borderpatrol
11-05-2008, 10:51 PM
Many thanks to Trooper for doing all the ground work. I just fine-tuned it with a few addons and to post it in a different section for more exposure. Hopefully this will alleviate the chat and forum traffic.
If you have to climb up onto a roof (esp. a steep one) be careful...esp. if its raining, snowing. Also adhere to ladder safety.
DN (Echo 10/11,110W and Echo 7,Echo119) offers 600 plus TV programming with approx 135 CD/Sirius Radio stations.
In a nutshell you will have to move your dish to the west and locate the sat or sats you want. Then you will have to set up your antenna settings pages for the proper satellites. Then scan the satellite(s). Auto scan is preferable. Read this entire procedure before starting.
DN uses satellites at 110w and 119w for their core Non-HD programming. Bev uses their satellite at 91w for the core Non-HD programming and 82w for mostly HD.
Many Bev subscribers have a dish with one LNB therefore remember; if you have one LNB you can get only 1 satellite at a time. For those who have a two LNB system for 91 and 82 you will be able to get both 110 and 119. All current Bev installations use a Dish500 system (1 or 2 LNB setup with skew).
Which one should you aim your dish to? It’s your choice. Most of the PPV (all except 2) are on satellite 110w however, most of the premium channels (HBO, SHOW, STARZ, SiriusRadio) are on 119w. Visit www.lyngsat.com for more details.
Where are these satellites? Satellites are commonly referred by their location i.e. longitude. Bells Nimiq2 is at longitude 82W, Nimiq1 is at longitude 91W. DN EchoStar8/10 is at 110W and Echostar7 is at 119W.
For those inexperienced in aiming dishes, this procedure will get you there. Just use common sense, don’t rush, don’t try using shortcuts. Also... move your dish in small increments to allow the STB to sync in with a good reading. Use beep for scanning to assist you.
We will be using this satellite locator program. It is the most updated one I know of and is extremely accurate and is good for all of North America and then some. The program is very user friendly and only takes a little common sense to use it:
>>> http://satcalculator.freehostia.com/ OR www.dishpointer.com is also a very good program.
To keep this as short as possible we will be assuming you have 1 dish with 1 LNB aimed to 1 satellite, Nimiq 1 at 91W. We will run through an example using 2 locations. We will use Toronto (Tor) for the eastern area and Vancouver (Van) on the west coast.
First, to get a reference, use the sat calculator to see where your dish is aimed now (91w).
Tor: Azimuth = 207m (magnetic) / 196t (true), Elevation = 38
Van: Azimuth = 122m (magnetic) / 140t (true), Elevation = 26
Now we use the sat calcualtor to find out where we will find satellite Echo* 8 at 110w
Tor: Azimuth = 231m (magnetic) / 221t (true), Elevation = 31
Van: Azimuth = 144m (magnetic) / 168t (true), Elevation = 32
Now this is what we have to do using the above data. It’s important to adjust the elevation first. It will be easier to find the satellite. Play with your compass a little to see what 20 degrees looks like. It may help to reference a distant object as a starting point.
Mark your post/bracket so that if things go wrong you can easily return the dish to it’s home position of 91W. I use a thin permanent marker for reference adjustment settings.
Connect the receiver and find 110 on the antenna set up page so that you can see signal level and quality. The settings for 110 should be the same as 91 as they are both circular satellites and both use transponder 12224 (TP1) as general broadcast. When you have your settings correct it’s time to make the commitment. You can also turn on beep for scanning if it's an option on your STB.
Tor: Lower your dish by 7 degrees then sweep the dish to the west approx 24 degrees
Van: Raise your dish 6 degrees then sweep it towards the west 22 degrees.
If done correctly you should get a hit as you move the dish to the 110 position. On some receivers you will see a spike in the level just before you see the increase in quality. Once you see green quality pause for a few seconds to let the receiver identify the satellite. If it says 110W on the same menu page as the satellite you chose (110W) then it has locked on the bird you want. Peak for best signal and lock the dish down.
If you don’t find 110 continue past the suspected location by 10 degrees or so. If by some reason you didn’t get a hit go back to the starting position and check your numbers and your settings. You may have to move the dish up or down a little and sweep again.
Once you have found 110 mark the post/bracket so that you can return to it easier next time.
