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Chris booth

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Hi I have a megasat campingman motorised dish with no control box dose any one know of a sat finder that will work the dish as I don't want to fork out on the £300 plus price tag for the control box thanks chris
 

Chris booth

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Hi I have a megasat campingman motorised dish with no control box dose any one know of a sat finder that will work the dish as I don't want to fork out on the £300 plus price tag for the control box thanks chris
I guess that's a no then
 

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A standard 'sat-finder' would not normally drive a dish, even a DiSEqC spec analyser may not move the dish you have.

Why not provide the detail of the system you have, or take some pictures ? Simply providing a name means members have to search for a suitable answer, with little guarantee of success.

What do others pay this '£300 plus' for ?
 

Chris booth

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A standard 'sat-finder' would not normally drive a dish, even a DiSEqC spec analyser may not move the dish you have.

Why not provide the detail of the system you have, or take some pictures ? Simply providing a name means members have to search for a suitable answer, with little guarantee of success.

What do others pay this '£300 plus' for ?
It's for one of these
 

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Channel Hopper

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Do you have a link to the specifications ?
 

Chris booth

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Do you have a link to the specifications ?
[/
The Megasat Campingman Portable is an automatic self-seeking dish with a diameter of 38 cm. With the Megasat Campingman Portable you'll never have to align the dish yourself. With one press of a button the dish will be the alligned to the desired satellite within 60 sec.

The integrated auto skew system allows precise adjustment of the polarization of the LNB's and therefore the best possible reception in most locations in Europe. The Campingman Portable TAS is a stylish plastic cover protected from external damage and weathering.


These satellites are pre-programmed:
  • Astra1 (19,2° East)
  • Astra2 (23,5° East)
  • Astra3 (28,2° East)
  • Astra4 (4° East)
  • Hotbird (13° East)
  • Thor (0,8° West)
  • Hispasat (30° West)
  • Turksat (42° East)


Technical specifications:
  • Dish diameter: 38cm
  • LNB: Universal Twin LNB
  • Frequency band: Ku Band
  • Frequency range: 10.7-12.75GHz
  • LNB gain: 31dBi
  • reception power: 51dBW
  • Polarization: V/H o. RHCP/LHCP
  • Motor: 2-Axis DC
  • Elevation: 0° - 90°
  • Azimuth: 380°
  • Tracking time: ca. 1-2min.
  • Temperature: -25°C - 70°C
  • Power: 12VDC@5Amps
  • Width: 44 cm
  • Height: 48 cm
  • Weight: 5 kg
This is all could find
 

jeallen01

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I think this is the product page on the Megasat website - there is a Contact link that you could try to find out more, including the price direct from them.
 

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Motor: 2-Axis DC
  • Elevation: 0° - 90°
  • Azimuth: 380°
  • Tracking time: ca. 1-2min.


These are the important parts. There is nothing in there that relates to the detail of a domestic receiver in terms of the connection to the outdoor components. It is more associated to the stabilised systems one would find on a boat, without the stabilising bits for movement in the water.

How many connections come into the motor home from the dish ?
 

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Curiosity prods me to guess/ask how the Megasat twin axis control system works!

Having looked at the web page showing the control box, it has only F-connectors, wired Ethernet, USB & power connections. Therefore it seems to me that it probably uses the normal USALS signals for Azimuth control, and then "piggybacks" other signals onto the same cable to control the Elevation because it appears to have automatic control of both Azimuth & Elevation.

Can anyone confirm that, or give alternative explanations/guesses?

PS: And if the Megasat system does work like that, doesn't it imply that some clever designers could do the same for "normal" steerable sat systems to provide "USALS type" twin axis control without the need for all the extra control kit & cabling that is needed for something like the Jaeger 1224?
 

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An engineer wouldn't create a new system when an old one functions satisfactorily. IRTE brought out a dual motor positioning module for small dishes some 20 years ago. The MEGASAT unit (another familar name from the past) is a control box which - probably - takes the signals from a single frequency on each satellite, using both motors to align the dish to the strongest signal in two steps, and requires an update each time one of those reference frequencies changes through a transponder change.

