₦airaland Forum

George_D:
Season 3? Oh my gosh! Are we really here now?
Ok, looks like time is ripe for me to sharpen my armoury.
I'm going after Astra 2D-after I succeed in pulling down
star one C2 and Echostar 3 . Anyone care to join me?

olofofo:
it's down over here ooooooooooooooo, can someone else confirm that it is working?

Enigma:
@ all

The strongest transponder list is a very useful tool; I have one for European satellites covering about 30 or so satellites. But it is not going to be useful for Nigeria/W Africa; people with installation experience over there have to supply the information; this may be by providing individual lists (no matter how small) or giving information of experience with a particular satellite. Interestingly, I know that such information is already scattered throughout the two FTA threads; however, what we need to do is to have a list and place it on the FTA sticky thread.

Edited Another thing: the list will have to be regional or even there might need to be more than one list e.g. list for Lagos, for PH, Abuja, Accra and other parts of Ghana etc though even one list could be useful as a general indicator.

olofofo:
@f_marshall

how u dey. i tire pass tyre!

George_D:
@F_Marshal,
I'm afraid your request will be a bit difficult to grant.[/color] Reason being that these
transponders are not cast in stone. A 'strong and active' transponder today
may be a very dead transponder the next day. Just take GTV for example
(formerly on W4 but now gone) and MSNBC (also formerly on W3a).
So, your best bet is to always visit lyngsat for an update of active transponders
when and if you need them.
As for coverage area, you can also use the EIRP map to confirm such a bird's
footprint. Hope this helps?

toxnaija:
F_Marshal,
I enjoyed every bit of the Chaparral documentary.Anyway,it's my field.

F_Marshal:
  [size=14pt]ATTENTION:[/size]

@ Twinstaye, Olofofo, Badaru, Adawest, Enitan2002, Toxnaija, Gangsta101, Jujukemist, Maddox, Enigma and others. I know Enigma is in the UK, but over there, he receives most if not all the European birds receivable in Nigeria.

To help Newcomers and Seasoned Hobbyists to aim their dish during installation, can you guys put together a list of "Strong and Active Transponders" on all the Birds receivable in Nigeria? This will go a long way in reducing the amount of time spent guessing and looking for a "Strong" working Transponder on a Bird during initial satellite/dish setups.  Here is an example of what I'm referring to on Satelliteguys.

broucher: I Only have one dish , just experimenting with it. I actually moved it from nilesat position to the east following euteslat w4, I started by 12minding ht and 3am I had lost all signals and couldn't get my Nilesat back.  Again I tried Hotbird by manually following the dstv dish at my end to the east this morning, but by1pm I had achieved nothing.

well the good news is that with olofofo on the phone i was to re -position back to nilesat. ( Take note it wasn't possible to track nilesat again with my ecolink, i had to use strong box to track Intelsat 7/10k, I got MBC4 at this point.  So I  now switched back to the Ecolink at that signal and was able to get nilesat.  I guess am gonna see the game now, that has been my experience for today.   

Thanks again for this forum for their encouragement.

Gangsta101:
All for the love of Nilesat . well Olofofo, more than anyone else, i'm truly happy for you my man. That Echolink decoder makes nilesat a 'must have'. thank God urs is in the kitty.


Enigma,

fortunately for me, most of my really qood friends are lawyers. Just impressed to know you are one also.

for all those using both echolink and strong
having the two receivers opening different packages causes a bit of a problem. let's say you want to watch the premiership on saturday, while the spanish la liga is going on, how do u shuffle between both receivers. i tried looping out a wire from the echolink, via the IF out port, into the LNB in of the strong receiver so i could have both receivers functioning at the same time, but no signals were going through (i have tried this before with a strong and dvb card and it worked), i reversed the connection, even powered off the LNB from each one of the receivers in turn(under the installation menu), just in case theres was a conflict in the power supply to the lnbs, but all to no avail.
so guys, is there a way around this.

George_D:
@gangsta,
Why don't you just use a simple 2-way splitter to feed each reciever directly with its own LNB signal?
That way there will be no conflict.

enitan2002:
@ F_marshal,
boy, you kala too much oooo, something wey big for my mouth to talk, you talk am.
At least the guy had asked before if he'll be welcome wholeheartedly, who knows maybe this is another 2nd adewest you guys are trying to pursue away from here.

