I can't get a signal

[verk62]

Lifetime Classic Receiver and a SM3D12 Motor
Lat. 29 N
Long 95 W
Houston, TX

I have put up my dish and motor aimed at my true south, but can't get a signal on 3C. Any suggestions? Should I just take everything down and start from scratch? I am more than a little frustrated right now.

[benny666]

verk62 ,
is your motor 's elevation set at 29.7 and dish 's elavetion 46.5 according to this website
http://sadoun.com/Sat/Installation/H...stallation.htm
it might need to move up the dish up and down a few degrees until you have a green bar on quality.

g00d lucks, man !!!
Benny,,,

PS: Is your mast " PERFECTLY " vertical plumb ? { 90 degrees }

[verk62]

Well I am still not having any luck with this and am about to give up for a while. I have done everything it says, but it still isn't working. I wonder if my LNB is screwed up or something? and it looks like the arm holding the LNB is not completely straight, but I can't figure out why? Thanks for the help, but it seems I need someone here to show me where I am going wrong.

[verk62]

So, tonight I took off the motor and tried to point the 90U dish at 3C (which should be my true south satellite) but I can't seem to get any signal. I have the classic receiver and it just jumps from 0% to 6% the entire time, even if I point the dish down at my fence. I have been farting around with this thing for a while now and really would like to get it up and running. UND has a hockey series with Minnesota this weekend and I would like to be able to watch it.

The elevation degree markings on my dish are confusing me some, and I think that might be the biggest problem. On the motor it's easy to figure on the elevation and lock it into the correct place, but not with the dish. The degree markings on the dish are behind the bracket that hold the elevation in place. The bracket, bolt and nut are about the size of my pinky finger and I have no way of being exact about the elevation, I could be off anywhere from 7 to 10 degrees because the dish didn't have any instructions about what point on the bracket should line up with the degree's markings.

Also if anybody knows of an installer in the Houston, TX area could you please post a name and number. I initially wanted to have the dish installed but one installer said they would come out and was a no show on 2 different occasions. Even if I could get them out now, I really don't think they would be able to do the job. I have called and looked all over, but haven't been able to find any other installers that can manage this type of equipment.

[DruzeTito]

Hello.. don't give up!!.. the signals are there.. you just have to find them. Here are some important steps you have to follow:

Its a good idea to first try to get a signal without the motor to see if every is working like it should.

for galaxy 3C , point your dish as follows:

since this is your true south.. point the dish (azimuth) to 180-4 = 176 on the compass. Set the dish elevation to 56, and leave the lnb neutral (vertical position)..

Use the transponder 11780 H 20760 3/4 (CCTV) to find your signal.

Use very very small steps moving the dish left or right millimeter by millimeter and the elevation up and down until go find a signal and lock on.

Is your lnb universal? Make sure the lnb setting on your receiver are right.

as soon as you find out that you can get signal, then you can move on to the motor.

Im not sure about your dish elevation problem. You should be able to read the scale on it. This is the Fortec 90U bolt dish right?

Dont be afraid to ask any questions or tell us anything you dont understand that i have written.

[verk62]

Im not sure about your dish elevation problem. You should be able to read the scale on it. This is the Fortec 90U bolt dish right?

That is the dish, I can see the degree notches but I have no way of telling whether the dish elevation is at 56. If I put the middle of the bracket at 56, the edges of the same bracket would read around 60 and 52 depending on which side of the bracket I am looking at.

Is your lnb universal? Make sure the lnb setting on your receiver are right.

Yes it's universal


I think I am following all of the steps, but the one weak link seems to be the elevation. I will give it another shot tomorrow. Thanks for the help!

[DruzeTito]

Is this what you have?




I can see the markings on here..

[verk62]

Originally Posted by DruzeTito

Is this what you have?




I can see the markings on here..

Yes, but how do I know exactly where to line the bolt and bracket up? Should I just line everything up with the middle of the round end bracket?

[DruzeTito]

heh.. see i never used this before, but my guess it to use right smack in the middle of the nut as a reference point. Maybe someone else with this dish can tell us?

[rainman]

if you have a magnetic angle finder you can place it on the dish and take out the guest work. if not Sadoun sale's them. :mozilla_smile:

[bobkat]

Originally Posted by DruzeTito

heh.. see i never used this before, but my guess it to use right smack in the middle of the nut as a reference point. Maybe someone else with this dish can tell us?

I've never used that type of mount either but I think Druzey is correct; I would use the center of the bolt/nut as a reference point.

kat

[verk62]

Thanks for the help, I will have to try again tomorrow because it's has been raining here all day and is supposed to continue through the night.

