“You either get motorised systems, or you don’t.” True or false? According to Mark Bartlett at Solutions Group, Dorset, installing a motorised system has never been so straight forward and it’s not a case of ‘getting’ them, it’s just a case of using the right equipment and following a few simple steps.

1 Select your installation site carefully!!!!

2 There must be a clear line of sight between the required satellites and the entire surface of the dish. The line of sight must be free from obstructions, such as trees, roof tiles etc.

3 It is very important to make sure the mount is fixed to a perfectly vertical mast. Time spent measuring this accurately will save you hours later on.

4 Set the DiSEqC mount back to zero degrees by connecting the receiver to the mount. The receiver must be on for the mount to move. It’s easier to do this before fixing the H-H mount onto the mast.

5 Once you have done this, the mount should then be disconnected from the receiver.

6 Fit the H-H mount onto the mast and do the nuts up finger tight.

7 Use an inclonometer to set the H-H mount angle. See picture below.
8 This angle should be calculated from the lattitude of the installation location. See chart below for details.

9 Fit the dish on to the front of the H-H mount arm and tighten the nuts. The middle of the dish clamp must be lined up with the centre line on the H-H mount arm. See picture to the right.

10 Connect the LNB to a good quality meter, such as an EP314 from Unaohm or a handheld AD 70 meter. Firstly you will need to find Intelsat 707 at 1° west. See below for other suggested meter settings.

11 Move the dish back and forth by moving the H-H mount clamp attached to the vertical mast. Make sure the dish remains on the centre line displayed on the H-H mount arm.

12 You will also have to adjust the elevation on the dish to peak the signal. See picture below.

13 When adjusting these two movements, use the meter to measure the signal. Once the signal has peaked, tighten the dish elevation.

14 Next, move the dish back east by 1° by moving the H-H mount clamp attached to the vertical mast. This will give you the south position required. See picture below.

15 This is a small movement and with experience, can be guessed fairly accurately. Take note of the signal loss on the meter which occurs when this small movement is achieved.

16 Tighten the nuts on the H-H mount clamp attached to mast.

17 By following these instructions accurately you should now have installed your dish on the arc.

18 To test your installation, re-connect the receiver to the H-H mount.

19 With the satellite meter still connected, select Astra 28.2E on the meter.

20 Move the dish east by pressing the small east button underneath the H-H mount.

21 Peak the signal on the meter for Astra 28.2E until you believe it is as good as you can get by moving both east and west.

22 If you cannot improve the signal by leaning the dish back and forth then you have probably correctly found one side of the arc for the dish.

23 With the satellite meter still connected select Hispasat 30w on the meter.

24 Move the dish west by pressing the small west button underneath the H-H mount.

25 Peak the signal on the meter for Hispasat 30W until you believe it is as good as you can get by moving both east and west.

26 If you cannot improve the signal by leaning the dish back and forth then you have again correctly found the arc for the dish.

27 Congratulations! Hopefully you have just completed a motorised dish installation successfully.

The next step is to consult the manual for your chosen compatible DiSEqC receiver and follow the instructions.

RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT

The H-H Mount used in this guide was the SM2UNI which according to What Satellite, has been specifically designed by Sat Control to be ‘an easy product to install’ (October 2001).

The sturdy SM2UNI works with DiSEqC 1.0, 1.1 and 1.2 and is the only mount on the market which has east and west controls to allow you to align it using a meter rather than via the receiver.

The SM2UNI is available in a motorised DiSEqC pack containing a 75cm or a 90cm dish, a 0.7dB universal LNB and a wall mount and can be purchased from all Solutions Group trade counters.

The mount has a horizontal rotation range of 72°, covering the majority of satellite received in the UK. It also has the capacity to take a 110cm dish.

The Inclomometer used was the new Inclisat from Fracarro. This piece of equipment is essential to ensure the angle of the mount is set correctly. It has a large, easy to read display but also incorporates a spirit level which can be used to ensure the mast is straight.

The EP314 from Unaohm was used in this installation because it has comprehensive satellite measurement capabilities, including COFDM and QPSK. It can also measure both digital and analogue signals. Another meter we recommend is the new AD70 handheld meter. This is a digital satellite meter and measures all parameters required for an accurate installation as well as fitting into the palm of your hand.

Most digital satellite receivers can be connected to the SM2UNI as long as they support DiSEqC.