echelon
02-01-2007, 03:49 PM
echelon,s quick guide ( now a couple of years old ) to setting up a motorised system on a dish of up to 1.2 metres on a stab motor with a samsung 9500, if it helps then use this guide , if not then ignore it !!
The first thing to do is make sure your main pole is perfectly vertical.
secondly , set the dish elevation up , triax is 26 offset so 26 - (60-lat) = 26 - (60-53) = 26 - 7 = 19
thirdly , connect up the dish and motor on the ground and set the stab motor elevation to the correct setting for YOUR latitude, and then set the motor to the correct setting for YOUR longitude , in reference to a satellite , preferably thor at 0.8 degrees west
for my location in manchester area its 53.50 elevation on the motor inclination and I am 2.25 west so thor is east of me at 0.8 degrees so the equation is:-
The calc is 0.8w (thor sat) minus 2.25w (m/cr) **** that's (-0.8)-(-2.25) = +1.45 = 1.45 east
(convention is east is positive, west is negative)
so set the motor at 1.45 east for m/cr ( and store the position and calculate all sats too ) and then disconnect the motor and go DIRECT to the lnb itself , and then angle the dish by holding it until you get thor using bbc-world for digital or tv4 for ****ogue and leaving it on the signal ,
then alter the dish elevation adjuster until the pole mount bracket is vertical using a spirit level
this step proves everything is working and that you pick up the correct satellite and have set all the angles as close as possible whilst its easy to adjust them
then reconnect the motor and digital receiver and store the correct thor position if you didnt do it earlier and put the dish up onto your vertical mounting pole ( preferably a 50mm stainless steel pole or a 50mm galvanised scaffolding pole with sturdy brackets
Ok, then find Thor again with the motor manually placed at 1degW for your location ( 1.45 east for me ).
it is better and easier if you set it up on 1w, use bbc world for digital receivers
nice strong signal and in the clear, 11540/2600/3/4V
or use ****og tv4 (thor) 11389H
once this is set correctly then adjust the dish face using the elevation setting to get the best signal
Go to the Positioner setup in the Installation menu and change the bottom most option from USER to INSTALLER, and press ok.
Select Reset Positioner and press OK (the dish should move back to 0 deg)
Select Disable Limits and press OK again.
Then press exit, to return to the Positioner setup.
Change the bottom most option back to USER and press OK.
You should now be shown a signal strength indicator again, but this time you should also have N/S/E/W motor controls and the option to Store Position and Go To Position.
Using the Motor Controls on this screen, move the dish so that it can once again receive a signal from Thor (1degW).
Once found press OK and then select the Store Position option.
Now select the Calculate Positions option.
Now go back to the positioner setup, and select a different satellite (Hotbird 13E perhaps), and press ok.
Now select the go to position option and the dish should move to roughly the right place, fine tune this to get the best signal strength and select store position.
Repeat this last bit for any other satellites you want to view channels on, especially astra2 at 28.5 degrees east and hispasat at 30 degrees west.
Press exit until you return to the Installation menu, and select LNB Setup. For each of the satellites you found above, make sure that the bottom option (Positioner), is set ON.
Exit back to the Installer menu and select Automatic Scan.
For each of the satellites you found earlier, mark whether you want to scan for All channels or just free to air channels, and press OK.
It will now go to each of the satellites you found and search for the channels available on them.
if the dish needs further adjustments then refer to the dave-m tutorial below , and also note that you may have to fine tune each channel position manually and store it yourself
just as a footnote to tutorial above.
when searching for new satellites make sure the transponder you choose is actually transmitting at the time.
it will save you wasting time
If You cannot see the satellites in the west direction, You have to fine adjust the motor-mount to west.
If You cannot see the satellites in the east direction, You have to fine adjust the motor-mount to east.
Alternatively if you know which satellite you are on now then by knowing the diameter of the pole mount you can work out how many degrees per centimetre of the poles cir***ference there are. For a 2 inch pole there are roughly 22.5 degrees to a centimetre, for a three inch pole there are roughly 15.0 degrees to a centimetre
UPDATE
when setting the dish elevation you will usually find the correct setting for your latitude in the motor booklet, so start with that setting but bear in mind you may have to adjust it slightly to get the best signals
in my case its about 27.5 for a darkmotor at my location when using a triax td110 dish (which has an offset of 26 degrees)
this is 35 degrees minus the declination angle ( 35 - 7.5 = 27.5 degrees )
********************************* ********************************* ********************************* **
dave-m quick tutorial in a similar vein to the above
The first thing to do is make sure your main pole is perfectly vertical. Having done that, proceed as follows:
1. Position your mount to as near as you can by eye and compass, so that it is pointing directly due south at it's highest point (Usually zero on the scale).
