installtion trouble - usals - Thor has signal but no other sats

[techmob]

I thought i was on to a good thing.

pole tested with a spirit level = spot on

motor/dish/pole all centrered @ 0 degrees

Motor setup to my latitude/location

on the dm800 i setup 0.8w with my usal settings and then put the channel on bbc world and the motor turned and i had 70% signal, i was thinking so far so good.

i then slackened the rig and moved it until i got a better signal, tweaked the lnb and have got 81% on thor 0.8w

i did the same for the other satellites, 28.2e, 19e, 13e etc and then turned it to the channel (usuing latest channel lists) and it moved to 28.2e and i got 50% signal. tried tweaking again but could not improve the signal

seems i can only get a decent signal on 1w with the way i have it.

i have noticed when i tighten, slacken etc the singal does change, i am wondering when it tightens that it may affect the pole i.e being perfectly straight. can't test with a level don't have one small enough while the rig is up on the pole

last time i set this rig setup (at my old house) i did not use usals i just tuned my dish into 1W until i got a good signal and then i told it to go to 30w and then tweaked until i got a signal. then i moved back to 1w and still had a signal.

i could then hit all the other satellites and i just tweaked each satellite from the menu of the dm800.

this time doing usals i am struggling

[techmob]

i am hoping i have put the wrong details in my dm800 for the longitude and latitude.

i don't want to give both details here but i will use the latitude as an example

my longitude is -3.4652°

what do i put in the dreambox? i have put 003.465 N

if i put in the correct latitude but incorrect longitude, could i expect the issue i have? (good signal on thor but rubbish on others)

[satpaul]

Have you set the degrees on the Latitude side of motor or the elevation side?

[techmob]

i have set it up on the latitude side

the motor swings round to 1w no problems, based on my coordinates but that is about it.

i am not far off 1w at all as my nearest sat. as the motor does not have to move much from 0 degrees.

i am not sure what i should be entering in the dm800 menu for usals.

according to the sites my longitude is -3.4652° , in the dreambox i put 003.465 (don't know if that is correct)

[crabber]

You have mixed up your Lat and Long, 3 degrees north is Latitude and is just north of the equator! I am guessing that your longitude is 3 West? and lat would be around 53 north if you are in the UK

[dOOds]

prob be something like.. Latitude: 51.*** Longitude: 0.*** .

[techmob]

for example

Latitude: 53.000° - this is what i put in the dreambox 053.000 N

Longitude: -3.000° - this is what i put in the dreambox 003.000 W

would that be correct?

[satpaul]

motor should be on 2.5 degrees east (approx) for 1 west

Also Are you In Wales in Rhyl

[dOOds]

nope i have dreambox you put it exactly as i have put it above..hope this helps matey.. Are you in the Uk matey?

[techmob]

confused.com

before i answer the above, thanks to both of you

yes location is Rhyl

confused.com = still don't understand what should go in usals. if the websites say my location is

Latitude: 53.000°
Longitude: -3.000

i don't understand why it should not be set to what i said

thanks

[dOOds]

ok if ur latitude is 53.320 you put 53.320 ,now with your longitude im not too sure as it has - before it..prob 00,mabye someone can elaborate as mine is 0.1**.

[techmob]

how do i change the decimal place, or i am i not supposed to be able too?

as it has 000.000

or do i simply have 053.000 for the latitude

thanks

[techmob]

what i can't get my head around also, is that i get a signal off thor 0.8w with what i have put in,but i don't get anything else

surely i wouldn't get thor 1w if my coordinates were wrong?

[dOOds]

have u not lined you dish up on thor first as top of the arc?? my dreambox i just type in 51.*** and 0.1** .you could try doing it manually getting the strongest transponders from each sat and moving east as desired and then saving!!

[techmob]

that is how i have done it in the past.. tuned in each sat as i went.

this time i wanted to use usals and i have had it all lined in central, motor at 0 degrees

told the motor my latitude and the dm800 my long and lat and then told it to go to bbc world on 1west which it did.

i thought that was the correct way of doing it?

or should i set my motor at 0 degrees, put frequency in for bbc world on sat positioner and then move the rig i.e the motor and dish until i get a signal thus keeping the motor at 0 degrees, maybe that is why the other satellites are not coming in because the motor has to turn a few degrees to pick up 1w?

[dOOds]

i would allways start on 0.8W as top of the arc..this is dependant on ur location though..i had probs like this before where it was dipping below the arc..if this is the case you will prob need to adjust the angle on the motor first.. but yes set motor to 0 and line it up on 0.8w.then if you have put long ltat in correctly it should track the arc.

