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sparky1685

82 posts

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#175214 21-Jun-2015 22:18
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Since we bought our house, we've been using the previous owners' Sky dish to get Freeview. Thanks to Wellington hilliness, the dish is up the hill on our garage, so there's a fair length cable run, and a 20db amplifier in line with the satellite box (a DishTV S7070R).

We've been losing signal in heavy rain more and more lately (to the point of TV being unwatchable) and having read that some of the sky supplied LNBs are beginning to show their age, I ordered this kit:

http://www.dishtv.co.nz/LNBs-Dish-Mounts/141-11300-LNB-Holder-DIY-Pack/flypage_images.tpl.htm

to replace the sky LNB (which is a Sharp dual throat one with 4 outputs).

I'm now wondering whether I've messed up by ordering the 11300 LNB, rather than a 10750, because the instructions for the satellite finder tell me to check the signal with the satellite box tuned to a channel - will this work if the box has been tuned using the old LNB frequency of 10750?

I also tried to get things working by just fitting the new LNB with the same skew as the old one and doing a blind scan, but I can't get even a hint of signal doing that. I've never tried satellite installation before - is the precision needed so high that I can expect absolutely zero signal with the new LNB unless the alignment is perfect?

I've now given up for the weekend and reattached the old LNB, which without any fine-tuning immediately pulled in an 80% signal, so there's obviously something wrong in the way I'm trying to fit the new LNB.

Can anyone point out where I might be going wrong?

Mark




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Rikkitic
Awrrr
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  #1328924 21-Jun-2015 23:52
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There are a few variables that can prevent you getting a signal. The angle at which the lnb is pointing at the dish is fairly critical. You have some leeway but not a lot. When you say you tried fitting it with the same skew, what do you mean exactly? You cannot do something like this by eye. If the new lnb will fit in the existing bracket, that should line it up well enough to get a signal as long as you don't accidentally shift the position of the bracket. The lnb also has to be rotated in the bracket to the correct position.

The frequency of the lnb has to match the setting on the STB. You need to go into the settings menu and make sure it is set to 11300. That is what you should check first. If that is okay then you can try fiddling with the positioning of the lnb.

When I set up my satellites I did not have a satellite finder. Instead I took the STB upstairs and set it up next to the dish. I then used a usb capture device to send the video signal to my laptop. I just did a series of blind scans while adjust the lnb until I got a picture on the laptop. It worked pretty well but it is not something you would want to do in the rain.
 




Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

 


 




tangerz
625 posts

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  #1328926 22-Jun-2015 00:04
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If your new LNB is 11300 and the old one is 10750 then you won't get any signal with the new one fitted unless you change the LNB settings in your satellite receiver from 10750 to 11300.

Try fitting the new LNB again with the skew set as before then change the LNB setting to 11300. The setup doesn't need to be THAT perfect as the signal from Optus D1 is pretty strong over NZ. Once you're getting a signal you can try fine tuning the skew while checking the signal level on the receiver.

Rickles
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  #1329094 22-Jun-2015 10:55
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G;day Mark,

  I'm in Wellington and replaced my old Sharp dual-throat LNB a few months ago with no problems.  Most sat dishes in Wgton were fixed pretty solidly, so as others have advised do the simple things first -

Install new LNB and set skew so that cable pointing out is at 7 o'clock, then go to STB and ensure all LOF and Switch settings are 11300, then run a channel scan.





sparky1685

82 posts

Master Geek


  #1329544 22-Jun-2015 21:14
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Thanks everyone for the replies.

Yes, I have got the box set to 11300, so that shouldn't be the problem. 

The kit I bought came with a replacement LNB holder, as the original sky LNB had a narrower diameter. I'm wondering whether the new holder is putting the LNB at a slightly different orientation to the dish.

I'll have another go at it when the weather perks up a little. I was amazed I managed to put the old LNB and holder back in place successfully by just guessing what the correct skew was. Is there a bit of a range of acceptable skews to pull in a signal, or did I just get lucky?

Mark

Rickles
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  #1329571 22-Jun-2015 22:00
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My replacement LNB bracket just bolted on in place of the older one, and the LNB slotted into that .... never needed any re-alignment at all.

R.

sparky1685

82 posts

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  #1329597 22-Jun-2015 22:49
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Rickles: My replacement LNB bracket just bolted on in place of the older one, and the LNB slotted into that .... never needed any re-alignment at all.

R.


I was rather hoping it would work that way for me too :-)








Rickles
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  #1330084 23-Jun-2015 17:24
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My apologies, the cable out should be pointing to 8 on the clock ... my old 10750 dual throat was at 7.

See THIS

R
.

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