1.8 channel master new dish set up.

[TJLOWE1]

Hi all,
Well i've got round to putting my new dish up, BUT REALLY STRUGGERLING to track the arc , it's a channel master 1.8, my main point of the dish was for 7w and the H transponders, WHICH I CAN NOW FULLY RECEIVE, but to get these H's i've had to slightly tilt the dish backwards which is throwing out the arc, ( well it will track it more or less from 23.5e to about 18w, then it looses it anything past those points.)
Can anybody give any advise on where i'm going wrong, as i need to get the sats past those points (listed above).
i'm happy to start from the beginning if people can advise on what i'm doing wrong.
( am i wrong in thinking you can buy something which will put i tilt on the dish via the motor, a bit like the H to H actuator Motor i'm using )
Thanks
TJ

(PS The spider box is great for 7w h transponder viewing, loads open, my location Stoke on trent, The Midlands.)

[chorleycat]

hi --
it sounds like the decline adjustment needs altering -- ( the adjusting bolt right on top of the mount )
although it could be the axis is not exactly due south -- also re- check your pole is vertical in all directions , as it will negate any adjustments if its not -----
the 1.8 is very focused and only needs small adjustments to alter it quite a lot -- study the diagram below -- it just takes time to get it 100 % right

it sounds like you are almost there with it -- so only make small adjustments

regards c.c.

42960

[Keano]

Try using 0.8w instead of 7.0w for starters. Get a nice strong signal on 0.8w ( use the weakest transponder ) and then try.

If you got the dish for showsports then you do know they have lost the EPL rights ?

[Grahamc]

Keano this is off TJLOWE1 topic but do you know who has the rights to the EPL, I am working in Jeddah and Showsports has been a Godsend for this season

Please excuse me for tilting your topic TJLOWE1 but when you are out here things like this are of the utmost importance and I needed to ask this before I forgot about it.

Thanks a lot mates
Graham

[Keano]

For the Middle East Abu Dhabi have won the rights for the EPL for the next three seasons.

They should be showing every game and I have heard HD too.

It wont matter to you in Jeddah but if they put the channels on Atlantic Bird 4 ( 7.0w ) and BADR 6 ( 26.0e ) then we will struggle in the UK.

[TJLOWE1]

ok,
thanks for the info, the only thing i can check tonight is the pole , and thats level on all sides,so i'm happy with that.
i'm going to see if the axis is exactly due south , as i feel this could be out, here are my reasons why, when i go to 7w or 30w, i have to higher the dish slightly,(TO GET A GOOD SIGNAL) and when i go to 26e or 39e i have to lower the dish, so tell me if this makes sense, i need to move the dish axis (the whole dish bracket ) slighly eastwards, which would give me a lower eastward angle and a higher westward angle.

DOES THIS MAKE SENSE. ?

TJ

[chorleycat]

ok,
thanks for the info, the only thing i can check tonight is the pole , and thats level on all sides,so i'm happy with that.
i'm going to see if the axis is exactly due south , as i feel this could be out, here are my reasons why, when i go to 7w or 30w, i have to higher the dish slightly,(TO GET A GOOD SIGNAL) and when i go to 26e or 39e i have to lower the dish, so tell me if this makes sense, i need to move the dish axis (the whole dish bracket ) slighly eastwards, which would give me a lower eastward angle and a higher westward angle.

DOES THIS MAKE SENSE. ?

TJ

yes it does-- hopefully that will sort out the problem -- or at least get you much closer to a correct setup --
the 1.8 channel master and polar mount is a very robust setup and once setup well -- will be trouble free for years --
had mine about 10 years now -- and it was 6 or 7 years old when i bought it --- great dish :)
good luck

regards c.c.

[springer]

ok,
thanks for the info, the only thing i can check tonight is the pole , and thats level on all sides,so i'm happy with that.
i'm going to see if the axis is exactly due south , as i feel this could be out, here are my reasons why, when i go to 7w or 30w, i have to higher the dish slightly,(TO GET A GOOD SIGNAL) and when i go to 26e or 39e i have to lower the dish, so tell me if this makes sense, i need to move the dish axis (the whole dish bracket ) slighly eastwards, which would give me a lower eastward angle and a higher westward angle.

DOES THIS MAKE SENSE. ?

TJ

You are on the right track. But you actually have to move the whole mount slightly to the west. This will make the dish reach the western positions at a slightly higher angle and the eastern ones at a lower angle.

