Complete Newbie

[mgordon42]

A friend gave me a receiver a long time ago and finally i got round to having dish installed. (The purchase of big screen and lack of interesting things on Freeview made me do it I guess as did my wifes request for Russian TV)

The installer turned up - said he had done only one or two but was quite confident.

Without a compass he lined up dish - made sure I could tune in at least one satellite then left. I was then able to tune in maybe 2 or 3 satellites. (I'm at 4w 57N)

I started to play with the system and eventully broke it - drove the dish round and it snarled the cables the installer had left dangling unbeknown to me. He was called back and he tied these off with tape out of the way of the u-bolts.

Since then Ive only really been able to tune in 1 satellite. The free reciever I had been given started crashing during scans so another friend in the IT trade gave me a dreambox to play with and with this I can only get Hotbird on 13E - nothing else with lock or sync..

Having now read and - I think - understood the theory of polar mounts and satelite orbits it seems to me that the alignment isnt spot on.

So questions really are
(1) at 4W and 57N how far east and west should I be able to go - (aside from hills and buildings in the way)
(2) Does it sound like bad alignment or something Im doing wrong?
(3) For the motor control there is a section where the default of 40ma (milliamp) is entered - what should that value be? NOt sure what the motor make is but i assume its a pretty standard item???

Mark

[robbo71]

Hi Mark,
Welcome to the forum

My answer to Q1,
I don't know exactly off the top of my head.
But the satellites are seen as an arc in the sky, with the satellite closest to your due south near the top of it.

As you look further and further east or west, you get to a point where the satelites disappear below the horizon.
Forty to fifty degrees either way is normally achievable.
When you start going further, obstacles start getting in the way, as you are getting closer and closer to the horizon.

This post shows the arc I am talking about:-
http://www.satellitehelp.co.uk/forum...0.html#msg4370

The exact figures for how far east and west you can go, depend on how high you have the dish and what there is around you, and your altitude.

There are a number of online calculators that will give you the required dish elevation and azimuth angle you need from your location to see the various satellites. Here is a link to two of them:-

http://www.satsig.net/maps/lat-long-finder.htm
http://www.satlex.de/en/azel_calc.html

Using the info from these, and by doing a 'survey' of what the dish would see, as it went east or west would give you a clue.
But the only way to find out for sure, is to tune your arc properly and see how far you can go practically.

Question 2

Yes, it sounds like it bad alignment.
You have not said what kind of motorised mount you have. There are to basic types:-

Polar mount with linear actuator.

and H-H motor.

The theoretical principle for the two is the same, but the mechanics behind them are dissimilar.

There is a guide on this forum for setting up a Diseqc motor ( a type of H-H) motor. Have a read of that. It's good:-

http://www.satellitehelp.co.uk/forum...pic,401.0.html

If you are only getting one satellite, assuming that you know how to work the receiver properly,and there are no serious obstructions, means that your
motorised setup is probably way off as far as alignment goes.

Question 3

Not a clue :roflmao:

but it sounds like you have a Diseqc motor.

Robbo

[BGonaSTICK]

And yes, if your motor is actually being driven (have you checked? Try 80ma...) then it's almost certainly not aligned correctly.

If your installer made such a fundamental mistake as to leave the cables dangling to get snagged, he sounds pretty hopeless.

You can either read up and do it yourself, or get someone else in.

Our guide is here:

http://www.satellitehelp.co.uk/forum...pic,401.0.html

You're very lucky to have the Dreambox to enjoy. It's the king of the hill and capable of allsorts.

Welcome to the forum Mark.

[Jimdefruit]

A very big welcome to the forum Mark. Can you introduce me to your friend please. I could do with another Dreambox.

Have you set the dreambox sat configuration to 'many satellites....'. It sounds as if you have but worth checking.

[mgordon42]

Hmm

All of this confirming what Ive all along thought.

Pointing the dish to 0 (Im at exactly 4.776w and 55.959n) the dish looks to be pointing almost horizontal when by my reckoning it should be pointing up by about 26 degrees. Does everyone agree? In this case the installer defo needs to come back.

Hmm the dreambox is on loan and if i want to keep it i will have to pay for it


Mark

[BGonaSTICK]

No. If it's an offset dish (LNB arm sticking out the bottom edge of the dish) then it should be looking more or less horizontal. Maybe upwards 5 - 10 degrees at most.

[mgordon42]

Yeah it is an offset dish...so what then can be the issues? still alignment? As I said I can only lock in to one sat and we are pretty much the highest building around here...not much in the way really.

Mark

[robbo71]

Originally Posted by mgordon42

Yeah it is an offset dish...so what then can be the issues? still alignment? As I said I can only lock in to one sat and we are pretty much the highest building around here...not much in the way really.

Mark

Hi Mark,

You need to follow a methodical approach to getting your motorised setup right.
Have a look at the Diseqc motor setup guide, (links already given above).

Work your way through that.
If you get any problems along the way, then feel free to ask for clarification or advice.

As far as I'm concerned the most difficult and important thing about a motorised setup is getting the blinking pole
perfectly vertical. We don't even know if it is right now, as your installer sounds like a cowboy.

P.S You may find the alignment process a little easier if you had a satellite finder meter. I have a needle type and find it invaluable.

Robbo