Fortec 180CM Dish

[NOLO]

Hi everyone, I have received my fortec 180cm dish. Need some help with it. The dish does not have any scale to indicate its angle, I guess there is none, right? well, I have an angle finder, I guess it will be sufficient, is it?
I am setting it up stationary.

The LNB c/ku combined (BSC621-2), has an arrow mark, where does it need to be to indicate 0 deegres?

Also, the lnb has a built-in diseq switch, but when plug to the receiver it shows four lnb's, is that normal?

[elgemcdlf]

There usually are no indicators of angle on larger dishes. You use an angle finder and adjust from there.Unless you have some receiver I have never heard of (highly possible) the receiver has no idea how many lnbs/lnbfs you have. Are you sure you are not referring to the DiSEqC port indicators? The C Band portion of the lnbf is port 1 or a and the Ku is port 2 or b. You need to have the jumper in place for this to be operational.

As to 0 it really is irrelevant. Basically if the "box" area of the lnbf is at roughly 4:00 when facing the dish you are close to 0. You need to set skew according to the sat you are trying to receive.

[NOLO]

I own a nice angle finder with a magnetic side, I will place it in the center of the dish to line it up. Is that ok?

Originally Posted by elgemcdlf

I have never heard of (highly possible) the receiver has no idea how many lnbs/lnbfs you have. Are you sure you are not referring to the DiSEqC port indicators?

I have a mercury II rx. It says port 1 and then on another menu line on the same page gives you lnb1,2,3,4.. don't know why, I understand the lnb built-in switch should be 2x1. right? 1=c-band and 2=Ku

Originally Posted by elgemcdlf

As to 0 it really is irrelevant. Basically if the "box" area of the lnbf is at roughly 4:00 when facing the dish you are close to 0......

What do you mean? if I stand in front of the dish, the switch box have to be somewhere around 4 o'clock? not sure if that is right, please tell me. Thanks, Noel.

[pmb1010]

When standing in front of my dish, on my BSC-621-2 the arrow points straight "up" and that switchbox thing is at 4 o'clock location.

[wejones]

Doesn't this depend on whether he's using it fixed or on a motor? Ie the above seems to correspond to what he'd do if it was motorized, but if he's fixed, it would be different for each sat. I guess I got the impression that he was fixed since he was talking about fixed because of the comments about the inclinometer.

[pmb1010]

yeah, it's fixed so he'll need to skew the LNBF.
But he's gotta start it at zero, right?

[elgemcdlf]

Originally Posted by pmb1010

yeah, it's fixed so he'll need to skew the LNBF.
But he's gotta start it at zero, right?

On my fixed install I set skew after the dish was in place by signal. I had no idea where 0 was nor where I needed to be. I set focal length the same way. Moved the lnbf in and out until I had peak signal. Rotated the lnbf till I had peak signal. Went back to the dish and repeaked settings (if they repeaked) and then I went back to the lnbf (unless the dish was peaked the first time out. BUT and that is a capitol BUT I set mine up as circular so skew really should not have mattered in theory but it did make a difference.

[elgemcdlf]

Originally Posted by NOLO

I own a nice angle finder with a magnetic side, I will place it in the center of the dish to line it up. Is that ok?

I am not familiar with that dish. I have UNIMESH and they have rings on the back that lend themselves perfectly for this job.

Originally Posted by NOLO

I have a mercury II rx. It says port 1 and then on another menu line on the same page gives you lnb1,2,3,4.. don't know why, I understand the lnb built-in switch should be 2x1. right? 1=c-band and 2=Ku

I do not think that is what it displays. I think you have a choice for DiSEqC 1.0 or another and if you choose 1.0 you then only have the 4 port options.

Originally Posted by NOLO

What do you mean? if I stand in front of the dish, the switch box have to be somewhere around 4 o'clock? not sure if that is right, please tell me. Thanks, Noel.

If the square portion of the lnbf is the switch box then yes.

[pmb1010]

Originally Posted by elgemcdlf

On my fixed install I set skew after the dish was in place by signal. I had no idea where 0 was nor where I needed to be.

Thats great it worked out for you, you got some signal "with no idea where you were set"

When I was adjusting mine, I could wipe out the signal by being skewed 90 deg out of whack. If he starts there, it might be trouble just getting a reading.

