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Thread: motorised + spiderbox help

  1. #1
    V.I.P umgum's Avatar
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    motorised + spiderbox help

    so i got a new motor (well new to me) as my stab had been storm damaged a few years ago and getting worse
    it`s a newhorizons motor i have set the lattitude to 53 what do i do regarding the east and west on the motor it`s currently set at zero
    i have read a few threads on here and still not quite sure how to with usals

    the motor also has east and west buttons on the bottom of it

  2. #2
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    Using Usals, to set your dish up, is designed to be easy.
    You have already done the first part, setting everything to 0.
    Next you put your Latitude, & Longitude, into your receivers motor set up, send the dish to a satellite, preferably one near to your True South, which is basically your longitude reading, then physically align the dish, to get the strongest signal possible, from the chosen satellite.

    You might want to check your pole is still plumb, and secure, as you are replacing an old motor, but apart from that it should be reasonably straight forward.

    No doubt you will have to make minor adjustments, to the bracket, to ensure that you are getting full signal, East, and West, by sending the dish to the furthest East/West satellites, usually 42E and 30W, check the signal quality readings, then back to the satellite you used for alignment, to make the adjustments, then back to 42E, 30W, and keep doing it until you're satisfied you are tracking the satellite arc.
    Hopefully the weather will be nice, to allow you to set your dish up.

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  4. #3
    V.I.P umgum's Avatar
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    when you say send the dish do you mean with the spiderbox or physically move the dish and motor

    dish is on 0 on the motor and pointing at south using compass app on phone

    sorry for this it`s years since i have done this

  5. #4
    Security Admin echelon's Avatar
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    leave the dish motor on zero and pointing approximately due south (true south, not magnetic south)

    the zero marker on the motor has to point to the exact south (not magnetic south)

    so if you were at 5 west the zero marker points at 5 west , whereas if you are at 13e it points at 13e

    now make sure your spiderbox has the correct usals details in it and a good satellite list like the recent compass list

    select your nearest bird with fta channels to your longitude and select an fta channel on that satellite (using the remote)

    your motor will now move to that location, leave it until it stops (ignore the markings on the motor)

    now physically move the whole motor on the pole and line up that selected tv channel until it clears and you have picture and sound on your test tv

    use the info button (twice) to get the best signal and quality, finely adjusting the left/right of the motor on the pole by physically turning it and also the dish elevation adjuster to get the best signal

    DO NOT USE THE MOTOR BUTTONS

    DO NOT ALTER THE MOTOR ELEVATION EITHER


    once you get a good signal on your chosen channel, tighten those motor clamping bolts onto the pole and the dish elevation adjuster too

    now test 42e and 30w using the remote control and selecting satellites and fta channels , fine tuning the left/right on the motor by slackening the clamping bolts, and the dish elevation adjuster accordingly

    when you get good signals at both ends and in the middle of the arc, tighten and test FTA channels on each satellite position , making sure the arc is tracked properly and you get good signal and quality on the fta channels , use the info button to get the bars up to check these 2 settings (signal and quality)

    do not bother with scrambled channels until the above is completed on fta channels

    when completed , tighten those motor mounting bolts and the dish elevation adjuster

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  7. #5
    V.I.P umgum's Avatar
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    rain stops play still no joy going to redo settings on elevation again

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  9. #6
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    Here's a decent guide:

    HOW TO SET UP A MOTORISED DISH
    -----------------------------------------

    Equipment needed.
    -----------------
    Suitable mounting pole (2" aluminium or steel scaffold pole)
    TK brackets or and L-Bar for mounting a dish to a wall
    U-Bolts
    Spirit Level
    Drill, F-Connectors, spanners, hammer
    Compass & Satellite signal meter


    POSTIONING YOUR DISH
    -------------------
    Please bear in mind that the dish needs to be far enough away from the wall and any other obsatcles so that the dish rotates freely. We normally mount the pole using TK brackets or an L-Bar which extend out from the wall by 18 inches.

    You need to be able to rotate the dish between at least 30 degrees east and 30 degrees west of due south, without obstructions such as trees in the way. The furthest point you normally go to the east is the same direction as a sky minidish (28.2 east), you need to be able to rotate the dish by 60 degrees to the west from this point. Standing behind the dish, the west is to the right of a minidish.

    If you can get a clean arc as far as 45 degrees east and 45 degrees west then there are a few mor e interesting satellites you can recieve.

    A good rule of thumb regarding obstructions - if the distance to the obstruction is twice the height of the obstruction you will have no problems. For instance if there is a fence that is 4 feet higher than the base of the dish, and the fence is 8 feet away then that will be OK.

