No Options Apply Sattelite Dish

Red1

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Sep 14, 2013
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Emerald Qld
Hi all, I have just bought a VAST setup, and getting it going is doing my head in. If this is how difficult it is it will probably go in the bin!!!!!!
Are there any tricks to getting thing to run. I have a satking 500 sat finder and I can get up to 80% strength, but no quality. I have tried moving the dish up and down and left and right and adjusting the LNB. Nothing. There are no trees in the way. I have made sure the card is activated and I have borrowed a complete unit from a mate and got the same result. I have used both WikiCamps and dish align apps and they both tell me to align it in the same direction. I am in Emerald central Qld
Any help will be greatly appreciated as SWMBO is now into me for spending money on yet another useless trinket that we don’t really need, and that apparently is too hard to use.

Cheers
David
 

Bellbirdweb

Well-Known Member
Jan 24, 2014
1,921
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Sydney
Hi all, I have just bought a VAST setup, and getting it going is doing my head in. If this is how difficult it is it will probably go in the bin!!!!!!
Are there any tricks to getting thing to run. I have a satking 500 sat finder and I can get up to 80% strength, but no quality. I have tried moving the dish up and down and left and right and adjusting the LNB. Nothing. There are no trees in the way. I have made sure the card is activated and I have borrowed a complete unit from a mate and got the same result. I have used both WikiCamps and dish align apps and they both tell me to align it in the same direction. I am in Emerald central Qld
Any help will be greatly appreciated as SWMBO is now into me for spending money on yet another useless trinket that we don’t really need, and that apparently is too hard to use.

Cheers
David
You need to make sure the LNB is skewed to the correct angle as well. There should be a gauge on the side of it which you need to match to your location.

If you have a sat finder it’s usually a 2 minute job, but remember the up/down and left/ right adjustments can be tiny to go between 0% and 80%

http://force-electronics.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Vast-Information.pdf
 

Drover

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Nov 7, 2013
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So my book says 61 deg elevation with a magnetic bearing of 10.4 deg (19 deg true) LNB 27.6 , I use an inclometer on the arm to get the elevation and a compass for the bearing, I have actually stopped using the meter that I have that sits inline as it's more of a hinderance, I often will open a window so I can see the TV screen and use the Satking set up srceen.......dont use the markings on the side of the dish though.
Sounds like you are pinging off the wrong sattellite, they are very close together, I find if I don't get a lock in a few minutes I will push the dish out of line and start again but lately I have been getting lock first go just using handraulic methods.
As @Bellbirdweb said small adjustments, just have the wingnuts lightly done so you can move it with a small push, assuming the TV is showing a connection to the dish though.
 
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Drover

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Bellbirdweb

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Jan 24, 2014
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That link is really good @Bellbirdweb , a good explanation and the bearing list will now replace my tattered paper one....Intruiging that the figures are just a bit different than what I have but they get you close to the spot and this easy just fill in location and it shows the settings gives yet another set all close enough to get a lock, http://www.satking.com.au/satellite...ver/dish-alignment-calculator-with-google-map
I find the old book good enough to get close usually, and use my sat finder before I even connect it to the set top box.

Mine is this one, but there is a new model now which also has a screen so you can see the picture as well. https://www.satplus.com.au/collecti...at-3240-pro-handheld-meter?variant=1055443519

If you were getting one now, I'd go for the newer model https://www.satplus.com.au/collecti...igital-satellite-tv-meter?variant=33026526732
 

Drover

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Nov 7, 2013
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Got me thinking and I looked at various location listings and they are all close but not the same, most interesting.
Those gadgets cost a lot of diesel, I just have an analogue signal strength meter.

I'm so old school while I use GPS gear I still use paper map and compass for the serious stuff on land and water, battery never goes flat and left me stranded.
 
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Crusty181

Well-Known Member
Feb 7, 2010
6,854
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Mentone, VIC
Hi all, I have just bought a VAST setup, and getting it going is doing my head in. If this is how difficult it is it will probably go in the bin!!!!!!
Are there any tricks to getting thing to run. I have a satking 500 sat finder and I can get up to 80% strength, but no quality. I have tried moving the dish up and down and left and right and adjusting the LNB. Nothing. There are no trees in the way. I have made sure the card is activated and I have borrowed a complete unit from a mate and got the same result. I have used both WikiCamps and dish align apps and they both tell me to align it in the same direction. I am in Emerald central Qld
Any help will be greatly appreciated as SWMBO is now into me for spending money on yet another useless trinket that we don’t really need, and that apparently is too hard to use.

