install FAQ thread

[echelon]

How to motorise your dish easily

<< Its easier & faster to search for satellites with an an*logue receiver

There are many advantages to a motorised set up compared to a fixed system the most obvious is the amount of extra satellites and channels you will have access to.
For most users within the U.K a 1.2m dish should prove an acceptable size.
For some weaker signals like the ones from Sirius 5east and Nilesat 7west you would have to increase your dish size to around 2m for a good signal strength for the UK.
If you already have a fixed dish set up,and its at least 80cm in diameter as this is the recommended minimum size for motorising,but remember you will not receive as much signal with an 80cm as you would with a 1.2m or bigger.

Using a STAB Motor/Mount
The easiest way to motorise your dish would be with a 'STAB' or Motek or Icecrypt or Darkmotor motor/mount.

This will require your 'Digital Receiver' to be DISqC 1.2 compatible
if it is compatible with DISqC 1.2 then you will not require additional wiring or positioners, it works off your C0-Axial cable the cable runs from your Lnb connector on your receiver to the motor/mount and from a second connector on the motor/mount to the Lnb on your dish.

Before you fix the motor/mount to the wall/ground stand you will have to set the angles. point the motor/mount to the South fix the dish to the motor/mount with the brackets provided; align the dish to motor/mount find your geographical position a map is usually included with a new motor/mount; so just look up your location using the supplied map

once you have set up your long/latitude all you have to do is turn the complete motor/mount to the satellite you wish to find making sure the correct channel is selected on your receiver

make sure the lnb has no left or right "skew" when the motor is pointing at the zero marker

once that has been done and you are satisfied with the results tighten al bolts holding your motor/mount to the wall/ground mount then on your receiver choose another satellite and if the above has been done correctly the chosen satellite will display the channels as long as the dish is of the correct size and if encrypted you will be required to have access to it with a valid viewing card.

If your receiver has the 'GOTO' function then you will not even have to calculate the positions of every satellite, as the 'GOTO' function will work out the position of where every satellite is located for you from the long/latitude of your location all you have to do is enter the correct values for your location

it is better and easier if you set it up on 1w, I always use bbc world news as its a nice strong signal and in the clear (FTA)

once this is set correctly then adjust the dish elevation (start with the figure in the motor booklet) until you get best picture, you can now test the arc

I think you will find that all visible sats are now receivable on the receiver

One last tip if you have set the dish up and you get some only one polarity but not the other try turning the Lnb on the dish slightly about 5 degrees clockwise until you get a picture.
A a solid dish will outperform a mesh dish every time.

funke 0.99m offset angle = 00 degrees
triax 1.10m offset angle = 26 degrees


Location Long Lat
Aberdeen 2.11 W 57.13 N
Edinburgh 3.21 W 55.95 N
Glasgow 4.25 W 55.86 N
Newcastle 1.60 W 54.97 N
Belfast 5.95 W 54.60 N
Hull 0.30 W 53.75 N
Manchester 2.25 W 53.50 N
Liverpool 3.00 W 53.41 N
Dublin 6.30 W 53.35 N
Galway 9.06 W 53.28 N
Grt/Yarmouth 1.75 E 52.66 N
Norwich 1.28 E 52.00 N
Birmingham 1.91 W 52.50 N
Bedford 0.48 W 52.13 N
Ipswich 1.63 E 52.00 N
Cork 8.66 W 52.00 N
Swindon 1.78 W 51.55 N
London 0.10 W 51.53 N
Cardiff 3.18 W 51.46 N
Bristol 2.58 W 51.43 N
Dover 1.31 E 51.00 N
Southampton 1.38 W 50.90 N
Brighton 0.15 W 50.83 N
Plymouth 4.15 W 50.38 N

[T24]

ADJUSTING THE POLARMOUNT



If the adjustments are done in the correct order, you can get a dish that tracks just perfect. You should have an unwarped satellite dish, and a straight ground pole, it will make things easier.

