Just following the past two threads, and I thought I would throw this question into the basket as well..
We have a vast system, purchased when we were in Albany, Western Australia (right down the bottom of WA) We have had no issues originally in setting it up and finding the satellite, however we have found, the further north we travel, the harder it has become in finding the satellite. We have the list provided by VAST, and another provided by someone here on this forum, and also can use the help on the set top box, but even if we find the satellite, the signal strength here in Darwin is around 50%, where in Albany, we were getting 80 to 90%
any thoughts on this.
Brenda and Alan said
04:05 PM Jul 15, 2014
John The signal strength is not the same all over Australia some areas are strong (particularly in capital cities) and other areas are very weak (eg in the extreme west (Broome), the extreme north-east (Cape York) and the extreme south west (Esperance)).I use the sat finder app in wiki camps to great effect in setting up my dish.The compass for direction but best is the camera view to site the dish clear or trees etc. blocking sight line to sattelite
Alan
valiant81 said
05:09 PM Jul 15, 2014
Hi Dunmowing;
I had the same type of problem when we stayed at Howard Springs last year. I didn't have a problem further down south, but once we past Alice Springs, it all became a bit harder to find the satilight and very frustrating at the time. Never a problem down south were we live and only a problem when going North.
After a bit of a think about the problem, i changed over to a 80 cm dish and used the original LMB. I had been useing for the last couple of years a second hand Austar dish & LMB and only proved to be a issue in Darwin.
I had beleaved that the Austar dish would work fine, and it does, but a little bit on the small side for Darwin.
As I'm also in the electronics industry, I also made a few inquires as to what dish would be the the correct size to use, any way I was informed ( Inlightened !! ) that the 80 cm is the recomended size , due to the larger ' capture area' of the larger dish and would also help in locating the satilight easyer.
I have made a couple of posts both here and other forums that the old Austar dish works fine and not a problem, just goes to show you that even i can can make mistakes. So there you go....... Change up to a larger dish and I think there is a 95 cm or even a bit bigger ( 100 cm ) .
One problem does crop up with the larger dish, how in the hell are we suppose to transport the larger dish and yes i know there are now ' fold up type of satilight dishes, but are yet to see one.
Dunmowin said
05:19 PM Jul 15, 2014
Thanks for that alan, but it is not actually finding the satellite - we can usually do that quiet easily, it is the signal strength that seems to have weakened the further north we have travelled. We had no issues while we were in Esperan We are aware of trees and buildings issue - in fact where we are based currently, have not even bothered using the dish, as we are camped in a rainforest!
Valiant, our dish is 85cm, as you say, any larger we would have issues in storage in the van while we travel!
We will just have to put up with the reduced signal strength until we start travelling south again, this time along the east coast. I will keep an eye on it, and let you know if there is any difference.
Murraman said
05:29 PM Jul 15, 2014
Maybe the skew on the lnb has to be adjusted for the area, I know it does effect signal strength.
_wombat_ said
05:30 PM Jul 15, 2014
have you tried moving the LMB slightly left or right of centre.
we have a 60 dish and have no problems anywhere in Australia, but i have been told a bigger dish is better the 85 you have should be good enough
do you want me to come up and have a look at it
Dunmowin said
05:35 PM Jul 15, 2014
Yes please Wombie, just let us know when you will be arriving, cos we are having happy hour with Justcruisin tomorrow arvo, would you like to come too.
PS: Yes, we have moved the LNB (changed the skew)
_wombat_ said
06:52 PM Jul 15, 2014
Dunmowin wrote:
Yes please Wombie, just let us know when you will be arriving, cos we are having happy hour with Justcruisin tomorrow arvo, would you like to come too.
PS: Yes, we have moved the LNB (changed the skew)
Mrs W said no I cannot go.
have you used it much since coming off the gibb, maybe coax etc has come loose.
have you tried using one length of coax, ie no joins in it, does you coax go from decoder direct to the dish or is there a join in it?
If you have a join try connecting to the decoder and run the coax direct to the dish.
Sparkster said
06:55 PM Jul 15, 2014
Dunmowin, I realize you have low signal strength but how is that affecting your picture is it breaking up etc.?
I use Foxtel which is the same satellite, dish and LNB but with Foxtel we also have a Signal Quality measurement which is indicated on the signal finders we all use and also on screen. This must be very high for satisfactory Foxtel reception.
What indication of signal Quality are you getting (if required with Vast)?
Keith....
KFT said
08:29 PM Jul 15, 2014
G'day Dunmowin
please give my regards to Mr and Mrs Justcruisin.