What if I want both 110 and 119 and have 82 and 91 now. This is where the skew comes in handy on the sat calculator program.
If you already have a dish for both satellites then your dish skew is set for 82/91. When going from 82/91 to 110/119 your skew will change as much as 20 degrees and your azimuth and elevation will be a little different with dual sat systems. Use the correct method for your system. Skew becomes less from the east coast (positive skew) to the west where it will become an 'negative' skew. The nimiq 1,3 (91W) satellite is in line with central US... New Orleans, LA, St. Louis, and Thunder Bay, ON). The 61.5W bird is off the east coast approx cutting through Halifax, NS. The 110W is further west (AZ) and then 119W is over California.
What if I only have one LNB and want to get both 110 and 119? In this case you will need another LNB and a switch. If it's just the 2 LNBs I would suggest either an SW21 or a 0/22khz tone switch. A regular DiSEqC will also work...just seal off the open ports with silicone/caps. With the main LNB aimed to 110 you can strap another lnb to the east side of the 110. Since the single sat dish won’t have skew you will need to raise the 119lnb (or lower for the west coast) approx 3/8 of an inch or so until 119 comes in. Use transponder (TP) 2 on 119 for signal peaking. There also metal offset brackets that are more sturdy and accurate than just taping the 2nd LNB on.
For HD channels on DN you will have to install a dish/LNB for 129W or 61.5W bird.
One last note. You may live too far north to effectively get DN channels on your small BEV dishes. In those cases a larger dish would be in order.
Those who have BEV-installed dishes will have a 20" dish with 1 or 2 LNBs attached for the 82/91 sats. Some have the double bracket with just the 91W LNB on so all you need to do is add the second LNB.... then when you repoint the dish.. the 82 becomes 110 and the 91 becomes 119.
Another last note. For signal checking on satellite 119 you should change the TP1 (12224) to TP2 (12239). TP1 is beamed to only parts of USA/CAN (Spot Beam) but TP2 is full coverage (Conus Beam).
ALL TPs are scanned in so don't worry about 'saving' TPfreqs... you can't.
As of May, 2009 DN programming is being transferred to the new Nagra3 encryption. Be aware of that if you are able to scan channels in but not able to view them. Time to either sub or use OTA for TV viewing.
If you have to climb up onto a roof (esp. a steep one) be careful...esp. if its raining, snowing. Also adhere to ladder safety.
DN (Echo 10/11,110W and Echo 7,Echo119) offers 600 plus TV programming with approx 135 CD/Sirius Radio stations.
In a nutshell you will have to move your dish to the west and locate the sat or sats you want. Then you will have to set up your antenna settings pages for the proper satellites. Then scan the satellite(s). Auto scan is preferable. Read this entire procedure before starting.
DN uses satellites at 110w and 119w for their core Non-HD programming. Bev uses their satellite at 91w for the core Non-HD programming and 82w for mostly HD.
Many Bev subscribers have a dish with one LNB therefore remember; if you have one LNB you can get only 1 satellite at a time. For those who have a two LNB system for 91 and 82 you will be able to get both 110 and 119. All current Bev installations use a Dish500 system (1 or 2 LNB setup with skew).
Which one should you aim your dish to? It’s your choice. Most of the PPV (all except 2) are on satellite 110w however, most of the premium channels (HBO, SHOW, STARZ, SiriusRadio) are on 119w. Visit www.lyngsat.com for more details.
Where are these satellites? Satellites are commonly referred by their location i.e. longitude. Bells Nimiq2 is at longitude 82W, Nimiq1 is at longitude 91W. DN EchoStar8/10 is at 110W and Echostar7 is at 119W.
For those inexperienced in aiming dishes, this procedure will get you there. Just use common sense, don’t rush, don’t try using shortcuts. Also... move your dish in small increments to allow the STB to sync in with a good reading. Use beep for scanning to assist you.
We will be using this satellite locator program. It is the most updated one I know of and is extremely accurate and is good for all of North America and then some. The program is very user friendly and only takes a little common sense to use it:
>>> http://satcalculator.freehostia.com/ OR www.dishpointer.com is also a very good program.
To keep this as short as possible we will be assuming you have 1 dish with 1 LNB aimed to 1 satellite, Nimiq 1 at 91W. We will run through an example using 2 locations. We will use Toronto (Tor) for the eastern area and Vancouver (Van) on the west coast.
