jeallen01
Specialist Contributor
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Evening All
Having finally found the time to get the remaining 3 fixed dishes, with 4x LNBs on each, set up and aligned, I am now running into a problem with Diseqc settings on the receiver because I am trying to use cascaded Diseqc switches - i.e. one Diseqc Switch ("BEST - like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009E1G1SQ/ref=pe_1909131_77697001_tnp_email_TE_AMZLdp_1, which is claimed to be Diseqc 2.0 compatible) on each dish, all three of which are then connected to an uncommitted Diseqc 1.1 Switch (EMP Centauri S4/1PCT-W2 EMP-Centauri - DiSEqC switch S4/1PCT-W2 (P.169-TW) which is Diseqc 1.1 and can be a Diseqc 1.2 to Diseqc 1.0 transcoder) for onward transmission to the receiver.
I have now spent quite some time today trying a variety of combinations of EMP Switch Operating Mode selections (2 which is Diseqc 1.0 & 1.1 compatible, and 3 & 4) with various Diseqc 1.0 and 1.1 LNB selections, and the only conclusion that I can come to is basically that only those LNBs connected to the No 1 input ports on the 3x BEST switches appear to consistently provide any readable signals at the receiver.
Let me outline the overall configuration – which follows the layout in a diagram sent to me by EMP Centauri, thus:
Dish 1 is connected to Switch 1 via Port 1 on the EMP Switch, and has these LNB connections:
- Port 1 – 13E – Hotbird - Becomes Diseqc 1.1 LNB 1 of 16
- Port 2 – 19E – Astra 1 - Becomes Diseqc 1.1 LNB 2 of 16
- Port 3 – 28E – Astra 2 - Becomes Diseqc 1.1 LNB 3 of 16
- Port 4 – 33E – EutelSat 33E (or so I think) - Becomes Diseqc 1.1 LNB 4 of 16
Dish 2 is connected to Switch 2 via Port 2 on the EMP Switch, and has these LNB connections:
- Port 1 – 0.8W – Thor 5/6/7 - Becomes Diseqc 1.1 LNB 5 of 16
- Port 2 – 5W – Eutelsat 5 West A - Becomes Diseqc 1.1 LNB 6 of 16
- Port 3 – 7E – Eutelsat 7A/7B -- Becomes Diseqc 1.1 LNB 7 of 16
- Port 4 – Not sure – could be 12.5W -- Becomes Diseqc 1.1 LNB 8 of 16
Dish 3 is connected to Switch 3 via Port 3 on the EMP Switch, and has these LNB connections:
- Port 1 – 30W – Hispasat 30W-4/W-5 - Becomes Diseqc 1.1 LNB 9 of 16
- Port 2 – 24.5W – Intelsat 905 - Becomes Diseqc 1.1 LNB 10 of 16
- Port 3 – 12.5W – Eutelsat 12 West B - Becomes Diseqc 1.1 LNB 11 of 16
- Port 4 – 9E - Eutelsat 9B (yes, really!) - Becomes Diseqc 1.1 LNB 12 of 16
(and port 4 on the EMP Switch is connected to one half of the Twin LNB on the steerable dish, which is currently aimed at 0.8W).
All the dish pointing and LNB configurations were done with the receiver and my analogue sat meter connected directly to the relevant BEST switch to get a good idea of directions and signal strengths and then some “fine tuning” of the azimuth and elevation, and finally confirming the satellites by viewing the channels received – so I’m pretty sure they are correctly identified.
I then connected the BEST switches to the relevant ports the EMP Switch (as above). By the way, all the cables from the LNBs to the BEST switches, and from those Switches to your Switch, are coloured coded and numbered to ensure I know which LNB is which.
Anyway, after a lot of “playing about” I finally concluded that only the LNBs connected to Dish 1 Port 1, Dish 2 Port 1 and Dish 3 Port 1 (plus the LNB on the steerable dish) can be reliably addressed – and they only need the correct Diseqc 1.1 LNB number to be input in the receiver set-up menu (in these cases, the Diseqc 1.0 LNB setting appears to be irrelevant and can be set to OFF).
In most cases, trying to select LNBs with any other Diseqc LNB numbers did not result in any signals being received, however much I tried various combinations of different Diseqc 1.0 and/or 1.1 LNB numbers.
I also tried the following:
Therefore, have you folks any thoughts or ideas about the LNB selection problems and how I might be able solve them?
OTOH, might this be a problem with the receiver, especially Diseqc 1.0 and 1.1 signal sequencing (I hope not!)
Thanks in advance.
John
Having finally found the time to get the remaining 3 fixed dishes, with 4x LNBs on each, set up and aligned, I am now running into a problem with Diseqc settings on the receiver because I am trying to use cascaded Diseqc switches - i.e. one Diseqc Switch ("BEST - like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009E1G1SQ/ref=pe_1909131_77697001_tnp_email_TE_AMZLdp_1, which is claimed to be Diseqc 2.0 compatible) on each dish, all three of which are then connected to an uncommitted Diseqc 1.1 Switch (EMP Centauri S4/1PCT-W2 EMP-Centauri - DiSEqC switch S4/1PCT-W2 (P.169-TW) which is Diseqc 1.1 and can be a Diseqc 1.2 to Diseqc 1.0 transcoder) for onward transmission to the receiver.
