Galaxy 10 in Toronto, Canada

[jenom]

I am try to get some american channels on Galaxy 10 in Toronto, Canada.
Have a 33" dish on a 8 ft metal pole and a linear LNB (10,750), and I am getting nothing when I point to the calculated 234 azimuth, 23,5 elevation .(slightly pointing downward from vertical ?)
I need info regarding:

1)What is the strongest TP on G10
2)Is my dish large enough
3)Should I mount it higher because of the low elevation of 23.5
4Anybody getting it around the Toronto/GTA area and how ?

Thanks !

[Iceberg]

I show for GTA
23.7 elevation
244 azimuth
36.2 skew (turn LNB counterclockwise if you are standing in front facing the dish

see here for how skew works
http://www.sadoun.com/Sat/Installati...stallation.htm

The strongest TP on there is 11850 H 4580 (Research Network)

The strongest of the Equity channels is at 12114 V 4444
11799 V 26660 is pretty strong too
11720 V 27692 is the weakest

[brentb636]

Certainly agree with IceBerg's evaluation of G10R . I've had a lot of trouble getting the 11720 transponder. Today I learned that by using DiseCq mode on the motor instead of USALS, I could "fine-tune" the dish aim and get that transponder solidly. Tonight , I have another 15 channels, and I'm watching the Yankees on WNGS, Buffalo .

[Iceberg]

welcome brent b

jenom...a 36" dish (90cm) will work better especially on that sticky 11720 TP, I'm a little farther north than you (45N 93W Minneapolis, MN) and my Fortec 90cm works really good on all tp's

[Carpenter1]

I have a 30 ln. dish in Illinois and get Galaxy 10 with no problem.

[elgemcdlf]

Originally Posted by brentb636

Certainly agree with IceBerg's evaluation of G10R . I've had a lot of trouble getting the 11720 transponder. Today I learned that by using DiseCq mode on the motor instead of USALS, I could "fine-tune" the dish aim and get that transponder solidly. Tonight , I have another 15 channels, and I'm watching the Yankees on WNGS, Buffalo .

You are not "fine tuning" the sat. You are attempting to compensate for a misadjusted dish. I am in southern Indiana and with only a 76cm dish I am getting with even consistancy everything from 30 out to 123. The dish could move farther west but hits a physical obstruction (house).

If you are getting G10R with USALS reset the sat with USALS. Now with it pointed at G10R slightly push up and pull down on the dish watching signal variation. Now run out to the farthest east sat you can see and do the same. Did they behave oppositely? If so you are not correctly lined up on true south. Start by rotating the assembly slightly on the mast towards the direction where up made signal stronger.

Continue this exercise until you get a drop in signal regardless of pushing up or pulling down. Now you have south lined up. Now it is only a matter of figuring out declination and elevation. In simplistic terms, declination widens and narrows the arc. Less declination (dish elevation) the wider the arc. Elevation (motor elevation) positions your arc in the sky up or down.

Given that move to your true south sat and using elevation adjust for peak signal. Now start "walking" around the arc noting what you have. You are creating a map of your arc. Any adjustments made from this point are double adjustments. So if you lower declination by 1 degree you will raise elevation by 1 degree. This manuever would make your arc wider and align you again for peak on center.

Work with this as your time and patience permits and you will see more channels and clearer picture. You will also hit all your sats using USALS

[wejones]

Originally Posted by elgemcdlf

You are not "fine tuning" the sat. You are attempting to compensate for a misadjusted dish.

I know that we have different opinions on the best way to align TVRO mounts, but if he is able to get good reception by only by running the motor back and forth (and there is nothing wrong with using the "fine tuning" term for what he did), that is not an indication that his dish is not tracking the arc. If he can get to it by running the motor, it is showing that he IS tracking the arc. It sounds more like he is just out of sync a bit, or that the USALS just isn't going to exactly the right position for one reason or another. But I certainly wouldn't start messing with alignment unless the only way you get improvement is by push/pulling the dish out of the arc, which is NOT what his symptoms reflect. Anyway, I think that when someone is tracking the arc as far as the existing evidence suggests, that it's not a good idea to start messing with the alignment.

BTW, I'm curious what you are referring to when you say "push up and pull down", because this can do very different things, depending on what you define as up and down.
When a dish is pointed south, there is no confusion relative to what "up" means, but when the dish is motored far to the east or west, up can mean a few different things,depending on where the free play is in your system, and depending on whether you are lifting the motor axis inclination, the dish elevation (ie the declination), or are just lifting straight up from the lowest edge of the dish, which will tend to follow the arc to some extent. The way you do the pushing and pulling, ie where you are applying the pressure, and which direction you push or pull make a big difference with respect to how you interpret the results.

[brentb636]

"BTW, I'm curious what you are referring to when you say "push up and pull down", because this can do very different things, depending on what you define as up and down.
When a dish is pointed south, there is no confusion relative to what "up" means, but when the dish is motored far to the east or west, up can mean a few different things,depending on where the free play is in your system, and depending on whether you are lifting the motor axis inclination, the dish elevation (ie the declination), or are just lifting straight up from the lowest edge of the dish, which will tend to follow the arc to some extent. The way you do the pushing and pulling, ie where you are applying the pressure, and which direction you push or pull make a big difference with respect to how you interpret the results."

