Among ordinary, untrained users, there is an opinion that it is almost impossible to independently install and configure a satellite system. In fact, this is not true at all. Below - simple instructions for “dummies”, on how to independently install and configure a satellite dish without calculations, satellite finders and other attributes of professionals. If you are a professional installer, then the material below is unlikely to be of interest to you.

Although any information can now be found on the Internet, I still tried to collect all the basic information I received on one page - for convenience. I’ll just try to tell you in my own words and with pictures how I installed and configured the satellite system. I’ll say right away that the installation of ONLY an offset fixed antenna is being considered, and not a direct focus or motorized one. And yet, it is possible that no matter how hard you try, you may not be able to install and configure the antenna yourself. Then you will have to invite a professional installer. It’s hard for me to imagine how this could be, but I’ve seen people on the forums struggling for a couple of days in useless attempts to set up the antenna. In other cases, by independently selecting components and installing it yourself, you can save some, sometimes considerable, amount. Besides everything else, I personally was just interested in installing everything myself. What is the difference between installing and configuring the system “by eye” and professional installation? Almost nothing. With the exception of a more accurate initial calculation (which allows significant time savings), the mounting system and the principle of antenna tuning are the same.

Warning: All work related to heights and electricity is life-threatening!!! If anything causes the slightest concern, do not take risks, trust the professionals!!! Self-installation you produce at your own peril and risk!!! In any case, remember about safety precautions and that all dangerous work at height is carried out only by professionals with proven safety equipment!!!

List of basic concepts

TV satellite- a spacecraft located in geostationary orbit of the Earth and sending television signal to a certain territory of the Earth via a transponder. All satellites are located in the equatorial plane, so they are at the same latitude, but differ in longitude. In addition to the name, they also have a longitude designation. For example, Amos 4W means that the satellite is called Amos and is located at 4 degrees west longitude (W is West). Hotbird 13E is a satellite of Hotbird, located at 13 degrees east longitude (E is East). Based on the fact that satellites are “fixed” at certain points in orbit, they also have certain coverage areas of the Earth.

Transponder– a transceiver located on the satellite. It is characterized by the width and direction of the sent beam and the broadcast frequency. Broadcasting is carried out in two main bands - C-Band and Ku-Band. Mostly American and Russian satellites broadcast in the C band (4 GHz), and European satellites broadcast in the Ku band (10.700-12.750 GHz). Broadcasting is carried out in linear or circular polarization. Which in turn differ into vertical (V) and horizontal (H) for linear polarization and left (L) and right (R) for circular polarization. When they say “signal from transponder 11766H”, they mean a transponder broadcasting at a frequency of 11766 MHz with a horizontal
polarization. There are from several to dozens of transponders on a satellite
things.

Satellite antenna– main element satellite system subscriber to receive a signal from the satellite. To put it in simple words, the antenna “collects” the weak reflected satellite signal over its entire surface and focuses it to a specific point at which the converter is installed. The most common antennas are direct focus and offset. Direct focus ones are a parabolic mirror with a focus at the geometric center, while offset ones have a shifted focus (below the geometric center of the antenna). Accordingly, the converter of a direct-focus antenna is installed in the center, near
offset - shifted to the bottom. Most common in ordinary users got exactly offset antennas. They are cheap, easy to install and configure. Antennas are produced in various diameters and from various materials. The material is usually either aluminum alloy or steel. There are non-rotating antennas (rigidly fixed) and antennas with an actuator (motor suspension). The motorized suspension rotates the antenna at specified angles and allows you to receive signals from a huge number of satellites in the field of view. Setting up the latter is not very easy for a beginner. The antenna size is selected individually, depending on the signal strength needed to view the satellite. The antenna diameter must be selected with some margin, since precipitation (heavy rain, snow) creates significant interference with the satellite signal. This is especially true for the Ku-band. But there is no need to go to extremes - if an antenna with a diameter of 0.9 m is enough, absolutely
it is not necessary to buy a 1.5m antenna - it weighs more and its area is larger
more exposed to wind.

