Having a nightmare trying to install a motorised dish HELP!

[nirelandguy]

Had the day off, weather was decent so was a perfect opportunity to install a dish I have intended to get up for a while. 80cm Dish on a TM 2600 motor powered by my Openbox V5S

I have installed a couple of motorised set ups before so not a total newbie but have been at this all day and am getting no where fast. Got all straight and mounted up, I think the neighbours house blocks 1w but had a go and no couldn't find 1 w, so I drive the motor to 28e in usals, waffed the dish around using a cheap meter couldn't find anything, got the Mrs to watch the signal on the TV and no couldn't find anything either, sweet FA I was getting, this went on for a few hours I may add. Tried 19e same nothing.

Came in to the house and had a play around, nudging the dish east and west on Diseqc 1.2 and I found a few satellites, everything from 28e to 5e but USUALS was getting nothing so something is not lined up right but it must be tracking the belt to a certain extent. Then the receiver started playing up, its started freezing, I turned the box off, it came on "Moving Dish" then the box freezes, unable to do anything only pull the plug and so the cycle continues. I removed the LNB input and low and behold no more freezing but obviously no signal either. Reflashed firmware same problem so I am thinking this is something to do with the motor.

So I've given up for today and am after some help.

 

[Terryl]

Try doing a hardware reset on the motor with it in the "Zero" position. (see the motors manual on how to do this for your brand of motor)

Then with the receiver disconnected look through all your settings, check to see that something was entered wrong in the satellite positions.

Also double check your latitude and longitude settings for your location, some recivers however do not have the fine setting needed for some long and lats, some only have the single decimal point, this can put you off a bit for some satellites.

And as to the freezing, it could be that your coax may be the problem, using the coax with the cheap copper plated steel center conductor can cause a lower then normal voltage drop at the motor, if the coax is too long and the center is the CPS type you could starve the motor for voltage, this could cause the receiver to try and compensate for this drop, and it doesn't have the reserve power to do so, this could cause the receiver to lock up.

There could also be a staple in the coax or small wire flakes or shavings from the coax shield causing a resistive short, as the motor turns this short could get worse, causing the receiver to lock up.

 

[Mickha]

Have you tried testing your system without the motor? By connecting the cable straight from the receiver to the LNB, just to see if it still freezes when the motor is taken out of the setup.
As mentioned it could be a faulty cable, faulty connection, faulty LNB, faulty receiver, or the motor.
You can test the receiver on another dish, to rule that out, sinilarly try another receiver, even an old sky receiver, on this LNB/cable, again without the motor, then with the motor, to help track down where the problem lies.
Good luck, and I hope the weather improves.

 

[nirelandguy]

The dish and LNB were up for as a fixed system for about 6 months, all connected to the same receiver, the addition was the motor. I will redo my F Plugs and reset the motor today and see what happens.

 

[rolfw]

Just read the first post, noticed you were trying initially going for 1W, but if you're in NI, something between 5 and 8W will be your due South satellite. Also don't forget that the only fixed setting when setting up your motorised dish is the elevation/latitude on the motor, so when you are searching for your satellite, you need to adjust the declination on the dish itself as well as moving the whole rig on the pole.

PS. at this stage, you can have the cable connected directly to the LNB.

 

[nirelandguy]

Ok, this morning, changed all Fplugs, reset motor, reset receiver, entered coordinates in USALS, selected Astra 2, drove there no problems signal and quality both over 80%, did a scan, found all it could, exited to view channel, remote unresponsive, 10 seconds later freeze. Think the box is fooked.

 

[nirelandguy]

Replaced LNB with a brand new Inverto, Same result, as soon as you go onto a TV the receiver locks up, Has to be receiver.

 

[Mickha]

If possible, please try the receiver on another dish, even just a Sky dish, to confirm the problem is with the receiver.

 

[nirelandguy]

Ok after another day flashing and faffing about with the receiver we are finally working again.

So sent the receiver via usals to 28.e full signal, sent to 19e strong, 13e nothing, so obviously veering of somewhere, haven't been out at the dish to tinker yet though

 

[nirelandguy]

Job done, Moved elevation on both dish and motor all seems to work, haven't went further than 1w but then only interested in 19/13/28e anyway