1- Start with checking the mounting of the feed horn. All the legs on the tripod should be of the same length. You should measure them, and do any adjustment you can if they are not the same length. Next, you have to check the distance from three different points on the edge of the dish, to the center of the feed horn. Remember, even if the tripod legs have the same length, that does not mean the feed is centered! You might have to "bend" the feed back into center of dish, or adjusting the tripod legs to get the feed centered in the dish.

2- Set the off-set angle on your polar mount (declination). This is an adjustment that tilts the dish *forwards* at an angle of about 4-6 degrees, depending on what latitude you live. You can find the exact angle for your location in charts, but if you set it for about 5 degrees, you'll be close enough to get going. This adjustment is usually done on one of the mounts connected directly to the dish.

3- You then move the dish to the highest point on your polar mount. You do this by using the actuator. You can do this by visually looking at the dish and the polar mount. You are basically centering the dish on the highest point on the polar mount. Now, you have to set the elevation angle of the dish. I like to use a meter for this, but it is also possible to do it without. The elevation angle is about 40 degrees, depending on your latitude. This is not very critical at this point because you will adjust this angle for best reception later. If you measure the angle on the mount, you might have to add the declination angle to get the true dish pointing angle.

4- You need to find a satellite that is located just south of your location. In most cases, there is a satellite close to the longitude you live. A few degrees off will not make much difference because the dish moves almost flat in the center of arc. Try a Ku band satellite because the accuracy is much higher. However, you might look for a C band satellite when you start. It will be easier to find than a Ku band satellite. Having the dish parked at the highest point of the arc, you have to turn the WHOLE polar mount on the ground pole to you hit the satellite. If your elevation was way off, you might not even get a signal. Adjust the elevation and turn the mount again until you find the satellite located "straight south".

5- Fine tune the elevation angle. Turn the mount sideways until max signal and then adjust the elevation angle until its maxed. At this point, you have set the off-set angle and the elevation angle for the satellite at the highest point in the arc.

6- Now, you have to get the dish to track on the sides of the arc. This is where most people fail. DO NOT adjust any elevation angles on the mount at this point! Move the dish using the actuator to a satellite on one side of your arc. You should hopefully see the signal from the satellite, if not, pick a satellite closer to the center of the arc. Peak the dish on the satellite using the actuator. Next, you have to push or pull upwards and downwards on the dish. You don't have to use much force, just a bit to see if the signal gets better or worse when you push/pull on the dish. What you are actually doing is to change the elevation angle a bit. If your dish is pointing at a satellite to the east of center and you have to push up on the dish to get a better signal, then the elevation angle must be adjusted higher. You adjust this by turning the WHOLE mount to the east! You have to use the actuator and move the dish a bit west to peak the signal. You go back and forth until the dish has the correct elevation. Next, you have to check a satellite on the other side of the arc. If you peaked the dish for center, and then for one side, the other side should be very close. This will depend on your ground pole, offset angle/elevation angle and quality of feed/dish.

7- If your dish is not hitting center on the other side, try the same adjustment as above. If the dish needs to be pushed up to get a better signal, then TURN the WHOLE mount in that direction. If the dish needs to be pulled down for a better signal, then turn the mount the opposite direction (towards the higher point on arc).

8- Then, go back and check the other side. Hopefully, you're not far off. You might have to go from side to side before your dish tracks perfectly.

9- If, and ONLY if you can not get both sides to peak, both sides would be too low or too high. You can then do a small adjustment of the declination (elevation) angle to get the two sides into peak. BUT, only do this if you can confirm that both sides are low or high. If the dish is to high on the sides, but fine in the center, the declination angle is to low. Increase the declination and the elevation angle the same amount. They will cancel each other in the center of arc, but track lower on the sides.

10- You should now have a perfectly peaked dish If you used Ku band satellites for the peaking, it will be as good as it can get. If you used C band satellites, you might want to do the same thing using Ku band satellites.