Converter– a device designed to receive a satellite signal reflected from an antenna and installed on a corresponding holder at the antenna focus. The main purpose of the converter is to convert the frequency of the received satellite signal (for example, for the Ku-band it is from 10.7 to 12.75 GHz) to an intermediate one (900 - 2150 MHz), at which the attenuation of the signal transmitted in the cable will be less. Since the received satellite signal power is very low, the second important task converter - amplify it to an acceptable level for the receiving path of the receiver. Since any converter introduces its own level of noise into the signal, but is also low-noise, it is also called LNB (Low Noise Block). Converters can be designed to operate in linear or circular polarization and are selected depending on which polarization the satellite is broadcasting in (for example, popular NTV+ packages are broadcast in circular polarization and a universal linear polarization converter, despite the name “universal”, is not suitable for reception). If the converter is universal, it switches to the specified polarization with a voltage of 13/18 V supplied by the receiver. 13 V - vertical polarization, 18 V - horizontal. One more nuance: converters come with 1 output, 2 outputs, 4 outputs, 8 outputs. Based on how many independent viewing points will be installed, a converter with the appropriate number of outputs must be installed, since all converter outputs are independent.

Multifeed– holder for additional converter. Since the satellites are located in geostationary orbit relatively close to each other (according to
certain standards), it is possible to simultaneously receive a signal on one antenna using a multifeed from several nearby satellites. A classic example is 3 satellites (Hotbird 13E, Sisius 4.8E, Amos 4W) received on 1 fixed antenna. As a rule, a converter is installed on the main (focal) antenna holder, configured for Sisius 4.8E, on the 1st multifeed converter for Hotbird 13E, and on the 2nd multifeed converter for Amos 4W.

Disek (DiseqC) is a device that switches a signal from several converters to 1 cable. Since the receiver can only receive a signal from one satellite at a time, the converter corresponding to this satellite must be connected to the receiver. This is exactly what the disek does - it connects to the receiver
necessary in this moment converter There are different discs, designed to work according to a specific protocol. The DiseqC 1.0 protocol is unidirectional and is used when the number of converters is no more than 4. DiseqC 2.0 is the same, only bidirectional and compatible with 1.0. DiseqC 1.1 is used to connect more converters. Protocol 1.2 is used to control the positioner.

A coaxial cable is connected to the inputs and output of the disk via F-connectors.
I think there is no need to talk about connectors and cables - everything is clear here. However, the cable must have a characteristic impedance of 75 Ohms, be made of high-quality materials that can withstand severe temperature changes and have a good shielding braid. The material of the core is steel, copper, copper-plated steel - it’s clear that it’s unlikely to work out better.

Antenna bracket– a simple metal holder that is attached to the wall (usually) and to which the antenna is attached. It must be made as securely as possible so that the wind does not tear off the antenna.

Satellite receiver– a device that receives a satellite signal from a converter and outputs it to the TV in the form of a familiar picture with sound Smile Choosing a receiver is the most difficult task when choosing a satellite system.
Receivers come in both open uncoded channels (FTA) and encoded ones, with card readers, with slots for additional decoding modules, with an emulator, with various videos outputs, with hard drive and other useful and not so useful functions. Here, as they say, there is something for every preference and every budget. There is one important point: today it is actively putting into operation satellite broadcasting in HD format (video high resolution) and MPEG4. Receivers that support these formats are usually much more expensive than regular ones. Therefore, before purchasing a satellite system, you need to decide what content you will watch and what kind of receiver you need for this. Cheap receivers are usually no different high quality image and sound, great functionality and fast switching channels. Although there are exceptions. A separate nuance is the emulator in the receiver. As its name suggests, the emulator is designed to software emulate the operation of a smart card. What is it for? Great amount channels from different satellites are protected by encodings. There are different encodings - Viaccess, Seca, Irdeto, Nagravision, Biss, etc. For example, some package of channels in Biss encoding is broadcast and you want to watch it (the antenna is tuned to
desired satellite), but you do not have a smart card. Then look for a software emulator in your receiver (usually this is listed in undocumented capabilities) and turn it on. Enter your keys channel access if everything is ok, watch it. As a rule, emulators in modern receivers support several encodings. Another application of the emulator is a phenomenon popularly called “sharing” or “card sharing”. Yes, and also, when choosing a receiver, you should pay attention to the availability and regularity of the output software. In other words, firmware. New firmware, as a rule, removes errors that occur, adds parameters for satellites, transponders, new codes for the emulator, etc.

