Satellite Finder Beeper to help Improve Signal?

[chopper1]

hi all,
some of my satellites form my motorised dish have a poor or no signal mainly 23.5 east and 39 east
to save myself £70 calling out a sateillte engineer I have bought a Satellite Finder Beeper, will this be suitable to help Improve my Signal? The dish probably needs moved a fraction should i set it up first on a strong satellite eg; 28 east and try to improve the signal there, or is it best going to one of the satellites with the signal problem eg; 23.5 east (which i use most after hotbird, 19 east & 28 east) and try to increase the signal strength there if so which is the best transponder to try this on ?
Also if i can get the signal increased on 23.5 east will all the other satellites signals be increased too or do i need to do try them individually, im using diseq 1.2
help much appreciated, thanks

[Mickha]

23.5E should give a very strong signal, in some cases even stronger than 28.2E, 39E is easier to explain, if your dish isn't tracking the arc correctly, or the pole isn't quite plumb.
Can you please post some signal strength/quality readings from 13E, 16E, 19.2E, 23.5E, 26E, and 28.2E, and provide details of your dish size, + general location.
I generally view Canal Digitaal channels, on 23.5E, try 12110 H 27500 DVB-S2 8PSK 3/4

[manic01]

23.5e/39e very strong sats in uk.
Elevation may be the issue.

[TonyO]

I've always found 39e a real problem to locate with cheap sat bleeper type meters, they are not sencertive enough to separate 39e from 42e as it merges them together, I prefer a meter where I load a channel frequency in which guarantees you get the right bird.

[digicon]

I would have probably have spent a little more say your initial £70 on a cheap satlink meter which have helped you align the dish far easier and could have been used in the future to save any more call out fees.

The cheap bleepers are sometimes useless as said above they do not distinguish which satellite you may be on they just go off the satellite power, which makes it considerably harder

[Mickha]

You shouldn't need an expensive satellite meter, to set up a motorized system.
For a general line you can use sites, like Dishpointer, the cheap meter will then allow you to maximise the signal quality, on a satellite, and you can use your receiver to quickly ascertain which satellite you're on.
If setting up on 1W, and you get 5E, or 5W, it's not difficult to move your dish slightly West, or East, to find 1 West.
Once done you no longer require the meter, as then it's just a matter of fine tuning the satellite arc, by sending the dish to your furthest East, then West, satellite, possibly 42E, then 30W, checking the signal quality readings, then moving back to 1W to fine tune, and keep trying.
Providing you have the basic set up correctly, pole plumb, dish attached to the motor correctly, brackets in the approximate position, then you should get the furthest East, and West, satellite, but not with the maximum signal readings.

[Detlef]

I find the Satfinder task in my Dreambox is entirely satisfactory for setting up most LNB/dish combinations.

Also my old faithful SS1 has a task that speaks the signal strength - an extension speaker dangled out of the window makes life easy when I am up the ladder although the neighbours aren't mad keen on it.

[Gerry55]

Why not try SignalMeter on a laptop or phone.

hxxp://www.krkadoni.com/log/

[chopper1]

Thanks for all the replies guys im going to give the beeper a go not to worried about 39 east but want 23.5 east back

[hianta]

Thanks for all the replies guys im going to give the beeper a go not to worried about 39 east but want 23.5 east back

I think the beeper is just based on or the same as the cheap signal meters you get and the meter soon stops working but leaves you with a buzzer? (higher the pitch the stronger the signal but remember to keep adjusting meter to the low buz!)
If you connect it on 0.8 W and lightly push/ pull the bottom of the dish to see if its better, tilting down or up?
Then do the same on 28.2 E and the same again on a West sat , 30 W if you get it.
If It turns out that the all say up or down, then simple adjustment of the dish.
If the east side say up but the west side say down (or vice versa) , the motor arc is out and you will have to double check if the dish is on the motor arm in the correct position?
If it is then the motor has slide round slightly on its mount?
If not re-adjust the dish to centre of the motor poll.

Sounds a bit weird but when you do it once It all becomes clear and easy after that?
Have fun!

