Found Eutelsat W2, looking for Astra 28. Help needed.

yrrag1974

Hi,

Looking for some help / advice please.

I'm trying to set up a Freesat system and I'm having a nightmare trying to find Astra 28 for UK Freesat. The only satellite I can get good signal strength and quality is Eutelsat W2.

Can anyone tell me the following:

1. Is the elevation of the dish correct now for getting Astra 28 or does it need to be changed.
2. I presume given that I think this is 16E that I should be moving the dish right to find 28.

Any help anyone can give would be great, I'm ready to kick the dish off the wall.

Thanks

Apogee

Firstly, are you certain you're on W2? Because most people who are looking to align to 16E can find it one of the more difficult ones.

If you indeed on 16E, then the dish elevation is too high for 28E. You should drop it by about 5 deg (i.e. from elev of 26deg for 16E to elev of 21deg for 28E).

Then slowly move the dish east (or 'right' as you face the front of the dish).

It's a good idea to mark the current elevation and azimuth of the dish with a marker, before moving off, so you can keep your original bearings.

yrrag1974

Apogee wrote: »

Firstly, are you certain you're on W2? Because most people who are looking to align to 16E can find it one of the more difficult ones.

If you indeed on 16E, then the dish elevation is too high for 28E. You should drop it by about 5 deg (i.e. from elev of 26deg for 16E to elev of 21deg for 28E).

Then slowly move the dish east (or 'right' as you face the front of the dish).

It's a good idea to mark the current elevation and azimuth of the dish with a marker, before moving off, so you can keep your original bearings.

Thanks - typical that I found the one that's nearly impossible to get.

Have now found Hotbird 6,7 - so do the same directions apply?

Thanks

Cantona's Collars

Seems your now moving the dish in the wrong direction.If your behind the dish move it slowly to your left and down slightly.Thats the simple laymans way-just take it slowly and you'l get there.

Apogee

yrrag1974 wrote: »

Thanks - typical that I found the one that's nearly impossible to get.

Have now found Hotbird 6,7 - so do the same directions apply?

Thanks

You moved the dish west?

Yes, same directions - your dish elvation is too high and azimuth is too far west.

yrrag1974

Thanks both. Will keep trying and let you know how I get on.

Cheers

yrrag1974

Giving up for the evening. Have Hotbird coming through loud and clear.

In terms of moving to the left to get from Hotbird to Astra 28 am I talking millimetres, centimetres or inches - spent the last hour and still can't get it.

Cheers

Cantona's Collars

If you have hotbird-get behind the dish and move it approx 4 inches to the left and down a couple of inches,then use slow movements to get a signal.No technical stuff to confuse you.

yrrag1974

Zerks, thanks a mil for the help.

I have another question that's confusing me. I'm using the Signal strength and quality strength screen on the receiver plus a small sat finder. The receiver tells me I have strength of 90 per cent AND quality of 40 plus percent on Hotbird 6/7 HOWEVER when i scan for channels I am getting some FTA channels normally found on Astra (CBS Drama, Pop, The Vault, Scuzz etc) plus some encrypted Sky channels (sky sports, gold, movie channels). No sign of the BBC or ITV channels and Im positive it's telling me the satellite is Hotbird. What's the story? I thought Hotbird was all european channels?

I connected my old sky box just to be sure and there is no signal strength of quality at all.

Any ideas?

Cheers

Apogee

yrrag1974 wrote: »

The receiver tells me I have strength of 90 per cent AND quality of 40 plus percent on Hotbird 6/7 HOWEVER when i scan for channels I am getting some FTA channels normally found on Astra (CBS Drama, Pop, The Vault, Scuzz etc) plus some encrypted Sky channels (sky sports, gold, movie channels).

If you've scanned in CBS drama, then the dish is pointed at 28E, not Hotbird. The quality should be higher, so you may need to tweak the alignment to improve it. You should also skew the LNB by rotating it clockwise about 10-15 deg.

See point 7:
http://sites.google.com/site/freetoairinfo/home/how-to-align-a-satellite

Hawkeyes

Hey sorry to but in on your thread but I was just wondering about the satelite elevations.

I just recently set up a motorised system and had thought that the elevation for all satelites would be the same.So you would just scan east - west across the arc. Aren't they ?

If they aren't,Whats the point of having a motorised setup if you would have go outside and adjust the elevation on the dish by hand ?

Apogee

Hawkeyes wrote: »

Hey sorry to but in on your thread but I was just wondering about the satelite elevations.

I just recently set up a motorised system and had thought that the elevation for all satelites would be the same.So you would just scan east - west across the arc. Aren't they ?

No.
http://sites.google.com/site/freetoairinfo/home/approximate-dish-elevation-angles-for-ireland

Hawkeyes wrote: »

If they aren't,Whats the point of having a motorised setup if you would have go outside and adjust the elevation on the dish by hand ?

Because on a motorised setup you have an elevation angle and a declination angle. The declination angle allows the motor to move in an arc, rather than a straight line.

Hawkeyes

Ah I get It now

Thanks Apogee.

watty

also the rotation axis is a different angle depend on your loacation at is pointed at the Pole Star. It's in parallel with the Earth's polar Axis. Hence a Polar Mount.

The Declination is partly because the Satellites are "only" 22,500 miles away not infinte distance.

All Celestial Geometry