Installing a flat dish

[astra19]

The coax is newly bought, and lightly coiled but no kinks. I’m getting 0% on the signal, so does that suggest something else is wrong?

 

[Terryl]

Well yes that could indicate a problem with ether, no power from the TV to the dish/LNB, wrong LNB type selected, wrong LNB IF frequency, or something else.

Can you go to your satellite configuration page and post the settings you have listed there??

 

[astra19]

The LNB is set to 9750/10600. The power is on.

 

[a33]

Any news? Any success?

 

[astra19]

It's been a real saga. Got the flat dish, had an installer come round and he said the dish was faulty as it was reading 80% signal strength even when still indoors. Sent it back to the manufacturer who said nothing was wrong with it. I've got myself a regular dish in the meantime that I'm attempting to install myself. It was much easier in the analogue days! Swivel it about until you get a picture. Now I'm not sure what to do.

 

[Channel Hopper]

Installing the regular dish will be the same technique with the bleep meter, though your dish face will now be almost vertical. As with the SelfSat, leave the skew until last.

 

[astra19]

Sorry what do you mean by almost vertical? According to dishwater I've got:

Elevation: 26.6°
Azimuth (true): 151.6°
Azimuth (magn.): 150.3°
LNB Skew [?]: -9.5°

 

[astra19]

Actually, ignore me. Your advice was perfect! I made everything neutral and focused on alignment and got a signal instantly. You're a star!

 

[Lazarus]

Sorry what do you mean by almost vertical? According to dishwater I've got:

Elevation: 26.6°
Azimuth (true): 151.6°
Azimuth (magn.): 150.3°
LNB Skew [?]: -9.5°

The dish has an Offset - the LNB arm is at an angle of around twenty five degrees with respect to the dish face, so that Offset angle has to be deducted from the calculated Elevation ....... 26.6 - c.25 = nigh on zero. ie Dish face nigh on vertical.

 

[Lazarus]

It's been a real saga. Got the flat dish, had an installer come round and he said the dish was faulty as it was reading 80% signal strength even when still indoors. Sent it back to the manufacturer who said nothing was wrong with it. I've got myself a regular dish in the meantime that I'm attempting to install myself. It was much easier in the analogue days! Swivel it about until you get a picture. Now I'm not sure what to do.

Any unaligned dish with a properly connected and powered up LNB will show a significant - but unwavering - apparent Signal Strength reading. The only fault here is your Installer's competence.

 

[John]

Any unaligned dish with a properly connected and powered up LNB will show a significant - but unwavering - apparent Signal Strength reading. The only fault here is your Installer's competence.

... thought that but didn't like to say

 

[astra19]

No I completely agree. I could tell he didn't know what he was doing. Thankfully they didn't charge me.

 

[Channel Hopper]

Name and shame

 

[astra19]

I'm in the Netherlands, a place called Deschotelshop in Nieuwegein. I didn't have much faith. They said it was impossible to get Astra 2 in my location but I knew that wasn't true. Now I have hundreds of channels coming in crystal clear. Thanks again for you help! Kept me sane.

 

[a33]

Any unaligned dish with a properly connected and powered up LNB will show a significant - but unwavering - apparent Signal Strength reading.

With my XSAT 410 receivers (I have several), that depended on the firmware loaded to it, IIRC.
Some firmware showed only signal strength, when signal quality was also present;
some firmware showed signal strength, with 'just' an LNB attached.
The latter confused me, till I discovered this difference, compared to the firmwares I used before.

So I wouldn't put this statement with any absoluteness.....

Greetz,
A33

 

[astra19]

That would make sense actually. My box doesn’t show signal strength without signal quality.

 

[LeBelge]

It was much easier in the analogue days!

It's still easy to find any satellite that you like, without a satfinder.