DG380 installation problem?

whodart · #1 (**permalink**) 05-20-2008, 01:46 PM

Hi. Dave E. here in N L Rock AR. Bought a new Fortec setup from Sadoun, 1M dish, DG380 motor, QPH031 LNBF and a 22khz switch, with the Mercury II receiver. Of course, being unfamiliar with FTA and been a long time since I installed a 10' C band dish with a HH mount, I am having problems. The first time I tried to get the dish to move to 91° (I am at 92.2°) it went to the extreme east position and stopped by the limiter. That's where it still is. I can't get it to respond to any method of going back to zero or any other satellite. I have 13vdc to the motor and can hear relay clicking when try the east or west incremental move buttons, or control from the receiver. Also, how do you know if you need to download new firmware? Any help will be appreciated. Regards

Dave E

Vitruvius · #2 (**permalink**) 05-21-2008, 02:05 PM

Whodart, Don't try to upgrade the software yet. Do what rainman suggested and play with the the settings in the Mercury II. It is a good receiver that will work great with USALS and Disceq if you have to use it. First make sure you input your Lat and Long correctly in it. Then you can select satellites and have to tell the receiver if you want to go to it by either USALS or Disceq. Choose USALS for all the satellites you want to hit. You can select 'go to 0' and check the dish to see if it was sent back to 0. You will have to get the elevation of your dish worked just right for the south most satellite. With the angle correct, you then need to loosen the mount to the pole and rotate the entire assembly until you get a strong signal. I use the receiver as a meter with a tv out near the dish. You have to tune the receiver on the satellite you are searching.

Some fiddling may have to be made with the motor. You may have to manually move the motor back to 0 with the control buttons on the bottom of the motor, then reset it. This has happened to me sometimes in lightning storms.... hmmm.

Keep monkeying with it...

whodart · #3 (**permalink**) 05-21-2008, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vitruvius

Whodart, Don't try to upgrade the software yet. Do what rainman suggested and play with the the settings in the Mercury II. It is a good receiver that will work great with USALS and Disceq if you have to use it. First make sure you input your Lat and Long correctly in it. Then you can select satellites and have to tell the receiver if you want to go to it by either USALS or Disceq. Choose USALS for all the satellites you want to hit. You can select 'go to 0' and check the dish to see if it was sent back to 0. You will have to get the elevation of your dish worked just right for the south most satellite. With the angle correct, you then need to loosen the mount to the pole and rotate the entire assembly until you get a strong signal. I use the receiver as a meter with a tv out near the dish. You have to tune the receiver on the satellite you are searching.

Some fiddling may have to be made with the motor. You may have to manually move the motor back to 0 with the control buttons on the bottom of the motor, then reset it. This has happened to me sometimes in lightning storms.... hmmm.

Keep monkeying with it...

Hey, man. Thanks for the response. OK, I will hold off on upgrading the software and firmware. I ordered a null modem cable so it won't be here for a few days yet.
OK, in the USALS mode I entered my lat/long, 34.8 x 92.1 for my location as determined with a GPS. It wanted to go to satellite at 97°, which is west of my location. I have the dish and motor lined up as close to exact south as I can get, using the solar noon method. I selected a satellite at 91° since it was closer to my longitude and the dish went to the extreme east position and stopped. I cannot get it to respond to any commands from the receiver, go to zero, or go west, or by pushing the two buttons on bottom of motor that are supposed to move the dish a little. I can hear the relays clicking inside the motor when I do that with the buttons, or when I tell it to go to zero, but the motor doesn't operate. I just wonder if it is a bad motor? I have disconnected everything, tried all three of the reset methods, I get no led blinks from the motor. I will try again, will reset back to factory options on the receiver and get in the USALS mode and set limits and my position, and try again to get the dish to move west. Someone has told me that there is a reset hole in bottom of the motor that you have to push a pin in there and then you can move the dish and motor manually? Can't find any reference to that in the books.
THanks, agian for advise. WIll see what happens. Regards