If you have an 85cm dish and are still having sig strength issues there are some possible reasons for this.
1. Is the LNB arm bent or is the dish distorted? this will have a serious effect on gathered signal.
2. Is the LNB a VAST approved type? it must at least be a 10700 Mhz unit or signal will be down considerably.
3. Are you using a digital satfinder to locate and fine tune your dish aiming? you need to ensure you "peak" the signal into the dish. Also using a digital satfinder will ensure you are aimed at the correct sat and have sufficient sig strength and sig quality readings.
Do these things and you will get good sat TV.
frank
Allany said
08:16 AM Jul 16, 2014
I usually set the compass bearing on the dish first as this is the easiest
then i do the elevation
do not rely on the markings on the dish, they are a guide only
i set the elevation then rock the dish up and down until i get the quality then make the adjustment
Allan
_wombat_ said
08:24 AM Jul 16, 2014
Allany wrote:
I usually set the compass bearing on the dish first as this is the easiest
then i do the elevation
do not rely on the markings on the dish, they are a guide only
i set the elevation then rock the dish up and down until i get the quality then make the adjustment
Allan
I do the same, but I do have a sat finder connected direct to the dish and once I hit the signal I lock it all down.
this is the sat finder I use $169 http://www.accessantennas.com.au/perth-discount/satellite-products/satellite-alignment-tools/
Fastcoach said
04:53 PM Jul 16, 2014
Unfortunately Dunmowin we can't add much to assist you, but we can relay an interesting situation which we saw along similar lines to what you are experiencing.
We were parked in a C/P on the outskirts of Darwin a few years ago when a massive 5th wheeler, pulled by a huge Chev pickup pulled in next to us. It was like having a two storey house parked beside you. Even blocked out the sun!!! Anyway they unhitched and proceeded to put the awning out along with the usual table and chairs, herb pots and even a serious range of bonsai plants. These people were here for the long haul.
Next came the sat dish which was located on the roof. The button was pushed to set the dish to find the satellite. It went round and round for about 20 minutes and obviously found nothing. About an hour later an auto electrician rolled up and using a long ladder he clambered up on top of the behemoth to sort out the problem. After various attempts all marked with a FAIL, and much circling by the dish, he had to concede defeat.
The following day another auto electrical guy fronted up and obviously suggested to the owner that his problem was probably with the size of the dish. So up he went with a bigger dish and what do you know, everything worked. Meanwhile we had no trouble getting perfect TV reception with a fairly basic antenna.
Nowadays, we always do a quick check using a set of "rabbit ears" first and if unsuccessful, we set up our sat dish. We wouldn't be without either.
Dunmowin said
06:23 PM Jul 16, 2014
Yes, thanks Fastcoach, saw a similar incident at Kununurra - when everyone else was using their normal antenna, this guy tried for ages to get his operating with the automatic search..... I agree, we always check using our "rabbit ears", and only set up the sat when remote.
Which brings me back to my original statement.....
Bas + Eve said
06:07 PM Jul 23, 2014
Every time I try to read your posts I can't get passed the avatar !! :)
Moonraker said
06:27 PM Jul 23, 2014
The one thing that I dont think has be suggested as a cause of poor reception is the first thing you need to do when setting up a sat dish, that is to get it plumb level otherwise all other setting will be out.
I have a satfinder with all the "bells" on but find that if I follow the instructions provided by AA I have get good recieption with the Satfinder just a confirmation check.
I will always remember the guy in the AA shop saying that most problems finding the sat. are due to not getting the dish level first the second most common problem he said is not setting the skew correctly, while he was demonstrating the setup to me.
Just a thought!
_wombat_ said
06:46 PM Jul 23, 2014
Bas + Eve wrote:
Every time I try to read your posts I can't get passed the avatar !! :)
do you mean Dunmowin's AV?
Dunmowin said
06:47 PM Jul 23, 2014
Bas + Eve wrote:
Every time I try to read your posts I can't get passed the avatar !! :)
BAs + Eve, whose avatar are your referring to?
_wombat_ said
06:49 PM Jul 23, 2014
Moonraker wrote:
The one thing that I dont think has be suggested as a cause of poor reception is the first thing you need to do when setting up a sat dish, that is to get it plumb level otherwise all other setting will be out. I have a satfinder with all the "bells" on but find that if I follow the instructions provided by AA I have get good recieption with the Satfinder just a confirmation check. I will always remember the guy in the AA shop saying that most problems finding the sat. are due to not getting the dish level first the second most common problem he said is not setting the skew correctly, while he was demonstrating the setup to me. Just a thought!
