Motor rotates wrong.. driving me crazy!!

[Trust]

The LNB satellite and motor are set to approximately to the south. Since I read everywhere that if u use USALS u don't need to to set everything exactly to due south, that's why I don't aim to due south either and I don't know due south at my location either.

I did reset the motor and the receiver and entered the coordinates again, this didn't solve the problem. When I took off the motor from the pole and directly connected it to the receiver, I played around a bit with entering different latitude and longitude numbers. I changed the longititude to zero and typed in like 80 as my latitude then the deviation on the motor reduced to around one degree.
When I finally entered my exact coordinates again, it went crazy again cuz when I select Goto 0 it goes to 1.0eEast and then I entered 4.8East it just stayed at 1.0East and like it went to 10east after I entered 13east.

Thats correct , for your location 52º N / 4.7º E , at Usals the motor turns to 0.11º E for sat 4.8º E and to 9.14º E for Hotbird 13º E .
Nothing wrong with that .

 

[meyouall]

You can use dishpointer.com to find Due South at any location, it will give you a map with a line on it pointing to Due South, jut enter your location and select the Due South option, then zoom into your location and move the maker to where the dish will be located.

Dishpointer can also help you find your Due South satellite, this will be your zero or reference satellite.

Correctly aligning the dish and motor to Due South is important as the arc that the motor follows will be off as the motor turns East or West if it is not set correctly.

If all this fails to correct the problem then there could be a problem with the motor or the receiver.

Also USALS is not that accurate as you can only enter the long/lat to 2 decimal places, XX.YY/ XXX.YY, it has caused problems for some of my installs, we had to find all the satellites at some locations manually starting with the Due South satellite and going East or West in steps.

Thnx! Later on today I will apply ur instructions and let you know what happens.

 

[meyouall]

Thats correct , for your location 52º N / 4.7º E , at Usals the motor turns to 0.11º E for sat 4.8º E and to 9.14º E for Hotbird 13º E .
Nothing wrong with that .

Someone here said that this deviation is a "problem".
May I ask (for learning purposes) based on what do u say it is correct? I think previously the motor moved exactly to the point (degree) for which it received the command from the receiver.

 

[meyouall]

maybe this PDF can help you

Bedankt!!

 

[rolfw]

Someone here said that this deviation is a "problem".
May I ask (for learning purposes) based on what do u say it is correct? I think previously the motor moved exactly to the point (degree) for which it received the command from the receiver.

The motor would only do that if you were siuated exactly a "0" Degrees, with your present location, your due south is 4.7 degrees, so your due South satellite 4,8 degrees, is only a fraction of a degree off Due south, align on that to get a good high signal and if yoour other settings are correct, you should be sorted.

 

[a33]

Someone here said that this deviation is a "problem".

The deviation to due south is only "a problem" if you align with diseqc 1.2. With USALS you can align with any satellite you like. Most practical is a satellite somewhere near south, though.

Following this thread, I guess somewhere in the first basic steps you are doing something other than you should.
With motor setup, you have to follow the steps very accurately: step - check - step - check- etc.
You cannot correct a wrongdoing from earlier on with a correction of some other motorparameter later on.

Why don't you lead us though your first steps as mentioned in post #6?

You still need to do the basics, in setting up your motor.
Ensure that the pole is plumb, and both strong enough, and secure enough, to handle the weight of the dish, and motor, plus any bad weather, especially strong winds.
You then set everything to 0, the motor, and LNB, so that there's no skew, rotation of the LNB.
Ensure everything is done up tightly, prior to using your receiver to move the motor/dish.
Next you enter your Latitude, and Longitude, into your receiver, negative Longitude readings = West, positive = East. Your Longitude reading is your True South.
Now you use your receiver, to send the dish to a suitable satellite, preferably one closest to your True South.
Once done you physically move the dish/motor, both East/West, and adjust the elevation, after slackening the bolts, on the motor/dish, to get the strongest possible signal, from the selected satellite.

Greetz,
A33

 

[satkijker]

According to the manual, the dish must at 32 degrees be attached to the rotor.
Sometimes another rotor pipe than at 22 degrees.

 

[Terryl]

The deviation to due south is only "a problem" if you align with diseqc 1.2. With USALS you can align with any satellite you like. Most practical is a satellite somewhere near south, though.

Following this thread, I guess somewhere in the first basic steps you are doing something other than you should.
With motor setup, you have to follow the steps very accurately: step - check - step - check- etc.
You cannot correct a wrongdoing from earlier on with a correction of some other motorparameter later on.

Why don't you lead us though your first steps as mentioned in post #6?


Greetz,
A33

The deviation I am talking about is the magnetic declination on an uncorrected compass, it has nothing to do with USALS or Diseqc 1.2.