Dave E.

rainman · #4 (**permalink**) 05-21-2008, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whodart

Hey, man. Thanks for the response. OK, I will hold off on upgrading the software and firmware. I ordered a null modem cable so it won't be here for a few days yet.
OK, in the USALS mode I entered my lat/long, 34.8 x 92.1 for my location as determined with a GPS. It wanted to go to satellite at 97°, which is west of my location. I have the dish and motor lined up as close to exact south as I can get, using the solar noon method. I selected a satellite at 91° since it was closer to my longitude and the dish went to the extreme east position and stopped. I cannot get it to respond to any commands from the receiver, go to zero, or go west, or by pushing the two buttons on bottom of motor that are supposed to move the dish a little. I can hear the relays clicking inside the motor when I do that with the buttons, or when I tell it to go to zero, but the motor doesn't operate. I just wonder if it is a bad motor? I have disconnected everything, tried all three of the reset methods, I get no led blinks from the motor. I will try again, will reset back to factory options on the receiver and get in the USALS mode and set limits and my position, and try again to get the dish to move west. Someone has told me that there is a reset hole in bottom of the motor that you have to push a pin in there and then you can move the dish and motor manually? Can't find any reference to that in the books.
THanks, agian for advise. WIll see what happens. Regards

Dave E.

make sure you put the lat and longitude in as North and West.

whodart · #5 (**permalink**) 05-21-2008, 06:37 PM

Hey Rainman, thanks for the info. I have the receiver here in the house looking at all the options where I can see it on a big TV screen. The lat/long options only let you put in 3 digits. I tried to enter 34.776 for lat and 92.194 for longitude, only let me put in 34.8 and 92.2. Puts the W and N in automatically.

I'm gonna get more familiar with the receiver before I hook it up again tomorrow. Just the receiver and motor, and see if the motor will respond at all. If not, will try get Sadoun replace it. Had packaging damage and water in the shipping box when got it the other day. Documented it with UPS and took pix and sent them to Brian. See what happens tomorrow.
Regards

Dave E

whodart · #6 (**permalink**) 05-22-2008, 12:11 PM

Determined today that the motor is bad and am sending it back to Sadoun for replacement. Brent said, 'yeah, they go bad sometimes'. I guess so,
moved once from zero to 60E and died. The leds blink 8 blinks over and over, which is out of the range they give in the brochure that comes with the motor. Get a good 13 and 18 volts from the receiver. See what happens next regards

Dave E

Sadoun · #7 (**permalink**) 05-22-2008, 01:22 PM

We haven't had any problems with the Sadoun PowerTech line of motors. This is ODD. However, go ahead and ship it back to us (follow the return process for RMA) and we will check it out.

Return Policies and Manufacturer Warranty

Also, check the troubleshooting table at the end of this page:
How to install an HH-Mount Motor? Applies to DG240-SM3D22-STABHH100-HH120-Motech-SG2100

whodart · #8 (**permalink**) 05-22-2008, 03:35 PM

Thanks Mr. SuperPro. I did everything I could find to do with this DG380 motor and except for the one time it moved east to 60 degrees and stopped, it will not respond to any method available to me, to make it move again. Do I have to send the bracket back too? I have it mounted on pole centered to true south and plan on putting a replacement DG380 back on it? Thanks

Dave E

Sadoun · #9 (**permalink**) 05-22-2008, 04:38 PM

Dave, you don't need to send the bracket. The motor is enough.

whodart · #10 (**permalink**) 05-23-2008, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sadoun

Dave, you don't need to send the bracket. The motor is enough.

Thanks, Superpro. I boxed up the motor this morning and shipped it back, and when I got back home at 10am, I had an email from Brent telling me I needed to ship the bracket also. DO I need to box up the bracket and send it in also?

Regards

Dave E