2. There will be two adjustments for the elevation - and it's crucial you adjust the right ones at the right time. One is on the mount itself, determining the arc angle at which it tracks the heavens, and the other is on the dish. Look up (I think there's a utility at satcodx.com) the correct elevation for your location, and estimate the position on the adjuster *on the mount* (usually crudely marked and not always accurate).
3. Tune your receiver in to 1 degree west, preferably a weaker signal, and position your dish so as to get the best signal *without* adjusting the mount, but using the adjustment on the dish clamp.
4. Drive your dish, by operating the motor, around to a satellite well to the west, e.g. Hispasat at 30ºW. Adjust the elevation on the dish clamp so as to get the best signal. This may take some time, but DO NOT adjust the mount settings at this point, only the dish.
5. Drive the dish back to due south (1 degree west), and move *the mount itself* up or down back to the strongest signal.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5. The adjustments needed at each point should get smaller, and after 2 or 3 tries you should need no further adjustment.
7. Test you have the arc correct by going to a satellite well round to the East, e.g. Astra2. If the dish elevation is correct, you've finished: if it is not, your pole is not vertical, straighten the pole and start again.
********************************* ********************************* ********************************* **
useful channels to look for:-
********************************* ********************************* **************ogue
TV4 Thor 1west 11389Hor
C****+ spain 30west 12591Hor
STV 42east 11122Hor
********************************* ********************************* ************************
use single encryption files in the internal slots , like via , seca , nagra , conax etc ( you can use fun , silver or goldcards for these single files )
get an irdeto type cam for 6in1 files
ie:- to use 6in1 files you need to use an irdeto type cam, or freecam , or a magic-module cam as the files are irdeto based and irdeto is not included in either an unpatched receiver or a patched one at the moment
********************************* *******
links:-
_http://www.heavens-above.com/countries.asp
get your latitude and longitude from the above link
or
You can also use _www.streetmap.co.uk, stick your postcode in hit search and then click on the 'click here to convert /measure coordinates' Its in the blue box under the map
Another one (world-wide) gives Lat long elevation etc.
Code:
_www.satsig.net/maps/lat-long-finder.htm
Use the Hybrid tag to get to your house
and sly in europe
_http://www.stevelarkins.freeuk.com/skytv_reception_europe.htm
********************************* *******
pictures of various arcs below, as well as the use of a suitably sized exhaust clamp on the main pole below the motor to prevent slippage
The first thing to do is make sure your main pole is perfectly vertical.
secondly , set the dish elevation up , triax is 26 offset so 26 - (60-lat) = 26 - (60-53) = 26 - 7 = 19
thirdly , connect up the dish and motor on the ground and set the stab motor elevation to the correct setting for YOUR latitude, and then set the motor to the correct setting for YOUR longitude , in reference to a satellite , preferably thor at 0.8 degrees west
for my location in manchester area its 53.50 elevation on the motor inclination and I am 2.25 west so thor is east of me at 0.8 degrees so the equation is:-
The calc is 0.8w (thor sat) minus 2.25w (m/cr) **** that's (-0.8)-(-2.25) = +1.45 = 1.45 east
(convention is east is positive, west is negative)
so set the motor at 1.45 east for m/cr ( and store the position and calculate all sats too ) and then disconnect the motor and go DIRECT to the lnb itself , and then angle the dish by holding it until you get thor using bbc-world for digital or tv4 for ****ogue and leaving it on the signal ,
then alter the dish elevation adjuster until the pole mount bracket is vertical using a spirit level
this step proves everything is working and that you pick up the correct satellite and have set all the angles as close as possible whilst its easy to adjust them
then reconnect the motor and digital receiver and store the correct thor position if you didnt do it earlier and put the dish up onto your vertical mounting pole ( preferably a 50mm stainless steel pole or a 50mm galvanised scaffolding pole with sturdy brackets
Ok, then find Thor again with the motor manually placed at 1degW for your location ( 1.45 east for me ).
it is better and easier if you set it up on 1w, use bbc world for digital receivers
nice strong signal and in the clear, 11540/2600/3/4V
or use ****og tv4 (thor) 11389H
once this is set correctly then adjust the dish face using the elevation setting to get the best signal
Go to the Positioner setup in the Installation menu and change the bottom most option from USER to INSTALLER, and press ok.
Select Reset Positioner and press OK (the dish should move back to 0 deg)
Select Disable Limits and press OK again.
Then press exit, to return to the Positioner setup.
Change the bottom most option back to USER and press OK.
You should now be shown a signal strength indicator again, but this time you should also have N/S/E/W motor controls and the option to Store Position and Go To Position.