A compass used on a cell phone app will be automatically corrected for the users location via the GPS co-ordinates stored inside the phone.

A hand held compass does not have this feature, (unless it's an electronic one) you have to add or subtract the amount of declination/deviation from TRUE North at your location, this can be from zero degrees up to 20 to 24 degrees, there are web sites that will help with this.

If you used a magnetic hand held compass to setup for Due South you could be off by XX degrees, this could affect the locations your motor is looking for on the satellites using USALS or Diseqc 1.2, if you motor is off by XX degrees you can miss satellites by XX degrees.

Here is a good site to look at the declination correction factors for most locations.

http://www.magnetic-declination.com/

At my location I have to correct by 13 degrees 20" to find due South using a magnetic compass or I can miss a bunch of satellites.

And the motor/dish must be set to due South first, trying to find satellites based on a due South bird setup only will cause problems.

 

[Archive4]

trying to find satellites based on a due South bird setup only will cause problems.

Have to agree totally, last time I trusted a due south bird, it cost me the Corvette


Now, back to solving the problem!

 

[meyouall]

According to the manual, the dish must at 32 degrees be attached to the rotor.
Sometimes another rotor pipe than at 22 degrees.
View attachment 96991 View attachment 96992

According to the manual it is 30 degrees. So the elevation on the dish is 30 minus 7.5 (declination angle) which becomes 22.5 degrees.

 

[meyouall]

The deviation I am talking about is the magnetic declination on an uncorrected compass, it has nothing to do with USALS or Diseqc 1.2.

A compass used on a cell phone app will be automatically corrected for the users location via the GPS co-ordinates stored inside the phone.

A hand held compass does not have this feature, (unless it's an electronic one) you have to add or subtract the amount of declination/deviation from TRUE North at your location, this can be from zero degrees up to 20 to 24 degrees, there are web sites that will help with this.

If you used a magnetic hand held compass to setup for Due South you could be off by XX degrees, this could affect the locations your motor is looking for on the satellites using USALS or Diseqc 1.2, if you motor is off by XX degrees you can miss satellites by XX degrees.

Here is a good site to look at the declination correction factors for most locations.

http://www.magnetic-declination.com/

At my location I have to correct by 13 degrees 20" to find due South using a magnetic compass or I can miss a bunch of satellites.

And the motor/dish must be set to due South first, trying to find satellites based on a due South bird setup only will cause problems.

If I use the compass on my iPhone, then I don't have to care about the magnetic declination which is +0 deg. 57' (just checked on the site u provided)? So what my compas is showing as south is due south?

One more question. Do you think the coordinates shown by my iPhone's compass are more accurate than the ones on google maps and other internet sites?

 

[a33]

If I use the compass on my iPhone, then I don't have to care about the magnetic declination which is +0 deg. 57' (just checked on the site u provided)? So what my compas is showing as south is due south?

One more question. Do you think the coordinates shown by my iPhone's compass are more accurate than the ones on google maps and other internet sites?

I seldom use a compass, I use dishpointer.com to enter the address and fineadjust the dish location by drawing the location point to the exact spot on the map (or how do you say in english?). As satellite you have to choose motor-south, so you see the EXACT direction of due south on your map , and where to aim your dish+motor.

Does you question about south and elevation and declination mean you are now at this step? :

You then set everything to 0, the motor, and LNB, so that there's no skew, rotation of the LNB.

Greetz,
A33

 

[meyouall]

I seldom use a compass, I use dishpointer.com to enter the address and fineadjust the dish location by drawing the location point to the exact spot on the map (or how do you say in english?). As satellite you have to choose motor-south, so you see the EXACT direction of due south on your map , and where to aim your dish+motor.

Does you question about south and elevation and declination mean you are now at this step? :


Greetz,
A33

No my question doesn't mean that. I just wanted to make sure I'm doing it right. I have already set the dish several times to due south but no damn signal appear on the screen after entering Lat/long and then frequencies of a specific channel on a satellite (4.8e) near my due south and moving the dish east west and up/down. Neither the SNR nor the BER won't budge. I Will upload a few pics in few minutes so u get a picture of what I am doing.

 

[sonnetpete]

Can we maybe clarify things? Physically move your motor and dish to due South (an approximation should do, I've never used a compass). Using usals, input your lat and longtitude in the receiver and ask the motor to go to zero. Then ask the motor to drive to 4.8E. Go back to the dish and physically move the dish and the motor together round the wall mount until you get a signal. If you don't get a hint of a signal something else is wrong, either your dish isn't dead in line with the motor stub, the motor latitude settings are out, or the dish elevation itself is out. Make sure you have a strong active transponder to align to.