Selection of components

To begin with, for some time I studied the Internet to familiarize myself with the issue (since I was a complete ignoramus and the concept of what a disc or transponder was was very illusory, but I still wanted to watch satellite TV). I decided what content and from which satellites I want to watch (at the end of this article you can look at the lists of the most popular channels in our area and some links), what is received in my region and what antenna diameter, and also got acquainted with the advice of experienced , among which great help Vladbel helped me, for which special thanks to him Smile In the end, for
The following satellites were selected: Amos 4W, Sirius 4.8E, Hotbird 13E for one antenna 0.95m and Eutelsat W4 36E for 0.85m. I chose http://www.agsat.com.ua/ as a Kyiv store - everything is in one place and, among other things, they are one of the sellers of original equipment of the same brand recommended by the Openbox manufacturer, and my soul was in Openbox Smile By the way, both receivers I bought in Agsat and receivers bought there for my friends were ALREADY flashed with lists of satellites and lists
favorite channels from popular satellites 4W+5E(4.8E)+13E, and this concerned not only Openboxes. Convenient for those who don’t want to bother too much with filling in favorites.

What was purchased and what were the selection criteria:

• Offset antenna 0.95m, produced in Kharkov. Painted steel. For receiving signals from Amos 4W, Sirius 4.8E, Hotbird 13E.
• Offset antenna 0.85m, produced in Kharkov. Painted steel. To receive a signal from Eutelsat W4 36E.
• Receiver Openbox X-810. Firstly, Openbox has the most powerful technical
  support (new firmware comes out almost every couple of weeks),
  secondly, excellent picture quality, thirdly, built-in emulator,
  fourthly, support for LanComBox (for fans of “sharing”Smile.
• Three universal linear polarization converters SINGLE TITANIUM TSX 0.2dB. Declared low noise level.
• One circular polarization converter SINGLE Circular INVERTO IDLP-40SCIRCL for Eutelsat W4 36E (NTV+).
• Two multifeeds.
• Two antenna brackets.
• Disc signal switch from 4 converters into 1 cable connected to the receiver.
• Coaxial antenna cable, characteristic impedance 75 Ohm, coil 100m.
• 10 antenna screw-on F-connectors.
• 6 anchor bolts "under the nut" 8x72, washers, nuts and lock washers.
• Plastic self-tightening ties.
• Steel cable with clamps for fastening to it antenna cable and lowering him from the roof.
• Plastic box for disc.
• Lanсombox is a device for sharing (anyone who wants can search for the term “card sharing” with any search engine)Smile.

The budget for all this stuff was 1346 hryvnia or ~$270.

Installation

The antenna must be installed in the line of sight to the south. Direct means that there should be no obstacles in front of the antenna in the form of houses, trees, etc. It is for this reason that the most optimal places to install antennas are balconies and roofs. Since my windows are on the ground floor and are not directed to the south, it was decided to install the antennas on the roof. Fortunately, the roof of my typical panel 9-story building is flat, which makes installation easier (if there is no free access to the antenna with more than 1 converter after installing it on the bracket, see below *). What did I need on the roof besides the antennas and their mounts:

• Hammer with drills with pobedit tips. The diameter of the drill is chosen slightly smaller than the diameter of the anchor bolt. Much less is not possible - the anchor will not fit into the wall. Any more - it will “lobble” and it won’t really be possible to tighten it.
• Phillips screwdriver.
• Socket wrench 10.
• Socket wrench 13.
• Adjustable wrench.
• Hammer.
• Paper cutter (for stripping cables for connectors).
• Wire cutters.
• Receiver with remote control.
• Small TV.
• 220V with extension cord for 3 sockets.

The most interesting questions are where to point the antennas? How to determine the direction? How to set up antennas without a satellite finder (a device for setting up satellite dishes costs from $400)? Since in my case it was decided to make the adjustment “by eye”, I decided to determine the direction logically simply - I just looked at where the antennas on the neighboring roof were pointing and
decided to turn mine in the same direction/

An antenna with 3 converters - definitely Sirius, Hotbird, Amos - we have a lot of these and installers mainly install them. Looking at the neighboring houses, you can find many of them and they are all directed in the same direction. That is why I had no doubts. To the left of it with one converter - probably NTVshnaya - we also have enough of those. If you don’t have such guidelines, then the situation is worse. You need to determine the south direction and try to point the antenna there. Once again, an indispensable condition is that in front of the antenna there should under no circumstances be any visible obstacles in the direction of the satellite!!! Among other things, in a situation where the antenna is installed under someone’s balconies or canopies, make sure that
streams of water or snow from the top visor do not fall directly on your antenna. This does not bode well for the reception.

