My first toroidal 90 multi dish install with 20 lnbs

[Huevos]

36 will be up this week and 10 was a issue for me as I only have smart tit'n golds. I need to get smoe alps for 10/9 or some other thin/silm lnbs.

Alps are too big. Up there (in the UK) you should be able to balance one LNB between 9E and 10E and set it up as the same position. 10E is weaker than 9E so you will need to put the LNB closer to 10E than 9E and then it will get the two. For me down here (in Spain) there is no perfect position to get both satellites from one LNB as 10E is to weak and then some transponders are missing from one satellite or the other.

36E, I think you are going to struggle a lot with that one, so don't be disappointed if you only get one or two transponders.

And once you have it all set up you just need 16 fly leads going to your EMP switch. Take a notebook and keep a record of which LNB goes to which port on the switch. And on each cable, with a permanent marker, either number the cable (on both ends) or write the orbital slot. This is important for fault tracking later. Once you have done that start a new post about configuring the Vu+ tuner (in the Vu+ section of the forum) and put a link to it in this thread.

 

[godzillafan]

Alps are too big. Up there (in the UK) you should be able to balance one LNB between 9E and 10E and set it up as the same position. 10E is weaker than 9E so you will need to put the LNB closer to 10E than 9E and then it will get the two. For me down here (in Spain) there is no perfect position to get both satellites from one LNB as 10E is to weak and then some transponders are missing from one satellite or the other.

36E, I think you are going to struggle a lot with that one, so don't be disappointed if you only get one or two transponders.

And once you have it all set up you just need 16 fly leads going to your EMP switch. Take a notebook and keep a record of which LNB goes to which port on the switch. And on each cable, with a permanent marker, either number the cable (on both ends) or write the orbital slot. This is important for fault tracking later. Once you have done that start a new post about configuring the Vu+ tuner (in the Vu+ section of the forum) and put a link to it in this thread.

Thanks H

Without your help, I would never of got this far (could of done it quicker I know, but the practice was well worth it).

The 10/9 I shall have a shot at that this weekend as things slow down here for the holidays. I wont bother with the silm lnbs then.
THe emp setup, I have already got a big drum of wf100 waiting and will be cutting off 1/2m leads for each of the lnbs.
I will be adding a thread on that as the advance tweaking on the vu+ looks hard, but will be plenty of owners with a quick guide.

36 - S also mentioned its a tough one - will give that some time after the 10e. I have the space and a lnb allocated to it, so no harm in trying to get something from it.

Your positions guide was great with the E and A's etc (on the monoblock thread), I am tempted to follow what you have done and considering getting a meter as that will also help me extra fine tune and get the positions of each of the lnbs.

S has got a meter he uses - can't remember what you used - are they worth their sum of £100-150??

With two more sats to put up in the summer - I wondering if a £100 or so bucks in worth the investment.

First strikes seems to be mentioned alot, which is 150 - wondered if there was anything else that did the same for less anywhere?

I guess that could be another thread.

keep you posted and will post a picture shortly of the work to date

cheers

 

[lanab]

With two more sats to put up in the summer - I wondering if a £100 or so bucks in worth the investment.

First strikes seems to be mentioned alot, which is 150 - wondered if there was anything else that did the same for less anywhere?

I guess that could be another thread.

keep you posted and will post a picture shortly of the work to date

cheers

You should really invest in a DVB PC card like Tbs6925 because you get everything with that, with software Easy Blindscan Pro you get a signal analyzer and you can do blindscan and all sorts of neat stuff, i rarely use my instrument anymore, i stream from my PC to my laptop when i am adjusting the dish so i can have the signal analyzer on my laptop, works really great.

 

[sonnetpete]

....I have already got a big drum of wf100 waiting and will be cutting off 1/2m leads for each of the lnbs.

I wouldn't just cut off pre measured lengths, do one at a time. I fed the lead from the drum through to the LNB, attached an F connector and put it on the LNB then traced the lead back to where I had sited the switch. Don't forget to leave a rain loop when you cable up.