[Reinhold]

I have a center mark right in the middle,Reinhold

[verk62]

Well Sadoun, thanks for nothing. I am now out over $400.00 because Sadoun will not take my equipment back as a return. I guess I shouldn't have bothered trying to set it up in the first place. The reason I bought from here is because I figured I would have the help and resources to hire an installer or be able to install myself. That turns out to be incorrect, I guess I should have read over the return information right away, but I assumed that the equipment would install and work properly and not need to be returned. Hell, I don't even know if the equipment is working correctly and the people at Sadoun can't tell me either. What a joke!!!!

[vj9999]

I posted a reply in the other thread where you posted. You didn't post since december 7th. Many of us here are willing to invest their time and try to help, but you need to ask more questions.

Again. What did Sadoun do wrong? No need to badmouth him. His store has a return policy just like any other store. Just because you didn't bother readig it doesn't mean it is not there.

Try going to Best Buy and return something after return period has expired..... good luck.

[verk62]

Originally Posted by vj9999

I posted a reply in the other thread where you posted. You didn't post since december 7th. Many of us here are willing to invest their time and try to help, but you need to ask more questions.

Again. What did Sadoun do wrong? No need to badmouth him. His store has a return policy just like any other store. Just because you didn't bother readig it doesn't mean it is not there.

Try going to Best Buy and return something after return period has expired..... good luck.

I can't get signal, I have read through the board (everyone with my problem gets the same advice, so I don't need to ask over and over again), I have been getting help from several other message boards as well. When I ask, repeat or clarify a question sometimes here I wouldn't even get a response, until I posted several more times. Sad as it is, but I have had more and better help from other message boards.

I guess I would feel better about the business if I wouldn't have had people on this board and on the phone at Sadoun telling me to be patient and it will work, all the while I have no idea if the equipment is even working correctly, because I can't check and the people from Sadoun can't tell me how to do it either. Maybe the people answering the phone at Sadoun should actually fully understand the equipment before trying to sell it to me. I screwed up, but my mistake was buying from Sadoun.

In my experience, Best Buy is much easier to work with and at least I feel I can get a correct answer about what they are selling me when I ask.

[bobkat]

Originally Posted by verk62

I can't get signal, I have read through the board (everyone with my problem gets the same advice, so I don't need to ask over and over again), I have been getting help from several other message boards as well. When I ask, repeat or clarify a question sometimes here I wouldn't even get a response, until I posted several more times. Sad as it is, but I have had more and better help from other message boards.

I guess I would feel better about the business if I wouldn't have had people on this board and on the phone at Sadoun telling me to be patient and it will work, all the while I have no idea if the equipment is even working correctly, because I can't check and the people from Sadoun can't tell me how to do it either. Maybe the people answering the phone at Sadoun should actually fully understand the equipment before trying to sell it to me. I screwed up, but my mistake was buying from Sadoun.

In my experience, Best Buy is much easier to work with and at least I feel I can get a correct answer about what they are selling me when I ask.

Hey verk62:

Crack open a brewski and read over this thread, its an oldie but a goodie. You will see that many people have similar problems and forum members do indeed help out. The author of this thread tried for almost one year (off and on I suspect) but finally locked in signal.

---> http://sadoun.net/viewtopic.php?t=29...=asc&start =0

Unlike something you buy at Best Buy, like a TV set or whatever, this satellite thing is a hobby, and as such requires quite a bit of dedication and sometimes leads to frustration. But as Michael (another mod here) likes to say... "It's doable"... :mozilla_wink:

So before you pack it in give it another try. Attempt to get a signal for a strong satellite first (such as AMC4 or IA5) without using the motor. Then you will at least know that your equipment is working. So many people blame the LNB, its the most falsely accused culprit. I have seen the LNB actually be to blame in less than 2 % of our service calls. The usual cause is a misaligned dish or the customer looking for an inactive transponder.

Keep trying and good luck. We are here to help. DruzeTito is good with motors and so is pmb1010. Frankly I'm not... :mozilla_undecided:

kat

[Reinhold]

Hey Verk 62.
I was as frustrated as you are because I too was not getting anywhere.So was another person named Alfi,If you look at his thread.It can be done.First you have to get your pole or mount perfectly plum.Then you need to get your motor elevation correct.Next you need to be sure you are facing true south(corrected magnetical south).The correct dish elevation is a starting point.After that you move to your true south satellite with the mover.Now by watching your tv screen you adjust first the dish elevation ever so slightly,then rotate the motor by hand ever so slightly until you get quality.If you set the true south acurately in the first place(I left instructions om my postings how I got there),you may only have to move the dish up and down ever so slightly.Over the holidays I have been watching some good movies and other programs instead of reruns on network TV.Don't give up and good luck,
Reinhold

[vj9999]

I need a brewski my self... We had a baby at the end of October and haven't had time to turn o my receiver since (well I am lying I turned it on 5 times to see if there are any FTA LA Liga games on Hispasat).