Need Input (info) on new system

[Wrencher1954]

Hi all. I am very new to FTA and have just purchased a satellite system. I live in south central Nebraska. I am hoping to receive satelites 123.0W -(Galaxy 18); 101.0W - (AMC4); 125.0W - (AMC21); 83.0W - (AMC9). I'd appreciate any input or suggestions on what I am trying to do. This is the equipment that I bought:

Fortec Star Lifetime Classic Receiver
33” Digiwave Offset Universal dish
Digiwave DMT-SG-2100 Motor
Digiwave DGL0.3S Lnb
USB Sound Blaster EXTIGY external sound card

Thanks in advance for all your help.

Wrencher1954

[mc_chez]

well you gotta install it first!
Are you familiar with setting up a dish with a motor?
You will also need a switch in order to switch back and forth between circular and linear.
Y do you need a sound card exactly?

[Wrencher1954]

I've never installed any dish. All the items in my list are still being shipped to me. This is kind of a hindsight/forsight thing. I needed to ask this question before I purchased anything,,,,, but!!!!!! I enjoy watching PBS stations and from what I understand, they broadcast in surround sound. I don't own a home theatre system, so the sound card is a cheap way around having to buy one.

[mc_chez]

got it.
well you have a cool weekend project ahead of you. If this is your 1st time installing a dish and motor it is going to get a little tricky, but stay on board with us and we will get through it.
Your 1st order of business is finding a good leveled place to install your dish, free of tress, houses, apts ect in its line of view. I cant stress enough the importance of haveing a perfectly aligned mast or your motor setup will not work properly, so go out there with a level and find the perfect spot.

2nd. What is your location (postal code) we will need to find your longitude and latitude to setup your dish, as well as your true south satellite. I will help you get this info if you need it.

thats it for now..once you get your toys we will guide you and help you with installing the dish (elevation skew ect..) this may get a little nerve wreking because its your 1st time installing but dont worry we will get there!!

[radiobob]

Patience is the watchword regarding installing a motorized satellite dish.

Key advice:

• Read as much as you can on the subject. There are guides here on rookie that can answer many, if not most, of your questions. Prowl around and download as many pertinent guides as you can. If you don't always understand the lingo, just keep pushing ahead.
• Your mounting mast must be completely plumb--straight up and down with not a degree of lean.
• Determine what is true south from your location. Because of magnetic declination, your compass reading may be off by +/- 0 to 15 degrees. Check out h++p://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/geomag/icons/us_d_contour.jpg for a rough idea.
• Check out this guide and watch the video: h++p://www.sadoun.com/Sat/Installation/HH-mount-installation.htm
• Despite what the person in the video says, there can be definite interaction between motor elevation and dish elevation AND the elevation markings on the motor and dish may not be quite right. It may take some trial and error to get the right balance. For example, you may have to lower the dish by a degree or two and raise the motor by an equal amount--or vice versa--to get your motor to trace the right arc across the satellite belt! Use the manufacturer's markings as your starting point.

Once you get things set up, you will truly have a world of interesting viewing. And, there's lots of help available here on dssrookie!

[Wrencher1954]

Hello Again,
Just received my dish, etc today and started temporarily mounting it to my deck. I want to mount it on my TV antenna tower at roof line when I figure out what I'm doing. My location is: Latitude: 40.119°
Longitude: -99.361°. Here are my questions: I'm confused on the motor elevation (Moteck SG2100). The manual that came with the motor has a chart in it that says to set the motor elevation to 50 degrees for my latitude. The video clip at h++p://www.sadoun.com/Sat/Installation/HH-mount-installation.htm says to set it at 40 degrees. Which is correct? Also I'm confused about the dish elevation. I think it should be 23.7 degrees, not 23.7 minus 6.3 degrees. Which is right. The following information also came up at the web site: Motor Latitude: 40.1 -- Declination Angle: 6.3° -- Dish Elevation: 24 -- Elevation: 43.6° -- Azimuth (true): 180.0° --
Azimuth (mag.): 174.2° using Compass.....
Again, any input will be appreciated..
Thanks,
Wrencher1954

[Gary Gnu]

Go to /www.dishpointer.com or /www.sacalculator.freehostia.com and enter the details for your are a and the dish/motor. Set the elevation on both the motor and the dish. Then manually swing the dish over to the closest sat to your true south and tighten it down. Now that sat will always be your zero or "home" position. Then just use usals to find the other sats you want and save their position.

[Wrencher1954]

I got the system up and operating a couple of weekends ago. I didn't realize that on one side of the motor mount that the scale was in elevation and that the other side, the scale was for latitude. I needed to study my new equipment much more closely before I ever started to put it up. The motor manual didn't mention anything about the different scales. It probably would have helped if the sun hadn't been quite so low in the sky when I was trying to do this. I do see how critical having a plumb mounting surface is. I did have to do a web search on the address that Gary Gnu gave me. I should be awww.satcalculator.freehostia.com. I do have some LOS issues with where the dish is mounted, but as I said, this is a temporary installation. All the rednecks out there would be proud of me. It's incredible what you can do with a couple of C-clamps, furniture clamps, and a ratcheting tie down strap. Again thanks to all who helped.

[Gary Gnu]

Sorry about that bad link....my fingers got ahead of me...LOL

Please edit the link in your post...no live links allowed. If you delete it and add it back with a / in front that will kill it.

Good to hear youre running...

[Wrencher1954]

Thanks again Gary Gnu, and thanks for keeping me out of trouble