[TJLOWE1]

You are on the right track. But you actually have to move the whole mount slightly to the west. This will make the dish reach the western positions at a slightly higher angle and the eastern ones at a lower angle.


Havin thought about it springer, your right, (my thoughts about moving the dish slightly eastwards would be wrong,i need to go slighlty the other way, just lookin at the dish now and moving the dish bracket westwards would higher my westward positions and lower the eastward positions.
will start to look at it at dinner time.

who needs to go to work when important jobs need to be done. !!

TJ

[ouagadougou]

Once you have the south set and the declination set I still think its wort adding a motor to adjust the declination as needed for fine tuning especially if you have anything bigger than a 2m dish. This gives you the opportunity to get any inclined orbit birds as well but I suppose it all depends how much of the arc you want to get full performance on.

If you want full performance from horizon to horizon then I wouldnt think twice about adding a declination motor.

[malsat]

@TJLOWE1

What polarmount are you using with 1.8 channel master?
Where did you find it ?
thanks

[satwyn]

not sure channel master make a polar mount for the 1.8m or even the smaller dishes these days I did see a company that modified the 1.2 polar mount to fit the 1.8m

[malsat]

not sure channel master make a polar mount for the 1.8m or even the smaller dishes these days I did see a company that modified the 1.2 polar mount to fit the 1.8m

I know channel master don't anymore,Ive seen somewhere someone does but was a silly £200 or so,
Can you post a pic of yours tjlowe ?

[satwyn]

i tried a prime focus polar mount on the andrews 1.8 once never got it to track properly

[malsat]

I have just found a 1.2 channel master polarmount and if i can fix to 1.8 I will buy one.
Would like to do a disqec motor to one.

[Likvid]

1.8m channel master is too heavy for the CM1.2 polarmount, it will break after a while.

[TJLOWE1]

take a look at this fitting... its coming on nicely, not quiet there yet. !! got to fine tune things up. !! but thanks to other "pimps" i'm gettin there . !!

will keep you all informed.

TJ.

:respect-069:

[malsat]

How much was the conversion bracket?

[CROSSBONES]

Are you sitting down m a l s a t :)

[wod]

there's a german company called a p e x s a t that make proper polar mounts for the 1.8m.

also are you using a heavy duty actuator on the dish otherwise you will wear the standard one out with the weight of that dish.

did you set the polar mount elevation with an angle finder other wise that will cause problems.

[TJLOWE1]

A quick update,
How many of you have undone a couple of nuts to get better signal strength ?? well folish me , i've done that "AGAIN" !!! .
I told my girl friend i was happy with the dish and what it was giving me, then i changed my mind,went outside and ajusted a few things. needless to say, THE DISH AIN'T TRACKING THER ARC CORRECTLY NOW. !!.
Luckily i won't be beaten, and tomorrow dinner time i'll be back on the job !


i'll keep you all informed ( time for a beer now !! )

TJ


:respect-051:

[TJLOWE1]

Well,
I have to agree with people, the dish is great,i feel i'm tracking the arc virtually 99.9 %, it takes a lot of time and calmness to get things set up as the slightest movement throws thing out, it's a very sensitive dish, all i've got to do now is program the box with the sat positions and scan the sats in and see what i get. !

The sat i've done is 7w so far and all you in the uk know how difficult it is to receive ANY h transponders, but here's the ones i have so far, 12034,11766,11804,11881,11919,119 58,11996,12073,12303,11843,12149, 12226, --The only ones i loose during the day are the last 3, the others are excellent viewing quality, with NO break up. V's are No problem at all. -- (spiderbox, Location Stoke on Trent,The Midlands.)

In my opinion money very well spent.

TJ

[chorleycat]

:respect-044: -- well done

you sound like you got it spot on now -- if you are getting all those H tps from your location -- i know only too well that it takes time and patience to get a 1.8 c.m. spot oin --
what l.n.b. and feed are you using -- out of interest ?

regards c.c.

[TJLOWE1]

i'm using a matched feedhorn with C120 0.3dB Inverto LNB, i think i started the job like 2/3 weeks ago, but well worth getting it right. (which means pulling one's hair out on more than 1 occasion. )

TJ

:respect-050:

[chorleycat]

thanks for the reply --

yes - that,s the same feed and l.n.b. that i,v found to give the best results on my 1.8 - c.m. -- so far .
i,v never had any problems with my dish / mount setup -- since i got it setup right -
as you found out - it is very sensitive to slight adjustments --
but like i did - when i set up mine -- you will have gained a great deal of knowledge of installations . :cool: l.o.l.

regards c.c.