Motor alignment

[Philbeardmore]

Hi guys,

I'm really struggling aligning my dish (this is te first time I've ever done it). I've made sure my mounting pole is 100% plumb and that my dish is mounted central to my motors arm (fully aligned). The lattitude is set on the motor bracket and the angle is also set on te dish bracket (based on the values in the motor booklet which also ties in with the vales provided by dishpointer). I've set the lattitude and longitude in the receiver and set it to 0.8 degrees (Thor). I've tried rotating the motor assembly (plus dish) aroun slowly in the direction shown on dishpointer but don't seem to get anything. Am I doing something wrong?

I'm relying on the receiver (spiderbox) to show my signal/quality) but I've read the metres on the boxes at prett in accurate. Should I buy a meter?

I'm struggling so any help wou be greatly appreciated

Thanks
Phil

[ramjet]

Hi guys,

I'm really struggling aligning my dish (this is te first time I've ever done it). I've made sure my mounting pole is 100% plumb and that my dish is mounted central to my motors arm (fully aligned). The lattitude is set on the motor bracket and the angle is also set on te dish bracket (based on the values in the motor booklet which also ties in with the vales provided by dishpointer). I've set the lattitude and longitude in the receiver and set it to 0.8 degrees (Thor). I've tried rotating the motor assembly (plus dish) aroun slowly in the direction shown on dishpointer but don't seem to get anything. Am I doing something wrong?

I'm relying on the receiver (spiderbox) to show my signal/quality) but I've read the metres on the boxes at prett in accurate. Should I buy a meter?

I'm struggling so any help wou be greatly appreciated

Thanks
Phil

I hope you have chosen usals after setting your longitude and latitude on the spiderbox ? this will send the motor to the correct place for your location

ensure the latitude is set on the motor too , and lock it up

install a spiderbox channel list and select thor and choose bbc world and then move the motor itself left or right on the pole , and also move the dish up or down until you get bbc world showing on a tv monitor

then press info twice and tweak until you get the best signal and quality on the green and blue bars, then lock the motor and dish , and test 42e and 30w

tweaking slightly should allow you to get all the satellites using usals

the main pointers are to ensure the latitude is set correctly on the motor and locked , and your location set in usals , with the pole being plumb and no obstructions in front of it blocking signals. it needs a good line of sight from south east to south west

if you had been in ireland use 5w for alignment , and tweak on 4w , checking 30w and 42e as well

the chances are that the dish elevation is incorrect if you get nothing for bbc world

[Philbeardmore]

Thanks Ramjet - ive set the box to usals but haven't loaded a channel list. Will try in he morning and let you know how I get on. Thanks again

Phil

[ramjet]

Thanks Ramjet - ive set the box to usals but haven't loaded a channel list. Will try in he morning and let you know how I get on. Thanks again

Phil

even if you had wanted to scan yourself , for alignment put a channel list in , set usals again for your location , select bbc world or the music channel which are both fta on 0.8w and ensure the motor moves when you select 0.8w and one of those 2 channels

that way when you are on the money the channel will pop up on your tv, you can use the spiderbox signal bars for checking with no problems , bearing in mind this way you are looking for an active transponder which you werent with no channel list

once you have set it up using somebody elses list , either stick with that list or factory reset and scan your own in - your choice

[dick b]

Thanks Ramjet - ive set the box to usals but haven't loaded a channel list. Will try in he morning and let you know how I get on. Thanks again

Phil

this list may help you set up even if its not to your taste its an HD list from a spider box 7000, there is a FTA channel set at channel 0001 on the following sats(checked all working just now) 30West,0.8West,13East,16East,19.2East,23.5East,28. 2East & 39East. re-check your co-ordinates if you load this list.

[Philbeardmore]

Thanks Dick B - Can I use this list as Ive only got the Spiderbox 5000 SD?

[ramjet]

Thanks Dick B - Can I use this list as Ive only got the Spiderbox 5000 SD?

no m8

you need a 5000 SD list for that box , all the rest are HD and use the HD list

its a shame you did not mention this in post 1 !

