olenyi:


I now understand. Its alright. I like the offset idea you employed to solve the ''falling'' problem. Quite ingenious. Though in the conventional jacks, u manually reset the upper and lower limits to checkmate the tendency to fall when one goes too far west. Even some positioners have provisions for that.

Others design a short iron that u affix to the west side of the dish so that it stops the dish at your desired position.


And yeah, it feels good to be back. Felt like i've missed a lot. But i've brought myself up to speed by reading the posts i missed.

Regards.

@olenyi,

I've tried all those options in the past (apart from the short iron idea) but with litte success. However now that you mentioned it I will revist them and see how it plays out this time.


P.S: Have you noticed how many HD channels seem to be flooding C BAND satellites these days?

I'm so so amazed - and to think that most of them are for free!

ugasat:

What is the size of your Comstar Dish? Is it 180cm or 240cm?

@ugasat,
It's a 2.5m dish.

morning coffee + honey

perfect nerd:

Ok sir will keep my hands off it.. Excited about the pics you"er going to Upload soon!! thanks..

@perfect nerd,
Just stay tuned. I'm still working on them.

olenyi: @ Oga George_D.

Looking at ur setup got me wondering. In all my similar setup's, i usually put the normal C band in the middle for maximum signal reception. Then the other C band underneath the first one for linear satelites like intelsat 7/10 C. And the ku, i place on top as most of the ku signals have high signals and considering the dish size, a little shunting to the side wouldn't affect it much.

So am wondering if there's any special reason for putting ur ku lnb in the optimium position (middle) considering its high signals, and sacrificing the C bands dat normally need all the signals they can get?

Regards.

Ps. That ur positioner looks top-of-the-range. We are used to the normal EUROSTAR and SUPERJACK stuff.

@olenyi,
Good to see you back. My 3-in-1 set set up is one that is actually optimized for pan dish motorised but I decided to leave it that way even though
I'm using mesh. This is partly because it serves my purpose given the kind of peculiar situation I find myself. I discovered that apart from Thaicom 5, Intelsat 7/10 C and packsat 1R, every other C band satellite within my range is circular polarity. I can get to them easily by placing the linear C band lnb at the bottom.
For linear C band satellites they can all be reached easily and with good signal strength by placing the circular lnb at the top. Because of the obstruction I have on the west side of the house, placing the circular lnb in the middle may prevent signal from getting to it before reaching the obstruction. Again, like I complained in season 3 of the FTA thread, my dish is prone to falling on the west side and placing the circular C band lnb that way to be the first on the west means it can actually receive signal on offset position before the dish gets to that point where it starts to fall.

I hope some of this makes sense to you?

As for the positioner, you are right. It is not the regular positioner we are used to. This is a diseqc positioner and it has more features than the normal type. Once programmed correctly, you can move to any position you like by just changing the channels on your decoder. You don't have to memorize any of the satellite positions.

perfect nerd:

@ GEORGE, Great job, honestly u are a life saver, knowing that Comm star dish could still be useful..

pls i have a 3M mesh dish.. still new and would love to know if i can get great channels on it or better still sell it off? pls would love a reply thanks..

@perfect nerd,
Please, don't sell that dish yet! There are still very good channels on C BAND that you can enjoy! Just wait and see
snapshots of once forgotten stations dancing on my screen by the time I upload some of the stations I'm now
recieving with my 3 -in -1 COMSTAR. You'll be pleasantly amazed!

ok, thanks.

ile-naira,
bodejohn,

you guys have spoken well but experience has shown that when it comes to renewables, the chinese
promise so much and deliver so little. apart from a few solar panels like suntech most of their
products are below standard. they may work well for a while, but that is so deceptive because in
the long run they won't give you value for your money.

as for going for tested products, it only makes sense to do this especially when it comes to
renewables. why would i buy a product that i need to keep replacing when i can get one that lasts
for a longer period without breaking down? why would i buy a product that promises to supply 50z
and 220v but ends up supplying 45z and 195v? or what would you say of a so-called 'pure sine wave'
inverter that performs more like a square wave inverter? i could go on but such are the antics
of the chinese.

so having experienced these first hand, it actually makes more sense to invest in tried and tested
brands that perform as claimed. if i install a fake solar panel on my roof just because it is cheap,
imagine the inconvienience of having to climb up that roof to change out panel after panel when i
discover it is no longer putting out even half its rated power! imagine the danger involved in
installing an inverter that goes up in smoke due to overheating because its fans failed prematurely!
imagine a charge controller that can't charge your batteries to full charge no matter how long it is
left to run? again, imagine a fried charge controller struck by lightning because its acclaimed high
voltage disconnet (hvd) feature failed to activate to protect the controller when it was needed most?

these products may be cheaper than the tested name brands but do they provide the same level of
performance? i think that is the question we have to ask ourselves first. personally it makes more
sense to spend money on an expensive produst that will serve the purpose than to try and save money
by buying cheaper alternatives only to have to replace them three times over within the same period.

that is common sense to me.

nothing yet!

yeah, i guess!

ile naira,
i can see you're preparing very hard for this project of your. a dc disconnect (isolator) is absolutely essential
for safety of your equipment. i intend to incorporate that in my next upgrade.

exactly what brand of inverter are you getting? do be careful not to buy one that my not work as claimed.

inverters are the heart of any renewable energy system and its always advisable to go for the best brand you can
afford. believe me, skimping on inverters do hurt in the long run. reason: unless you plan to run your system fully
on solar power, a poor inverter will give you below average charging performance which in turn will affect battery
life. a poor and inefficient inverter will keep depleting your battery bank for the same amount of power for less
run time compared to a high quality one. lastly, a poor inverter will most likely require costly repairs in the
short term and in the long run may require frequent replacement.

spyder,
congratulations! remember to check the plumbing especially the water heaters.

they may have trapped debris in the lines which may hinder proper functioning if not
well taken care of. you can avoid this by extensive flushing of the lines prior to use.

does this tunnel guru still work with airtel?

for your information, toyota has taken over as the biggest seller across usa and europe.

who says quality does not stand out?

