Usals 20 degrees off on every sat

[jeallen01]

Thus - I refer everyone back to post 12!

 

[greencajun]

Edited: Apologies , you appear to be using a "Ferguson 120" - so is anyone familiar with that it's probably a clone of something else, but I have no idea of "what".
Edited 2 - could be a clone of an "Arriva 150" - anyone know anything about that?

It's a Ferguson Ariva 120e. See DVB-S/S2 Receiver: Ferguson Ariva 102E

 

[Lazarus]

I edited My Location on this forum, thanks. This had nothing to do with the problem with my receiver, but I can see why someone might get confused.

"Someone" clearly has!

 

[jeallen01]

Just lost a long reply! - basically amounted to trying a factory-reset of the receiver and then "starting from scratch" and able to enter the OP's current location (in degrees of Longitude and Latitude) to define where he actually is.

Then, if those parameters are entered accurately into the setup menus, correct USALS control of the dish should now be possible.

 

[Lazarus]

And possibly a straightened out paper clip firmly inserted in the correct orifice.

 

[a33]

So, this is strange.
When you give the order GotoRef, it goes to zero.
When under USALS, you give the order Goto 17E (which would be at your zero position), it goes 20 degrees further (3W).

Some thoughts:
1. The motor is, in fact, outlined due south at a (fictive) satellite at 17E?

2. I've seen some troubles, once, where there was suggested that some motors might have a mechanical zero, and a soft-zero. So, can you try the motor reset procedure, while at zero?
And just to be sure, powerdown the receiver after that (pull the mains chord), and start it again, to check the situation again?

Greetz,
A33

 

[jeallen01]

And possibly a straightened out paper clip firmly inserted in the correct orifice.

By "orifice" I assume you mean a small aperture on the rear panel into which you push that paper clip to reset the receiver - OTOH most sat receivers are factory-reset via the Setup menus!

BTW: I had a look at the pics of his receiver as posted by@greencajun - and there does not appear to be any suitable "orifice" into which to one might insert a straightened paperclip

PS: Bye for tonight !

 

[Lazarus]

By "orifice" I assume you mean a small aperture on the rear panel into which you push that paper clip to reset the receiver - OTOH most sat receivers are factory-reset via the Setup menus!

Motors, however, generally have a small hole adjacent to one of the Manual buttons that engenders a hard reset.

 

[greencajun]

Just for kicks, I thought, well, since every heading is 20 degrees further west than it should be, let's see what happens if I set the longitude 20 degrees further west, to 3w. Tried that and the readings were much closer but still a few degrees off. Played around a bit more, and it seems pretty close with longitude set to 2.5e.

Thought about a factory reset but it seems more trouble than it is worth, I can set up the dish manually pretty easily, maybe more easily than redoing the receiver from scratch.

Plan is to install the motor tomorrow morning.

 

[Trust]

Just for kicks, I thought, well, since every heading is 20 degrees further west than it should be, let's see what happens if I set the longitude 20 degrees further west, to 3w. Tried that and the readings were much closer but still a few degrees off. Played around a bit more, and it seems pretty close with longitude set to 2.5e.

Thought about a factory reset but it seems more trouble than it is worth, I can set up the dish manually pretty easily, maybe more easily than redoing the receiver from scratch.

Plan is to install the motor tomorrow morning.

So you did not received those satellites actualy but just read the pointer on the AZ motorscale ?
That explanes !

 

[greencajun]

So you did not received those satellites actualy but just read the pointer on the AZ motorscale ?
That explanes !

Yes, as I said in post #1, the motor is still on the ground, I just read the pointer. The pointer is not accurate on the ground?

 

[Lazarus]

 

[jeallen01]

Yes, as I said in post #1, the motor is still on the ground, I just read the pointer. The pointer is not accurate on the ground?

How is it "mounted" "on the ground" and is that representative of how it will be finally mounted? A picture or two might make that clearer to us!

 

[greencajun]

How is it "mounted" "on the ground" and is that representative of how it will be finally mounted? A picture or two might make that clearer to us!

It was just laying on the floor next to the receiver. I connected it to the receiver and observed the pointer on the motor.

 

[Trust]

Yes, as I said in post #1, the motor is still on the ground, I just read the pointer. The pointer is not accurate on the ground?

Only (approx) when you live at lon 00.00
Once installed and with zero mark pointed to 17 W it will turn to the correct satellites

 

[a33]

1. The motor is, in fact, outlined due south at a (fictive) satellite at 17E?

Yes, only after I posted, I realized that it was a new(?) motor, not mounted yet. But I didn't bother to get up in the night and correct myself...

Ah, good thinking, @Trust !
(though you mean 17E instead of 17W, typo I think.)

(e.g., goes to 50w instead of 30w for Hispansat, 7w instead of 13e for Hotbird)

merely meant, that the motor rotated to angular position 50, not to satellite position 50W...?

(So my test with the Goto 17E command would indeed also go to angular postion zero, I guess.)

Greetz,
A33

 

[greencajun]

Only (approx) when you live at lon 00.00
Once installed and with zero mark pointed to 17 E it will turn to the correct satellites

Bingo, that solved the problem. For some reason, I had thought the zero mark was supposed to be pointed at zero degrees, not 17E.

 

[greencajun]

merely meant, that the motor rotated to angular position 50, not to satellite position 50W...?
(So my test with the Goto 17E command would indeed also go to angular postion zero, I guess.)

Yes, exactly. The motor instructions contain nothing about this. I recall reading that a motor could be approximately aimed by pointed the dish at Thor at 0.8w, but I now suppose this was intended for those in the UK.

 

[greencajun]

Are motor positions stored in the motor, the receiver, or both? The attached is from the motor instructions booklet. Is there some reason why Astra 1 is at 21E not 19E? Or Hotbird at 14E not 13E?

 

[jeallen01]

That's a VERY OLD list - and not even very accurate then!

Look (for example) at the current sat lists on Lyngsat for "Europe" and "Atlantic" as those are accurate to the nearest 0.5 degrees - although IIRC that some other sites give the locations to 0.1 degree.