Using Sky dish for Hotbird

H

herby0001

Member
My Satellite Setup
Goldstar
My Location
UK
Hi folks,

I've done a search for the problem I'm having, and have come up with some info, but I'm not too sure how to approach it as I'm only a keen newbie. The problem I have is this:

Sky are no longer transmitting TVEi (Spanish TV), so am binning my Sky subscription and want to move my Sky mini-dish to another satellite. The info I have found is:

Sky broadcasts on Astra 28.2E (compass reading 152 degrees-ish).
TVEi broadcasts FTA on Hotbird 8 13E (compass reading 167 degrees)
Replaced the Sky Digibox box with a Goldstar one from a friend.

I thought it'd be easy... Before moving the dish to the new bearing, I plugged the Goldstar box in and could see the signal strength meter on the Goldstar box show 90% Quality, and 50% power - this is for the Astra reception. So shifted the dish horizontally to the new bearing and get 28% signal quality - stays at 28% wherever I move the dish to, so 28% means "I'm getting nothing". Tried making teenie-weenie movements from 28E right through to 10W or so, but don't get an increase in signal quality anywhere (apart from for the Astra satellite).

I've not moved the dish vertically at all, as I assumed that because all the satellites are geostationary, they're all at the equator and at the same altitude. Right/wrong?

I've seen people asking about LNB's - this is what is stuck on the arm in front of the dish to receive the signal - does that need changing for something specific?

I live on the south coast in Hampshire. Another assumption I made was that the Sky minidish is sufficient to receive the Hotbird signal. Even if it wasn't, I'd have thought I'd see a blip at least whilst moving the dish around?

Am I barking up the wrong tree (which remionds me, there are some trees in the direction of 13E, though nothing HUGE and leafy) or completely naive?

Thank you!
 
The Dish will cope happily with Hotbird.

Your error is in Dish elevation: Because the Satellites are indeed on a geostationary arc, the Satellites nearer to your due South are higher in Elevation than those further East or West.

As 13E is much nearer South of the arc 28E is, you need to raise the Dish Elevation by a few degrees.

Bung your details into _http://www.satsig.net/ssazelm.htm and you will get the right figures :)
 
herby0001 said:
I've not moved the dish vertically at all, as I assumed that because all the satellites are geostationary, they're all at the equator and at the same altitude. Right/wrong?

Thank you!
Click to expand...

Think about it for a minute....


The satellites are above the equator, correct.

They are at the same altitude, correct, the same height above the equator.

They go all the way round.

But you cant see the sats from round the other side of the world.

The sats near your longitude are high in the sky (about 30 degrees ish here), but as you move further away, they get lower and lower, until they disappear below the horizon.

See this:-

http://www.satellites.co.uk/satelli...t-motorised-systems/117335-satellite-arc.html

This is for the UK and thereabouts.
 
When you do get on alignment for Hotbird, slightly twist the LNb clockwise a fraction from behind the dish whilst monitoring. This will take care of the LNb skew.
 
Thank you very much for your replies. Will check out the links and will have another go when/if we get a dry weekend.

Many thanks again. Will post back with some results.
 
herby0001 said:
Thank you very much for your replies. Will check out the links and will have another go when/if we get a dry weekend.

Many thanks again. Will post back with some results.
Click to expand...

If you are after Spanish TV try Astra 1 at 19.2E as it has more channels. My Sky mini dish points there and it works very well.

see Also:

_http://en.kingofsat.net/freqs.php?&pos=19.2E&standard=All&ordre=freq&filtre=Clear&cl=esp

Terry
 
Well, blow me down campers! Thanks to you all for your help. I've managed to re-align my Sky dish onto Hotbird 8 13E. In the end, it was quite simple, albeit crude. Raised the elevation a few degrees, swept the sky and so on until the Hotbird signal on the box went from 28% to 90%.

TVE received loud and clear. I can't rotate/skew the LNB as there is no adjustment on it - seems to be static. But that's ok, because the signal is strong anyway. I'm only interested in watching TVE, but flicking through the channels, I was astounded just how much rubbish was being broadcast! Welcome to FTA satellite TV!

Thanks again!:-bigsanta
 
Nice result.

You can Skew Sky LNBs, but only in a restricted way: If it's a single output jobbie, you need to hold the outer casing firmly in one hand and the innards in the other and the innards will move with respect to the casing on a crude ratchet.

There should be a scale marked 1 to 5. It will have been set at 3 (probably), so just move it to 1 (probably!).

OTOH as you are getting good results, perhaps best left alone.
 
herby0001 said:
In the end, it was quite simple, albeit crude. Raised the elevation a few degrees, swept the sky and so on until the Hotbird signal on the box went from 28% to 90%.
Click to expand...


Yep, that's the easiest way to do it.
 
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