New Sat system

[colin&lesley]

I need help ! so my wife says!

I bought what is known to be a "Sat System in a case" from Maplin. One that can stick on a motorhome by means of suction pads or you can use a clamp etc. I hope that someone knows which one im talking about? Can i get a station using it.....NO..Please tell me what I am doing wrong. I have pointed the dish towards East and still no programme received. In fact I have pointed it 360 degrees with Lesley watching the in built satellite monitor on the TV and still nothing. oh:
Someone must be able to help please.

Regards
Colin

 

[derekfaeberwick]

They DO work.

The problem most people have is with the elevation, they really need to be just about horizontal and pointing about S.S.E., not east.

Don't give up, you'll soon get the hang of it.:thumb:

This should help.Link Removed

 

[Linda and Steph]

It sound like your elevation (nothing to do with all those spam emails ).

You need to make sure that the dish is at precisely the right angle before you start sweeping to find the satellite, this angle depends on where you are - the further south the greater the angle.

To give you and idea, have a look at Satellite Finder / Dish Pointing Calculator with Google Maps | DishPointer.com . You can put in your location, tell it that you want to find Astra 2d and it will show you wher to point your dish and the elevation required.

 

[patr]

Colin

The dish must be vertical, 90 degrees to a level surface, and not angled at all.

Check the cable connectors at each end making sure that the inner solid wire is of sufficient length and that the outer wire net is insulated from the central wire. Make sure the connectors are tight and that you have no trees or buildings in the way. Check that you are tuned into Astra 28 East

Use the built in tuner on the satellite receiver by pressing the INFO button on the remote and then press button 1 to turn on the sound meter.

Turn the dish so that it faces South and then move it very slowly to the left ie South South East. It takes time to lock-on to the satellite so do it in minute adjustments. You should see the strength percentages on the meter and the sound pitch will increase as the signal strengthens.

Pat

 

[GregM]

We have the same setup but we try the freeview areal first and if we can get absolutely nothing via the freeview ariel then we attempt the satellite as it seems to take us for ever to get a satellite signal.

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[bevo]

dat dish

hi gregm
those dishes are a bit fiddly to set up.
if your trying to find reception at home the dish should be about vertical. try this and then go from the east gradually to the south very slowly as the digital signal is always a bit behind the movement.
if i were you i'd buy a cheap tripod and fix the dish to it and lock the dish and turn using the tripod.
i asume all connections are ok.

 

[GregM]

Thanks Bevo

We have had it working, well getting all but bbc which is sufficient for news etc.

I want to get automatic sat system, but I still need to convince Tracey that it's worth the money so I don't get drenched trying to get a strong signal so she can watch corrie

 

[walburga]

I need help ! so my wife says!

I bought what is known to be a "Sat System in a case" from Maplin. Can i get a station using it.....NO..Please tell me what I am doing wrong.
Someone must be able to help please.

Regards
Colin

I still use this system, but I've ditched the dish and replaced it with a 54 cm foldable arm dish which has the degrees elevation markings on the clamping bracket. With the original dish it was a bit frustrating trying to get a signal, but with this set-up it's dead easy & rarely takes longer than 2 mins.
There's a possibility that your're not getting power to the lnb. To check this you need to put a sat finder in the cable (at the lnb end) which will light up indicating power getting through. I wasted about 3 hours of my life trying to get a signal (at Givry then Macon) before a fellow brit loaned me his finder which showed faulty wiring. Soon put right .

Hope all this helps, stick with it !

regards
Allen

 

[pappajohn]

it possible you arent pointing at astra 2d.

an inch out of alignment and you wont get the satellite you want.

ideally you need a sat finder to help.

hotbird is only 0.3degrees east of astra.

 

[nomadic]

Thanks Bevo

We have had it working, well getting all but bbc which is sufficient for news etc.