    SETTING UP THE MOUNT
    --------------------
    The first step to setting up a motorised satellite dish is the most important one! The mounting pole that the dish and motor will be fixed to must be exactly vertical!! This point can not be over stressed. If the dish is mounted on an aluminium tube which is one metre long, and the pole is out of true by as little as one centimetre top to bottom, that is enough to stop the dish tracking properly.

    So step one - Get the mounting pole 100% plumb. Use a spirit level to check this side-to-side and front-to-back.

    SETTING UP THE MOTOR AND DISH
    -----------------------------

    Firstly you need to know your areas latitude and the elevation angle of the dish for the Thor satellite on 1 degree west. This can be done by checking the website below

    Code:
    http://www.dishpointer.com/
    You need to correctly set the elevation on your dish motor. Most motors are marked with a graduated scale called "Latitude" However some are marked "Elevation"

    If your motor is marked Latitude, then you set the scale to equal the latitude of you location. For example Liverpool is 53.5 degrees North - so set the Latitude on the motor to 53.

    If the motor scale is marked "Elevation" then the correct formula to use is Elevation = 90 minus Latitude. For Liverpool 90 - 53 = 37.

    Having done that, fasten up the bolts on the side of the motor as tight as possible (without breaking them of course!)

    Now you attach the dish to the motor. The motor shaft has a center line marked on it, and you centre the dish mounting bracket on this line. If you can not see the centre line with the dish attached, take a length of insulating tape or similar, and use it to extent the centering line so you can see it. Tighten the dish down so it can not move side-to-side.

    Now attach the dish and motor assembly to the mounting pole, and tighten down the motor bracket, leave it a little slack so you can trotate the entire motor/dish assembly in the pole.

    INITIAL ALIGNMENT OF THE DISH
    -----------------
    The first thing you need to do is allign the dish to the satellite nearest to due south. This satellite in the UK is Thor/Intelsat707 at 1 degree West. Using ProgDVB, load up the channels list for Thor. Open the channels list and click on the channel "Business TV". This is a FTA channel that always carries a test screen with a picture of s clock or compass and the marking 1 West.

    Using the dixie plug in, drive the motor to position 0.0 (fixed) the drive the Motor to Thor 1 West

    Now rotate the entire motor/dish assembly to locate this satellite. This is easiest if you use a signal strength meter, or at the very least get your PC outdoors (dry weather only!) and in a position where you can see it! ProgDVB has a signal strength read out on the bottom bar of the TV picture window.

    When you locate this satellite, adjust the elevation on the dish (NOT THE MOTOR!!) to get the strongest signal. For your guidance, Thor is elevated a few degrees higher than Astra. Once you have the strongest signal, lock the dish elevation so it can not move.

    Now load the channel list for Astra, and using dixie plugin, drive the motor to Astra. Astra is a powerful satellite and you should have no problems finding a picture.

    Go back to your dish, and using the spirit level double check that the mounting pole is still vertical and has not moved under the weight of the dish, otherwise this problem needs to be corrected before continuing.

    Now load the channel list for Hispasat, and using dixie drive the motor to Hispasat. Hispasat is a considerably weaker than Astra. You Should choose one of the Strong channels to test - The FTA channel called "Programaceo" is a good one to use, or also Disney channel. Also we have noticed that motors tend to "overshoot" a little when moving to Hispasat, you may need to tap the EAST button a couple of times to manually drive the dish slightly back to get a good signal. If you can't seem to find a signal on Hispsat at the moment then don't worry about that just now (time for worry comes later hehehe!!)

    Now go and check again that the mounting pole has remained vertical and not moved under the weight of the dish, otherwise this problem needs to be corrected before continuing.

    Now drive the dish back to 1 West (Thor)

    TRACKING THE DISH
    -----------------
    *START*
    First check that you have the strongest possible signal on Thor (Business TV). Do this by grabing hold of the top and bottom of the dish and gently flexing this dish upward and downward. You should get a worsening signal as you move the dish up - down - left - or right. If this is not he case then loosen the motor brackts and reallign the motor position left right. loosen the dish elevation nuts and alter the dish up and down until you have the best possible signal. when flexing the dish you are not trying to get the strongest signal, just flex it enough to check if the signal gets better or worse in each direction.

    Now drive the dish to Sirius 5 East. Load up the channels list for Sirius and choose "NOVY Canal" You should get a strong signal from this channel - around 90%. Then choose one of the weak transponders on Sirius (Viasat Ticket) These channels are very weak in the UK - even in clear weather conditions on a 1 metre dish you will not get more than about 55% signal on a perfectly aligned dish.

    While on Viasat Ticket, flex the dish up and down slightly to see which gives the best signal strength. Make a note of which direction improves the signal UP or DOWN. You can also try manually driving the dish slightly further east or weat with the EAST WEST buttons.

