Strength 60%-80%, Quality 0%. Am I doing it correctly?

[yangyang]

Hi Gurus,

I got my vp-1020, a 90cm dish and a stardard dual LNB from Sadoun last week. Spent the whole weekend trying to lock the signal on AMC4 and got very disappointed. All I got was 60-80% strength and 0% quaulity in VisionDTV. I used a $2 compass and SF-95 finder to align the dish. The dish is amounted on a veritcal pole. I have a pretty clear view to the satellite.

Questions:

(1) Here is the LNB setting that I used. Power = on, Freq1 = 10750, Freq2=0. Is this correct?

(2) Do I need to select a transponder , its frequency and symbol rate matter when I try to align the dish? The transponder info from the VisionDTV is different from lyngsat.com.

(3) I am also wondering if any of the components is defective.

Thanks in advance.

yangyang

[bobkat]

I never had any luck in using the Twinhan card to find the satellite; it doesn't lock onto signal fast enough. You will have a hard time using the SF-95 signal finder too because the DirecTV satellite is also at 101 degrees west and will overpower AMC4. Best bet is to hire a professional installer (who has a BirDog ) to align that dish.

If you want to try with the Twinhan card, use one of these two transponders to align:

1) 11,822 MHz / HOR / 05700 SR

2) 11,860 MHz / HOR / 28138 SR


kat

PS: Also try setting Freq 2 = 10,750 MHz

[yangyang]

Thanks a lot Kat for your quick response. Instead of hiring a prefessional which will be expensive. Can I get a stand-alone receiver like fortec lifetime to align the dish? My friend has one that I can borrow.

Thanks

Yangyang

[bobkat]

Originally Posted by yangyang

Thanks a lot Kat for your quick response. Instead of hiring a prefessional which will be expensive. Can I get a stand-alone receiver like fortec lifetime to align the dish? My friend has one that I can borrow.

Thanks

Yangyang

Absolutely... use another receiver to align the dish.

kat

:wink:

[dtsexpert]

Yangyang,
Aiming a fixed dish is not difficult. It might be a bit tricky for the first time users, but doable.
Get a stand-alone receiver to tune the dish. Make sure the azimuth includes the magnetic deviation:
http://www.sadoun.com/Sat/Installati...Calculator.htm
Once you get the Lifetime, make sure the LO set at "single" 10750.
Use an active transponders (freq) to tune the dish.
Michael

Originally Posted by yangyang

Thanks a lot Kat for your quick response. Instead of hiring a prefessional which will be expensive. Can I get a stand-alone receiver like fortec lifetime to align the dish? My friend has one that I can borrow.

Thanks

Yangyang

[yangyang]

Thanks a lot guys for the reassurance. I was so discouraged yesterday, but now I am pump up again. I will let you guys know the result.

Yangyang

[yangyang]

Good News.

I finally got a lock onto AMC4. It wasn't easy, but I did it. I didn't use the standlone receiver. Instead I downloaded a program call ProgFinder which has really nice voice alert feature. It worked well with VP1020a.

Thanks a lot for the help.

yangyang

[bobkat]

Originally Posted by yangyang

Good News.

I finally got a lock onto AMC4. It wasn't easy, but I did it. I didn't use the standlone receiver. Instead I downloaded a program call ProgFinder which has really nice voice alert feature. It worked well with VP1020a.

Thanks a lot for the help.

yangyang

Wicked .... 8)

kat

[yangyang]

Thanks again, Kat, for the settings.

Now I am thinking about getting a motor. :lol: Human nature is greedy.

How difficult is it to install it? My actual evelation for AMC4 is different from the caculation result. Off by almost 5 degrees. Maybe the pole isn't vertical enough. Will this give me a problem when using a motor?

Thanks

yangyang

[bobkat]

Motors...hmmmm.... :?

For me it was easy but I swear it was "Beginner's Luck". Mine tracked perfectly first time around. I mounted my motor on a steel roof pad since it is on the flat roof of my store. I just monkeyed around a bit and bang - signal (& quality) city - on several birds. Sadoun's instructions on motor installation (found in the website) are superb; print out a copy and take them with you to the dish site. In response to your comment about your AMC4 elevation being 5 degrees out from the calculated setting for your area tells me your post is as crooked as a dog's hind leg - you must have a perfectly plumb mounting post especially with a motorized setup.

kat

[kalamar]

LNB LO freq lo= 10750 AND 10750 both should be the same.

[bobkat]

Originally Posted by kalamar

LNB LO freq lo= 10750 AND 10750 both should be the same.

Good point. Forgot about that one... :?

kat