S has got a meter he uses - can't remember what you used - are they worth their sum of £100-150??

With two more sats to put up in the summer - I wondering if a £100 or so bucks in worth the investment.

First strikes seems to be mentioned alot, which is 150 - wondered if there was anything else that did the same for less anywhere?

I guess that could be another thread.

keep you posted and will post a picture shortly of the work to date

cheers

The meter is in 'My System' at the side of my posts. It was invaluable for setting up, but for the price (just over £100 IIRC) you don't get a spectrum. Basically it's a receiver which can display strength and SNR on a small LCD screen all in a small plastic case. It saves the hassle of dragging out a portable and receiver to do the same thing. I still think it's a good investment.

 

[Huevos]

Look at the Satlook lite. It's about 130GBP. Lots of people rave about the FS1, but I'd rather buy a piece of quality kit from Europe. Personally I'm using the Satlook Color HD and I think it is great. The spectrum is real-time and out performs meters that cost a whole lot more. But for hobby use it is way over budget.

 

[lanab]

Satlook is not made in Europe, it's made in China by a Swedish company that closed down some months ago, they have started repair and support facility again for their customers, i would not touch anything with Emitor on it as they are low quality units that fail in short time due to the low cost of manufacturing in China, you get what you pay.

You want quality stuff you buy Promax or any of the German made instruments, Unaohm is pretty good also but have some history of bad reliability over time but much better than cheap Emitor Satlooks.

 

[Huevos]

Satlook is not made in Europe, it's made in China by a Swedish company that closed down some months ago, they have started repair and support facility again for their customers

They are still selling new meters, whatever the rumours may be. And I bought my Satlook two years ago and it hasn't broken down yet. Quality is terrific.

 

[rolfw]

Had my Satlook NIT for a lot of years now and it's still going strong, no problem with quality.

 

[godzillafan]

cheers guys

Thanks for the views - I think I will spent the some money and get one as I know I will be using it on a regular basis for each of those tweaks.

I am going to go through the names mentioned and narrow them down to one ot two.

The pc card - base unit is ubuntu run and laptop is win 7. That will be a nightmare to work out and use.

The wires I will cut to size and have the extra loop as well.

 

[lanab]

It's no rumour, Emitor closed 19th August, 2011

Börsnotering av Emitor AB på Annat - 2011 - Nyemissioner.se

They have started a support/repair facility as i said in another registered name but still use the same website and name but the registered name is different.

 

[godzillafan]

another reason I want to get it, I want to hook the S9 back to the kids room, the wifde goes nuts, when I drag half the house into the dinning room to tune the T90. The S9 and portable tv and loads of bits and bobs make such a mess.

Anyway plan to setup the S9 back in the kids room and wire in the 28 and 19 twins I got up on the 90.

The satlook will that give you the E and A value and the 99% rating etc. Really need the cheapest one that tells you how much more it needs tweaking and which direction to move to get the 99% signals.

At the moment its been trial and error at the same time hanging off a ladders and watching a screen at groundlevel. Its works but thought time to invest in something faster.

£100-150 i think will be the budget - which satlook covers this?

L - satlook not made in EU anymore or taken over by someone else?

 

[Huevos]

in another registered name but still use the same website and name but the registered name is different.

This happens in business all the time. It has nothing to do with quality. More a question of who the parent company/shareholders were/are.

 

[sonnetpete]

Really need the cheapest one that tells you how much more it needs tweaking and which direction to move to get the 99% signals.

LOL, no meter will tell you how much more the dish needs 'tweaking' or which direction you need to move it. You do this yourself by observation and practice. A bit like tuning in a radio station, you tune up to it, then go past and it fades and come back till it's strongest. It's science, but not of the rocket variety.

