Channel Master/Laminas 1.8m project

[Lazarus]

Should be ok, I imagine.

Dodgy connections are more critical than sheer length (Within reason, of course)

 

[Archive4]

Dodgy connections are more critical than sheer length (Within reason, of course)

And you believed SWMBO when she said that

 

[moonbase]

...
I need to slow down the Jumbo motor, it's way too fast for this dish - had real control issues with the EZ2000 positioner. I need to try it with a normal Vbox and see what that's like with it, but it's likely I'll need some inline resistors to reduce the motor drive voltage. The EZ2000 also had issues recalling stored positions. I don't think it's mechanical - more that the 1224 produces far more pulses than a normal jack and it seems to have been reaching count limits at the extremes. Not sure....

CJ,

It's not applicable to your setup but the high native output pulse rate from a Jaeger 1224 is why it cannot be used with an RC2000 dual axis controller. The RC2000 unit cannot accept the pulse rate so it needs to be decreased if an RC2000 unit is going to be used with a Jaeger 1224 in a dual axis setup.

The main reason to use an EZ2000 in a dual axis setup would be if an optical actuator was being used on the elevation control. Normally, an optical actuator will have greater sensitivity for finer control over fractions of a degree adjustments on elevation. However, a 5V connection is required for an optical actuator and the EZ2000 provides this. Some v-boxes also have the 5V connector and are easier to use than the EZ2000 units.

A normal v-box or 5V v-box will work fine with a Jaeger 1224, I have one in use here on a 1.25m Unicorn prime focus dish and it provides linear output across the whole arc. My personal choice of v-box would be a Technomate version if available, otherwise the Moteck version.

 

[Archive4]

Would you please stop mentioning J 1224 as I want one and can´t find one!

 

[scopus]

I agree with MB. The TM or Moteck V box is the best.

 

[Captain Jack]

Funnily enough, I do have a TM Vbox but it's without a remote and the operation seems erratic. Maybe I am using it wrong but when I press east/west buttons, it drives the motor for a couple of pulses and then stops. It then carries on. When I let go, it carries on for a second or stop before stopping.

 

[Laser]

CJ
Shame about SES 5. Guess there is a sharp cut off the further south you go?
Would be interested to hear if you can receive on the weaker Nilesat transponders at 7west.
Then C band at 40west. Will you be trying for that?
Well done . Great install.

 

[Captain Jack]

Hi Laser, SES-5 drop off seems sharp the further west and south you go. You can get it in Manchester on a 1m Triax and I can't get it here on a 1.8m

I checked a few Nilesat transponders and most seemed to have good strength - are there any particular ones to aim for?

Yes, I will be trying C band at some point and Ka band as well.

The dish is nowhere near properly aligned. The LNB is a Technomate 0.1dB one from many years ago and was just plonked there without any adjustments. Still plenty of room for improvement.

 

[Captain Jack]

The inclined orbit elevation jack is quite long, is it temporary and to be replaced with a 6" or 8" actuator?

I do have a smaller jack but I wouldn't be overly comfortable with it holding this dish, even though it was fine with the 1.5m Gibby, which weights about the same as this.

This one is a Venture jack, so I would like to put it to some good use.

 

[moonbase]

Funnily enough, I do have a TM Vbox but it's without a remote and the operation seems erratic. Maybe I am using it wrong but when I press east/west buttons, it drives the motor for a couple of pulses and then stops. It then carries on. When I let go, it carries on for a second or stop before stopping.

CJ,

Have you tried using the remote control from the EZ2000 with your Technomate v-box? Sometimes they work, sometimes not. A factory reset of the v-box might also be worth a try?

 

[Laser]

Would be interested if you can receive
11977 Vertical CITY 7 TV. Used to enjoy that before it changed over to Nilesat 201. Could watch it OK with the 1.2CM but cant now.
also
11938 Vertical. The MBC channels. I know they can be viewed at BADR 4 26east but I always fear they may disappear off there!
Can you view the Horizontal channels? Used to be only the Vertical that were OK ish!

 

[Captain Jack]

CJ,

Have you tried using the remote control from the EZ2000 with your Technomate v-box? Sometimes they work, sometimes not. A factory reset of the v-box might also be worth a try?

It doesn't seem to work, even though it controls other Vboxes in the house. I connected my Alsat GBox one and that works very nicely with the 1224 - no miscounts so far and moving the dish at a more leisurely pace.

I noticed that the EZ2000 pumps out 50v whereas the GBox only 32-33v. This was under no load conditions (i.e. without the motor connected), so it might be different with load on.

Laser - still setting it up but I would say forget everything on Nilesat 201. Not even the not-that-far-away 2.4m Channel Master can get it.

 

[Captain Jack]

Welp, pretty happy with the dish. Getting most satellites nicely - Amos 4W is coming in on all transponders, though only just. The 11222 and 11258 ones are the trickiest, especially with 7/8 FEC but it's there with no rain margin.

Getting about half Badr 6 transponders, mostly DVB-S ones - no lock on DVB-S2. Getting some extra transponders on Sub-Saharan beam on 36E though mostly encrypted.

Got up to 53E on the east side - cannot see 55E 45W is there on the western side - need to attach my sat card and see what I can find further. Calculating the pulse count looks like I should be able to get to 58W... and then the dish a) hits the neighbour's fence and b) the top is just over the fence, which means it's on the neighbour's side.

Any constant Ku band transmissions on 55/58W?

 

[Anonymous_1]

@Captain Jack :
Only DATA in KU at 55°W and 58°W

55°W: (+ 11662 V 9000)


And 58°W:

 

[Captain Jack]

Thank you - logged them both! I must hit the fence at around 59W as 58W peaks just before reaching the limit.

So 58W to 53E is visible to me (until the neighbour's apple tree grows to take out the eastern sats....). Want to really stick C band LNBs on but no time for play now.

 

[nelson_b]

So 58W to 53E is visible to me

Exactly the same as i,m able to see ... with the 1.8 c.m. .....
some C band tests soon then

 

[Pipedream]

CJ,

Have you tried using the remote control from the EZ2000 with your Technomate v-box? Sometimes they work, sometimes not. A factory reset of the v-box might also be worth a try?

Was messing about with a 1224 and technomate V box yesterday, as CJ says mine was erratic but the remote of the Moteck V box worked ok on it. The Alsat box worked perfectly with the 1224.

 

[Captain Jack]

Stuck the two C band LNBs side by side until I get my LNB revolver but have lost my DiSEqC switch. Found a 2 port one, so only trying circulars for now.



Found 49E (14 BS transponders), 40E, 1W with AFN package on it coming in at 7dB ish. 11W strangely weak (7.5d but all there. Haven't ventured further yet.

 

[nelson_b]

Stuck the two C band LNBs side by side until I get my LNB revolver but have lost my DiSEqC switch. Found a 2 port one, so only trying circulars for now.

View attachment 92889

Found 49E (14 BS transponders), 40E, 1W with AFN package on it coming in at 7dB ish. 11W strangely weak (7.5d but all there. Haven't ventured further yet.

Nice one --
Like the meccano style bracket arrangement ... looks good

 

[moonbase]

I found a SuperJack version of a v-box in the loft, it is silver with a central grey plastic piece on the top cover. It seems to have a large pulse count per degree. With the Moteck and Technomate versions of a v-box I normally get around 11 pulses per degree with a Jaeger 1224. With the SuperJack version of the v-box I get 40 pulses per degree with the Jaeger 1224.