It's all good! A new day a new adventure! Apologies rendered.

@ george_D,
abeg, leave Marshal to spill out his venom here oooo, or do you want him ta take that out of his kids or his installation, am sure he'll be ok after writing that. Most times it feels good to spill out your anger instead of keeping it within, and taking it out on others who are very close to you.

Enitan2002!!! Enitan2002!!! Enitan2002!!!  Easy on your pronouncements! Let's not get personal.

George_D:
@F-Marshal,
You have to cool it. No need to vent your spleen on the dude. I'm sure it was an adventure gone wrong and he has must have
learned his lesson by now.
Keep your cool and reserve your energy for better things.

fxproff: all

Hello friends: OK, here we go.
Load BIN:
Download bin 189 (or most current version) from this site & load it on your receiver. Forget about the channel or keys part of it, just load the bin (firmware) using the STB Tool (Loader). Be sure to unzip / extract / open files after download both Loader & Bin. (right click on icon) If you don't do this, you won't find Bin in Loader.
Factory Reset:
Next go to Menu hit OK, go down to System Setting, go over & down to DataBase Reset, hit OK, enter PIN "0000", go down to Factory Set, hit OK, select YES, next select English. (now you have wiped unit clean to start over)
System Settings:
Next go to Menu on receiver, go down to System Setting, go over to Time Setting, hit OK, go down & turn ON Summer Time, Hit Exit 1 time & save it. This will allow the correct time to load for Channel Guide. (if where you live, you don't have daylight savings time, disregard this step).
Options:
Next go back up to Installation, hit right arrow, enter pin code "0000", go down to Options, hit OK, leave all settings as they are, go all the way down to last option, Renumbering local CH, select your City & State for your local channels, save changes & hit Exit 1 time.
LNBs:
Go back up to Dish Setting, set up LNBs to work correctly, depending which LNBs you are using. (I use 2 Legacy Twins w/ SW-21 Switch or I use 1 Legacy Quad w/no switch, it's built in)
Dish Settings 110:
Satellite, 110.0W Echostar 6, 8
LNB Power, ON
LNB Type, Legacy Twin LNB1
LNB Freq, 11.250
22KHz, OFF
DiSEqC Switch, 1.0
Committed, 1
Legacy SW, ON (OFF if you use 4X1 DiSEqC Switch for 2
Dishes / DN & BEV)
* After selecting these settings, you should see 2 full green bars & a window in upper right corner that should appear with (EchoStar 110 West).
Next go back up to Satellite & select 119.0 W Echostar 7.
Dish Settings 119:
Satellite, 119.0W Echostar 7
LNB Power, ON
LNB Type, Legacy Twin LNB2
LNB Freq, 11.250
22KHz, OFF
DiSEqC Switch, 1.0
Committed, 2
Legacy SW, ON (same applies as above)
Verify Shift:
* Again, same as above but this time you should see (EchoStar 119 West).
* If you do not get the corresponding Satellite to appear in upper right corner, it will not get both Sats, so try changing settings until this works.
Now go back & select 110w to check if it switches, then do the same again for 119w. If these Sats shift correctly, proceed to next step. Exit 1 time to leave Dish Setting page.
Autoroll:
Go down to Autoroll Options, hit OK, everything should be ON, (if not change it) save changes & exit.
Auto Scan 110:
Now you are ready to scan the satellites. Go up to Auto Scan, hit OK, select (110.0 W Echostar 6, , now hit OK 1 time to highlight Sat (be sure it is highlighted), go right arrow, then up to Network Search, turn this ON (you will get more channels), now go down to Scan & hit "Press OK" to start scan. (When scan is near complete note number of channels found.)
Auto Scan 119:
Next select 119.0 W Echostar 7, repeat last step above, Network Search should should still be ON, confirm this & begin scan.
* (Tip), to be sure you get both Sats, go back to Dish Setting page & select 119 & check for 119 to appear in upper right corner to verify, prior to beginning this scan. (see: Verify Shift)
Notes:
After last scan is complete, hit exit 3 times (punch out) to return to TV. Sometimes it helps to select a low number channel near 100 to start with, wait 2-3 minutes. Also try this: Open Key Edit page by selecting 8282 with remote, wait 2-3 minutes, it should roll in. If not, try a unit reboot (power OFF, wait 10 seconds, Power ON). Still no TV, the problem will be keys. For this, check for current keys & enter them manually if all else fails.
I have had problems in past because I didn't verify current keys prior to scans. So if it seems not right, just go back & do another Factory Reset & start over again, after your sure about the keys.
It's good practice to repeat this process, you will be able to remember it better if you do it a few times.
Tips:
All info above is assuming you have the correct dish / LNBs / and the dish pointed & locked in correct position / correct switch (if needed). A good signal from a Satellite Meter is recommended. To be able to get both Sats you must have dish skewed to correct angle for your area. We have links for good Satellite Calculators. (This is an exact science, guesswork is for the lottery).