 

[godzillafan]

LOL, no meter will tell you how much more the dish needs 'tweaking' or which direction you need to move it. You do this yourself by observation and practice. A bit like tuning in a radio station, you tune up to it, then go past and it fades and come back till it's strongest. It's science, but not of the rocket variety.

I know, i know, but wishful thinking.

At the moment it seems to be down to the first strike and satlook, damn its harder work than the t90 choosing a meter.

 

[Fano]

The meter is in 'My System' at the side of my posts. It was invaluable for setting up, but for the price (just over £100 IIRC) you don't get a spectrum. Basically it's a receiver which can display strength and SNR on a small LCD screen all in a small plastic case. It saves the hassle of dragging out a portable and receiver to do the same thing. I still think it's a good investment.

I have the same meter ,branded differently as the Satlink 6906 though.
Its a grand meter for the money ,I've used it for a number of installs and realignments for friends and family.
Its available for less than £70 now on Ebay or similar sites,I'd recommend it .

 

[sonnetpete]

Having checked on that meter Fano, the controls are a little different to mine and I think it has a slightly larger display. Other that that they appear to be the same. Godzillafan needs to reason out what he wants in a meter. If I were buying a meter now I don't think I'd go for one with a spectrum but then I do have more experience in setting up dishes than he has. If it's just a substitute for dragging out the portable and STB then I'd say go for the cheaper option, especially if they're on Ebay as cheaply as you've seen.

I can see that a spectrum will let him peak up each LNB with less margin for error and I know the other more expensive meters give access to NIT tables and will tell you which sat you're on.....but you can quickly scan through for channels on mine and tell what you're on from the results. Well anyway, it's just my opinion...

 

[Huevos]

I can see that a spectrum will let him peak up each LNB with less margin for error

No, you use a locked transponder for that. The main benefit of specky is satellite hunting. Once you find the satellite you are looking for you switch to digital mode to zero in.

With a meter without spectrum display (or with a tv and stb) you use a unique transponder and then swing the dish about until you get a hit. You need to be almost spot on to start with. With a spectrum you point the dish roughly in the right direction and then pull it up and down until it crosses the arc. You always get a hit this way as there are satellites right the way along the arc and you don't need transponder data to get a hit. Once you know where the arc is it is simply a matter of going east or west along it until you hit your desired satellite (which you will be able to recognise from the spectrum fingerprint).

 

[godzillafan]

I have the same meter ,branded differently as the Satlink 6906 though.
Its a grand meter for the money ,I've used it for a number of installs and realignments for friends and family.
Its available for less than £70 now on Ebay or similar sites,I'd recommend it .

Having checked on that meter Fano, the controls are a little different to mine and I think it has a slightly larger display. Other that that they appear to be the same. Godzillafan needs to reason out what he wants in a meter. If I were buying a meter now I don't think I'd go for one with a spectrum but then I do have more experience in setting up dishes than he has. If it's just a substitute for dragging out the portable and STB then I'd say go for the cheaper option, especially if they're on Ebay as cheaply as you've seen.

I can see that a spectrum will let him peak up each LNB with less margin for error and I know the other more expensive meters give access to NIT tables and will tell you which sat you're on.....but you can quickly scan through for channels on mine and tell what you're on from the results. Well anyway, it's just my opinion...

cheers guys for this

but I could not find the one in question as the link went straight to the ebay main page only. grateful for the name or link. I ill go through them and give you an idea of requirements.

ideally if i keep it under a 100 i will be happy.

150 is working out to be a bit expensive for me since the emp set me back 50 odd.

my spare lnbs and diseqc are going on the classified section shortly to part fund the unit

 

[sonnetpete]

Try googling SATLINK WS-6906, I've just found loads. (I think they may have rebranded the Satplus that I have)

However, I'd try the forum sponsors first, I'm certain if you search through their sites for satellite meters, you'll find a Satlink for less than £100.

 

[godzillafan]

great stuff S

i will do that - will update shortly. need something now to fine tune all those lnbs that does not make a mess outside and the dinning room.