[techmob]

i think i will put the motor back to 0 degrees as that is where everything is central.

then i will manually move by hand, the dish/motor to where 1w is and tweak until a good signal. and then move to the other sats in the list as the motor would still be at 0degrees and hit the other satellites..

well thats the theory anyway. first time i have done it this way

last time i just messed with the motor elevation, moved the rig until i hit 1w, messed with dish elevation and got the best signal i could. told it to go to 30west. it had no singal and then i moved it until it did (think with the manual buttons)

once i had this tuned in i could get the ARC

ideally i want to have it setup with usals

[passete]

if you have a GPS (TomTom or other), turn on your GPS near the Dish, wait until you get a gps signal, and see your real Location !
I find a kind wierd to have numbers like 003.000 and 053.000, here i have XXX.544 and XXX.192, kind of coincidence to have Both with XXX.000 ?
When you are sure of your exact Lat. and Long., just Tune on Thor (like 11727 V 28000 7/8), you should get at least 85% of SNR.
Once Thor tuned, just send a recent channel list, and you are done.

Good Luck

[crabber]

I cant understand why you are having a problem, USAL's is brilliant and easy, there should be no need whatsoever for any tweaking, or manual adjustments once the first satellite is spot on all the others follow providing:
You have motor set to your latitude, which you have done.
Pole is perfectly upright in all planes, which you have checked.
Lat and long is correctly entered in menu.
Usually driving motor to 0 resets the memory so this is a good start but then you need to drive to 1 West and adjust motor on pole horizontally and dish vertically for best signal. If all above is correct all satellites will be there.

Edit, I dont like to disagree with my friend Passete but I cant see why somebody elses channel lists are so popular, they were not made in the same location and so you may not be able to pick up all the channels. It is so easy to set the dreambox to do a multi sat scan, OK it may take a while but you can leave it to get on with it. Once this is done you can be sure that all the channels in your list are available.

[techmob]

thanks guys

good tip above the sat nav, i will try that.

something isn't right - just not sure what.

i am hitting 81% signal on thor but only 50% on 28.2e

i instantly hit thor 1w and i thought it was good to go but it seems it isn't

[passete]

This is because your lat and long aren't acurate !

[simon 2003]

my long is 359.000 on my 800 as you cannot enter a minus symbol subtract your long from 360.000,,dishpointer tells me mine is -1.563 ( so mine would be 358.437)but maxing out 1 west on bbc news 359.000 gives me best signal (100% on my 90cm fibo)

yes id agree defo long lat issue,,check this thread techmob you actually posted in it in 2009 :blush5:
post 32
https://www.satpimps.co.uk/showthread.php?89468-DM800-Motor-Set-Up-using-USALS/page2&highlight=enter+longitude+minus

[basilyoung]

I am not to far from you

its likely that your motor/dish angles are slightly wrong

if you drop your dish/raise the motor or vice versa..that should sort your problem

if you are really stuck...pm me, and i could pop over and sort it for you

[techmob]

@ simon, hehe cheer bud

Going to give this another go today.

@ basil, thanks for the offer might take you up on that, where about are you?

Cheers

[techmob]

My dm800 does show a minus, so would i still need to subtract from 360.00



my long is 359.000 on my 800 as you cannot enter a minus symbol subtract your long from 360.000,,dishpointer tells me mine is -1.563 ( so mine would be 358.437)but maxing out 1 west on bbc news 359.000 gives me best signal (100% on my 90cm fibo)

yes id agree defo long lat issue,,check this thread techmob you actually posted in it in 2009 :blush5:
post 32
https://www.satpimps.co.uk/showthread.php?89468-DM800-Motor-Set-Up-using-USALS/page2&highlight=enter+longitude+minus

[simon 2003]

how does it show a minus mate ? could depend on image i guess,,not seen it on any blackhole or dream elite image,,its usually 000.000 ,if it shows minus just add it normally mate,like i say you can tweak it ,just add or subtract say 200 (to last 3 digits)and go back and check signal,,try both ways see what results you get,but worked for me 100% aswell no problems all done in 20 mins same as guy who posted in that thread i linked up,had to manually add 16e,26e,and 7w for best signals but im thinking thats because they are so close to other strong birds

[techmob]

i am sure i saw a minus. i will have to check it again

i am using a PLI image, latest one

[simon 2003]

you know what your doing mate just have a play,basics right (pole absolutely vertical,motor on "0",best signal you can get on 1 west ,)get your long lat correct rest should follow

[techmob]

just took a sat nav up to where the motor is and it is quite a bit different to the long and lat given on the websites.

that is going to be my first change (in the dm800 menu)

[techmob]

it seems my dm800 does not have a minus symbol lol...

going to do the deduction from 360.00 now

[Wossname]

techmob I don't think you have said what motor you've got. There's plenty of threads on here about motors having a mind of their own even though they move they not going to correct position.
I have had similar problems especially when switching from diseqc to usals. I think you might benefit from a manual reset of the motor when at 0 degrees, then switch off power to lnb before doing anything else, then switch back on to reset motor. Hope this helps.