It is to this elevator shaft that I decided to attach my antennas:

It’s unsightly, of course, on the roof, but this is not a European-quality renovation of the apartment Smile Defined
installation location, marked the holes for the brackets, drilled them with a hammer drill, hammered the anchors inside and secured the brackets (I did not photograph the further steps, so almost all photos will be from already installed systems). I won’t go into detail about fixing the brackets; I think that everything is clear about this, the work is mechanical. Still, if someone doesn’t know what an anchor bolt is, I’ll show you what it looks like:

It consists of a glass and a bolt located inside it. The bolt has a thread for a nut on one side and a thickening cone on the other. Exactly as in the figure, from left to right, carefully, so as not to damage the thread under the nut, it is driven into the drilled hole.

I recommend loosening the nut, but not unscrewing it completely, otherwise the bolt risks completely falling inside the hole, and then you won’t be able to get it out. The same applies to putting the bracket on the bolts (the nuts will still have to be removed) - make sure that the bolts do not fall inside the glass, I recommend that before putting the bracket on, pull them towards you as much as possible or tighten them a little with a nut - so that the cone fits a little into the glass and the bolts do not wobble . The glass should be flush with the wall, and the thread with the nut, respectively, should be outside the hole.

The principle of operation of an anchor bolt is as follows: when the nut begins to be tightened with a wrench, it pulls the bolt inside the glass outward due to the thread. The cone located at the end of the bolt enters the glass and expands it as much as possible inside the hole. As a result, tearing such a bolt out of the wall is far from a trivial task. That is why it is recommended to hang the bracket on self-wedging anchor bolts, and not on screws with plastic dowels.

However, the choice of fastening is a personal matter for everyone. The only thing is, if you still choose anchors, look at their quality, in particular the material and thickness of the glass. Because the anchors are made too flimsily and will hold accordingly.

When installing on a balcony, you can even drill through the wall and thread threaded rods of the appropriate length through it (these are sold in stores). They are secured on both sides with nuts.

Back to the installation.

The first was to set up an antenna with 3 converters for Sirius, Hotbird, Amos, the second was for Eutelsat 36E. At first the brackets were screwed to screw anchor bolts, later I changed them to nut ones. The screw ones turned out to be unreliable. The photo shows the first unsuccessful attempts in the form of remaining holes. By that time, the brackets were also repainted to enhance the original paint:

In the photo above, the antenna is already assembled, with converters, cable, etc. Initially, the antenna was simply assembled, hung on a bracket, and the converters and cable were attached only later. A thin metal cable - I just had extra one and I threaded it through the antenna mount and screwed it to the elevator shaft post in case the wind would tear out the anchors, so that the antenna would not dive from the roof Smile In fact, this is almost impossible, but so be it - That's what I thought. To adjust the antenna in the vertical and horizontal planes, you need to tighten the mount so that the antenna does not change its tilt on its own, but at the same time it can be moved in the planes with some effort. These are the nuts before final settings not much
tighten:

An unclamped left screw allows you to adjust the antenna in the vertical plane, 2
without clamping the right ones, rotate the antenna relative to the bracket in the horizontal plane.

Next, both multifeeds are put on the central holder of the antenna converter, converters are inserted into all holders, and everything is tightened so that the converters in the multifeeds can be turned with some effort in all
planes (cables to converters are connected later). The photo below shows what multifeeds are and how they are attached:

After this, the setup process begins. A piece of cable a couple of meters long is screwed to the central converter using an F-connector, the second end of the cable is screwed to the receiver. From some site I have pictures of what an F-connector is and how to screw it onto a cable correctly.

The receiver is connected to the TV, only after that the 220V power is turned on. An important point - when screwing an F-connector onto a cable, you must carefully ensure that the thin conductors of the cable shielding do not short-circuit with the central core, otherwise the receiver can be damaged!!!

I turn on the TV, receiver, go to the Installation-Search for channels menu. In the list of satellites on the left, I select Sirius 2/Ku 4.8E - it is to this satellite that the rigidly fixed central converter will be configured. From the menu on the right I select:

• LNBP: On(turn on converter power)
• LNBP Type: Universal(universal type of converter, according to the ones I purchased)
• LNBP Freq: 10600/9750(indicated on converters)
• 22Khz: Auto(I leave the signal to switch the disk)
• DISEqC: None(I’m leaving it this way, since the signal is connected directly for now, and not through a disk)

Further yellow button Using the remote control, I go to the Transponder submenu and select the transponder on which I will search for a signal (I advise you to write out in advance several transponders selected from satellites with different polarizations and REALLY WORKING free-to-air channels (FTA). The list can be found at the links below.

