need help on installation

patoinsf

I know you all probably get sick of this same question but is there anywhere I can get the information I need to install a FTA system I have talked to a supplier and he doesent have any installers in the Galway area so I am going to try buying the equipment and installing it myself I am hoping to link to astra and hotbird. . I am a complete novice so ANY help would be appreciated

Greenman

Start with this http://www.satelitska-tv.com and feel free to ask more!!!

Tony

Originally posted by greenman
Start with this http://www.satelitska-tv.com and feel free to ask more!!!

Looks interesting. hate to be negative but there are lots of typos. What country is this based in JD, maybe they used translation software.

Tony

watty

There is a small russian type flag, but with a symbol on it. Some East European country near Russia?

Only had time for a quick look but seems to have LOTS of info.

Eurorunner

That looks like the Croatian flag?

watty

This page is "technically" reasonably accurate:
http://www.satelitska-tv.com/en/c_band.htm

But they definately need an English proof reader. I think they have used a combination of "translation sw" and by hand.

dB Noise Figure = rusty!

poles = sticks

antenna scope = dish diameter

I love this bit

Experts will do this quick and professional. If you want to do it by yourself you should count with a few days without sleep, without eating much and you’ll be very nervous. But if you succeed you’ll be very proud of yourself for years.

So true.

Tony

I love the "screws and drools" . fair play to them though looks like a lot of work has gone into it.

Tony

Originally posted by LurkingIcon
This page is "technically" reasonably accurate:
http://www.satelitska-tv.com/en/c_band.htm

But they definately need an English proof reader. I think they have used a combination of "translation sw" and by hand.

dB Noise Figure = rusty!

poles = sticks

antenna scope = dish diameter

I love this bit


So true.

patoinsf

What I was hoping for was something like.
You connect the dist to the wall making sure that you face it 13 degrees west of south then you run a coax to your T V and after you buy reciever # xyz (a good reviever name if you know one) you start to tune the channels. IF etc etc etc

watty

Receivers:
Humax, technomate, Palcom, manhatten:
Depending on what your want exactly.

Pay about €25 /£18 for an Universal LNB. Any 0.6db will do. Expensive ones are not worth it. A next size up dish gives 100 TIMES the improvement of 0.6dB to 0.4dB. Also a 0.3dB may actually perform worse than a cheap 0.6dB on some frequencies.

I use an old 2dB (!) with 1m dish that is not good and it gets Hispasat 30W, Telstar12 @15W, 1W, 8W, 5E, 5W, 10E, 13E, 16E, 19E, 28E, 42E (probabily others but thats all I bothered looking for!)

Get a £20 satmeter (a most basic one with only a knob, needle and beep, "digital" or Bargraph models often inferior).

It isn't actually 13 dgrees east of south unless you are on the zero meridian (Greenwich = 0 Degrees) on the Equator as the Satellites are 22,500 "above" the equator.

Your own "true" south is about 5 degrees different from magnetic south and varies from approx 5W on east of Ireland to 10W on west of Ireland.

The elevation is about 25 degrees... BUT most dishes are offset, so when dish is vertical the offset arm/lnb is reflecting up at almost 25 degrees from dish surface.

Put meter in series with LNB cable using a 3ft cable on LNB to meter (so you don't obsure dish and can see meter as you adjust. Don't let meter be infron of dish as it can be affected).

Set Satellite receiver to a channel that exists on satellite you want (this will ensure H/V polarity signal and 22KHz tone signals are correct to LNB).

Have dish almost vertical (or about 25 degrees if a centre feed). and slowly move East /west in general direction with up / down bolts tight. If nothing on meter, re-tilt dish forward or back and try again.

Analog is easy as the picture will appear sparkly as you come into beam. Digital is harder as the box may even need turned off/on at mains (some digiboxes!) to get a picture when the meter reads.

Most receivers have a signal & quality strength that works to fine tune left/right, LNB rotation (skew) and up/down. Generally Skew only affects the Quality bar.

Adjust meter knob for just below half scale and/or faint beep.

As you move into a Satellite beam the needle (or bar) moves up and beep gets louder. Turn back knob to keep needle/bar midway for best sensitivity of alignment.

If you have a signal but no picture (or the wrong picture) you are on the wrong satellite!

Eaxctly due south (perhaps an 8W satellite) the dish is tilted back the most. As you go east or west from local true south, the dish must tilt down (forward). This is why for most users an arc of 100 degrees is maximum as you get closer to horizon the earth/building noise is too high, or view is more easily obscured.

I have to have dish on pole to get 42E and 30W as otherwise my own house and neighbours (to east and west of dish) would block the signal sooner.

watty

There are only two acceptable ways to have the pole / bracket dish is on:

1) Absolutely horizontal/vertical (normal for fixed dish, essential for a polar mount motor drive that has its own angle adjustment)

2) Aligned exactly North/South (True not Magnetic), and angled at the Pole Star (i.e. vertival at north or south pole and horizontal at equator), angle directly depends on distance North/south of your location. This allows for MANUAL dish movement East /West without any up/down readjustment. Note there is a declination of about 5 degrees of dish on this (or on Motorised polar mount) because the satellites are not "infinate" distance away on equatorial plane, but "only" 22,500 miles!


This http://homepage.eircom.net/~watty/satellite/sathowto-p8.htm may be helpfull for making the F-Connectors.


Note the Cable TV connectors have too small a centre hole for the CT100 grade satellite cable.

The Receiver to LNB cable must have no nicks, tears, kinks etc and should be high quality heavy braid and foil. Non-Foil cable causes interference and picks up interference, and may even be illegal in UK for Satellite installs.

It is good stuff to use for ALL TV /UHF/RF connections actually.

You can NOT split the LNB to Receiver cable, but you can split the RF out connection (not IF out) of a Receiver.

Aviod wall plates unless you are expert and know they are satellite grade and not for Cable TV or MMDS.

Never use existing coax runs or Cable/MMDS cable as:
1) Coax deterioates with time due to ingress of damp
2) Unlikely to be Satellite Grade.

Cable or MMDS downleads are only up to 400MHz

UHF TV is up to 860MHz (Ch68 TG4)

Satellite is 10750MHz to 12600MHz approx converted to 750MHz to 2150MHz (IF) by the LNB.

So also avoid combiners/diplexers for LNB feed:
1) Cable TV might have a voltage by fault that will destroy LNB or Receiver
2) UHF TV and Satellite overlap and you might get herring bone on analog TV or bad quality on lower Satellite channels
3) Atmospheric static discharge is MUCH more likely to MMDS antenna or UHF aerial than to usually lower LNB. This will destroy LNB.

The Dish is earthed (discharging static) and LNB insulated by the plastic holder and only "earthed" at the receiver (which migh no have a true earth at all), thus protecting LN B normally.


Normal UHF TV mast head amp transistors can take 60V and havev large protective components. The low noise GaAs transistors in an LNB are destroyed at 6V! They connect direct to the pins inside the waveguide tube behind the horn.

Most LNB failures are static discharge.

(We arn't talking visible lightning here, if that hit anything within 100ft of your house a good chance EVERYTHING is fried! A "hit" within 20meters of phone line anywhere between exchange and house will fry modem, and if it is internal, your PC too. The power lines are safer as they only go to the local substation (transformer) and the same connections are shared to all the houses (actually every 1/3rd house). The phone line is unique to you all the way to the exchange).

Tony

Watty I've stolen the F connector link, guess I owe you another remote

Aquos76

And here was me thinking watty was no longer on the Boards.

Greenman

And here was me thinking watty was no longer on the Boards.

I was worried Watty was gone too and happy to see him reinvented

Doodah7

Should LurkingIcon/Watty's posts not be made a sticky. Bloody useful if you ask me.

watty

Too much wordage by me in the stickies already..

I'll do a new site when I have my own server online. Too painfull FTP via phone to eircom. Their "security" settings won't let me update the site by broadband!

watty

Originally posted by Tony
Watty I've stolen the F connector link, guess I owe you another remote

Only got one digibox now and the last remote is still good.

A Blind guy was mad keen to get my other Digibox. His hobby is TV related!