I have now spent quite some time today trying a variety of combinations of EMP Switch Operating Mode selections (2 which is Diseqc 1.0 & 1.1 compatible, and 3 & 4) with various Diseqc 1.0 and 1.1 LNB selections, and the only conclusion that I can come to is basically that only those LNBs connected to the No 1 input ports on the 3x BEST switches appear to consistently provide any readable signals at the receiver.
Let me outline the overall configuration – which follows the layout in a diagram sent to me by EMP Centauri, thus:
Dish 1 is connected to Switch 1 via Port 1 on the EMP Switch, and has these LNB connections:
- Port 1 – 13E – Hotbird - Becomes Diseqc 1.1 LNB 1 of 16
- Port 2 – 19E – Astra 1 - Becomes Diseqc 1.1 LNB 2 of 16
- Port 3 – 28E – Astra 2 - Becomes Diseqc 1.1 LNB 3 of 16
- Port 4 – 33E – EutelSat 33E (or so I think) - Becomes Diseqc 1.1 LNB 4 of 16
Dish 2 is connected to Switch 2 via Port 2 on the EMP Switch, and has these LNB connections:
- Port 1 – 0.8W – Thor 5/6/7 - Becomes Diseqc 1.1 LNB 5 of 16
- Port 2 – 5W – Eutelsat 5 West A - Becomes Diseqc 1.1 LNB 6 of 16
- Port 3 – 7E – Eutelsat 7A/7B -- Becomes Diseqc 1.1 LNB 7 of 16
- Port 4 – Not sure – could be 12.5W -- Becomes Diseqc 1.1 LNB 8 of 16
Dish 3 is connected to Switch 3 via Port 3 on the EMP Switch, and has these LNB connections:
- Port 1 – 30W – Hispasat 30W-4/W-5 - Becomes Diseqc 1.1 LNB 9 of 16
- Port 2 – 24.5W – Intelsat 905 - Becomes Diseqc 1.1 LNB 10 of 16
- Port 3 – 12.5W – Eutelsat 12 West B - Becomes Diseqc 1.1 LNB 11 of 16
- Port 4 – 9E - Eutelsat 9B (yes, really!) - Becomes Diseqc 1.1 LNB 12 of 16
(and port 4 on the EMP Switch is connected to one half of the Twin LNB on the steerable dish, which is currently aimed at 0.8W).
All the dish pointing and LNB configurations were done with the receiver and my analogue sat meter connected directly to the relevant BEST switch to get a good idea of directions and signal strengths and then some “fine tuning” of the azimuth and elevation, and finally confirming the satellites by viewing the channels received – so I’m pretty sure they are correctly identified.
I then connected the BEST switches to the relevant ports the EMP Switch (as above). By the way, all the cables from the LNBs to the BEST switches, and from those Switches to your Switch, are coloured coded and numbered to ensure I know which LNB is which.
Anyway, after a lot of “playing about” I finally concluded that only the LNBs connected to Dish 1 Port 1, Dish 2 Port 1 and Dish 3 Port 1 (plus the LNB on the steerable dish) can be reliably addressed – and they only need the correct Diseqc 1.1 LNB number to be input in the receiver set-up menu (in these cases, the Diseqc 1.0 LNB setting appears to be irrelevant and can be set to OFF).
In most cases, trying to select LNBs with any other Diseqc LNB numbers did not result in any signals being received, however much I tried various combinations of different Diseqc 1.0 and/or 1.1 LNB numbers.
I also tried the following:
- Operating Modes 3 & 4 which include Diseqc 1.2 to 1.0 transcoding – didn’t seem to make much, if any, difference and so I set it back to Mode 2 where I had started (and I did disconnect the cable from the receiver to the EMP Switch after each Operating Mode change, as per the instructions)
- Setting the receiver motor setting to Diseqc 1.2, and then USALS, when in Operating Modes 3 & 4 – did not appear to make much/any difference to the success rate of LNB selection, but slowed down the process of changing between satellites a lot because I got the “moving to XX/W” 3-4 times message each time I did that, and so I went back to the basic Diseqc 1.0/1.1 approach .
- Disconnecting the cable from Dish 1 to Port 1 on the EMP Switch and connecting that cable back directly to the receiver – the signals from all 4 LNBs on Dish 1 could then be selected via the Diseqc 1.0 menu and were very strong – that showed that the BEST Switch and LNBs on Dish 1 are still working (and I assume that the LNBs and Switches for the other dishes will also be the same as they were not been touched after the final alignments yesterday).
Therefore, have you folks any thoughts or ideas about the LNB selection problems and how I might be able solve them?
OTOH, might this be a problem with the receiver, especially Diseqc 1.0 and 1.1 signal sequencing (I hope not!)
Thanks in advance.
John