    Now go back to Hispasat. Choose "Programaceo" Channel. If you are getting little or no signal flex the dish slightly up or down to see which direction gives better signal. Remember that the dish tends to move slightly too far west on Hispasat so you may need to manually drive it slightly back to the east. Again make a note of which gives better signal UP or DOWN.

    If you have a good signal on Hispasat "Programaceo" of say 75% or more - try one of the weaker channels such as "P-Cinema". These channels are again much weaker than others on Hispasat - a well aligned dish gives you around 65-70% signal. Once again flex the dish up and down to wee which direction gives best signal.

    If you can't find Hispasat AT ALL then move your dish to 8 or 15 degrees west and repeat the above process to see which is better reception UP or DOWN and make a note.

    Now drive the dish back again to Thor 1W "Business TV" and check that it is still perfectly aligned and all this "flexing" has not changed the dish elevation. Reallign if necessary.

    Now one of 5 possible situations will have occured. These will be dealt with below. And if you need to adjust the alignment of you dish then remember the next line!

    IMPORTANT - ONLY EVER ADJUST THE DISH/MOTOR WHILE YOU ARE ON THOR 1 WEST

    Situation 1. Dish gives better signal when flexed upwards on both Sirius Ticket and Hispasat P Cinema - in this case you need to DECREASE the elevation of the motor and INCREASE the elevation of the dish to compensate. Reallign for strongest signal on Business TV then go to *START*

    Situation 2. Dish gives better signal when flexed downwards on both Sirius Ticket and Hispasat P Cinema - in this case you need to INCREASE the elevation of the motor and DECREASE the elevation of the dish to compensate. Reallign for strongest signal on Business TV then go to *START*

    Note Situations 1 and 2 should never arise if you correctly set the motor elevation to your latitude (eg Liverpool - 53 degrees)!!


    Situation 3. (The most common one!!) Dish gives better signal when flexed DOWNWARDS on Sirius Ticket and UPWARDS on Hispasat P Cinema - in this case you need to loosen and rotate the MOTOR a few degrees to the West (Towards HISPASAT) and then tighten up the motor, loosen the dish and rotate the dish back towards the East to compensate. Reallign for strongest signal on Business TV then go to *START*

    Situation 4. Dish gives better signal when flexed UPWARDS on Sirius Ticket and DOWNWARDS on Hispasat P Cinema - in this case you need to loosen and rotate the MOTOR a few degrees to the east (Towards SIRIUS) and then tighten up the motor, loosen the dish and rotate the dish back towards the West to compensate. Reallign for strongest signal on Business TV then go to *START*

    5. Well Done! You get perfect alignment on all three points!! No further adjustment required

    by using two very weak signals on Hispsat and Sirius you can get a perfect alignment of your dish - all other satellites are more powerful and you wil have no problem with these.
    Last edited by saintomer1866; 20-06-2015 at 03:04 PM. Reason: no links to any satellite retailers, please respect our sponsor

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  11. #7
    V.I.P umgum's Avatar
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    back again ok so dish is at latitude of 53 set on the motor bracket what should the actual dish be set at
    i have moved from a stab mount with the pole facing upwards the new motor has the pole facing down
    i am getting nothing at all just a constant signal of 78 with no quality doesn`t matter if i move the dish and motor by hand still says 78 signal
    i am probably doing something wrong so simple

  12. #8
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    if using a sat finder app where should the phone go on the arm or center of the dish

  13. #9
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    thanks for everyones help put the stab back on now that was a waste of £15 and a trip to oldham

  14. #10
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    I always use a cheap satellite meter, to find a satellite, as they can be set so sensitive that even the slightest signal can send the needle jumping from 5 to 10. You can even pick them up at some DIY shops.

    I would also use your experience, at how the dish angle looks, when on a satellite, to adjust the bracket, in the beginning.
    If you try again can you please post some pictures, of the motor, with dish attached, just in case someone can spot something you might have missed.
    Attached Images Attached Images

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  16. #11
    Security Admin echelon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by umgum View Post
    back again ok so dish is at latitude of 53 set on the motor bracket what should the actual dish be set at
    i have moved from a stab mount with the pole facing upwards the new motor has the pole facing down
    i am getting nothing at all just a constant signal of 78 with no quality doesn`t matter if i move the dish and motor by hand still says 78 signal
    i am probably doing something wrong so simple
    dish would be set to say 27 or 27.5 , motor elevation to 53.5 if near oldham

    then use 0.8w as your reference satellite , but ensure you have the correct details in usals

    something like 2.1w and 53.5n for oldham

    ideally, use a bleeper type satfinder to find 0.8w, and have the spiderbox sending the motor to 0.8w and bbc world news or similar as the fta channel

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