Cheers
David
Hey David. Youll not get more than around 80% for strength or quality, unless you have a 100 foot dish. 80% for both will produce a full picture.

Offset dishes dont point in the direction the dish seems to face, the sweet spot is low on the dish face generally where the mount bracket bolts are, and the dish point angle is much higher than both the dish face and LNB position would appear to suggest. Having a completely tree, building and obstruction clear view of the sky from almost ground 90deg up, and 180 deg from directly in front will at least eliminate signal blocking. Leaves might as well be brick walls. If you have Wikicamps use that to get a rough indication of where the Sat is positioned in the sky. The phone App finders and phone App compasses are great initial indicators, but are certainly nowhere near 100% accurate. On a phone App Sat finder the Sat will be located off to the side of where the App says it is (as hard as a try I can never commit to memory which side that is). Then use your signal strength meter to manually tune it in. Skew is important but a little forgiving at the same time. The notches on a Strong brand LNB indicate 5deg increments, I can only presume other brands use the same scale. Your pointing can be spot on, but skew way out will not produce a picture. For reference, LNB skew at due north is around 35deg from centre, 6 notches on the LNB but at 4 nothces youll still likely get a picture. Once your up and running its a good idea to adjust the LNB in both direction to get a feel for its tolerance for you own knowledge.

Your signal strength meter is powered by the Sat box, and will make noises and light up even when the connecting lead from it to the LNB is disconnected or more importantly faulty. If that's the case the signal meter will look like its working, but could be getting no signal from the LNB. As unlikely that may intially seem, Ive experienced that exact issue many many times over the years. Experience tells me a difficult tune is likely to be the connecting lead or connections on that lead between the signal meter to the LNB.

The Intelsat 8 Sat is very close to the Optus C1 Sat, and although its a lessor signal strength if your using a phone App you may be pinging off the Intelsat 8. The Optus C1 will squeal louder than the Intelsat 8. @Drovers Satking map link is actually the USA based www.dishpointer.com/, where you select your Sat and location and it produces the specs for dish setup. The line it produces on the map will give you a local landmark, such as a neighbours house roof or distant tree to point the dish without relying on a compass or phone App to get you starting point. Use the skew on @Bellbirdweb's linked PDF, the skews on http://www.dishpointer.com are not accurate for our hemisphere.

As mentioned by @Drover, keep the dish wingnuts loose'ish and move the dish up and down, and side to side in small increments until you get the loudest indication; the final tuning steps will be very slight nudges and almost down to dish flexes.

Emerald elevation is 64deg, so quiet steep. Mounting brackets have a series of holes that allow the dish to be moved on the mount to allow higher ponting. Ensure you have the dish mounted through the bracket holes that allow the dish to point at 64deg angle.

I use the cheapest $5 signal meter, which I had for 10years (simpler looking version of yours) and it never lets me down. once you get the "knack", it will all fall into place
 
Last edited:

Drover

Well-Known Member
Nov 7, 2013
12,723
19,450
113
QLD
Set mine up yesterday no meter just the satking set up screen on TV and compass and inclometer, got the TV to beep on first push of dish then it was just a couple of gentle pushes up down and around to get the beeps coming fast, 70% good enough. Only set it up for Foxtel and the damn 12v lead failed again.....

IMG_20180313_094802.jpg
 

Red1

Well-Known Member
Sep 14, 2013
212
296
63
56
Emerald Qld
Hey David. Youll not get more than around 80% for strength or quality, unless you have a 100 foot dish. 80% for both will produce a full picture.

Offset dishes dont point in the direction the dish seems to face, the sweet spot is low on the dish face generally where the mount bracket bolts are, and the dish point angle is much higher than both the dish face and LNB position would appear to suggest. Having a completely tree, building and obstruction clear view of the sky from almost ground 90deg up, and 180 deg from directly in front will at least eliminate signal blocking. Leaves might as well be brick walls. If you have Wikicamps use that to get a rough indication of where the Sat is positioned in the sky. The phone App finders and phone App compasses are great initial indicators, but are certainly nowhere near 100% accurate. On a phone App Sat finder the Sat will be located off to the side of where the App says it is (as hard as a try I can never commit to memory which side that is). Then use your signal strength meter to manually tune it in. Skew is important but a little forgiving at the same time. The notches on a Strong brand LNB indicate 5deg increments, I can only presume other brands use the same scale. Your pointing can be spot on, but skew way out will not produce a picture. For reference, LNB skew at due north is around 35deg from centre, 6 notches on the LNB but at 4 nothces youll still likely get a picture. Once your up and running its a good idea to adjust the LNB in both direction to get a feel for its tolerance for you own knowledge.