For example, in my case, to begin with, it will be a 11766H transponder, broadcasting at a frequency of 11766 MHz with horizontal polarization. For convenience, the signal quality can be displayed on Full Screen Info button. I will be guided by the lower “Quality” scale:

What do we see in this photo? A bleak picture, signal quality - 0%! Actually, what should you expect? The antenna is still “looking” towards the satellite very approximately.

Next comes the most difficult moment, which requires a lot of endurance - this is adjusting the antenna in planes. Why is a shutter speed necessary - literally a few millimeters, and there will be no signal. It’s not that it will be bad, but it won’t exist at all! The setup is as follows - you need to install the antenna in some vertical position, in my position it was approximately like this:

After this, you need to very, very smoothly rotate the antenna in the horizontal direction and at the same time carefully look at the quality scale, first in one direction, and if the scale does not change from 0, then in the other. When it is discovered that the quality scale has increased to at least 10-15, this is already the first success, you can stop and take a breath. If it is not possible to find a signal in the entire horizontal plane, you need to slightly change the vertical angle of the antenna and begin moving again in the horizontal plane until the signal appears. When at least some signal is found: now you need to try to move the antenna even more smoothly left and right and achieve the maximum level of signal quality. Having achieved this, you need to try to achieve an even larger signal by very smoothly moving the antenna up and down. After this you can try
slightly rotate the converter around its axis in the holder (there are marks on the converter for this purpose):

The maximum signal can be achieved ONLY by combining all these adjustments. Another nuance - if you cannot find a signal under any conditions, and you have double-checked everything, including the receiver settings, 100 times, it makes sense to try another converter; perhaps this one is faulty. I get the maximum signal level that I can get:

It would seem that you can calm down and tighten all the adjustment screws? No matter how
So! After all, the adjustment was made for a transponder broadcasting in horizontal polarization (there is a letter H in the picture at the end of the 2nd term), but you also need to configure some transponder in vertical (V) polarization:

In my case, turning the converter in the holder counterclockwise helped to achieve better signal quality in vertical polarization.

After this, you can scan the transponders (look in the documentation with your
receiver, how to do this) and visually see whether the channels are received and whether they correspond to the selected satellite:

When signals in horizontal and vertical polarizations are at their maximum
What can be pulled out, it is necessary to tighten all the adjusting nuts that are not fully tightened. And there is one unpleasant moment - when you tighten the nut, the antenna slightly changes its direction, and the signal quality can noticeably decrease! So you also need to tighten it very carefully. Everything, the antenna and the first converter are configured. I turn off the receiver from the outlet, wind the cable from the central converter to the converter on the left (to the one on the multifeed, if you look at the antenna
front), turn on everything, select Hotbird 13E in the menu, the same menu settings on the right as for Sirius, select a working transponder and try to set the maximum signal quality. Only this time I’m not adjusting the antenna, but the converter itself on the multifeed. It can move in all planes relative to the antenna focus - left, right, up, down, forward, backward:

All nuts are tightened when the signal is maximum. Don't forget about checking
both polarizations. I scan Hotbird's transponders and check some free channels visually.

I turn everything off again, twist the cable to the 3rd converter, turn everything on, select Amos 4w and configure it. Everything is the same. After this, the setup of the first antenna can be considered complete.

Second antenna. Which I am going to configure on Eutelsat W4 36E (NTV+). It’s simpler here - there’s only one converter. Moreover, since it is circularly polarized, it is not very important how it will be deployed inside the holder. It is best to have the cable facing down so that sediment does not accumulate on it:

Accordingly, you need to adjust the antenna in the horizontal and vertical planes. I turn everything off and reconnect the cable to this converter. The settings according to the purchased converter are as follows:

I set up the second antenna, check the antenna in both polarizations on different
transponders. Since the converter is designed for circular polarization, are checked not for H and V, but for L and R (left and right).

That's all. You can turn everything off. Now you need to switch the signal through the disk.

