Weird Black Ultra Failure

[Lazarus]

My first LNB substitution, as mentioned before the RSPB hijacked the Topic, gave fab results - but it doesn't have a rain cover and I thought I'd try the GI (!) single that has been in my spares box for years and never used.

Ended up deducing yet another LNB failure with many Channels missing and some strong Satellites like 23.5E failing to show up at all.

Ah, I hear you cry. The must be a motor fault, not an LNB failure. So off I tot, in the drizzle, to reset the Motek and generally triple check dish installation in case someone had been up in the night loosening stuff at random.

But no. Could not get proper results.

So I reverted to the manky old no-name LNB I had first tried and all is once again cushti.

It seems that the characteristics of some LNBs render them incompatible with motors and/or some Receivers in unpredictable ways.

Oddly enough, I've quite enjoyed all the faffing about of the past few days - getting reacquainted with all the elements of motorised dish installation again having barely had to touch it for years.

 

[Analoguesat]

Might be worth checking those duff lnbs with another receiver before you throw them in the bin - Ive had lnbs that refuse to work properly with one rx that work just fine with another.

 

[Lazarus]

Yes, already thought of that - I suspect the GI Single will be ok, but the IBU is borked.

I rarely throw owt away!

Oddly enough, the grotty old LNB that works fine at present did not work properly with SWMBO's Humax Foxsat, which is why it got relegated to the dark recesses in the first place.

 

[Archive4]

As an aside, I got given this! Newest offering from Metronic in a quad. States 0.05 dB NIF, but does not state gain. Will try to play tomorrow, but as I have to install a new Humax twin tuner with hard drive, including new cabling, not sure if it will be tomorrow or Monday.
Whenever I do it, will advise!

 

[william-1]

It seems that the characteristics of some LNBs render them incompatible with motors and/or some Receivers in unpredictable ways.

Yes I have found that the IBU works ok with the TM6900HD /TM6902HD/TM5502HD but not with SpiderboxHD9900/HD9000/TM5402HD M1/M2/TM5302HD especially on 28 east & 19 east some transponders show no signal with this set up on my 100cm dish,

Now the same channels work ok with a Smart 0.1 Lnb on 28 east & 19 east with all of my receivers on the 88cm set up but I loose most of 26 east & 7 west & weak feeds,

The old MTI 0.3 Lnb works best with the 100cm & all receivers but no good for weak feeds so I have to compromise using some set up's for feeds & others for DTH,

The IBU is best for weak feeds & any 0.1 Lnb is best for DTH.

 

[Channel Hopper]

View attachment 92337 As an aside, I got given this!

Phwoar !

 

[Lazarus]

Is it the Pig - or the Duck?

We should be told.

 

[Archive4]

Phwoar !

OK, it was only in sd with bad resolution, sometimes you gods are so picky , but did you see my screen wipe, Timmy the Duck!

 

[william-1]

The DiSEqC motor software also has an influence on the signal if the software on your receiver was written by someone who did not understand what all of the original software did for example:-

When I connect my TM1500CI Super + with any Lnb & any motor the signals on DTH 28E & 19E are ok weak feeds are ok, the same goes for the TM6900HD & TM6902HD/TM5502HD,

But the HD receivers TM5402HD M1 & M2 /SpiderboxHD9000/HD9900 / TM5302HD the software that controls the DiSEqC motor has been corrupted due to someone with insufficient knowledge of all of the software when upgrading the software they have corrupted the normal receiver functions such as the "DiSEqC Motor" ect.

 

[Archive4]

The DiSEqC motor software also has an influence on the signal if the software on your receiver was written by someone who did not understand what all of the original software did for example:-

When I connect my TM1500CI Super + with any Lnb & any motor the signals on DTH 28E & 19E are ok weak feeds are ok, the same goes for the TM6900HD & TM6902HD/TM5502HD,

But the HD receivers TM5402HD M1 & M2 /SpiderboxHD9000/HD9900 / TM5302HD the software that controls the DiSEqC motor has been corrupted due to someone with insufficient knowledge of all of the software when upgrading the software they have corrupted the normal receiver functions such as the "DiSEqC Motor" ect.

W 1, no disrespect to you, but I would never buy a second hand stb from you,
it would be worn out before i got it out of the box!

 

[william-1]

W 1, no disrespect to you, but I would never buy a second hand stb from you,
it would be worn out before i got it out of the box!

I never sell them at the end of their useful life I normally set them up for FreeSat & give them away with a new RCU,
I have lost count of how many but it is excess of 20
If they do not come up to my expectations I either return them or bin them or give them away.

 

[Lazarus]

As the dish bracket seems to be warped and I rarely watch or feel the need to find stuff on weak Birds, I've refitted my 80cm dish along with the new Vision 0.1 dB twin LNB that replaced the failed Black Ultra.

TBH for my interests, the 80cm more than suffices and it's a hell of a lot easy to set up and maintain.

 

[Lazarus]

All finished.

Tracks nicely from 45W to 52.5E.

And I can get stable reception on 26E, which I've never previously achieved using this modest sized dish.

Hopefully no more twiddling for a year or six

 

[hairybadger]

Hopefully no more twiddling for a year or six

Come on.... therein lies half the fun

 

[Captain Jack]

TBH for my interests, the 80cm more than suffices and it's a hell of a lot easy to set up and maintain.

That's just dull....

 

[Captain Jack]

To be fair, I was more than happy with my Penta 85 for years - it received 90% of stuff I wanted. But it's the missing 10% that makes up the fun of this hobby!

 

[jeallen01]

strong

As the dish bracket seems to be warped...

If you think that a "dish bracket" is likely to get warped and actually mean the feedarm, then prevent it before it happens - For many dishes it is quick, easy and cheap.

All of my (work in progress , it has to be said :-() dishes are fitted with bracing struts between the outer ends of the feedarms and the dish face edges (just like some of the higher end off-set dishes you can buy) but I use very cheap (£1 / 1 Euro or so) metal struts you can buy (in the UK, from B&Q and Wickes - like these Expamet Galvanised Steel Joist Strut (L)480mm | Departments | DIY at B&Q, and they come in various lengths) + a car exhaust clamp of the right size to fit those to the outer end of the feedarm (56/58mm is generally about right) + a couple of self-tapping screws, or nuts and bolts. Total cost is about £5/6 Euros. See here for what some of my dishes used to look like, but I've done the same with all the dishes currently "under installation").

After you have done that, the arm can't move OR distort, unless the bolts of the clamps to the poles are loose, or it gets a really solid impact which "bends everything" - a wind or a knock from a passing person won't do it (my dishes are 6ft/2m off the ground above my veg patches and get "knocked" almost every time I go down to the bottom of the garden, but I don't think they have moved yet).

 

[Lazarus]

Err, no. It's the dish bracket. Not sure how the two might get confused.

The only arm failure I've had was when my Patio Mounted TD110 fell forward onto the arm during a storm, owing to insufficient ballast.

I had to source a spare from a fellow Member.

 

[Archive4]

For many dishes it is quick, easy and cheap.

No comment!

 

[jeallen01]

I think the feedarm might have survived undamaged if you had braced it like I mentioned - at least from a fall from the height of a patio mount!

PS: many years (too many) ago, I found it much easier to set up LNBs for weaker sats when they were on braced arms because they don't move sideways/up/down anywhere so easily as they do when the arm is not braced - I suggest you try it and see