Your signal strength meter is powered by the Sat box, and will make noises and light up even when the connecting lead from it to the LNB is disconnected or more importantly faulty. If that's the case the signal meter will look like its working, but could be getting no signal from the LNB. As unlikely that may intially seem, Ive experienced that exact issue many many times over the years. Experience tells me a difficult tune is likely to be the connecting lead or connections on that lead between the signal meter to the LNB.

The Intelsat 8 Sat is very close to the Optus C1 Sat, and although its a lessor signal strength if your using a phone App you may be pinging off the Intelsat 8. The Optus C1 will squeal louder than the Intelsat 8. @Drovers Satking map link is actually the USA based www.dishpointer.com/, where you select your Sat and location and it produces the specs for dish setup. The line it produces on the map will give you a local landmark, such as a neighbours house roof or distant tree to point the dish without relying on a compass or phone App to get you starting point. Use the skew on @Bellbirdweb's linked PDF, the skews on http://www.dishpointer.com are not accurate for our hemisphere.

As mentioned by @Drover, keep the dish wingnuts loose'ish and move the dish up and down, and side to side in small increments until you get the loudest indication; the final tuning steps will be very slight nudges and almost down to dish flexes.

Emerald elevation is 64deg, so quiet steep. Mounting brackets have a series of holes that allow the dish to be moved on the mount to allow higher ponting. Ensure you have the dish mounted through the bracket holes that allow the dish to point at 64deg angle.

I use the cheapest $5 signal meter, which I had for 10years (simpler looking version of yours) and it never lets me down. once you get the "knack", it will all fall into place
Hey David. Youll not get more than around 80% for strength or quality, unless you have a 100 foot dish. 80% for both will produce a full picture.

Offset dishes dont point in the direction the dish seems to face, the sweet spot is low on the dish face generally where the mount bracket bolts are, and the dish point angle is much higher than both the dish face and LNB position would appear to suggest. Having a completely tree, building and obstruction clear view of the sky from almost ground 90deg up, and 180 deg from directly in front will at least eliminate signal blocking. Leaves might as well be brick walls. If you have Wikicamps use that to get a rough indication of where the Sat is positioned in the sky. The phone App finders and phone App compasses are great initial indicators, but are certainly nowhere near 100% accurate. On a phone App Sat finder the Sat will be located off to the side of where the App says it is (as hard as a try I can never commit to memory which side that is). Then use your signal strength meter to manually tune it in. Skew is important but a little forgiving at the same time. The notches on a Strong brand LNB indicate 5deg increments, I can only presume other brands use the same scale. Your pointing can be spot on, but skew way out will not produce a picture. For reference, LNB skew at due north is around 35deg from centre, 6 notches on the LNB but at 4 nothces youll still likely get a picture. Once your up and running its a good idea to adjust the LNB in both direction to get a feel for its tolerance for you own knowledge.

Your signal strength meter is powered by the Sat box, and will make noises and light up even when the connecting lead from it to the LNB is disconnected or more importantly faulty. If that's the case the signal meter will look like its working, but could be getting no signal from the LNB. As unlikely that may intially seem, Ive experienced that exact issue many many times over the years. Experience tells me a difficult tune is likely to be the connecting lead or connections on that lead between the signal meter to the LNB.

The Intelsat 8 Sat is very close to the Optus C1 Sat, and although its a lessor signal strength if your using a phone App you may be pinging off the Intelsat 8. The Optus C1 will squeal louder than the Intelsat 8. @Drovers Satking map link is actually the USA based www.dishpointer.com/, where you select your Sat and location and it produces the specs for dish setup. The line it produces on the map will give you a local landmark, such as a neighbours house roof or distant tree to point the dish without relying on a compass or phone App to get you starting point. Use the skew on @Bellbirdweb's linked PDF, the skews on http://www.dishpointer.com are not accurate for our hemisphere.