My disc has 1 output to the receiver, designated REC, and 4 inputs for
converters called 1,2,3,4. I connect the converters like this:

1. Sirius
2. Hotbird
3. Eutelsat

The connection is simple - a segment is connected to each converter
cable connected to the corresponding disk input. If you install one antenna with 1 converter, then you don’t need a disc. If there is one antenna for 2 converters and the disk has 2 free ports, it’s okay. The disk is installed not far from the antennas and, preferably, is placed in a waterproof box (I bought it at an electrical goods store) so that precipitation does not fall on it:

Holes for ventilation are desirable in the bottom of the disc box. Acute
Cable bend angles are not allowed! The F-connectors on the converters are closed either with the included caps or with heat-shrinkable tubing:

By the way, in the above photo you can see the distances between the converters and their angles of inclination. On the right is the antenna aimed at Eutelsat W4.

I configure the disk drive protocol (in my case 1.0) and the distribution of converters according to the inputs (ports) of the disk drive in the receiver menu:

The pictures show which converters are assigned to which inputs (ports) of the disk (to which satellite). 0/12V: On only for LanComBox. If you don’t have it, then you don’t need to turn on 12V. I save the changes and check if all the disk inputs are working (that is, all configured satellites have a signal).

Someone may have a question: “why not immediately connect all the converters to the disk, register all the inputs and configure the antennas?” The answer is simple - if the disk is really not working, you will waste a LOT of time and nerves trying to create a signal that cannot be found by definition. Among other things, without a disc you can quickly determine whether the converter you bought is working.

I tighten the cables with ties so that nothing dangles. Remains not a stretch
attach the cable to the cable, lower the cable down and tighten it. Install cable in the apartment, connect the receiver, TV and watch satellite TV Smile

Here's what I ended up with on the roof:

*- If there is no access to the antenna after installing it on the bracket:

when there is only one converter on the antenna, everything is clear, nothing complicated - it is fixed
rigidly on the antenna, the antenna is hung out of the window (or somewhere else) on a bracket, and adjusted in the vertical and horizontal planes all from the same window (return to the warning at the beginning of the instructions!!!). What should you do if you need to configure 1 additional converter (or more) on the multifeed? At the dacha, I did this: I screwed the bracket to an old high cabinet, put the assembled antenna on it, placed the whole structure in front of a wide open window and set it up that way. By the way, a curious moment - with the first switching on, with approximate antenna tilts, without additional settings, I received a quality level on Sirius of more than 70%! I couldn’t believe my eyes. In a word, I set up all 3 converters in this form, carefully clamped everything, hung the bracket outside the window and hung the antenna with the already configured converters on it. All that remains is to adjust it in planes.

An important point when installing satellite antennas at high altitude: in addition to safety precautions and insuring yourself, first of all, when hanging the antenna on a bracket or mast, always protect the antenna. Just imagine
imagine what an antenna from above could do to the head of a random passer-by or to the body of an expensive BMW.

Another thing - many people recommend grounding antennas installed on the roof,
however, some installers are vehemently opposed to this. I'm inclined to conclude that grounding the antenna still won't hurt.

We have little in Kazakhstan television channels especially in Russian. I decided to buy a kit for satellite television. I wanted to buy the cheapest one, but after studying the materials I found on the Internet, I decided to buy the Korean receiver Openbox-1700 because... It can receive scrambled channels, has frequent firmware updates, and is inexpensive. I live on the 8th floor, I decided to install the plate on a bracket behind the balcony in order to be able to adjust it, I took a smaller all-metal plate 1.5 m with a triangular support. The support is ready; the plate is assembled and installed on the support. Now you need to point it at the satellite (Yamal 90g). You can do this by placing the shadow of the converter (gun) on the plate if there is a working plate nearby - by turning the plate and using rods, achieve the same position of the shadow of the gun on your plate, see Fig. 1. Can be sketched in certain time position the shadow on another plate, if it is far away, then at the same time place your plate. I installed the dish according to the azimuth and elevation that I determined using the Satellite program Antenna Alignment(SAA) which can be downloaded from the websitehttp://www.al-soft.com/saa/saa.exe . To determine the azimuth and elevation angle of the satellite, you need to know the coordinates of your area, which can be found on the websitehttp://www.heavens-above.com/countries.asp . Using the SAA program, you can determine the azimuth to the sun, as well as the azimuth of the satellite, at any time. On the site for installing the plate, draw a line in the direction of the shadow from the plumb line, and mark exact time. Using the program, determine the azimuth to the sun for this time. Calculate the difference in azimuths between the sun and the satellite and draw on the site using a protractor the direction to the satellite, setting it aside from the line drawn earlier, set the plate in this direction, see Fig. 2. Using the SAA program, you can also determine the time at which the sun is at the same azimuth with the satellite and rotate the dish at this time towards the sun so that the shadow of the gun is on the vertical axis of the dish. Now you need to set the antenna elevation angle, see fig. 3, for this we will use the same SAA program. You need to take a ready-made protractor or make one yourself, attach it to the rail and adjust the rod to set the required antenna elevation angle, see fig. 3.

