Pointing motorized dish

mrhappy · #1 (**permalink**) 02-24-2008, 08:49 PM

Hi folks a real FTA site glad to be here . Well to start things off i,ve got A complete FTA system I,ve been wanting to run the motor for some time now . i Have a viewsat receiver a 36 inch dish digiwave motor and invacom LNB . My longtitude is approximately 60 degrees west . Question is how do i find the starting point for the motor I know the pole has to be in a complete vertical position with the motor in the 0 position can i point the dish at the nimiq 82 w to sart the arc its an easy satellite for me to start at will this work . Thanks in advance

Bibbler · #2 (**permalink**) 02-24-2008, 08:52 PM

There's no FTA on Nimiq 82 w...

rainman · #3 (**permalink**) 02-24-2008, 09:02 PM

to set up the motor you should start at the sat that is closest to your longitude.

mrhappy · #4 (**permalink**) 02-25-2008, 06:51 AM

Nothing on 61.5 west or anything close only one i think i can start at is the 82 nimiq i realize nothing on the 82 but can i start from there will this help in the motor setup .

rainman · #5 (**permalink**) 02-25-2008, 08:11 AM

you can start on any sat but to make it easy you are better off starting on your true south sat.

elgemcdlf · #6 (**permalink**) 02-25-2008, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrhappy

Nothing on 61.5 west or anything close only one i think i can start at is the 82 nimiq i realize nothing on the 82 but can i start from there will this help in the motor setup .

There are several sats between 60 & 82 that have signal on them including 61.5. What is your attraction to a sat with no FTA?

William Eng · #7 (**permalink**) 02-25-2008, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bibbler

There's no FTA on Nimiq 82 w...

I found a Canadian news feed once on 82W; that's my southern sat in Tampa.

Iceberg · #8 (**permalink**) 02-25-2008, 09:55 PM

doesnt need to have any FTA on it...just strong signals

83W has data transponders...no channels but are great to aim a dish at for those at 83W in the US

mrhappy · #9 (**permalink**) 02-25-2008, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iceberg

doesnt need to have any FTA on it...just strong signals

83W has data transponders...no channels but are great to aim a dish at for those at 83W in the US

That is the reason i,ve wanted to start at the Nimiq 82 it is a very strong signal with a circular lnb and an 18 inch dish with my location . Since i have a 36 inch dish with the invacom lnb i thought it would be a good place to start . I can easily get a 43 inch starchoice dish for an even better signal i just have to modify the dish to fit the motor onto it . If i cold start at nimiq 82 with a good signal i figured i would be able to get the galaxy 25 at 97 west right down to the 10 r satellite with a bit of luck .

rainman · #10 (**permalink**) 02-26-2008, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrhappy

That is the reason i,ve wanted to start at the Nimiq 82 it is a very strong signal with a circular lnb and an 18 inch dish with my location . Since i have a 36 inch dish with the invacom lnb i thought it would be a good place to start . I can easily get a 43 inch starchoice dish for an even better signal i just have to modify the dish to fit the motor onto it . If i cold start at nimiq 82 with a good signal i figured i would be able to get the galaxy 25 at 97 west right down to the 10 r satellite with a bit of luck .

what is your longitude?

Iceberg · #11 (**permalink**) 02-26-2008, 01:28 PM

according to his first post, he's at 60W

rainman · #12 (**permalink**) 02-26-2008, 02:21 PM

yep see it now Ice he should start at 61.5 w there are live TP on there and a live channel that says you are pointed at 61.5 it would make the rest of the setup easier.

Laesander · #13 (**permalink**) 02-26-2008, 04:42 PM

I have tried to line my dish up to 79W, AMC 5. But I KEEP getting AMC9, I'm just putting a general question, I keep moving the dish around, and I keep a steady signal of AMC9. I don't know if anyone lives near Graham, NC, but I would love to find someone that has a signal meter that actually "KNOWS" what satellite it is looking at.. I have tried to move this thing around and around, but I keep getting the wrong sat. Is it possible, on a FS80P dish, that I could be receiving two satellite signals on this big dish, and they mix together? I don't know. I gave up again for today, LOL

Thanks guys for any help you could give,
Will

elgemcdlf · #14 (**permalink**) 02-27-2008, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laesander

I have tried to line my dish up to 79W, AMC 5. But I KEEP getting AMC9, I'm just putting a general question, I keep moving the dish around, and I keep a steady signal of AMC9. I don't know if anyone lives near Graham, NC, but I would love to find someone that has a signal meter that actually "KNOWS" what satellite it is looking at.. I have tried to move this thing around and around, but I keep getting the wrong sat. Is it possible, on a FS80P dish, that I could be receiving two satellite signals on this big dish, and they mix together? I don't know. I gave up again for today, LOL

Thanks guys for any help you could give,
Will

How do you know you are on AMC9? You are trying to track an arc. If you indeed want 79 degrees and are in fact on 83 (I am assuming you know for sure you are) you are 4 degrees west fo your mark along with being a little low. I am assuming the motor was told to go to 79 prior to all of this.

Laesander · #15 (**permalink**) 02-29-2008, 12:00 PM

Yes I told the motor (via USALS) to go to AMC5 (79 degrees), then moved the whole assembly towards that setting. I know I'm on AMC9 from the channels I pick up. My lat being 36 degrees, that is what the motor's elevation/lat is set to, then I rough it at 24 on the dish, then move the assembly towards 79, then fine tune with meter, only to KEEP getting AMC9. From what I can see on LyngSat, there are few FTA Ku active transponders on AMC5, but I know that is my True South sat. I don't know. LOL

elgemcdlf · #16 (**permalink**) 02-29-2008, 12:52 PM

Well we are exactly where I said. 4 degrees west and a little low. Raise your dish elevation 1 degree when on AMC9 and then move back to the east a bit. If you find nothing try another degree up. You will need the receiver to be on an active transponder while doing this. Lookking over the list of active tp's on both sats I fail to see how you found AMC9 if you had the receiver tuned to an active AMC5 tp.

Larry Acklin · #17 (**permalink**) 02-29-2008, 12:55 PM

Here's how I did mine, same dish as you.

Set the motor to 0 (true south)
Put it and the dish on a PLUMB pole.
Used a compass and pointed it best I could to TRUE south (magnetic + - deviation- look at a map.)

Commanded the dish to move to my true south sat (also AMC5).

Now here's the important part- I used the receiver, and a Lyngsat chart of the AMC bird, and manually put in a transponder I figured was active and strong.

I then moved the dish up and down, looking for signal. I moved the whole motor/dish assy CCW or CW on the pole as I moved the dish up and down SLOWLY.

I ignored the dish setting scale. I just was patient.

I suspect you are depending on an inaccurate scale, and sweeping across the sky until AMC9 comes in.

When I got a lock, I snugged the bolts on the dish, and pole, and blindscanned the bird.

Then I spent the next 3 or 4 sessions tweeking up/down left/right until I can track the arc well. I can get everything except one major transponder on IA5, and 80cm is a little too small for good quality there. You really have to be accurate with a small dish like that. My 1m fixed gets things much stronger, and is actually easier to point. Shame that motors cost $100 for that big boy.

Larry