4DTV 920 ariza 700 12' bud fta ku/C

[Frank4]

Hi all I hope you guys can help.Just started with fta.My goal is to get both fta ku/C dvb stuff , outdoor channel, fox,cbs from the east and some news stuff. I have an ariza 700, Echostar 710 with a wavy screen,and a 4dtv 920 setup that came with a saginaw actuator,12 ft fiberglass dish and a chapparell lnb.
Now my question is once I mount my dish/actuactor setup then hook up the 4dtv receiver and slave the Ariza 700 into that.
Do I need to get one of sadouns dual ku/c lnbs and stick on there in place of the chapparell?
What switches do I need?
Can I move the dish with the 920 and blind scan with the ariza?
Which channels should I get with this setup I expect mpeg2,digi2 and all the dvb Am I on the right track? Thanks

[rainman]

if you want digicipher II channels and the DBV channels I would recommend the co rotor II by chapparal along with a couple of norsat lnb's. then you will need 2 high freq splitters and a 2x1 disqec switch to slave the FTA receiver off of the 920. the 920 will control the motor and the polarity of the lnb's.

[elgemcdlf]

OK first you need to take a look at your corotor. Is it a single C Band, dual C Band or C / Ku band. Next is to determine what lnbs you have. You can not use the C/Ku lnbf sold by Sadoun with the DSR920. It does not like it. Seriously it is a Universal Ku and the 920 wants a standard. The 920 will move the dish and set polarity for the Ariza.

As far as channels go. Does the 920 have a module in it? You will be limited on Ku with the Ariza due to the standard Ku lnb you will need to use for the 920 but that shoudl only affect you in the Atlantic area sats. I notice it as I search for Spanish language channels. You should (as long as you can "see" the sat) get practically everything listed at LyngSat - Lyngemark Satellite with the DVB & F indicators BUT lyngsat is not always up to date. As to FTA channels with the 920 they vary. Some go clear from time to time and there are many that are always in the clear.

I have a 922 so my range of channels is a bit larger. How old is the dish? You may not be able to use it for Ku. Bill will probably chime in with roughly the year that the dishes changed. If you have never set up a dish before be ready for a boatload of problems. The larger the dish the harder it is to get setup properly. The larger the dish the larger the sidelobes. I have had sidelobes so strong I thought I was aligned on the sat.

If the battery has not been replaced in the 920 and it is not dead I would first send it in to have the battery replaced.

[Frank4]

Thanks for the help Guys,The module in both the 920 and the E710 are channel master 75821-2.The corotor has a servo that says channel master,the horn says chapparell 4 and the lnb is a california mini mag single c as it only has one output.In about a week i'm going to get a mesh dish 7-8 feet from a guy the 12 footer is hard to find a 5 3/4 pipe for. plus Ive been hearing there not very good someone said ku isn't possible with them I don't know what the mesh size on it is.The one I have says prodcelin inc D179-1361.Do you know anything about the echostar 710 would I be able to use it with sadouns c/ku lnb? It may be a while before I can afford a corotor II with the norsats.I was gonna just settle for the DVB C/KU for now. Thanks for bat info on the 920 looks pretty straight fwd fix.
Thanks Frank

[elgemcdlf]

Output on the lnb will be single what you are looking for is a second square mounting location on the feedhorn for another lnb. Probably do not have one. Sounds like a single C Band feedhorn and lnb. At this point I would stop in my thoughts and decide what you desire first. It sounds to me like you do not wish at this time to make a large investment into the equipment.

What you might consider is selling the 920 (Rainman mentioned wanting one) taking the proceeds to purchase a VBox (used to control the actuator from a DVB receiver) and the C/Ku lnbf from Sadoun. You will need to check the mesh size on the mesh dish. If the holes are large it will not do KU. The glas dish may not either due to the same issue. The glas is just a skin on the real dish.

As to getting pipe. You should be able to go to any local steel company and come up with the pipe. You may need to buy a 20' length to get it but finding/purchasing should really not be that big of an issue.

As to the E170. No clue. Have never played with one. Check mesh size with a pencil. The lead should not pass through the mesh if you want to use it for Ku. The feedhorn and lnb are for all practical purposes worthless for resale. While possibly a fully functional unit most nowadays are going Corotor II. You may be able to sell the larger dish but it will not fetch much. I paid $125.00 for a 8.5' mesh capable of Ku with a corotor II and both C & Ku lnbs along with a 24" actuator.

[Frank4]

Thanks for the tip on the pipe I have some steel yards I can check this weekend.I was lookin at closer to 200-300 before for the corotor and the lnbs but now looking at ebay I see they can be had for much less.I don't know what I will be getting for lnbs on that other dish so I'm gonna wait aweek measure that dish and make sure its capable of ku .Hopefully it will be a great find like your dish setup elgemcldf.

[Frank4]

I brought the dish home today and it is 6 foot sami good for c/ku.I believe I already have a pipe for that.So I ordered a v box and a bsc621 standard lnbf c/ku from sadoun it says it will work with 4dtv, an inline surge protector and an amplifier just in case.Elgemcldf how do you like the mercury 2? hopefully I'll get this going soon.

[rainman]

the Mercury II is a nice receiver very user friendly and nice picture quality when hooked up with the component cables.

