only some?

[keebs]

okay, i have some better luck. i have about 5 or 6 sats lined up well. and believe it or not the tiny bit of play in the motor made all the difference on satmex5. so i tried what you said. i set it for 1 degree less and i think it may have compensated for the play. my big question is if i have say half of the sats pretty much in tight with fairly good signals. how is it that the rest of the sats dont just fall in line too? because the adjustments i would make always seem to mess up the rest. what would cause something like that. i have double and triple checked all settings. im pulling my hair out over this issue. i have started from scratch 50 times and the same results. i am pleased with results so far but if there is anything that you or anybody else could think of to come up with to help. i have never moved my motor lat. could it be that? also i have noticed when i make small adjustments i have to loosen the bolts on the mast clamps and ive made a signal stronger or weaker when those bolts are loosened or tightened. i threw a level on the bracket thing that holds the motor and when i tightened them it seen some movement. ever heard or seen something like that? thanks for listening, and Happy New Year.

[rainman]

yes when you loosen the bracket it will move a little the trick is to get you best signal when everything is tight. after adjusting for east and west tighten up the mount the use the dish elevation to do the final fine tunning adjustment.

[keebs]

i understand about the mast clamps and keeping them tight but what the heck is going on with this? sometimes i have to move the dish side to side and i have to loosen them. should i move my motor lat one degree and try that? is this a common problem? thanks for helping.

[rainman]

Originally Posted by keebs

i understand about the mast clamps and keeping them tight but what the heck is going on with this? sometimes i have to move the dish side to side and i have to loosen them. should i move my motor lat one degree and try that? is this a common problem? thanks for helping.

if you move the motor lat remember to move the dish elevation the same amount in the opposite direction for instant if you move the motor up 1 degree move the dish down 1 degree this helps keep it on the arc.

[elgemcdlf]

Dish elevation sets the shape of the arc and motor elevation sets the location of the arc in the sky. Dish elevation up equals a broader wider arc. Elevation down is the opposite. Start by peaking your true south sat. Now run out as far west as you can still viewing a sat. Gently push up on the dish and pull down. Does signal increase in either direction? Now move out to the furthest east sat you can see and do the same. Did you receive opposite results? In other words up made signal strong on one side and down made signal strong on the other.

If so loosen the assembly on the mast and move a little in the direction that caused a signal increase when pushing up. Go back to your true south sat and peak using only dish elevation. Repeat above until you get signal drop when pushing up or pulling down. You are now centered on the arc. Now move as far west as you can and have signal. Is it the end of your viewable arc? If not raise dish elevation a degree and lower motor setting a degree. Try again. Better or worse? If better but not quite right repeat. If worse reverse the process. This process may seem lengthy but it will get your dish aligned in a short period of time using only a receiver and TV which you should have out at the dish