 

[meyouall]

Can we maybe clarify things? Physically move your motor and dish to due South (an approximation should do, I've never used a compass). Using usals, input your lat and longtitude in the receiver and ask the motor to go to zero. Then ask the motor to drive to 4.8E. Go back to the dish and physically move the dish and the motor together round the wall mount until you get a signal. If you don't get a hint of a signal something else is wrong, either your dish isn't dead in line with the motor stub, the motor latitude settings are out, or the dish elevation itself is out. Make sure you have a strong active transponder to align to.

I have been doing it as u just and others have explained it. I just spent like 2 hours of it without success. I used two dishes with different lnbs and different dish sizes. The meter on the screen doesn't move at all.
Here are the photos:
- latitude on the motor and level: http://imageshack.com/a/img922/7046/9F1mNQ.jpg

- elevation of the motor: http://imageshack.com/a/img924/3585/ihMoLF.jpg
- manual explaining how to set the elevation on the motor and dish: http://imageshack.com/a/img923/2508/ATtnk3.jpg
- elevation of the dish: http://imageshack.com/a/img924/3585/ihMoLF.jpg

- frequency in the positioner set up of the receiver: http://imageshack.com/a/img921/4274/sbJvWD.jpg
- Goto x etc: http://imageshack.com/a/img923/7466/0u3y48.jpg

I am off to work now. I think I ll try to find a sat signal meter, maybe that ll help. If that doesn't then I ll let someone do it.

 

[Lazarus]

Well, for one thing the Symbol Rate of your chosen TP is wrong .... should be 27500, not 27000

@Milamber correctly posted it at Post #23, but you've transcribed it incorrectly.

I'd correct that before playing with the Installation yet again.

Although Receivers will tolerate a small error, as you'll discover later by looking at reported values after a blind scan, I think you'll find it won't recognise the SR you've entered.

Also, it would help if you can post a screenshot of your LNB setup, so we can check that you've got the correct LOs and that the device is powered. Lack of any bars at all on SQ and SS suggest no LNB power ... when an LNB actually is powered, but the dish is off alignment, you'd expect to get a quiescent base reading.

Finally, please also post up a picture of the other side of the Motor bracket - the one bearing the scale actually labelled Latitude. I think you did post one up near the beginning of the Thread, but we don't know if it's changed since then. The point being it should be set directly to the Latitude at your location and is even easier to use directly than it is to make the relatively simple calculation that produces Motor Elevation (If you've done the latter right, then simply look at the other side of the bracket and the Latitude reading should inherently be right. If it isn't, you've done the calculation wrong).

It is not time to call someone in just yet!

 

[Mickha]

I would check all your cables, especially the connections, again, just to make sure you haven't got a loose connection, or a short:


I have experienced problems, with my connections, when the F connector was too tight, for the cable, so I forced it on, and in doing so cut through most of the copper braid, giving me an intermittent connection.

 

[Lazarus]

Well we know power gets as far as the motor, but I agree it's worth at least checking the motor to LNB cable, in addition to confirming LNB settings in the Receiver.

 

[Archive4]

Well, now something vexes me, you should have " something " when rotating the dish, even if your a mile ( km ) off to start with.
Direct cable to lnb then swing dish side to side to see if you get anything.
If not , " Call an exorcist "

 

[meyouall]

Well, for one thing the Symbol Rate of your chosen TP is wrong .... should be 27500, not 27000

@Milamber correctly posted it at Post #23, but you've transcribed it incorrectly.

I'd correct that before playing with the Installation yet again.

Although Receivers will tolerate a small error, as you'll discover later by looking at reported values after a blind scan, I think you'll find it won't recognise the SR you've entered.

Also, it would help if you can post a screenshot of your LNB setup, so we can check that you've got the correct LOs and that the device is powered. Lack of any bars at all on SQ and SS suggest no LNB power ... when an LNB actually is powered, but the dish is off alignment, you'd expect to get a quiescent base reading.

Finally, please also post up a picture of the other side of the Motor bracket - the one bearing the scale actually labelled Latitude. I think you did post one up near the beginning of the Thread, but we don't know if it's changed since then. The point being it should be set directly to the Latitude at your location and is even easier to use directly than it is to make the relatively simple calculation that produces Motor Elevation (If you've done the latter right, then simply look at the other side of the bracket and the Latitude reading should inherently be right. If it isn't, you've done the calculation wrong).

It is not time to call someone in just yet!

Yes, you're right about the SR. I will correct that. However, it shouldn't be the main cause of this problem, right?

- LNB setup
I think I haven't seen any specific options for the LNB. If you mean tuner configuration, i just entered my latitude/longititude and choose the 'simple' method. I think if one chooses the 'advanced' method then u have other options.

On the other side of the motor I have the latitude set to 51. I will upload its picture too.