Setting up the dish can be simpler - set the elevation angle of the antenna using a protractor and turning the antenna in azimuth (the platform must be horizontal - set according to the level), literally by millimeters, catch the satellite - the receiver must be pre-configured. The converter is pre-set to division 38-40. You don’t have to install the depolarization plate right away, but install it after you catch the satellite, thenthe position of the converter and plate is adjusted according to the largest signal.

Receiver setup.

Before catching a satellite, you need to configure the receiver, in in this case Openbox-1700, the settings of different receivers are different, but the principle is the same.

In the channel search menu, select Antenna setting (or antenna settings) and enter the parameters in the window that opens.

2. LNB type (converter type) - 5150 (for C converter)

3. DiseqC port - off. (for one converter)

4. Drive settings (motor suspension, positioner) - disable

5. 22 kHz (switch 0-22 kHz) - off.

6. Switch 0-12v - 0v.

7. LBN Power - On.

8. FTA only (open) - no.

Let's move on to the next window.

In the channel search menu, select manual search and enter the parameters in the window that opens.

1. Satellite - select Yamal 201(102)

2. Frequency - select the desired one by clicking on the arrows or enter from the remote control - 03645. Parameters for satellites can be taken from the website

6. Network search- No.

7. Only open - no.

8. Start searching - OK on the remote control (after you configure the antenna and the signal appears on the scale at the top).

The receiver will find the channels on this transponder, click OK, and enter the parameters of the next transponder as described above.

A lot of people are wondering how to receive 90 degrees in two bands and not buy a second antenna. After all, reception requires large antennas, but they are quite expensive and, moreover, their installation does not add aesthetics to the environment.

Of course, there is a solution to buy a factory combined C + KU. But it can be several times more expensive for the purchase of individual converters. In some cases it is difficult to find just a C converter, but here it is also a combined one. Moreover, both the homemade one and the factory one will have the same reception and the latter will still have to be modified (polarizer, horn or something else). You can’t provide for everything, that’s why, and to save money, I decided to make my own combined C+KU converter.

In any case, I showed a separate C and a separate KU converter with a large margin on a solid direct focus 1.8 in diameter. After setting up the homemade product, the signal dropped by 10% - 15% on the 4100c scale on firmware version 1.3.11.

Making a combined C+KU converter

We take the C converter and put the KU converter without a cover on the back side of it, and use a pencil to draw out the contours for cutting. Some people drill holes along the contour and, after removing the tin, smooth the edges with a file. I simply cut along the contour with a small grinder.

In the C converter, I removed the depolarization pin completely (you can simply cut it through), and instead installed a piece of specially bent aluminum wire of the same diameter (so as not to interfere with the passage of the plastic tube).

We install the C converter on the already tuned antenna, adjust its depolarizer (I used the “mouth of a white shark”), and fix it.

We insert the KU into the bottom C of the converter; if there is a signal, we also adjust it and attach it to a temporary mount (you have to figure out how to do it yourself).

We take a plastic tube, without metal, the diameter of the waveguide of the converter KU (so that it fits tightly into it) and insert it on the antenna through C into the KU so that it protrudes in front of the converter C by 1.5 -2 cm. The signal will pass through it. We adjust to strengthen the signal. The tube should fit tightly so that it does not fall out due to wind fluctuations.

We check the signal C and KU and if everything is satisfactory, then we seal the junction of the converters and the hole of the depolarization pin (around the wire). I used dragon glue. I think it can be done with sealant.

After everything has dried, you can remove the additional fastening of the converter, but it is not necessary.

I am completely satisfied with this converter, I accept all channels, and it has been in service for two years now.

I recently rebuilt the signal so it’s better and there’s no need to spoil the converters

I wish you good luck as this is a painstaking task, but it’s worth it.