Hi MR how are you?
I'm not sure about the plumb I just look at it and if it looks straight I then use the same sat finder that you have and not a prob, BUT if the guy at AA said it needs to be plumb then he knows more that I do, after all it's his job to know, having said that I must have been lucky with my look and see method.
Take care mate.
Moonraker said
08:58 PM Jul 23, 2014
Great set-up method Wombat if you have the Satfinder we have. But if you have to set-up without a satfinder like the ones we have, all settings where the dish is not set plumb level first will be slightly out (that should be obvious I would have thought) possibly enough to limit the reception. From what I have read here, I would guess not many would even consider levelling up first. Which is exactly what the guy in the shop said. Like you I dont have any set up problem if other peoples sat dishes around me are already set-up. I just point my dish in the same direction then plug in the satfinder to make any necessary small adjustment. However when I have set-up without the satfinder I always ensure the dish is level using a spirit bubble fitted to the dish tube. If portable (not fitted to the van) the tripod type stand allows ease levelling of the dish by adjusting the legs. Other type stands well I dont know never had one!
-- Edited by Moonraker on Wednesday 23rd of July 2014 08:59:29 PM
_wombat_ said
09:49 PM Jul 23, 2014
Hi MR, I agree with you, always look around and see where others have pointed if nobody there out comes the compass.
The dish that is sold mostly by Itech World over in WA is useless IMHO, it sits on the ground on a frame and no tripod, again Tripod is the only way to go IMHO
Just following the past two threads, and I thought I would throw this question into the basket as well..
We have a vast system, purchased when we were in Albany, Western Australia (right down the bottom of WA) We have had no issues originally in setting it up and finding the satellite, however we have found, the further north we travel, the harder it has become in finding the satellite. We have the list provided by VAST, and another provided by someone here on this forum, and also can use the help on the set top box, but even if we find the satellite, the signal strength here in Darwin is around 50%, where in Albany, we were getting 80 to 90%
any thoughts on this.
Alan
Hi Dunmowing;
I had the same type of problem when we stayed at Howard Springs last year. I didn't have a problem further down south, but once we past Alice Springs, it all became a bit harder to find the satilight and very frustrating at the time. Never a problem down south were we live and only a problem when going North.
After a bit of a think about the problem, i changed over to a 80 cm dish and used the original LMB. I had been useing for the last couple of years a second hand Austar dish & LMB and only proved to be a issue in Darwin.
I had beleaved that the Austar dish would work fine, and it does, but a little bit on the small side for Darwin.
As I'm also in the electronics industry, I also made a few inquires as to what dish would be the the correct size to use, any way I was informed ( Inlightened !! ) that the 80 cm is the recomended size , due to the larger ' capture area' of the larger dish and would also help in locating the satilight easyer.
I have made a couple of posts both here and other forums that the old Austar dish works fine and not a problem, just goes to show you that even i can can make mistakes. So there you go....... Change up to a larger dish and I think there is a 95 cm or even a bit bigger ( 100 cm ) .
One problem does crop up with the larger dish, how in the hell are we suppose to transport the larger dish and yes i know there are now ' fold up type of satilight dishes, but are yet to see one.
Thanks for that alan, but it is not actually finding the satellite - we can usually do that quiet easily, it is the signal strength that seems to have weakened the further north we have travelled. We had no issues while we were in Esperan We are aware of trees and buildings issue - in fact where we are based currently, have not even bothered using the dish, as we are camped in a rainforest!
Valiant, our dish is 85cm, as you say, any larger we would have issues in storage in the van while we travel!
We will just have to put up with the reduced signal strength until we start travelling south again, this time along the east coast. I will keep an eye on it, and let you know if there is any difference.
have you tried moving the LMB slightly left or right of centre.
we have a 60 dish and have no problems anywhere in Australia, but i have been told a bigger dish is better the 85 you have should be good enough
do you want me to come up and have a look at it
Yes please Wombie, just let us know when you will be arriving, cos we are having happy hour with Justcruisin tomorrow arvo, would you like to come too.
PS: Yes, we have moved the LNB (changed the skew)
Mrs W said no I cannot go.
have you used it much since coming off the gibb, maybe coax etc has come loose.
have you tried using one length of coax, ie no joins in it, does you coax go from decoder direct to the dish or is there a join in it?
If you have a join try connecting to the decoder and run the coax direct to the dish.
Dunmowin, I realize you have low signal strength but how is that affecting your picture is it breaking up etc.?