NOLO has been working with this stuff, and with the suggestion from zero -- and then adjusting the setting fixed dish by Sadoun's fixed dish calculator -- should put him close to where it needs to be.

[wejones]

One other consideration is that if you're aiming via a "meter" rather than the readout on the receiver, generally a signal meter won't allow you to peak polarity, because when you turn the feed, as you are peaking one polarity, the other polarity is getting worse, so it pretty much stays constant. Ie to peak polarity you almost have to be using your receiver tuned to a transponder of a specific polarity. But polarity isn't that critical, so if you start from vertical, and rotate via the Sadoun calculator, then yes, you should be fine.

[bill190]

Note...

A "prime focus" dish is pointing at where it looks like it is pointing. This is a dish with the LNB mounted in the center of the dish.

An "offset" dish is pointing higher than where it looks like it is pointing. Offset dishes can be offset 15 degrees, or 18 degrees, or 20 degrees. It depends on the specific dish. They of course do not include this information along with many dishes and I don't know how they expect us to aim them without knowing this!

So use a dish pointing calculator, find out from the dish manufacturer what the offset for your dish is and enter that into the calculator, then use an "inclinometer" to adjust the elevation on the dish. If there is a bar on the back of the dish which is parallel with the dish, you can use that. Otherwise put a board or whatever across the front of the dish to get the angle. Some dishes have no "parallel to dish" surface or bar on the back side...

Dish pointing calculator which includes dish offset in calculations...
Javascript for antenna lookangles calculations

[NOLO]

Originally Posted by bill190

Note...

A "prime focus" dish is pointing at where it looks like it is pointing. This is a dish with the LNB mounted in the center of the dish.

An "offset" dish is pointing higher than where it looks like it is pointing. Offset dishes can be offset 15 degrees, or 18 degrees, or 20 degrees. It depends on the specific dish. They of course do not include this information along with many dishes and I don't know how they expect us to aim them without knowing this!

So use a dish pointing calculator, find out from the dish manufacturer what the offset for your dish is and enter that into the calculator, then use an "inclinometer" to adjust the elevation on the dish. If there is a bar on the back of the dish which is parallel with the dish, you can use that. Otherwise put a board or whatever across the front of the dish to get the angle. Some dishes have no "parallel to dish" surface or bar on the back side...

Dish pointing calculator which includes dish offset in calculations...
Javascript for antenna lookangles calculations

Yes, that's right, the question is, does sadoun's calculator tells the numbers for a focused dish like my 180cm fortec? or, do I need to figure it out?

Funny thing, some of the professional installers for Dishnet and directv will discard sites because of a wrong surveying in their behalf, not understandig that the offset dish bounces off the signal to an lnbf at a lower angle.

Another thing, the switch box of my lnb is not at 4 o'clok when the arrow mark is up. I am having trouble figuring out 0 degrees on this lnb. any ideas as to how to position it to zero? Thanks.

[pmb1010]

I'll have to climb up a ladder and double check mine.

When holding the LNBF so the feedhorn points away from you, where is the box with pointer "up" on yours?

[NOLO]

Originally Posted by pmb1010

I'll have to climb up a ladder and double check mine.

When holding the LNBF so the feedhorn points away from you, where is the box with pointer "up" on yours?

mine is at 7 o'clock

[wejones]

Originally Posted by NOLO

Yes, that's right, the question is, does sadoun's calculator tells the numbers for a focused dish like my 180cm fortec? or, do I need to figure it out?
.....

Assuming that you are doing a fixed dish, not a motorized, then yes, the calculator at http://www.sadoun.com/Sat/Installati...Calculator.htm

should work fine. However that's just to get you close, you still need to peak with a meter. Also most inclinometers will read two ways, one, the angle vs the horizontal, and the other the angle vs the vertical, depending upon which surface of the inclinometer you use. For the elevation you are measuring, make sure that the angle would be greater if the dish were aimed higher, otherwise you need 90 minus that angle. When I measure an elevation, after placing the inclinometer against the surface, I just move the inclinometer in the direction it would move if the dish were aimed higher, and I make sure that it indicates higher.
If you're doing a motorized dish, you need to take a couple measurements.

[pmb1010]

Originally Posted by NOLO

mine is at 7 o'clock

duh... so is mine.