[ramjet]

found this compass SD list from nov 2011 that will help you get started

satellites as follows

1 west
5 east
13 east
16 east
19 east
28 east
39 east

Favourites have Dummy markers in to indicate Satellite "Position" and "Packages" cleared channels belong to.

as follows

Ethernet Sports
Ethernet A
Ethernet B
Ucas

[Philbeardmore]

Thanks guys.

Something strange is happening or im doing something wrong. I set my motor to 0, fire up the spiderbox, input my latt/longitude and set the motor to USALS then upload the channel list. I then select BBC news on Thor and the motor moves (which i'd expect it to do). Only when looking at the motor it doesnt appear to have move to 1w - Its actually moved east. Then when I select Astra 28.2 it picks some other bizarre locationg (going by the readings on the motor).

I still havent got a lock on Thor so maybe this could be the root of the problems.

Is it that difficult to get a signal coming through? Do I have to tap the dish and motor round millimetre by millimetre?

I'm struggling here so any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm worried I've got some duff kit (TM2600 motor, Inverto Black Ultra LNB, Technomate dish and Spiderbox SD5000).

Thanks
Phil

[mdt]

reset your motor when its on zero and then check lat/long, reboot and then try, regards mdt

[ramjet]

there is nothing wrong with your kit

once this channel list is in your box , set the usals longitude and latitude to your location , then send the box to 0.8 west

at this point it wont move to 1 west but will be a few degrees away from this , which is normal , unless your longitude was 0.00 (the greenwich meridian)

the point about using usals is that the spiderbox will send the motor to the correct place for thor, assuming you have put in your correct longitude and latitude

if you use diseqc v1.2 you will have to work this marking on the motor out yourself, using a formulae

so you set the spiderbox on bbc world and press info twice to bring up the 2 bars showing the signal and quality

then move the motor on its mount left or right , and the dish up or down, until you find bbc world

do not alter your latitude on your motor, leave it at 54n or whatever you are using

once you get thor you will see bbc world pop up and the signal and quality bars will light up, then you can fine tune it and temporarily lock it up

ps:- the longitude and latitude should have been put into the spiderbox AFTER loading the channel list , not before

[Philbeardmore]

Fantastic. Thanks guys. I'll reset my spiderbox to factory settings, set the motor to zero then reset it. I'll then upload the channel list, set lattitude/longitude then try and move the assembly to find BBC news.

My motor settings for lattitude is locked at 54 and the dish setting is around 23 (if I remember correctly) as directed in the motors guide.

Will give it a try tomorrow. Do I have to go millimetre by millimetre when trying to find the sat? And am I right in thinking that when I find it, I can tweak the dish up or down to improve quality?

Thanks again guys - really appreciated

[ramjet]

yes , you only use small movements , and once found peak the signal by checking it left and right and up and down by a few mm only

I think the problem here is that you seem to think the markings on the motor relate to the satellite positions , they dont unless you are on the greenwich meridian and 0.00 longitude

so if you are in say newcastle your longitude is 1.4 west and 54.6 north for latitude , so your due south would be 1.4 west and not zero like london. and if you were in york it would be thor that is due south of you at 1 west and 54 north

the zero on the motor points due south, and the other markers show the degrees west or east of due south (not the satellites - unless you were on 0.0 degrees as I said earlier)

I am assuming here that your longitude is not 0.00 , so the markings on the motor are not relevant to the satellite positions as they are determined by greenwich in london

[Philbeardmore]

Ramjet, you're spot on with your assumptions. I was thinking that my motor should read the same location as the satellite, but it all makes sense now. When I find Thor the motor will not necessarily read 0.8 degrees however 0 degrees will always be true south.

Thanks for the tip about pressing inf twice btw. :-)

I'm a newbie but feel I've learnt a lot so far - so much more to learn though

Cheers
Phil

[ramjet]

Ramjet, you're spot on with your assumptions. I was thinking that my motor should read the same location as the satellite, but it all makes sense now. When I find Thor the motor will not necessarily read 0.8 degrees however 0 degrees will always be true south.

Thanks for the tip about pressing inf twice btw. :-)

I'm a newbie but feel I've learnt a lot so far - so much more to learn though

Cheers
Phil

excellent

that idea would work for say hull at 0.3w , or scarborough , or any other place on or near the greenwich meridian

but for most of us the markings on ther motor bear no resemblance to the satellite positions over the equator