Thanks for the commentary, it's informative to see other opinions and the logic behind them. Another factor, at least in the case of my setup, is the weight of the Invacom QPH031 LNBF . I have read other posts that indicated the Winegard 76cm dish was better able to handle that weight than my Fortec Star. In order to optimize my "South" satellite quality level, I had to raise my dish elevation ( not motor elev ) about 6 degrees. I've wondered if that was because of the weight of the LNBF.

However, since I track lots of birds from 53W to 129W in USALS and get the expected results, I figured my rooftop aim is not bad enough to mess with. If I weren't so lazy, I'd set up ALL the birds in the sky in DiseCq motor control mode, and optimize each, but so far I don't have the time.

I do still have the suspicion that the heavy Invacom unit is not rigidly fixed in relation to the dish as it rotates and skews around the axis. It's a theoretical factor , to be sure, but it hasn't taken any enjoyment out of this FTA stuff.

Again, thank you for all your explanations.

Brent

[elgemcdlf]

Originally Posted by wejones

I know that...the results.

Up being towards the sky and down being towards the ground. Working from the bottom edge of the dish.

As usual we are in a disagreement as to adjustment. Just depends on what you want. He states he is only tracking from 58 to 129. That is only the center peak area of the arc for me. So in theory if south were set correctly it would indicate to me declination is off. Can not say which way from info provided.

I went through the "weak" 11720 thing just as he describes when I got out to 30 on the other end. Do not know the tp but it is the Cubavision channel mux. The two of them seem to be the touchiest. I learned through careful slight adjustments that the arc can be tracked with great success using USALS and have decent results all the way from east to west.

It was have Cubavision really strong and then no 11720 on G10R. Then it was 11720 and no Cubavision. Using DiSeqC 1.2 to "fine tune" G10R only produced a 11720 that would fall out regularly. Seen no change in 11800 as far as readings on the receiver went.

After working with the adjustment of the dish 11720 has fallen out only during heavy rain. Cinema+ (when clear) was coming it at a 94 on the scale. Every sat was driven to with USALS with the exception of Amazonas. I just nudged the Echo preset over a bit to peak Amazonas since I have no use for the echo bird. Amazonas was not a preset sat in the receiver.

EDIT: By the way Brent posts he is satisfied with the results he is receiving and that really is the important factor. :EDIT

[satnutwillb]

I've wondered about that too wejones.If I'm on true south,it's no problem,but on the east or west sats.I've noticed that lifting up on the dish at different locations the feedhorn will either lift up or up and to the right or left a little.

[brentb636]

Yes, I am pretty happy with my results so far. My tracking arc "He states he is only tracking from 58 to 129." is restricted to the east by my neighbors' trees and to the west by the fact of no Ku birds between 129W and 148 W . 148W is "out of range" according to my receiver ( my long is 64.4 W ) and the traverse of the HH90 puts 148W right on the border. Apparently , the wrong side of the border, at that . :-)

I recently ( this week) picked up a fortec STB to get its powerscan benefits, and my Christmas list will probably include a larger dish, larger motor ( SG2100 mostly , price/performance ) and perhaps a Mercury II STB. We'll just see what sort of mood my wife is in then . One 60 year old newbie who loves to follow a good discussion.

[elgemcdlf]

A very interesting item was brought up though. You question the Invacom with the Fortec dish and elevation. I also have a Invacom on a 80cm Fortec dish and had to raise declination 5 degrees to get signal. A discussion was going on concerning adjustment on dishes and the preliminary conclusion was that the Fortec dishes (little) may be using some form of universal scale mount. Accurate for some and not for others.

I am wondering now of those that reported having to raise declination 5 degrees or so are running the Invacom lnbf.

[pmb1010]

I have the Invacom single port LNB, with 80cm dish.
My scale setting for the dish is within 2 degrees of calculated value.

I switched from the older fortec lnb that Sadoun used to provide with the 80cm dish package, to this lnb. I didn't need to change any adjustment.

[rainman]

Originally Posted by elgemcdlf

A very interesting item was brought up though. You question the Invacom with the Fortec dish and elevation. I also have a Invacom on a 80cm Fortec dish and had to raise declination 5 degrees to get signal. A discussion was going on concerning adjustment on dishes and the preliminary conclusion was that the Fortec dishes (little) may be using some form of universal scale mount. Accurate for some and not for others.

I am wondering now of those that reported having to raise declination 5 degrees or so are running the Invacom lnbf.

I am running the invacom and I had to drop my elevation by 4 degrees so I don't think that's the problem.

[elgemcdlf]

Originally Posted by pmb1010

I have the Invacom single port LNB, with 80cm dish.
My scale setting for the dish is within 2 degrees of calculated value.

I switched from the older fortec lnb that Sadoun used to provide with the 80cm dish package, to this lnb. I didn't need to change any adjustment.

It is the QPH-031 lnbf. 4 port both C and L.

[elgemcdlf]

Originally Posted by rainman

I am running the