Hi Sprint 09,not sure when the last time was when you used the Alden,some months ago the optus satilite was re-aligned,causing all sorts of problems for some people ,all needed to fix it was a reset of the box,and maybe it's all you need now.There was  a link on this forum to u tube  for the easy instructions,but I cannot find it.Perhaps some one else knows where it is,other wise ring coast to  coast head office on Monday,they will give you the info.cheers Peter.                        JUST FOUND IT  (GOOGLED)       www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jtz-ZWXrOc

Hi sprint09;

               Charters Tower. Sounds like the skew is off on your lmb. This is the amount that the lmb is turned clockwise or aniclockwise and youe dish does not do this type of adjustment.

The correct lmb skew settings for charters tower is ..... Elevation 67 degrees

                                                                        ....... Mag Azimuth  19 degrees

                                                                          ..... LMB skew       20 degrees.

Hope this helps, and one other thing you may have to reset your vast reciever and do a retune to find the sattilight signal again.

Thanks for your advice but we have an automatic dish on the roof of the van, we are so close to picking it up but adjusting the level of the van and everything that we have tried so far has not worked.

Hi sprint09;

               Yes i understant your problem , and yes the alden dish can find the sattilight dish, BUT there is on very important thing that needs to be set is the skew ajustment. as i last posted the needs to also be set to the correct setting .IF it is off your electronics for the dish will find the correct sattilight and lock on to it, But if the skew is off alighnment you sattilight decoder will not be able to 'see' the signal from the sattilight .

Remember the sattilight signals are polarized ( both verticaly and horizontal ), Austar use one pollarity for some of there channels and the other polarity for the other. So with the Vast service and i think they are vertical signals in the way down from space the signal slowly changes polarity ( caused i think by the atmosphere ) and some one else may have a better expilnation of how this happens.

So if the skew is a bit off it may not be a problem due the the correction factor that happens in side of the decoder and unless you have a proper sattilight meter that can read the ber rate, both be four correction and after correction you may not even notice that there is a problem. But when traveling some times the skew as well can and dose play a important part of the correct set up of your dish. Have a look on google there is plenty of advise of the setting for the many towns in Australia and are a big help even to me.

Just lately i have traveled from Mildura to Darwin and Kadadu and back home again 8500 Klm, 6 weeks and the only trouble i had was on the last night out i was about 60 odd Kms from home and had set up for the last night . Whent to set up the dish , found the signal ok but no vast service. looked up the settings for were i was staying and the relised that i had not set the skew to the correct setting on the the dish, a quick twist if the lmb ( 60 odd degrees ) . A full reset of the decoder and bingo my reciever found all of the vast channels and no problems after that . 

I have a roof top satellite dish and on the odd occasion have been unable to receive signal.  A couple of weeks ago I was free camping somewhere near Kununurra (can't remember where) and although I had clear vision to the satellite couldn't get a signal.  I was parked very close to a high rocky mountain to the South, so assumed that somehow it must have been affecting the signal.  When I moved on I had no problem at the next rest stop along the highway.

My brother and I both have the sat king Orbit. They are by far the best satellite dish. Can withstand high wind without losing signal and will automatically lower if you forget to put it down.
www.satkingorbit.com.au/