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FTA Dish Installation Help....

29K views 71 replies 19 participants last post by  mc570 
#1 ·
This week I received and put together the 1m dish. Going to install it during the week.

Regarding the install, I plan to install it on the shed roof (back end of the shed to eleminate the neighbours from seeing it and complaining about it).
Should I install it using the J-mount and support legs the dish came with, or use a pole driven into the ground?

My concern about the ground pole is all wires in this suburb are underground and the last thing I need is to cut phone, cable and/or power to the block.

Thoughts?

Cheers, K
 
#53 ·
Thank you I've been on dishpointer and lyngsat to get all the right degrees.I did some more digging and figured out how to set it for a certain transponder.I have been waiting about a minute between movements because I heard they can be slow.I even have the lnb skew from dishpointer(27.7).So thanks guy,s I think now I'll have a fighting chance at getting it working.
 
#55 ·
You got it for sure if 95%. These nights in NS here all 3 Louisiana Public Broadcasts on SES 2 at 87W are coming in well if you can receive DVB-S2 signals. And there's other good stuff on that sat too. Last year PBS came in great too from AMC 21 at 125W. They probably still are. That sat is not currently visible for me now from my current dish position.
 
#56 ·
I would motorize it but stupid me in trying to shield it from the wind a little put it on a porch roof.My porch is 1 floor high,my house is 2 floors high.I put it a little too close to get my true south sat.I even made an extra bracket to really steady the dish so it has 3 extra supports on the pole.So with 7 bolt holes in all it's staying right where it is.
 
#59 ·
Did you know on Highway 2, around Moose River, Economy and east, there are MANY 10-foot C-band dishes installed but maybe not being used in farmers' yards?
 
#66 ·
New Topic: Actuator arms and positioners.

Does the positioner (Vbox for example) control the AA via RG6 or through another set of wiring/cables? IIRC, RG6 can support 18v, whereas the AA needs 36v. Interesting enough I can't find this info anywhere.

Cheers, K
 
#67 ·
the Vbox, and Gbox take Diseqc commands and convert them to the required 36Vdc, ya need to push the actuator. I don't have one nor have ever seen one in action but I'd guess you'd hook it up the same as if it was an older analog receiver.
You will need control cable to connect between the actuator arm and the VBOX (or whatever you decide to use).

e.g. + & - 36 VDC for the motor, a sensor wire for position feedback, and a ground wire.

Edit: a little google action returned some specs for CBAND Ribbon Cable.
Look around for Commscope 8136
Roughly $1/ft + shipping the first place I looked. Probably more in Canada:p


C Band Ribbon Cable, Dual RG6, Direct Buriable

This is the perfect All-in-One Cable for your C band big dish setup. It has 3 conductor-20 gauge stranded for Feedhorn, 2 conductor-16 gauge stranded for dish mover power, 2 conductor 22-gauge stranded plus bare wire for dish mover sensor, 2 RG sweep tested coax, one for C-band, one for Ku-band.
 
#68 ·
The Vbox/Gbox does not convert the 18V to 36V. They have their own power transformer inside, and that is used to power the motor.

The Vbox/Gbox is installed inside where it can be plugged in, and a 2+3+3 cable (two power conductors, likely 18 or 16 awg, and two sets of three 22 AWG signal conductors in a foil shield, plus a shield drain wire)

I have used most of a 10-18 (10 of 18 AWG conductors) cable, for my actuator when I had a C-band dish. I used a Ham-IV rotator cable (2-18, 6-22) for a whip from the actuator to my 10-18 cable, and 3 wire thermostat wire for the polarotor, with regular rotor wire as the whip for that.
 
#69 ·
Got an actuator and vbox in the mail, but none of them mentioned anything about the wiring. All the FTA equipement sites Ive been on, Ive never seen anything regarding actuator wiring/ribbons.

Cheers, K
 
#70 ·
#71 ·
Actuators are simple. Two power wires (the aforementioned 18/16/14 pair), to the motor (there may be limit switches in the motor), and one of the 3 wire set for the pulse sensor. A reed sensor uses just one signal and a ground. The drain wire connects at the box end. A Hall sensor also has a +5V connection as well.

The other 3 wire cable is for the polarotor, which has a pulse signal, ground, and +5V. The polarotor uses a red/white/black wire set, which is +5V, pulse, and Ground respectively.
 
#72 · (Edited)
Hello folks. I have a Geosatpro 1.2m dish and a DG 380 motor. My latitude is 122. My longitude is 45. My

closest satellite is at 123 degrees. The offset of the dish is 27.3 degrees. Can someone please tell me what

setting I set the bracket on the motor and the setting on the dish bracket also? Like I say; this is an offset

dish of 27.3 degrees. I think I subtract that number from somewhere in calculating the settings, but do not

know where. I presume I set the motor for 45 degrees. Then do I set the bracket on the dish for 37.6 minus

27.3 to get it aimed at that satellite? The number would be about 10....is that what I set the dish at?

According to charts; my elevation for that satellite would be 37.6 Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
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