First, to get a reference, use the sat calculator to see where your dish is aimed now (91w).
Tor: Azimuth = 207m (magnetic) / 196t (true), Elevation = 38
Van: Azimuth = 122m (magnetic) / 140t (true), Elevation = 26
Now we use the sat calcualtor to find out where we will find satellite Echo* 8 at 110w
Tor: Azimuth = 231m (magnetic) / 221t (true), Elevation = 31
Van: Azimuth = 144m (magnetic) / 168t (true), Elevation = 32
Now this is what we have to do using the above data. It’s important to adjust the elevation first. It will be easier to find the satellite. Play with your compass a little to see what 20 degrees looks like. It may help to reference a distant object as a starting point.
Mark your post/bracket so that if things go wrong you can easily return the dish to it’s home position of 91W. I use a thin permanent marker for reference adjustment settings.
Connect the receiver and find 110 on the antenna set up page so that you can see signal level and quality. The settings for 110 should be the same as 91 as they are both circular satellites and both use transponder 12224 (TP1) as general broadcast. When you have your settings correct it’s time to make the commitment. You can also turn on beep for scanning if it's an option on your STB.
Tor: Lower your dish by 7 degrees then sweep the dish to the west approx 24 degrees
Van: Raise your dish 6 degrees then sweep it towards the west 22 degrees.
If done correctly you should get a hit as you move the dish to the 110 position. On some receivers you will see a spike in the level just before you see the increase in quality. Once you see green quality pause for a few seconds to let the receiver identify the satellite. If it says 110W on the same menu page as the satellite you chose (110W) then it has locked on the bird you want. Peak for best signal and lock the dish down.
If you don’t find 110 continue past the suspected location by 10 degrees or so. If by some reason you didn’t get a hit go back to the starting position and check your numbers and your settings. You may have to move the dish up or down a little and sweep again.
Once you have found 110 mark the post/bracket so that you can return to it easier next time.
What if I want both 110 and 119 and have 82 and 91 now. This is where the skew comes in handy on the sat calculator program.
If you already have a dish for both satellites then your dish skew is set for 82/91. When going from 82/91 to 110/119 your skew will change as much as 20 degrees and your azimuth and elevation will be a little different with dual sat systems. Use the correct method for your system. Skew becomes less from the east coast (positive skew) to the west where it will become an 'negative' skew. The nimiq 1,3 (91W) satellite is in line with central US... New Orleans, LA, St. Louis, and Thunder Bay, ON). The 61.5W bird is off the east coast approx cutting through Halifax, NS. The 110W is further west (AZ) and then 119W is over California.
What if I only have one LNB and want to get both 110 and 119? In this case you will need another LNB and a switch. If it's just the 2 LNBs I would suggest either an SW21 or a 0/22khz tone switch. A regular DiSEqC will also work...just seal off the open ports with silicone/caps. With the main LNB aimed to 110 you can strap another lnb to the east side of the 110. Since the single sat dish won’t have skew you will need to raise the 119lnb (or lower for the west coast) approx 3/8 of an inch or so until 119 comes in. Use transponder (TP) 2 on 119 for signal peaking. There also metal offset brackets that are more sturdy and accurate than just taping the 2nd LNB on.
For HD channels on DN you will have to install a dish/LNB for 129W or 61.5W bird.
One last note. You may live too far north to effectively get DN channels on your small BEV dishes. In those cases a larger dish would be in order.
Those who have BEV-installed dishes will have a 20" dish with 1 or 2 LNBs attached for the 82/91 sats. Some have the double bracket with just the 91W LNB on so all you need to do is add the second LNB.... then when you repoint the dish.. the 82 becomes 110 and the 91 becomes 119.
Another last note. For signal checking on satellite 119 you should change the TP1 (12224) to TP2 (12239). TP1 is beamed to only parts of USA/CAN (Spot Beam) but TP2 is full coverage (Conus Beam).
ALL TPs are scanned in so don't worry about 'saving' TPfreqs... you can't.
As of May, 2009 DN programming is being transferred to the new Nagra3 encryption. Be aware of that if you are able to scan channels in but not able to view them. Time to either sub or use OTA for TV viewing.