Satellite Internet Forum

[esm]

Larry,

I assume you're talking about the Direcway OPI, which I don't have. I am using a simple field strength meter, trying to peak the dish once I have fixed it.

[esm]

Hi,

I've been busy with a couple of other things but I'm back trying to align my dish.

I have set the elevation and skew exactly to the data that the modem provides and with a little moving left/right and up/down I find 3 different locations where the receiver locks on 30 but tells me it's the wrong network. Isn't there any piece of software that would tell me which bird I'm aiming at? That would at least give me a relative location so I would know where to go.

This thing is driving me nuts!

[Digital101]

Check that you have set the correct polarization as well as receive frequency and symbol rate. You may have looked at the correct satellite but found a wrong carrier on the opposite polarization.

Otherwise keep going and find more satellites either way till you come to the correct one. Write down the 3 elevation angles already seen and note the compass bearings. Remember that your calculated elevation angle and azimuth compass bearing are correct, so concentrate on the direction that looks the most promising. If all the satellites are at the same elevation angle the center one is due south. If the line is clearly tilted, you are pointed to the east or west of due south.

[esm]

D101,

Thanks for the quick response.

Check that you have set the correct polarization as well as receive frequency and symbol rate. You may have looked at the correct satellite but found a wrong carrier on the opposite polarization.

Where do I set these two values? They are given when I select the transponder, I can't enter them.

As to the compass readings, that's a bit of a challenge. I have a 500 gal propane gas tank about 20 feet from the pole and I assume that this thing throws my compass way out of whack.

I bypassed the compass by checking the sun at exactly 12:00 noon and pointed my dish about 5 degrees to the left (West), aiming at around 174.7 degrees.    

Cheers,

Ed

[Digital101]

Checking the sun's azimuth in an excellent way of determining true azimuth angle.

Use this calculator: Sun or Moon Altitude/Azimuth Table

For Sanderson, Texas at 12:00 noon today the sun's bearing was 168.7 deg true. (the angle is approx 180 deg, but varies according to the time of the year and also how far east or west you are from the time zone centre line. The error is about 15 deg per hour.

So what you thought was 180 deg is really 169 deg. To get to 174 deg you need to go 5 deg to the right (to the west).

Did you make a typo in your last posting? You said you moved 5 deg left (West). This does not make sense.

[esm]

Sorry for the typo, I meant "left (East)".

Pointing 5 degrees to the right (West) makes more sense, that's where I got this lock-ons onto the wrong network. But still, if my elevation angle is set correctly, I should be able to find the right bird but, alas, I don't.

Is there any way to find out which"wrong" bird I'm locked on?

Thanks again,

Ed

[SYNDESIS]

is there any way to find out which"wrong" bird I'm locked on?

Sure is Ed. Call a Direcway "certified installer", same advice I gave you a couple of months ago.

[esm]

Well, I'm kind of stubborn and this thing is personal now.  I need to resolve this issue if it kills me!

Ed

[esm]

One more question: If I happen to lock on to the intended bird (Galaxy IV), would the modem show me that I've actually hit it right?

[Digital101]

I think the signal will go above 30 as soon as it recognizes that the carrier it has locked on to is the correct carrier.

What is the carrier frequency, symbol rate and polarization shown in the "SYSTEM INFO - Satellite" screen?  Does this match a known carrier on Galaxy 4? If not, then it won't work.

If you have a used DW6000 it may be remembering the satellite and satellite carrier it was previously tuned to, which may not have been on Galaxy 4. What do Hughes say to set your modem to?

Here you can find a copy of the DW6000 user guide (2 Mbyte pdf file) but it is probably on the CD ROM that comes with the modem.