Hope this will help a lot of folks. It might not agree with all, but it works,, not theory. Now get busy & watch free TV, SatelliteJunkie

Why do people take pleasure in pointing people to wrong directions?? My advise to you, consult lyngsat, study your satellite locations and foot prints, then post on issues regarding Satellites around Nigeria and Africa in General!!!!

Enigma:
Hi F_Marshal

So far Nagra 3 has been holding up for the last one year or so; recently one or two providers (especially Premiere and Polsat) just went fully Nagra 3 and one or two more are expected to go that way.

There are at least two theories about the status/impregnability of Nagra 3: (a) that it is several times tougher than Nagra 2 and will be difficult to break; (b) that some people are already close to breaking it but are still holding their fire so that the other intending providers can also go to Nagra 3 (in other words, they don't want to break it too early).  I don't really know which theory is more accurate though I incline towards the first.

Having said that, it was thought that Irdeto 2 was impregnable but many brands of receiver are receiving JSC+ and other Irdeto channels; also the Gamma and the Abra cards are still doing Irdeto channels, so you never know.

Gangsta101: F-Marshall,

i wanted to ask about you, so u were in Nigeria all this while, wish i was in lagos, would have been nice to run into u. anyways, one of these days.
hope u have a safe trip back.

toxnaija:
F_Marshal,
thanks for the compliments.thank God you arrived safely. I am waiting for the call.

olofofo: I had a pleasant visit from the field marshall himself. F_Marshall  on holiday in Naija from the US and true to his words, he dropped by at my humble abode. he asked of everyone that i know, Badaru, Enitan, OLA, TOX etc and filled him in. he's  such nice gentleman, a true satenthusiast. many thanks for the visit sir.

Olofofo……… It was a pleasure meeting you too.  You’re a very nice man.  Your setup is awesome. Showtime LIVE!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks to our Nigeria Lufthansa Officials, I was 1 day late coming back to Boston, USA. The bastards sold my seat to someone else!!!!! You made a believer out of my nephew and his friends………………they are now all NILESAT ADDICTS!!!!

Toxnaija:
F-Marshal,
Thanks for the great visit to the studio this afternoon.You really surprised me.Waoh!we took pictures.This is exactly what I have been telling members who rubbish others.We are all respected people in the society.You and Butoneday really made my week.I wish you journey mercies back to Boston tomorrow.he spoke to Adewest on the phone too.Did you watch the news as promised?


Tox my Man!!!! You’re rally a gem in the broadcasting industry!! I was  privileged to meet you live!!!! What a wonderful individual you are!! You sound so Nigerian in person, but when you begin to cast the news, a different intonation (Oyibo) appears. How in the world do you have time to indulge yourself in the satellite hubby? You’re so busy with narration, voice-over and News casting and proof reading, I wonder how you have time to search for new channels!!!

@ Adawest…… It was nice talking to you, and I have to thank Toxnaija for that opportunity. Keep up the good work. I will Buzz you soon!!

