Here are some instructions for setting up your motor. These instructions are for the Lifetime Ultra Receiver,
Satcontrol SM3D12 Motor, and
FSKUV Universal LNB.
First, you'll need to find your exact latitude and longitude. If you need to calculate it, here's how: Go to
http://www.sadoun.com/Sat/Installati...Calculator.htm and enter your zip code partway down the page where it says "or a 5-digit zip code:". Click the button below that to get your latitude and longitude. Round these to one decimal point and write them down. For example, our zip code here in Hilliard, OH is 43026, which is 40.032187 N, 83.138333 W. We round this to 40.0N, 83.1W.
Now you need to figure out the angles for your dish and motor. The motor elevation is equal to your latitude. You can find the dish elevation in the SatControl manual (page 11 here:
http://www.sadoun.com/Sat/Products/S...OUN-SM3D12.pdf ). Find your latitude in the left column ("GL"), and the dish elevation will be the number in the right column ("Elev A").
You'll also need to figure out what direction on the compass true south is. True south will be 180 degrees plus/minus your location's magnetic deviation. Look at the map here:
http://www.sadoun.com/Sat/Installation/mag-map.jpg to find your magnetic deviation. For example, Columbus,OH appears to have a magnetic deviation of about +8 degrees, so for Columbus location, true south will be 188 degrees on the compass.
Set the motor and dish elevation, then align the zero position on the motor (where it points straight ahead) towards true south. If the motor is not already in the zero position, you can move it to zero from the receiver. Here's how:
- Go to the Antenna Setup screen under the
Installation menu
- Choose a satellite (Like
IA5/Ku) and press OK
- Set the "Positioner Setting" to USALS
- Press OK with the Positioner Setting line highlighted to get to the motor controls
- Press OK on "Reference Position" to move the motor to zero
While we're at it, you can enter your latitude and longitude here. Just make sure you enter the longitude as West, not East. For example, if your latitude and longitude is 40.1N, 83.1W. So you would press 8, 3, 1 for the longitude, then press the Right Arrow button to change it from "E" to "W". The receiver will display 83.1W. Then 4, 0, 1 for the latitude to get 40.1N. Highlight STORE and press OK to save the changes.
You also need to position the LNB properly. When the motor is in the zero position, the LNB should be vertical with the cable at the bottom. You'll notice that the LNB can slide in or out from the dish. You need to pull it out as far from the dish that the clamp will allow.
Now that you've got the motor and dish in the approximate position, you need to align it to achieve the best signal. Here's how to do it:
- Go to the Antenna Setup screen under the Installation menu
- Choose IA5/Ku from the satellite list on the left and press OK
- Go down to the "TP" line
- Press the left/right arrows to change the TP to "12152 H 20000"
- Set the "Positioner Setting" to USALS
- Press OK with the Positioner Setting line highlighted to get to the motor controls
- Press OK on "Move" to turn the motor to IA5's position
Now you need to adjust the dish & motor until the Quality meter reads as high as possible (ideally 80-100%). If you need to adjust up/down, adjust the dish elevation only (the motor elevation should stay equal to your latitude). If you need to adjust left/right, adjust the rotation of the motor on the pole (so you're turning the whole thing left or right).
Now you've got the motor and dish aligned for one satellite. This should be good enough to receive IA5 at 97W and any satellites that are close to it, like Galaxy 3C at 95W. In order to make sure that the motor is tracking the arc properly to receive all of the satellites, align it for another satellite that is farther away. If you can get a good signal on two satellites that are relatively far apart, you know that everything is aligned perfectly.
A good satellite to use that is relatively far away from IA5 is Galaxy 10R. Here's how to check the alignment for that satellite.
- Go to the Antenna Setup screen under the Installation menu
- Choose G10R/Ku from the satellite list on the left and press OK
- Go down to the "TP" line
- Press the left/right arrows to change the TP to "11799 V 26660"
- Set the "Positioner Setting" to USALS
- Press OK with the Positioner Setting line highlighted to get to the motor controls
- Press OK on "Move" to turn the motor to Galaxy 10R's position
You may need to adjust the dish/motor again to get the quality as high as possible again for Galaxy 10R. It's important to change the "TP" setting as described each time to make sure it's looking for signal on an active frequency. Keep going back and forth between IA 5 & Galaxy 10R, adjusting the dish until you find the spot where it gets a good quality on both satellites. Once you do, the dish and motor are aligned properly and it should move straight to any other satellites without having to adjust it.
Once your alignment is done, pick a satellite on the Antenna Setup screen, and make sure the "Positioner Setting" is set to USALS. Press OK on the "Positioner Setting" line, then OK on "Move" to move the dish into position. Once it's done moving, highlight Satellite Scan and press OK to download the channels for that satellite.
The "TP" setting is very important. This is the frequency that the receiver is currently looking for a signal on to display on the level/quality meters. You want to make sure that the TP is set to a live Ku band transponder. Here's how I find a valid transponder:
- Go to
http://www.lyngsat.com
- Under the "America" column, click "Frequencies"
- Now pick the satellite you want. For example, Intelsat Americas 5
- The frequency is the number on the leftmost column. Frequencies in the 3000s and 4000s are
C Band (requiring a 6'-10' dish). Ku band frequencies will be in the 11000s and 12000s.
- Find a KU band frequency with yellow (Free to Air) DVB channels on it. For example, a good frequency on Intelsat Americas 5 would be 12152. This frequency carries several
Arabic free to air channels.
- On the Antenna Setup screen in the receiver, select the proper satellite and highlight the "TP" line
- You can cycle through the preprogrammed transponders by pressing the left and right arrows. Find the one that shows a frequency (the first number) of 12152.
The Lifetime Ultra receiver has a new feature called Blind Search. What it does is scan a whole satellite for all available transponder frequencies. As long as the dish is pointed correctly, it will find all of the transponders without having to know any of the frequencies, symbol rates, polarities, etc. It works similar to a police radio scanner in that it scans the whole frequency range to find any active signals. This way, you don't have to manually enter the frequencies into the receiver. Here's how to run a blind search on the Ultra:
- Under the Installation menu, go to "Power Scan" and press OK
- Choose the satellite you wish to scan with the left/right arrows (the satellite must have already been set up under Antenna Setup to appear here)
- Leave the rest of the settings on their defaults
- Go to "Satellite Scan - FTA" and press OK
The blind search typically takes 5-15 minutes to complete. It first finds all of the active transponders then scans them for channels.
Hope this helps!
Rob