7. Connecting the satellite antenna
In order to check the correctness of connection of external equipment, for example a satellite
antenna or converter, read the installation manual or hire a professional technician!
Good reception is conditional on the precise placement of the antenna. Even the best antenna
will cause reception problems if it is incorrectly adjusted. Even slight placement errors may
render reception impossible or considerably impair image/sound quality. Before installation
make sure that the location is suitable. The proper direction may be initially determined by
making a comparison with other antennas. There should be no objects directly in front of the
antenna, for these may block the signal from reaching the bowl! Once you select an optimal
location for the antenna, fix and adjust it initially, and then proceed to a precise adjustment.
Each antenna is fitted with regulating screws that make it possible to correct its vertical and
horizontal placement.
Adjusting is somewhat more difficult in the case of digital tuners. You cannot perform
adjustments on the basis of the image, because this appears with a certain delay. What is
more, the indicators available in the settings menu also act with a delay, and therefore
adjustment may take considerable time and be very imprecise. An antenna signal meter will be
indispensable for setting up the antenna. The meter must be connected to the antenna cable
between the converter and the receiver. This will confirm the presence of a voltage that
switches the converter from the tuner and show the signal strength for individual satellites. We
strongly recommend hiring a professional technician!
7.1 Connecting an antenna system with a positioner
USALS type positioners manufactured by Stab will guarantee the correct operation of your
Ferguson receiver. In order to connect an antenna system to a USALS positioner, you should
connect the positioner out to the LNB IN of the Ferguson receiver. The role of the positioner
installed between the mast and the antenna is to turn the bowl in such a way as to ensure that
it is directed to various satellite positions.
The USALS function considerably simplifies configuration of the antenna. The
Ferguson receiver requires that you enter the geographical coordinates of the
antenna in order to automatically calculate the angle of revolution of the motor
for individual satellites. The receiver activates the positioner automatically and
turns the antenna to the selected satellite. When a signal is locked on, you
should precisely adjust the antenna's elevation and azimuth settings in order
to optimise signal reception. When correcting the azimuth, the entire antenna
assembly and positioner revolve with respect to the mast. If initially the antenna was not
directed precisely south, you can correct this now. When you have finished with the first
satellite, all other satellites will be remembered automatically, provided that you have
introduced their satellite position values correctly.
Without the USALS function, programming of the system is much more difficult. To this end
you should use the DiSEqC 1.2 function, which turns the antenna to the selected satellite in a
nearly identical manner. Since, however, it does not take into consideration the local
geographical coordinates, the movement is effected on the basis of the prime meridian and the
equator. Therefore it is necessary to introduce corrections separately for each satellite. Due to
these difficulties, manufacturers of DiSEqC 1.2 positioners frequently provide useful software
on their websites, using which you can easily calculate the location of the satellite.
8. Connecting the terrestrial antenna (Combo models only)
There are no special antennas for DVB-T. For collection of digital television, the same antennas
as analog TV reception. There is no need to change the antenna system. It is worth to check
the quality and condition of the plant, which has so far been used for analog TV reception.
Reception problems can be weathered with old antenna systems, or grid antennas. It is
recommended to use directional antennas with signal amplifier, depending on the particular
situation you may also establish impedance transformer. Indoor antenna may be used only in
areas with high signal intensity.
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