@all I wish I had met a lot more Nairalanders!!! You will be reading more from me in the next coming days.  Anyone tracked Hotbird yet

Ecowas4All:
@F_Marshal
I confirm your bit on W3A that has been going on for almost 3 days now, in fact today should be the 4th day for MSNBC. I also noticed that prior to that change W3A had been pretty stable beyond what i was used to, i.e. the usual daytime outages had been stabilised and i used to watch MSNBC throughout the day. Now with MSNBC gone even MBC1 & 2 which had been stable crack up during the day.
I must also not that i had eventually picked signals for Go Africa and Ariane TV from Cameroon. As of now Go Africa still shows green while Ariane is also Off due to signal loss.
I also noticed the ZIMBO guys from Angola and had been wondering what was amiss. Thanks for the info, that helped.

George_D:
@F_Marshal,
Thanks for the link. Maybe for the big, motorised dish grounding is not a problem. Most standard manufacturers do provide points where you can groung them but it's not so for the smaller 90cm pan dishes-and that's a big problem. But I still think that pauxis lnb is more prone to thunder damage than any other. Ever since I changed to strong, I've not had any of such problems.

George_D:
@olofofo,
I'm waiting. Just tell me when you have dispatched the items.

And, about the pauxis LNB you asked adewest in your post a few days back. Please I beg you, forget about that LNB. It may appear to be cheap and when you but it, it may work for a while, but it won't last long. And, God help you if you live in a thunder-prone area. I've had a very nasty experience with these pauxis stuff now twice. The first time it almost destroyed my reciever. I have to do firmware re-installation. The second time, it destroyed my diseqc swtich. I had to replace the swtich and LNB.
So, my brother stay off that pauxis for your own good.

George_D:
@F_Marshal,
Thanks for those two links. They are self-explanatory.
I put the magnetic compass into use this morning double-checking the azimuth of all my installed dishes. I was amazed at how precise dishpointer was at giving out details of satellite directions for my longitude and latitude. Men, I have been really working blindly!

obnelly:
GeorgD,Great job .[size=14pt]what is now the diff between magnetic compass and satfinder .[/size]
tOX9JA I HEAR YOU

Pitodenze i miss you ooo.you are likely get 2m national there but the chance is slim but no crime in trying.

George_D:
@Obnelly,
I eventually got the magnetic compass yesterday-after sweating it out, driving round the city and making enquiries. Believe me, it's shows more than the 'east-west' you talked about in your post. Now, imagine how quick and easy our dish installations will be when we don't have to spend countless hours under the sun guessing the exact direction to aim our dish. You know the east (because that is where the sun rises). You know the west (because that is where the sun sets). But between those two points, you have to swing your dish left and right, groping in the dark hoping you get a signal for the bird you are tracking. But what about if you knew maybe that the bird you are tracking is 166 degrees from your magnetic north and you have a compass to point you to the exact direction? In that case, you have have a smaller arc to concentrate your efforts on and all you need to do is adjust the elevation of your dish and, wham! You have your green!
In my candid opinion, every hobby has it's list of essential equipment which makes it enjoyable. If you're a golfer you need your golf bag with all the kits. If you're the regular weekend footballer, you need your training kits and all. For those really serious in pursuing FTA as a hobby, an investment in the essential tools shouldn't be such a big deal.
[size=14pt]As for me, I'd rather have my sat finder, magnetic compass and plumb by my side during installations. That way, I could spend 10% of my time doing the actual tracking of the bird while I spend the rest 90% fine tuning my LNB and getting all the available transponders to come out, rather than the other way round.[/size]

olofofo:
bros long time. did you get my email?

From toxnaija: all,
according to Adewest,the premiumlazer lnb has the same strength as fuji.I am on my way to the barracks right now to check the evening signal for hotbird aand nilesat on 1.8m dish.
the 2M on nilesat is not the same as the one that shows premiership on W6.
I think we should all wait for adewest to return to Lagos in January for upgrading of our systems.The calls were just overwhelming for both of us yesterday.All enquiries on premiership feeds and hotbird should be directed to him.His e-mail address and phone numbers are on the thread.thanks to all who called for confirmation.again,let me confirm to you that PAKSAT,W6-2M NATIONAL,NILESAT AND HOTBIRD ARE RECIEVABLE ON 1.8M IN LAGOS.WITH 2.4/3M DISH,ALL TRANSPONDERS WOULD COME OUT. my advice is you get Adewest to do the upgrading because it is not just the lnb that performed the magic but his expertise on dish allignment and analysis.so forget about just changing your lnb,get a perfect allignment.