[techmob]

i have a superjack dg 120 motor...

i have changed my longitude based on the 360.000 - my longitude.

i reset the motor back to 0 degrees.

i went to bbc world on thor and it gave 0% signal. i moved the dish and motor on the pole by hand and got a signal of around 60-70%

i tightened up at 63% just to see what i could track

i can get bbc 1 on 28.2e but at 45% signal. i can get 19e at 51% signal. cant get 13, 16, or 4.8e

i can get 30W but at 50%

this means i am not far from the arc but obviously something is a miss

[techmob]

i have gone through the sats and this is what i get

0.8w BBC world = 68%
5W AB 1 = 79%
8W Music Now = 63%
15W BBC Persian = 39%
24.5w Biography = 26%
27.5W Region 2A CH5 = 46%
30W 24 HORAS = 42%

4.0E AL Jazeera children = 37%
4.8E Channel 5 (Ukraine) = 59%
7E AL Jazeera Eng = 29%
9E AFN atlantic = 47%
13E AXN = 38%
16E = 0%
19.2E Barca TV = 45%
28.2E BBC 1 London = 44%
42E = 0%

[Mickha]

Try switching to Diseqc 1.2 then move the dish manually, using your left/right key options, and see how strong a signal you can get for 30W, 13E, 19.2E and 28.2E, as your current levels are poor, unless there are trees obstructing some satellites.

[techmob]

nothing obstructing

if i change it from usals to 1.2 the motor throws a fit and goes full lock to either east or west.

if i keep on usals on 0.8w i then use the fine tune but can only go from 44% to 50% doing that

[techmob]

i have just changed it to 1.2 and then it wont let me move the motor with the east and west in the menu.

bloody thing...

i might put my old motor back on, but again it is hassle trying to get a heavy dish/motor down and then back up on your own

[passete]

Here what my Tomtom gps says about my Dish Location :
N = 047° 19,257
W = 001° 54,429

Here what i have entered on my Dm, positioner Mode :
Longitude : 001.544
West
latitude : 047.192
North

This is Working 100%, i get 95% SNR on Many sat's

[techmob]

i have took the dish and motor down.

there is some play in the motor arm (it is newer than my original motor, same make).

i have very little play in my original motor arm even though it is older so i have now fitted the dish to this motor, set elevation on the motor, dish is perfectly aligned and there is no excessive play.

i am now going to check the pole etc is plumb before installing the replacement motor and dish

and starting again

SIGH!

[techmob]

i have checked the pole and brackets.

the pole was spot on facing south. i.e where the motor was going to be positioned inline with with dish etc. that side of the pole was verticle.

the sides of the pole was quite a bit out (not sure if that matters) so i have adjusted the K and T brackets as best i can and i have a verticle pole 100% spot on facing south.

the sides east and west are slightly out but better than before.

does the pole have to be 100% all the way around even if the motor is fixed in the position that is 100% verticle?

if the pole has to be 360 degrees 100% verticle then i am going to have to redrill/fix the T and K bracket as that is the best i can do with them.

[Satcat]

If you longitude is 3W then when your motor is set to zero it will be facing 3deg west, so to pick up Thor the motor needs to be set to 2deg East.

[techmob]

As you can see from my attachments. bear in mind i was climbing a ladder with my phone so not perfect pictures

the straight one (far right) is where the motor will be fixed to, that is facing south.

the other two slightly off are the sides of the pole

do i need to start again or is that pole ok?

[crabber]

No it wouldn't be good enough for me, how is the pole fixed, can you adjust it without too much trouble?
Also have I misunderstood that you are setting motor to 0 then adjusting for Thor? if so everything will be one degree out.

[techmob]

the pole is fixed with a T and K bracket. the T and K bracket will not adjust anymore. i would need to redrill new holes (to be honest the T and K brackets are on the ****)

motor is set to 0 and then i tell it to go to a channel on thor. the motor moves. then i adjust the signal by moving the motor and dish on the pole.

i think i might bite the bullet and just install the T and K brackets again, and then get them both level before fixing the pole?

i think the T bracket is bit dodgey because it seems to fix nicely to the wall but then it comes down on an angle i.e not straight onto the pole. as if it has been fixed over time which has caused it to pull down (hope that makes sense)

i could fix Two K brackets, could i not? would that give it a bit more strength?

not sure where i would buy these brackets from

thanks

[simon 2003]

yea 2 k's ideal mate has to be 100% plum as it will affect signal

[techmob]

100% front, back and sides?

looks like back to square one lol

anyone know where i can buy some from North Wales ( T and K brackets)

[simon 2003]

i know what your saying mate as my walls are all over the place but 100% vertical is front back and sides

[techmob]

i think it was more a user error than anything else.

i kept my T and K bracket with pole fixed for a good while and decided to fit it like this while up a high ladder. As you can imagine trying to hold it in place while marking the holes to be drilled, were not perfect.

next time i am going to fix one bracket at a time making sure they are level and then fit the pole to the brackets

(school boy error)