In my next installment, I'll be posting inside pictures with channels and corresponding
highest signal quality. I will focus mainly on the C-BAND channels.

more:

The set up: ready for work to begin:

Connecting the diseqc positioner used for tracking:

Connecting the jack:

Middle LNB remained surprising sharp even after spending over a year and half
sitting idle under the scorching sun!

I think the premium lazer II brand of lnbs are quite something!

@All,
As promised, here's the first installment of pictures from my COMSTAR renovation works
over the weekend.

Both up and down C band lnbs were changed out during the process:

figment232: because of my work schedule i dont think i wud be able to trouble shoot and fix the dish.i would rather enrol the help of a good installer.Please recommend one for me.

@figment232,
Ok, I understand.

You can call Kingsley on this number: 08066738059.

The guy is quite good on anything motorised.

I've already talked to him and he's expecting your call.

spyder880:

I understand your fears, but those are just decorative fixures without any reinforcement to support human weight. But points noted sha, thanks

spyder,

nothing do you. na joke i dey!

figment232: George D my 2.4 Comstar Dish has been down since last year.pls do u know of any good Satellite technician in town that can fix for me.?I am in warri

@figment232,

Yes, I know a good installer who can help you out but don't you think you should first give it a shot before going to call an installer?

If it was working before but now it is down, perhaps with a little knowledge from what you have gathered here so far, you could bring
that dish up again. That's what I did in my own case. As long as it was properly installed the first time, unless it was tampered with,
all the alignment should still remain intact even five years from now. So, with that out of the way you only need to trouble shoot and
find out why it is not working as it should.

In my own case I had to change both C band lnbs, I changed the jack and positioner, checked Lyngsat for active transponders which
I then used to re-track the various positions East and West and my dish is back again and better.

Surely, you can also do this? No?

auchs:
Thumb up for George_D. You have done an important work again. Viva Free to AIR. Have you cut your lnb as said you will? Whats is your findings?

@auchs,
No, I have not but I will as soon as I'm through with tidying up my dish. I was doing a lot of blind scanning yesternight.

Suddenly, my motorized dish is alive once again!

loluc90: @ George_D thumbs up,expecting the pictures as u said sir.

@loluc90,
Thanks. I will post pictures as soon as I get the chance. I noticed the middle ku LNB seems to be performing under par. It could be that
the over 12 months sitting idle in the hot outside sun may have affected it like the rest C band lnbs I changed out. I may have to change
it out also to get a clean slate.

sorry i don't think its as ugly as you're painting that car!

coffee + honey + bread!

ile naira: George, apologies for the late reply, I've been busy looking into my fears about the Lagos port and it's not good. I have had to let go of the 2v cells I was going to import. Everyone to a man said DON'T DO IT! Not with batteries anyway

On the plus side, I completely agree with you, I looked at my array design again and I've increased the voltage but reduced the current by tweaking the series/parallel layout.
I will not be needing an expensive 90 amp inverter anymore. I'd decided on 2 x 60A charge controllers anyway (to minimise damage risk and future expansion purposes just as you've implied). The charge controllers are fan-less like your Tristar which makes them smaller and less complex. I'll go and look at stacking two 3 Kw inverters too. Thanks.

Out of interest George, did you carry out any roof-loading calculations before mounting your panels on the roof?. The destination for mine is the flat roof of the car port (the optimum tilt for me is 5 degrees anyway). I could expand by using the main roof but I'd have to get up and have a good look to even begin to think about it.

hello ile-naira,
thanks for getting back. no, i didn't do any roof-loading tests (although i know that was the right thing to do). and to be honest, i was a little bit worried initially when i started increasing my solar panels but after a while i guess i became relaxed when i saw that the roof
structure was solid enough to withstand the extra loading. if i had enough space in my compound, honestly i would have gone the way of akanniade using a car port or like yourself but there was just no way to do that without causing extra shading of the panels from the main building.

as for the optimum tilt being 5 degrees i quite agree with you but again you have to remember that it will mean the panels will be lying (almost) flat to the horizontal. when newly installed you get optimum solar harvest with this inclination but with time a thick layer of dust might eventually settle on them which may not be easily removed by rain. so perhaps you may have to start thinking of incorporating periodic roof washing if you want your panels to continue performing at their best. just a thought.

@All,
I finally got round to reviving my 3 - in - 1 COMSTAR dish over the weekend. It has been down for over a Year and within
this period, I've been totally in the dark when it comes to C band issues. Now the dish is back and even better.

Thanks a lot to Lyngsat where I gleaned almost all the active transponders on the East and West. And, what a difference
a year makes in satellite technology! Apart from a few standing transponders, almost all have changed. Satellites
that once held sway more than a year ago are now obsolete!

Anyways, after changing both C band lnbs, Jack and positioner, I got a head way and I'm pleased to see most forgotten
stations back and dancing on my screen again. Apart from Ajazeera, EATV, ITV,Citzen, etc on the East side, I also got
CNN, DW-TV,TBN, Smile of a Child, JCTV and NTA on the West among others.

More details will be posted along with pictures during the week. VIVA FTA!

smajeedmc:

we are dealer for Inverto LNB in nigeria if you this lnb please send us email on pehlatv@yahoo.com or call our Head office in Dubai +971566938359

@smajeedmc,
You seem so intent on selling us these lnbs of yours. I hope they're the original type?

Anyways, you got mail!