has just struck: If you are moving the cable from the Echostar to the Nova, that mean that the Motor is still "in circuit" ie physically and electrically interposed between the Nova and the LNB.

I can't think that this should be a problem, but it is possible it could be. eg The Motor draws quiescent current which will add to the drain on the Nova's resources. Not by much, but you never know.

The fact that Hauppage told you it should work is somewhat at odds with your overall level of confidence in them ............... so maybe they were wrong?

Why don't you experiment by connecting the Nova direct to the LNB?

If that cures it, I rather think we might be able to come up with a few cheap and cheerful ideas to make life simple.

 

[kevin-f]

Mmm. Very reasonable requests for further information and suggestions for tests. Trouble is, the dish is on the roof of the building where I live, 2 floors up from me, and access requires going through the top floor flat, so that has to be arranged in advance ... which makes it tricky to experiment with moving the cable at the dish end (if that's how I'd take the motor out of the picture - there's just one cable comes down here from the dish). And I got dish + Echostar about 6 years ago ... don't have any info about dish/LNB other than what the Echostar tells me ...

I know, that's a bit rubbish. I wasn't anticipating anything other than possibly having to configure the nova in a different way!

Maybe someone will recognise the Echostar settings and affirm your theory about 'legacy' LNB or something?

Kevin.

 

[Analoguesat]

Those lnb setting ups on the first post are way out. Can you change the disecq port selection until you find one with the correct lnb settings of 9750 / 10600??

 

[kevin-f]

Analoguesat - those LNB settings are the ones that work (being used by the Echostar) ...

 

[Analoguesat]

Weird - they shouldnt give you any low band channels at all - or anything below about 11100MHz.( Too tired to do thae actual maths atm)

 

[Topper]

Can I just interject at this point and ask if the central core is protruding sufficiently or perhaps even too much for the Hauppage male connector?, the fact that we know the lnb/cable combination is working, tends to suggest something like this although Tivu's point about the motor in circuit is a valid answer also especially if the engineering team have not designed for that possibility.

 

[Lazarus]

Can I just interject at this point and ask if the central core is protruding sufficiently or perhaps even too much for the Hauppage male connector?

Excellent point, well made (If you will excuse the inadvertent pun)

Sometimes some of us (I mean "me") tend to forget the "bl**ding obvious"!

 

[kevin-f]

Apologies for slow response to the above (I'd set up a 'subscription' to the thread, so as to be notified when there were responses, but then the thread got moved - entirely reasonably - to this forum from the original one, and the subscription doesn't appear to come with it, so I didn't realise there had been further posts ...)

I don't *think* the connectors themselves are any problem - they seem fairly 'positive' in use, plus I get the same results whether I use the 'push-on' attachment or not (which I usually do with the Echostar). Photos attached if any help in ruling that out!

Having read a bit more about LNBs (and excuse my newness), I think I understand why the Echostar config shouldn't seem specially relevant ... but working with the theory that this might be some 'legacy' LNB (6 -7 years old?), can anyone tell me what values to provide the Nova for 'LOF1', 'LOF Switch' and 'LOF2' (as described in my second post to this thread) that would match the Echostar config (as provided in first post)? That is:

LOF1 - corresponds to 'low freq' on Echostar, i.e. 11300?
LOF Switch - ?
LOF2 - corresponds to 'high freq' on Echostar, i.e. 11300 again?

Thanks very much for all the help so far.

Kevin.