[Mickha]

Thanks for all the replies guys im going to give the beeper a go not to worried about 39 east but want 23.5 east back

If you have strong signals on 13E, 19.2E, and 28.2E, then you should be getting good signal quality on 23.5E, epsecially on the Canal Digitaal channels.
If you could please post some details, of some of the channels on 13E, 19.2E, and 28.2E, along with signal quality readings, and make of receiver, it would help to confirm the problem.
As you are using Diseqc 1.2, to control your dish, like me, it might just need tweaking slightly, East, or West, to maximise the signal from 23.5E.

[TonyO]

Don't forget this time of year all the trees have leaves on and the younger ones grow about 3 ft a month, hedges as well unless you trim them back, sats you had last year suddenly are gone.

[chopper1]

Don't forget this time of year all the trees have leaves on and the younger ones grow about 3 ft a month, hedges as well unless you trim them back, sats you had last year suddenly are gone.

good point about trees Tony, neighbour has no respect for us his garden etc. is a mess, there is on tree but ts low enough at the moment not to block the dish

[chopper1]

Detlef,
on my spiderbox HD6000 there is an option under menu-installation-satellite finder but i have never used it or don't kow how to
I just try the fine tuning in menu-installation-satellite settings-diseq-direction-east or west

[Detlef]

Detlef,
on my spiderbox HD6000 there is an option under menu-installation-satellite finder but i have never used it or don't kow how to
I just try the fine tuning in menu-installation-satellite settings-diseq-direction-east or west

Haven't used a Spider but the Satfinder function on most Dreamboxes has been a feature for many years so I hope later stb's still have it. On a DB it is usually found in the sat searching menu area.

The joy is that you can select a given (weak) transponder to optimise. Whereas, I believe the cheaper meters take the signal from the whole band/polarity that the stb is tuned to.

[chopper1]

thanks Mickha, im going to have a go tomorow with the beeper, if i can get a strong signal on 23.5 east and tighten the dish/save the data on my spiderbox will all the other satellites with or without a signal signal below also increase in signal quality or do they need adjusted from the dish outside?
details below:
42 east 0% Quality
39 east 0% Quality
28 east 79% signal 70% Quality
23 east 0% Quality
19 east 76% signal 70% Quality
16 east 74% signal 66% Quality
13 east 74% signal 70% Quality
7 east 0% Quality
5 east 0% Quality
1 west 75% signal 63% Quality
5 west 67% signal 52% Quality
30 west 76% signal 62% Quality

[Mickha]

Those are unusual readings, chopper1, as you have a signal quality, all be it a bit low, depending on the channels, on 28E, 19.2E, 16E, and 13E, you should be picking up 23.5E, without the need to adjust your dish.
I was also expecting you to get no signal, on 30W, as this would demonstrate the dish not tracking the satellite arc, correctly.
On a lot of channels on 28.2E, 19.2E and 13E you should be getting close to maximum signal, in quality, so your dish does require some minor adjustments, but first you should be getting some channels on 5E, 7E, and especially 23.5E, providing your motor is finding the satellites correctly.
I'll post a few frequencies, for you to try scanning in.

7E 11221 H 27500 DVB-S (channel TFM Senegal)

5E 11766 H 27500 DVB-S (channel 2+2)

23.5E 12109 H 27500 DVB-S2 8PSK 3/4 (channel History Dutch)

When these channels are scanned into your receiver try moving the dish slightlt East/West, using your receiver, to try and get a signal.

[chopper1]

thanks Mickha i will try those frequencies and report fine tuning east/west have already tried most on 23.5 east and report back

[Detlef]

Why not try SignalMeter on a laptop or phone.

hxxp://www.krkadoni.com/log/

Hey! That is brilliant, Gerry.

It could do with an in-App help page as that could save a lot of time but once I got used to to it by trial and error it works well.

Now I'll have to set my router to give the DB a fixed IP address as the App doesn't have an auto detect routine.

[chopper1]

no joy mickha with any of those frequencies or satellites
we tried the beeper on Saturday have a signal on 23.5 east moving the dish elavation but no channels clearing...confusing to say the least