[elgemcdlf]

I am satisfied with the Mercury II. The picture quality is superior to any DVB MPEG2 receiver I have used so far. I personally do not find it that easy to use in regards to setting up. Initial setup is easy but if you want more advanced setup features like manually entering a sat or channel I find it confusing. I come from an entirely different mentality when it comes to DVB MPEG2 receivers. Someone just starting out may find it very easy t work with.

[Frank4]

Hey guys I think I understand now why you wanted me to go with the corotor, the bsc621 is fixed right no servo?I sank my pole in today I will put the dish on tommorow.I'm wondering now if it is better just to put on the chapparel with the california lnb it would be c band only.I know the 2 satellites I want to hit the skew is like 30 dg difference.
Another question can i slave the 4dtv 920 into the if output on the ariza 700 The dish is setup 150 feet from the house,10 feet from the dish is a small shop I was going to set up the v box 2 in there and then run a single rg6 line to the house to the ariza which would control the dish then from that IF output to somewhere on the 920.I hope this makes sense, do you think that would work.And again thanks for all your guys help.

[wejones]

Originally Posted by Frank4

Hey guys I think I understand now why you wanted me to go with the corotor, the bsc621 is fixed right no servo?I sank my pole in today I will put the dish on tommorow.I'm wondering now if it is better just to put on the chapparel with the california lnb it would be c band only.I know the 2 satellites I want to hit the skew is like 30 dg difference.
Another question can i slave the 4dtv 920 into the if output on the ariza 700 The dish is setup 150 feet from the house,10 feet from the dish is a small shop I was going to set up the v box 2 in there and then run a single rg6 line to the house to the ariza which would control the dish then from that IF output to somewhere on the 920.I hope this makes sense, do you think that would work.And again thanks for all your guys help.

You mentioned both having an actuator to move between sats, and you are also talking about a 30 deg difference in skew. If you have the dish on a polar mount with an actuator, then you don't need to be concerned about the 30 deg skew difference, since the dish moving on the mount gives it the proper skew (except for AMC1-ku). If you are running fixed, rather than polar mount, then this is a good reason for using a Chaparral feedhorn with a servo polarotor, since the receiver can control the skew to any angle, not just switch between H and V.

BTW, I used to have a SAMI dish, and I really liked it. Worked very well on KU. I wish I still had it. Although SAMI makes several different grades of dishes.

[Frank4]

Hi Wejones thanks for the tip the sami directions call it a polar mount.So would I set up the bsc on galaxy 10 123 w since the skew for that is +0.58 that is my most southern sat? That would follow the arc right?
By the way my my eastern most sat is 169.00 e pas 2 and my west most is 180.00 w i 701.But I think the fta stuff starts at 58w pas9 and goes to 139 w amc 8. The dish is up now just need to wire it in. Thanks everyone for the help.

[wejones]

Originally Posted by Frank4

Hi Wejones thanks for the tip the sami directions call it a polar mount.So would I set up the bsc on galaxy 10 123 w since the skew for that is +0.58 that is my most southern sat? That would follow the arc right?

Correct.

Originally Posted by Frank4

By the way my my eastern most sat is 169.00 e pas 2 and my west most is 180.00 w i 701.But I think the fta stuff starts at 58w pas9 and goes to 139 w amc 8. The dish is up now just need to wire it in. Thanks everyone for the help.

I think you are being confused about what your eastern most sat is. That 169E sat is further west than 180, by 11 deg. The PAS9 sat ie probably closer to your eastern most sat.

I think you were probably confused because some of those on line calculators don't work right when you cross 180 longitude, and go from east to west.

I tested a few of those on line calculators a couple months ago, and got some amusing results, which I posted about. I can't remember if the Sadoun one was one that works or if it was one that got confused by the E/W change.

[Frank4]

Your right I used a calculator powered by geosatfinder from GLORY STAR satellite systems.
The california polorotor 1 E is on the dish right now.Would it be best to do my initial setup with that and then set it on 123 and put the bsc on?
Which receiver would be best to use for the first setup I have an anolog c/ku echostar ,4dtv 920,or the ariza with the v box 2?
When I set up the bsc what is the best way to make sure im at .58 (the marks on it aren't real accurate )just try to hit 123 as best I can and hope that it is right or is there a way to fine tune it I have a sf95 sat finder and an ariza receiver with the blind scan?
Thanks for the help .

[wejones]

Originally Posted by Frank4

Your right I used a calculator powered by geosatfinder from GLORY STAR satellite systems.
The california polorotor 1 E is on the dish right now.Would it be best to do my initial setup with that and then set it on 123 and put the bsc on?
Which receiver would be best to use for the first setup I have an anolog c/ku echostar ,4dtv 920,or the ariza with the v box 2?
When I set up the bsc what is the best way to make sure im at .58 (the marks on it aren't real accurate )just try to hit 123 as best I can and hope that it is right or is there a way to fine tune it I have a sf95 sat finder and an ariza receiver with the blind scan?
Thanks for the help .

You can align the dish/mount with the feedhorn that's on there now, but if it's C-band only, it's best to use Ku to align, provided that you have the feed at the proper focal length (if not at the right focal length, Ku can give misleading results, since you get maximum signal when not aiming at the sat). I would think that the Echostar would be easiest to use with the existing feed. The Vbox can't control the polarotor.

I'm not sure what direction is up with the bsc, but the .58 isn't that important, once you find out what side should be up, just make that side up, ie 0 deg. Don't worry about tenths of a degree. For most signals, I can turn the lnbf 20 or 30 deg without noticing much difference..... UNLESS there is a strong interferring signal of the opposite polarity nearby.