Installing an MPEG2 receiver is different from installing the old analog receivers.
In the MPEG2 receiver is a listing of each satellite's frequencies.
Each satellite has many different "transponders" which send out different frequencies. And each frequency can have many different TV/radio channels broadcast on it.
The MPEG2 receiver also has a listing of frequencies for each satellite. A new MPEG2 receiver may not have an updated list of frequencies for each satellite or may have only one or two frequencies listed for each satellite. So once the MPEG2 receiver is connected to the dish and the dish is aligned properly, you will need to enter transponder frequencies for each satellite before you can receive any channels.
The frequencies for each satellite are listed at lyngsat.com and satcodx.com.
C band frequencies are from 3.4 GHz to 4.2 GHz and Ku frequencies are from 10.7 GHz to 12.75 GHz. So the frequencies listed on lyngsat.com which are the 3's and 4's are for C band. The frequencies listed in the 10's, 11's, and 12's are for Ku band. Not all C band LNB's or Ku LNB's will receive all these frequencies...
Regular C band LNB = 3.7 GHz to 4.2 GHz
"extended" C band LNB = 3.4 GHz to 4.2 GHz
Standard Ku band LNB = 11.7 GHz to 12.2 GHz
"Wideband" or "universal" Ku LNB = 10.7 GHz to 12.75 GHz
If you have a big dish, you will need a "wideband" feedhorn before you can use the wideband LNBs. Needless to say. If you only have a regular C band LNB with a regular feed horn, entering in transponders with frequencies such as 3.4 Ghz or 10's, 11's, or 12's will not work. So if you have a regular C band LNB only, only enter frequencies in the 3.7 GHz to 4.2 GHz range. Don't waste your time entering frequencies which you will not be able to receive.
To enter frequencies on my Satcruiser DSR 2040, I press Menu,
Installation, Tp configuration.
Scroll to LNB, press OK.
Scroll to LNB Type, then use left right arrows to select standard or universal LNB. Then scroll to LO Freq. and enter the "local" frequency of the LNB. For a C band satellite "frequency listing" 5150, for Ku band satellite "frequency listing" 10750. If a Ku universal LNB, then usually...
LO 10600 and LO low 9750.
-or-
LO 10750 and LO low 9750.
Press menu to get back to Tp configuration.
Scroll down to the frequencies listed.
Review the current frequencies on lyngsat.com with those frequencies listed. Delete outdated frequencies by highlighting the frequency and pressing clear.
To enter new frequencies, scroll to add. Then press OK.
Scroll to Frequency, then press OK. Then enter the number of the new frequency. Don't forget to press 0 first if only a 4 digit C band frequency. (Can press OK to exit from change number mode if cursor remains after entering new number.)
Scroll to Polarization. Use right left arrows to select Ver or Hor.
Scroll to Symbol Rate. Click OK to change number. Enter symbol rate for that frequency. (If there is no symbol rate listed for the frequency, the frequency may be a NTSC or an analog channel. This will not work for MPEG2 digital, so enter another frequency which has a symbol rate listed.)
Press menu to return to TP configuration.
Continue to add all appropriate frequencies from lyngsat.com or satcodx.com.
Setting dish position on positioner model receiver...
When finished adding frequencies, scroll to the first frequency in the frequency list. Click OK. Scroll to position. Use the left right arrow to move your dish back and forth. As you move the dish, watch the signal meter at the bottom of the screen. When you hit a satellite, the signal meter may show some activity.
Now this part is tricky. You need to be sure you are pointed at the *correct* satellite! You could be on the wrong satellite. The best method is to use the dish pointing calculator below and a handheld GPS to verify that the dish is pointed at the correct satellite. Walk outside with the GPS and walk away from the dish in the direction it is pointing. This will give you a heading in degrees. Compare that with the dish pointing calculator azimuth for that particular satellite. If the calculator says 180 degrees and the dish is pointing 100 degrees, you are pointing at the wrong satellite. Note that some GPS have a magnetic and actual heading. Use the actual heading and not magnetic.
If you get no activity on the signal meter by moving the dish back and forth, press menu, select the second frequency, and try again. Some frequencies have nothing on them. Now usually frequencies which have a lot of "free" (F) channels listed on lyngsat.com will get all sorts of activity on the
signal meters when you pass by the satellite. With my receiver, I get orange bars showing up on the signal meter if it is an active frequency. These are the frequencies which will usually have channels on them.
Once you find the satellite, use the left right arrows to get the highest "S" reading. May need to go one click at a time in either direction to see where the best signal is. If I am getting 50's and 60's readings as I position around the satellite, I will move toward the satellite until I get the first 60's reading. Then I count and I move one click at a time. Say I move 12 clicks and it remains in the 60's. Then on the 13th click, it goes back to the 50's. I will then move back half way or 6 clicks so the dish is centered within the 60's range. Sometimes you can just move it back and forth and a particular spot has the highest reading.
After you find the best spot to position the dish for that satellite, press OK and the receiver will mark that spot for that satellite.
Next press menu to go back to TP configuration. Scroll to search for channels and press OK.
The receiver will now search each frequency for channels and add them to the channel guide. Go back to the first menu when the search is done and press TV Channels. Then select a channel and watch TV. Use the left arrow in this menu to select the satellite or all satellites.
Note: Some satellites have nothing on them. So you can enter 15 different frequencies, find the satellite, search for channels, then get nothing. Other times you could be pointed at the wrong satellite. So try moving to another position which gets a signal reading and search again.
Telstar 5 has a lot of free channels, so may want to start with that satellite for learning how to do this. Links follow...
Go to following sites for dish install and info...
http://dvbwave.com/faq/
http://www.tcworks.net/~dmatch/trouble.htm
http://www.coolstf.com/mpeg/
Big Dish feedhorn upgrade to C and Ku packages...
(Not wideband)
http://www.mjsales.net/tripak.htm
Dish pointing calculator...
http://home.online.no/~jensts/Satellite/lookangles.htm
Degrees and minutes to decimal converter...
http://vancouver-webpages.com/META/DMS.1.html
Convert from feet to meters...
http://www.qsl.net/w4sat/metconv.htm
Dish Alignment..
http://www.satellite911.com/html/install.html
http://www.sadoun.com/Sat/Installation/Installation.htm
Linear Mode