Using the Motor Controls on this screen, move the dish so that it can once again receive a signal from Thor (1degW).
Once found press OK and then select the Store Position option.
Now select the Calculate Positions option.
Now go back to the positioner setup, and select a different satellite (Hotbird 13E perhaps), and press ok.
Now select the go to position option and the dish should move to roughly the right place, fine tune this to get the best signal strength and select store position.
Repeat this last bit for any other satellites you want to view channels on, especially astra2 at 28.5 degrees east and hispasat at 30 degrees west.
Press exit until you return to the Installation menu, and select LNB Setup. For each of the satellites you found above, make sure that the bottom option (Positioner), is set ON.
Exit back to the Installer menu and select Automatic Scan.
For each of the satellites you found earlier, mark whether you want to scan for All channels or just free to air channels, and press OK.
It will now go to each of the satellites you found and search for the channels available on them.
if the dish needs further adjustments then refer to the dave-m tutorial below , and also note that you may have to fine tune each channel position manually and store it yourself
just as a footnote to tutorial above.
when searching for new satellites make sure the transponder you choose is actually transmitting at the time.
it will save you wasting time
If You cannot see the satellites in the west direction, You have to fine adjust the motor-mount to west.
If You cannot see the satellites in the east direction, You have to fine adjust the motor-mount to east.
Alternatively if you know which satellite you are on now then by knowing the diameter of the pole mount you can work out how many degrees per centimetre of the poles cir***ference there are. For a 2 inch pole there are roughly 22.5 degrees to a centimetre, for a three inch pole there are roughly 15.0 degrees to a centimetre
UPDATE
when setting the dish elevation you will usually find the correct setting for your latitude in the motor booklet, so start with that setting but bear in mind you may have to adjust it slightly to get the best signals
in my case its about 27.5 for a darkmotor at my location when using a triax td110 dish (which has an offset of 26 degrees)
this is 35 degrees minus the declination angle ( 35 - 7.5 = 27.5 degrees )
********************************* ********************************* ********************************* **
dave-m quick tutorial in a similar vein to the above
The first thing to do is make sure your main pole is perfectly vertical. Having done that, proceed as follows:
1. Position your mount to as near as you can by eye and compass, so that it is pointing directly due south at it's highest point (Usually zero on the scale).
2. There will be two adjustments for the elevation - and it's crucial you adjust the right ones at the right time. One is on the mount itself, determining the arc angle at which it tracks the heavens, and the other is on the dish. Look up (I think there's a utility at satcodx.com) the correct elevation for your location, and estimate the position on the adjuster *on the mount* (usually crudely marked and not always accurate).
3. Tune your receiver in to 1 degree west, preferably a weaker signal, and position your dish so as to get the best signal *without* adjusting the mount, but using the adjustment on the dish clamp.
4. Drive your dish, by operating the motor, around to a satellite well to the west, e.g. Hispasat at 30ºW. Adjust the elevation on the dish clamp so as to get the best signal. This may take some time, but DO NOT adjust the mount settings at this point, only the dish.
5. Drive the dish back to due south (1 degree west), and move *the mount itself* up or down back to the strongest signal.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5. The adjustments needed at each point should get smaller, and after 2 or 3 tries you should need no further adjustment.
7. Test you have the arc correct by going to a satellite well round to the East, e.g. Astra2. If the dish elevation is correct, you've finished: if it is not, your pole is not vertical, straighten the pole and start again.
********************************* ********************************* ********************************* **
useful channels to look for:-
********************************* ********************************* **************ogue
TV4 Thor 1west 11389Hor
C****+ spain 30west 12591Hor
STV 42east 11122Hor
********************************* ********************************* ************************
use single encryption files in the internal slots , like via , seca , nagra , conax etc ( you can use fun , silver or goldcards for these single files )
get an irdeto type cam for 6in1 files
ie:- to use 6in1 files you need to use an irdeto type cam, or freecam , or a magic-module cam as the files are irdeto based and irdeto is not included in either an unpatched receiver or a patched one at the moment
********************************* *******
links:-
_http://www.heavens-above.com/countries.asp
get your latitude and longitude from the above link
or
You can also use _www.streetmap.co.uk, stick your postcode in hit search and then click on the 'click here to convert /measure coordinates' Its in the blue box under the map
Another one (world-wide) gives Lat long elevation etc.
Code:
_www.satsig.net/maps/lat-long-finder.htm
Use the Hybrid tag to get to your house
and sly in europe
_http://www.stevelarkins.freeuk.com/skytv_reception_europe.htm
********************************* *******
pictures of various arcs below, as well as the use of a suitably sized exhaust clamp on the main pole below the motor to prevent slippage