I'm slightly intriqued by the claim of auto skew function though, which would require a third motor and logic processing by the control box.
 

a33

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From what I saw on Youtube, the antenna rotates and changes elevation, to find a satellite.
(Edit: and the LNB also rotates, I saw.)
I would guess most of the 'searching electronics' for that would be at the dish part, not in the IDU.
The IDU has 3 transponders stored per satellite, it seems.

So I'm not sure, what 'communication' (apart from the DC for moving the dish) would de done through the F-connector cable between IDU and dish-part.
Would there be some kind of signal, when there is a 'lock' on one or more transponders? And more detailed feedback for fine-tuning?

But this is also just guessing/hypothesizing from my part.


Other than finding a way to simulate the IDU, you could also look for ways to switch of or disconnect the automatic-satellite-finder technology at the antenna, and 'manually' operate the dish motors to do the satellite-finding.
But then a dish on a tripod stander could be easier than such a megasat campingman...?
Such automatic technology has its prize (and not for nothing).

Greetz,
A33
 

jeallen01

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An engineer wouldn't create a new system when an old one functions satisfactorily. IRTE brought out a dual motor positioning module for small dishes some 20 years ago. The MEGASAT unit (another familar name from the past) is a control box which - probably - takes the signals from a single frequency on each satellite, using both motors to align the dish to the strongest signal in two steps, and requires an update each time one of those reference frequencies changes through a transponder change.

I'm slightly intriqued by the claim of auto skew function though, which would require a third motor and logic processing by the control box.
Interesting - thanks!

As for the skew control, could that be being done using a magnetic polarizer like many of the early LNBs as a 3rd motor would not then be needed.
 

jeallen01

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@a33
Ref finding the satellite, if the system incorporates a GPS receiver then it's location could be accurately defined and the dish pointed in the right direction using an internal preprogrammed database - so no need to do too much comparing of signals from different sats.

OTOH, maybe the first stage of the two stages highlighted by CH is done by that means, and then the 2nd stage by signal comparisons? In fact that would make sense because the dish could initially be pointing way-off a sought-after sat beam, but a GPS-guided mode could get it quite close to the correct direction, at which point the signal comparison stage can then begin for the final tuning.
 
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I very much doubt the Megasat uses GPS, but am willing to be intrigued a little bit further.

Ah, the OMNIsat. Rima had one a few years back

 
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jeallen01

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Curiosity again: did a quick bit of searching for portable & steerable sat systems and found details and the manual for the Maxview Target 85cm MXL017. The manual is here, and near the bottom of Page 6 it says the following, and I have emboldened what seems to be the critical instruction on the subject of possible GPS location,:

"Site the Control Box in a convenient location where:
> User can control the unit with the control box
> Front and rear connections are accessible
> Cables can be routed and concealed neatly
> There is an electrical supply of 12V dc permanent and ignition
> There is adequate ventilation
> The Control Box is not encased with metal
> Material construction and thickness is suitable for fixing"

That seems to imply to me that the Maxview system does incorporate GPS to locate where it is before it starts looking for sats.
 

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That seems to imply to me that the Maxview system does incorporate GPS to locate where it is before it starts looking for sats.

Inside a motorhome with aluminium bodyshell.....
 

jeallen01

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Inside a motorhome with aluminium bodyshell.....
Odd, I do agree (not very familiar with current motorhome construction), but why else would the instructions tell you to do that ?
(if it were an EMC issue, then probably the more metal shielding the better!).

OTOH, most mobile homes are relatively small with largish windows and GRP roof hatches, and so it's probably generally quite easy to get a GPS signal inside those (you can often get one inside a car).
 

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I think it is more a hint not to sit the television on top of it.

(you can often get one inside a car) Must resist ...
 

Chris booth

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How can I tell if my campingman dish has built in gps as there are lots of electronics under the dome
 

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Must be GPS , no other way to know otherwise , similar to the Snipe which says :

The Selfsat Snipe 3 'White Line' Twin Output fully automatic satellite antenna offers an inconspicuous installation due to its new completely white stylish design. The compact form factor of the SNIPE 3 antenna takes up very little space - ideal for mounting on the roof of a motorhome. Even the annoying alignment at a new location is eliminated. Thanks to the integrated GPS module and electronically controlled drive, the antenna automatically aligns itself at the touch of a button. You receive your usual desired program even when traveling, as long as the respective satellite is available. The SNIPE 3 automatically folds as soon as you turn off the receiver or start the vehicle.
 
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