I use Foxtel which is the same satellite, dish and LNB but with Foxtel we also have a Signal Quality measurement which is indicated on the signal finders we all use and also on screen. This must be very high for satisfactory Foxtel reception.
What indication of signal Quality are you getting (if required with Vast)?
Keith....
please give my regards to Mr and Mrs Justcruisin.
If you have an 85cm dish and are still having sig strength issues there are some possible reasons for this.
1. Is the LNB arm bent or is the dish distorted? this will have a serious effect on gathered signal.
2. Is the LNB a VAST approved type? it must at least be a 10700 Mhz unit or signal will be down considerably.
3. Are you using a digital satfinder to locate and fine tune your dish aiming? you need to ensure you "peak" the signal into the dish. Also using a digital satfinder will ensure you are aimed at the correct sat and have sufficient sig strength and sig quality readings.
Do these things and you will get good sat TV.
frank
I usually set the compass bearing on the dish first as this is the easiest
then i do the elevation
do not rely on the markings on the dish, they are a guide only
i set the elevation then rock the dish up and down until i get the quality then make the adjustment
Allan
I do the same, but I do have a sat finder connected direct to the dish and once I hit the signal I lock it all down.
this is the sat finder I use $169 http://www.accessantennas.com.au/perth-discount/satellite-products/satellite-alignment-tools/
We were parked in a C/P on the outskirts of Darwin a few years ago when a massive 5th wheeler, pulled by a huge Chev pickup pulled in next to us. It was like having a two storey house parked beside you. Even blocked out the sun!!! Anyway they unhitched and proceeded to put the awning out along with the usual table and chairs, herb pots and even a serious range of bonsai plants. These people were here for the long haul.
Next came the sat dish which was located on the roof. The button was pushed to set the dish to find the satellite. It went round and round for about 20 minutes and obviously found nothing. About an hour later an auto electrician rolled up and using a long ladder he clambered up on top of the behemoth to sort out the problem. After various attempts all marked with a FAIL, and much circling by the dish, he had to concede defeat.
The following day another auto electrical guy fronted up and obviously suggested to the owner that his problem was probably with the size of the dish. So up he went with a bigger dish and what do you know, everything worked. Meanwhile we had no trouble getting perfect TV reception with a fairly basic antenna.
Nowadays, we always do a quick check using a set of "rabbit ears" first and if unsuccessful, we set up our sat dish. We wouldn't be without either.
Yes, thanks Fastcoach, saw a similar incident at Kununurra - when everyone else was using their normal antenna, this guy tried for ages to get his operating with the automatic search..... I agree, we always check using our "rabbit ears", and only set up the sat when remote.
Which brings me back to my original statement.....
Every time I try to read your posts I can't get passed the avatar
!! :)
I have a satfinder with all the "bells" on but find that if I follow the instructions provided by AA I have get good recieption with the Satfinder just a confirmation check.
I will always remember the guy in the AA shop saying that most problems finding the sat. are due to not getting the dish level first the second most common problem he said is not setting the skew correctly, while he was demonstrating the setup to me.
Just a thought!
do you mean Dunmowin's AV?
BAs + Eve, whose avatar are your referring to?
Hi MR how are you?
I'm not sure about the plumb I just look at it and if it looks straight I then use the same sat finder that you have and not a prob, BUT if the guy at AA said it needs to be plumb then he knows more that I do, after all it's his job to know, having said that I must have been lucky with my look and see method.
Take care mate.
Great set-up method Wombat if you have the Satfinder we have.
But if you have to set-up without a satfinder like the ones we have, all settings where the dish is not set plumb level first will be slightly out (that should be obvious I would have thought) possibly enough to limit the reception.
From what I have read here, I would guess not many would even consider levelling up first. Which is exactly what the guy in the shop said.
Like you I dont have any set up problem if other peoples sat dishes around me are already set-up. I just point my dish in the same direction then plug in the satfinder to make any necessary small adjustment.
However when I have set-up without the satfinder I always ensure the dish is level using a spirit bubble fitted to the dish tube. If portable (not fitted to the van) the tripod type stand allows ease levelling of the dish by adjusting the legs. Other type stands well I dont know never had one!
-- Edited by Moonraker on Wednesday 23rd of July 2014 08:59:29 PM
Hi MR, I agree with you, always look around and see where others have pointed if nobody there out comes the compass.
The dish that is sold mostly by Itech World over in WA is useless IMHO, it sits on the ground on a frame and no tripod, again Tripod is the only way to go IMHO