As mentioned by @Drover, keep the dish wingnuts loose'ish and move the dish up and down, and side to side in small increments until you get the loudest indication; the final tuning steps will be very slight nudges and almost down to dish flexes.

Emerald elevation is 64deg, so quiet steep. Mounting brackets have a series of holes that allow the dish to be moved on the mount to allow higher ponting. Ensure you have the dish mounted through the bracket holes that allow the dish to point at 64deg angle.

I use the cheapest $5 signal meter, which I had for 10years (simpler looking version of yours) and it never lets me down. once you get the "knack", it will all fall into place

Thanks Crusty, a very comprehensive description, I believe my being technologically challenged will still be my biggest hurdle. I will give it a crack in the weekend..
Cheers
David
 

Bluey

Well-Known Member
Mar 31, 2014
2,651
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Australia
With @Crusty181 as help i have been able to get mine going everytime i too am challenged with tech things i carnt evan drive a computer or my phone very well i find the marriage saver sat finder the best with a little tv screen so easy to get a picture with my phone telling me where sat is its easy hang in there if the wife thinks its crap open her cupboards to see how much stuff she dosnt use or used once if shes anything like my misses
 

Drover

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Nov 7, 2013
12,723
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So I gather no luck with the dish ?????

Just walk thru things here, you set your dish up get it all level roughly point it in the right direction, run cable to STB, run HDMI cable to TV, turn on TV select HDMI, turn on STB, go to menu and set up profile so a screen comes up on TV of the state you want and point out your location and stuff, using your meter thing inline you turn the dish till it says/shows something, your TV set up screen should be showing similar an expanding line for signal strength and one for quality, if only getting a ping on strength then you are on the wrong Sat, try moving the dish laterally a few degrees and you should catch the correct sat, the two are very close together, when you are on the right one the TV will let out some beeps, the faster it beeps the closer to spot on you are, 80% is good enough even 70%........

I have been known to have the TV on the wrong source, which caused much consternation, I was bluddy furious with the thing then had a laugh at myself and bought myself a beer, when I brilliantly found the problem and fixed everything.
 

Red1

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Sep 14, 2013
212
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Emerald Qld
Sorry Drover, still no luck, I had a bit more of a play but nothing. I’m away fir the week for work so I’ll have another crack on Friday after noon. I have folded though, I called the antenna nerd in town to come and give me a hand on Friday arv as well
 
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Drover

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Nov 7, 2013
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Sorry Drover, still no luck, I had a bit more of a play but nothing. I’m away fir the week for work so I’ll have another crack on Friday after noon. I have folded though, I called the antenna nerd in town to come and give me a hand on Friday arv as well

Better than using a big hammer on it...............
 
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Red1

Well-Known Member
Sep 14, 2013
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Emerald Qld
Hi all, got him sorted. The dish is working a treat. I am apparently the cleverest person in the world!!!!!according to Mrs Red1
The antenna man was amazingly helpful. I also learnt something. The signal doesn’t come at the dish towards the LNB. It comes almost vertically and because of the parabolic design of the dish the signal then hits the LNB, so it doesn’t matter that there are trees in front of the dish, it does matter if there are trees above it. We actually set it up about 5 m from a hedge. Also, I bought one of these, really easy to use, much better than the satking. Thanks to everyone for their help and encouragement not to let technology beat me...
Cheers
David
 

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Drover

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That is good news in time you won't even bother using the gadget, so I gather your land based TV is working as well now ???
 

Red1

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Sep 14, 2013
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Emerald Qld
Don’t know about the other tv yet. I replaced the booster but the van is in a very low shed so I can’t put the antenna up until I get it out. I’ll find out when we go away for Easter I guess. I also fitted a savvy level yesterday. It looks like it will be very useful and easy to use. No more yelling back and forward to whoever I watching the level when I put it on ramps when we set up.
 
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Bluey

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Mar 31, 2014
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Australia
Well done and yes ive set mine up 1 meter from a big hedge thought that will never work .....bulltish it worked fine looks so funny a dish set up with things in front of it.......my dish at side of my van bit hard to see and the best dish stand ive seen a blokes great grandfathers pitch fork
Very happy that you sorted it 5 stars 20180106_144236.jpg
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