Starting All Over

[Jagee]

Qk When i trie tweaking the signal with my meter i get a lesser signal then when i use the receiver why is that.And should it be that way.

[bill190]

The bottom line is that you want the best Quality signal for each satellite and this can only be done with the receiver Quality meter.

But for first pointing the dish and getting the arc, I find it a whole lot easier to use a coax signal meter.

Then after I get my dish aligned to the arc, I will find sats with my receiver. Then maybe fiddle with the dish a bit more to to get the best quality meter reading.

Again, with each satellite you are aiming at an "O". You want your dish to be pointing at the center of the O for every satellite in the arc. This means up/down and left/right....

So what I do when adjusting the arc with the coax signal meter is to be sure the dish is right on (up/down) for every satellite in the arc. I do this with my sat finder by moving the dish to a sat, moving it back and forth (left/right) to be in the center of the O, adjusting meter to be middle range, then pressing lightly (with my hand) up on the dish, then down on the dish.

If I am dead center up/down, then the signal meter will go down if dish is moved higher or lower with my hand.

For example, when I am first adjusting my dish and it is not quite on the arc, I might move the dish to a sat in the east and lightly press up on the dish and the needle on the meter goes higher. This tells me I need to adjust the dish so it is a bit higher in the east.

[rainman]

nice looking bike Jagee what kind is it. I have a Suzuki Maraduer myself and been riding alot since gas prices has went to above $3 a gallon.

[NOLO]

Originally Posted by Jagee

Alright i have it back,Was alittle easier then the first time.

Hi Jagee, just a note, I think in your signature you meant to write 180cm as opposed to 120cm dish. Am I right? thought you wanted to know. Regards, Nolo.

[Jagee]

Thank you you are right about the 180cm.The bike i rebuilt it is a 1978 Power Glide Shovel head 1200 cc bored out a little bit more.I had to sell it last year do to cancer treatments giving me nerve damage in my legs.Thank God the cancer is gone tho.for now.Its been 5 yrs now.I miss it alot ive ridden since i was 16 yrs old now in oct going on 58yrs.Oh well still trying to get over it.as they say now days.so now its Dish time for me to play around with.

[rainman]

Originally Posted by Jagee

Thank you you are right about the 180cm.The bike i rebuilt it is a 1978 Power Glide Shovel head 1200 cc bored out a little bit more.I had to sell it last year do to cancer treatments giving me nerve damage in my legs.Thank God the cancer is gone tho.for now.Its been 5 yrs now.I miss it alot ive ridden since i was 16 yrs old now in oct going on 58yrs.Oh well still trying to get over it.as they say now days.so now its Dish time for me to play around with.

I don't think it ever gets out of your blood been riding dirt bikes since i was 10 and still enjoy riding today just have to remember to dodge the deer's.

[Jagee]

I had to take a break from thhe rest of the setup i need to do.Ride as long as you can.Question to ponder.some say the holes on the older dish might be to big to get a good signal for ku band.If that is true why can't you take something to cover up the holes so its a solid dish?What type of material could you use and or what product to put over the mesh that would still pick up the signal.Would something like that be visible or not.

[wejones]

Originally Posted by Jagee

....Question to ponder.some say the holes on the older dish might be to big to get a good signal for ku band.If that is true why can't you take something to cover up the holes so its a solid dish?What type of material could you use and or what product to put over the mesh that would still pick up the signal.Would something like that be visible or not.

Very unlikely that the holes are too big. There is a rule of thumb, something about being able to put a pencil through the holes, but if a dish doesn't do Ku, it's more likely that it just wasn't designed accurately enough for Ku. My first dish was a C-band only, and I tried upgrading it to Ku. I was able to get a couple transponders, but very weakly, and like you say, people were telling me that old dishes had such a wide mesh that the Ku would go through. So I re-coated the dish with window screen. Didn't make a bit of difference. I think the bottom line is that dishes don't have to be quite as accurate shape wise for C-band, and just didn't work well for Ku. However once Ku became popular, the dishes were intended for Ku too, so it shouldn't be a problem unless your dish is 20+ years old.

[Jagee]

Thank you for the info,Im not done setup my 6 foot dish and im on my way thinking about getting a 8 or 10 footer.This person is giving me a coplete sys all i have to do is drive 4 hrs.to get it,Which is exactly what im going to do.LOL,But i still have to fiish the Clark belt rule of thumb on this one of course to.

[Jagee]

WOW! I stopped over about 4 miles from my home to ask this guy who put up his dish.he couldn't remember.But he said he doesn't use it now for a few yrs.so i asked him if i could have it if i took it down.he said sure.Awsome Huh?So im going to leave it set up just the way it is and hopefully all i have to do is set it true south and i should have the full arc,Am i right.Without adjusting anything,or not?

[rainman]

you should be close but you may have to do some fine tuning.

[Jagee]

Rainman I still don't understand the setup.when i get my true south sat,which is all i have so far.now i"m suppose to go far W.but then doesn't that throw off all i did with getting my true south sat.Same as if i go to far e.o to my far e. and then try to get it,I'm really confused here.please help me to understand the concept of it.Oh and which is my far.E sat i m suppose to get.and far W.sat.And is it possible to get the compass reading of both.Thank you

[rainman]

you set your true south sat by adjusting your elevation on the dish.ihen when you go to your far east or west sat you are adjusting by moving the whole setup on the pole then bumping the positioner to get the best signal. what you are doing at your far east and west sat is centering the mount to your true south. for example on your far west sat if you push up on the dish and get a better signal move the whole thing to the west a little then use the positioner to move the dish back to the east to get the best signal on the sat. as the positioner moves it raise's the dish a little to get the elevation you need on your end of the arc sats.

[Jagee]

ok i unstand a little better now,Thank you for making it a little clearer for me,With all the radiation and cu5 chemo or what ever i forgot ,My mind dosen't pick up alot.After awhile its just over wellming,So i have to keep asking,I hope you understand were im coming from.Thanks once again.Can you tell me by compass reading which would be my far E. and far W. sat to use.

[rainman]

no problem Jagee thats what we are here for to help out everyone enjoy the hobby as much as we do.

[Jagee]

please can you tell me by compass reading which sats to use for far E. and far W.

[wejones]

Originally Posted by Jagee

please can you tell me by compass reading which sats to use for far E. and far W.

It doesn't matter. With a motorized system, you don't need both east and west, and it doesn't matter which sat, and you don't need a compass heading, you just drive the motor to any sat near you horizon.

[rainman]

Originally Posted by Jagee

please can you tell me by compass reading which sats to use for far E. and far W.

as Bill said you really don't need compass readings on a motorized system. the farest west sat that you should receive would be AMC 7 at 137 degrees. NASA is on that sat with several channels see lyngsat for freq. just motor your dish to the west to find that sat then fine tune your adjustment and your east sats should be in line.