I want to get automatic sat system, but I still need to convince Tracey that it's worth the money so I don't get drenched trying to get a strong signal so she can watch corrie

Hi GregM

If you are after a through the roof system, have a long look at the Camos Planer plus, or Standard. They are not automatic, but at half the price, you will stay dry when you tune in.

We have used the Maxview kit for about four years, very good, and with the advantage of being able to change location, using the 10 metre lead, but I did get wet some times.:Sad:

We had a Planer Plus installed last week, and being roof mounted, gives a hight advantage, and we find we can tune in within 2 minutes of switching on, once it was immediate. Another point, they are smaller than the average auto dish, and therefore more resistant to high winds.:Cool:

Hope this helps.:thumb:

Nomadic

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[Ralph-Dot]

Most of what has been said above is true, they are fiddly at first until you get the hang of it, now I usually have no problem. But my receiver is not very user friendly so I use my sky box from home (that way I get all channels).

The Key points are

Have the dish straight up and down (if anything pointing slightly towards the ground).

Make small adjustments.

Make sure the contacts on the cable ends are good (this causes more problems than anything else, except trees).

 

[laneside]

Laneside

The best advice but not perhaps at this time of the year

At 10.00 am point the almost vertical dish at the sun, this should find you the astra satelite

Cheers Alan

 

[Ralph-Dot]

The best advice but not perhaps at this time of the year

At 10.00 am point the almost vertical dish at the sun, this should find you the astra satelite

Cheers Alan

GMT or BST and do you have the times for other parts of Europe?

 

[laneside]

laneside

Hi

BST but cannot help for further down Europe.

Just a point for the first timer

You must make sure your dish has a clear view of the sky

Setting up at home any garden fence, tree, building or in our case a big lump of Pennine hillside will block the signal.

Cheers Alan

 

[dencol]

Glad its not just me

Have been 'practising' for some time now without getting any signal, finally got a signal only for the sticky clamp like thingy to come unstuck :Angry:

Have now tried it clamped to a tripod type clothes airer :thumb: but got the subtle hint when came back after making a cup of tea only to find swmbo had draped some washing over the airer and yes it blocks the signal:Blush:

Still you know what they say if at first you don't succeed try a very large hammer

Colin

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[falcon]

it possible you arent pointing at astra 2d.

an inch out of alignment and you wont get the satellite you want.

ideally you need a sat finder to help.

hotbird is only 0.3degrees east of astra.

Papajohn,
First of all depends which Astra sat you are referring to? The beeb and ITV is located on Astra2D and the likes of News 24 and SkyNews are on Astra 2B which are 0.3 deg away, in practice it does not matter.

However Hotbird (a collection of about 8 Eutelsat satellites in the same location) is at 13 East of South which is roughly 10 degs away which is a reasonable small sweep.

Francis

 

[keith]

If you follow the instructions HERE you will soon get the hang of it. Keep practising is the way to get better at it. I always stuck the dish to the side of my van - once drove off through Germany with the foot still attached.

I had one of these dishes for years & got TV all over Europe by following the information from that web site. I now have a Camos crankup dish & if it takes me longer than 30 seconds to tune it in SWMBO moans like hell.

 

[eirebus]

:thumb:

Colin

The dish must be vertical, 90 degrees to a level surface, and not angled at all.

Check the cable connectors at each end making sure that the inner solid wire is of sufficient length and that the outer wire net is insulated from the central wire. Make sure the connectors are tight and that you have no trees or buildings in the way. Check that you are tuned into Astra 28 East

Use the built in tuner on the satellite receiver by pressing the INFO button on the remote and then press button 1 to turn on the sound meter.

Turn the dish so that it faces South and then move it very slowly to the left ie South South East. It takes time to lock-on to the satellite so do it in minute adjustments. You should see the strength percentages on the meter and the sound pitch will increase as the signal strengthens.

Pat

 

[AuldCodger]

Not sure if this is forum etiquette but many thanks to steelysteph for his post pointing out the iphone apps, paid my pennies and very well pleased.
Many thanks again.
:Cool: