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[cdssh]

I have tried all day to get this thing tracked. I just can't find a signal. I have tried every combination of settings and nothing works.I can turn the dish east with the button on the motor but it only goes about 1 line at a time,but goes west all the way with a push of the motor button.Just can't figure this out.My zipcode is 54880.All the settings I have tried just will not get a signal.My dish when it is pointing south for a side view looks like it is slightly less than vertical,seems to be ponting slightly down towards the ground.Is this right? Sure don't seem to be that way.I have checked and double checked all my settings over and over again.What am I doing wrong! I have a Sonicview 100 receiver and a Invacom QHP 31 quad.I have the disq switch between the motor and lnb. Receiver settings are set to universal.I am ready to scrap the whole idea unless someone here knows whats wrong.I have the Fortec 90 dish,and to adjust the elevation for the dish mistifys me.There is no marks for the settings,just the lnb support bar and I am not sure which way to set it.When looking at the side to adjust do I use the side closest to the dish or farthest from the dish? I sure hope this is something simple to fix.I did have the receiver and tv out by the dish.Quality was around 67 percent but no signal quality.thanks for everyones help.

[wejones]

Originally Posted by cdssh

I have tried all day to get this thing tracked. I just can't find a signal. I have tried every combination of settings and nothing works.I can turn the dish east with the button on the motor but it only goes about 1 line at a time,but goes west all the way with a push of the motor button.Just can't figure this out.My zipcode is 54880.All the settings I have tried just will not get a signal.My dish when it is pointing south for a side view looks like it is slightly less than vertical,seems to be ponting slightly down towards the ground.Is this right? Sure don't seem to be that way.I have checked and double checked all my settings over and over again.What am I doing wrong! I have a Sonicview 100 receiver and a Invacom QHP 31 quad.I have the disq switch between the motor and lnb. Receiver settings are set to universal.I am ready to scrap the whole idea unless someone here knows whats wrong.I have the Fortec 90 dish,and to adjust the elevation for the dish mistifys me.There is no marks for the settings,just the lnb support bar and I am not sure which way to set it.When looking at the side to adjust do I use the side closest to the dish or farthest from the dish? I sure hope this is something simple to fix.I did have the receiver and tv out by the dish.Quality was around 67 percent but no signal quality.thanks for everyones help.

I think you've said that you have a SG2100. On my SG2100, it is a complicated timing thing (one push vs 2 pushes) to move east vs west by one click, and one click-hold vs 2 clicks-hold to move continuously, so maybe you're having trouble with the 2 click timing or something.... I don't know.

Re your dish elevation, and whether your dish should be aiming down..... first of all, it would help if you could remind us what dish bracket you have to connect your dish to your motor, ie a U-bolt or a pole mount bracket. Since you are at a pretty high latitude, your dish should be pretty close to vertical, but I'm not sure it should appear to aim down. My mind isn't working well this morning. These offset dishes have an offset angle of about 22 deg, +/- a few degrees, and I think the Fortec dishes are about 24.62 degrees, meaning that they actually aime considerably higher than the apparent aim of the dish. I think that your latitude was 46.7? If so, the elevation angle to be parallel to the equator would be 43.3, and the south satellite would be 7 degrees below that, or about 36.3 elevation. If your dish has a 24.62 degree offset, it seems like it should appear to be aiming up by perhaps 36.3-24.62=11.62 (or the thing my mind wasn't working on this morning is that I can't remember if you should double the offset angle, meaning 36.3-49.24=-12.9 deg, but I think the 11.62 is correct). However as a rule of thumb, a line between just below the bottom edge of the dish to the lnbf throat should point pretty close to the satellite, so that should be at an angle of about 36 degrees relative to horizontal, plus or minus 5 or 6 degrees.

But back to the mounting bracket, my system uses a pole bracket, and it reads pretty close to what it's supposed to, but if you have a U-bolt bracket, they can be off considerably, and although I've never had the chance to look at one close up, I'm convinced that it is possible to connect them wrong, so that they get crooked. Perhaps it would be helpful if you could take a digital side view picture showing how your dish is connected to the motor, showing the angle scale on the mounting bracket?

[cdssh]

I have sent some pic's to look at.hope this sheds some lite.

[elgemcdlf]

The QPH quad. Is that 2 linear ports & 2 circular or 4 linear? If it is the lnbf sold here at Sadoun's site it is a standard linear not universal. Bill seems to have covered all the motor stuff. Get the lnbf settings correct, pull the DiSEqC switch out of the equation. Hook a linear line from the lnbf directly to the motor and then motor to receiver. You can place the switch back inline after you have signal established. After all you could be chasing your tail over a bad port on a DiSEqC switch. With minimal connections you have minimal possibilities for failure.

Patience is your best friend with this. Especially if it is your first one. If it is your first one you are probably moving to fast but again I go back to LO settings. If they are incorrect you will do nothing but fight with this thing. You also need to be on an active transponder for the sat you are trying to align on.

[cdssh]

I will give it a try later when the high winds calm down a bit.Does my dish angle seem like it is right? It doesn't seem right to me. I should be using Telstar 6 for 93w,but nimiq 1.3 is at 91w would this not be a better sat to track first? As it is closer.And also has more transponders live.

[wejones]

Originally Posted by cdssh

I have sent some pic's to look at.hope this sheds some lite.

Maybe. First, are you sure that the bent pipe that the motor is connected to is plumb?
However, looking at your pictures, it sure looks to me like you have the motor angle set wrong. I know that the pictures are taken from an angle, but it looks like the scale on that LATITUDE side shown is about mid scale, which would put it in the range of about 55 degrees or more, instead of the 47.4 that was recommended. I'm wondering whether you may have used the wrong place on the bolt/washer to measure the angle?? Look at my page at FC90-sg2100.html . About 6 pictures down there is a picture showing where the measurement should be taken, although that picture is the elevation side. I'm guessing that you may have taken the measurement along the flat surface labled "down" instead of above the prong??? If so, that would account for you being at least 9 deg low.

[cdssh]

Thanks for your reply,those washers are not very stable as they move when you tighten the bolts.I should be at 47.4 on the elevation scale is that correct? And how do I set the dish for it's proper elevation? The mount I have is the ubolt type.Could I use a magnetic type inclometer (or what ever you call them) on the rear of the dish to get the proper elevation? You can see the setting I have in picture 3 that for me being new to this which side of the stut plate covering the two bolts would I use. Would it be closest to the dish reflector or closest to the motor.

[wejones]

Originally Posted by cdssh

Thanks for your reply,those washers are not very stable as they move when you tighten the bolts.I should be at 47.4 on the elevation scale is that correct?

The 47.4 setting is for the "latitude" scale, not the elevation scale. That motor has latitude on one side, and elevation on the other. The elevation scale should read 90 minus the latitude scale, ie 42.6. The 47.4 is based on what they call the modified declination method, where you use a latitude setting about .6 to .7 higher than your actual latitude.

Originally Posted by cdssh

And how do I set the dish for it's proper elevation? The mount I have is the ubolt type.Could I use a magnetic type inclometer (or what ever you call them) on the rear of the dish to get the proper elevation? You can see the setting I have in picture 3 that for me being new to this which side of the stut plate covering the two bolts would I use. Would it be closest to the dish reflector or closest to the motor.

I'm not familiar with the markings on the U-bolt bracket. My unit uses the pole mount bracket. Just make sure that the thing is centered. I think that there is a little NUB on the U-bolt assembly that fits in a hole on the flat part of the lnbf arm where it attaches, and that helps keep it centered "I THINK". As far as the proper setting though, I think this U-bolt thing can be off by 5 deg or so, so whatever you set it on is just a starting point. If you are aimed south toward your south sat, you'll have to slowly search up/down looking for a signal. With the pole mount bracket, you'd only have to search a degree or so, but with that mount, you'll have to search through about +/- 5 deg. It really helps to have a signal meter while searching.

[cdssh]

Does anyone know how to set the dish elevation on a Fortec 90u dish with uclamp type mount.How do you read the settings for the adjustment.No markings on the adjuster that I can find.

[elgemcdlf]

The markings are on the side you show in your photos

[rainman]

Originally Posted by cdssh

Does anyone know how to set the dish elevation on a Fortec 90u dish with uclamp type mount.How do you read the settings for the adjustment.No markings on the adjuster that I can find.

the bracket that runs between the 2 bolts should have a line on it align this with your degree setting would recommend trying 5 degrees lower than what it says for this mount.

[BYX]

Originally Posted by cdssh

I have sent some pic's to look at.hope this sheds some lite.

Mast looks plumb, but the inclination and declination looks incorrectly adjusted.
You also need to have the LNB frequency correctly set fo linear and circular as it looks like you are using a QPH031.
For Lineal use 10750 and for circular 11250.

[NOLO]

Originally Posted by rainman

the bracket that runs between the 2 bolts should have a line on it align this with your degree setting would recommend trying 5 degrees lower than what it says for this mount.

TRUE. I have the same dish, motor and lnb, is a difficult one, my dish ended lowered, to somewhere around 20 deg, as opposed to 24. I did not use the included mast, due to my installation location, the included mast it is certainly tricky to plumb. He is installing on a wall, I do not think is a good location for motorized installation, in order to track the full arc the wall must be facing south perfectly and I do not think the changes or odds are in favor, also, cdssh true south must be found, by first setting usals and commanding the motor to move the to the most south sat, then loosen the motor so you can move it with your hands east to west (which is proven to be extremely difficult, best bet is to install on a mast that you can rotate), and the normal up and down adjustment of the dish elevation is required in order to find the signal. I just had my share of this painful process these last 3 weeks . If you can get it installed on the roof on a mast you can rotate, it might be better, perhaps easier. My two cents.

[cdssh]

The wall my dish is mounted too is facing south,as the picture shows my true south heading.I have found that my elevation and motor settings are wrong,so I will go up and try it again.