Help scanning 110/119 with DP Pro Twin and 1020a

[jman11]

I have a dp pro twin aimed at 110 and 119 and am using a visionplus twinhan 1020a. I am getting signal from both birds. However, I am having a heck of a time getting dd to find the channels. At one point, I had it working (I scanned each bird separately using a single lnbf and then switched the lnbf to the twin). However, this stopped working and I think it was an issue of switching between 110 and 119.

I would appreciate it if someone can tell me what settings I should be using for scanning. Thanks.

[genpix]

ther is no such thing as DP Pro Twin ?
did you mean "DP Plus Twin" ?
The latter drains even more current then regular DP Twin.
and your DVB-s card simply is not able to provide it.
Hence, the problem with switching/scanning.
You may need to use power inserter, or as an alternative - connect DP receiver to the other output of DPP Twin (it would work as a power supply).

And make sure, you configure your LNBs as DishPro LNBs (bandstacked)

[jman11]

Thanks much for your help. I did indeed mean DP Twin - accidentally doubled up on the "Pro" part.

As far as diseqc settings, I could use confirmation:

1. which switch type should I be using? I have it set to v1.0 or 2.0 based upon information I read in an earlier post.

2. Should both birds be under the same port or different ports (i.e. 1 & 2)?

3. I have 22Khz set to off (again based upon info in an earlier post).

4. I left uncommitted at "disabled"

Again, thanks much. I am thrilled with DVB Dream - I have had more success with it than any other program for DVB.

[genpix]

yes,
1) diseqc 1.0 or 2.0
2) sats on separate inputs (#1 - 119, #2 -110)
3) LNB = bandstacked HI (with two default LOFs, 11250 and 14350 MHz)
4) 22khz = off
5) uncommitted = disabled

use INI files which came with DD (don't modify them).

You may need to double the time (from default values) for TP scan.
Check your preferences.

[jman11]

Thanks again for the advice. I am still having issues unfortunately. Specifically:

1. When I scan for channels, it appears that the scan on the 110 bird is actually scanning 119, as I get the same channel list (I did not change the ini files).

2. I am not getting nearly as many channels as when I use a single LNBF and focus on one bird (though I suppose this is to be expected).

My current setup:

1. Visionplus Twinhan 1020A w/ XP MCE 2005 with direct connect to Port 1 (119 side) of DP Twin.

2. VP301 connected to Port 2 (110 side) of same DP Twin acting as power injector and yes, the VP301 is plugged in

3. Strong signal on 119. I covered with tin foil the 110 side of the DP Twin to make sure the right LNBF was capturing 119. However, using the VP301 as a signal meter means a) 119 only appears to capture odd numbered transponders, and b) I can't verify that the 110 LNBF is picking up the 110 bird. I believe the vp301 has old firmware.

4. Settings as recommended above.

5. I did a voltage check on the RG6 running from the twinhan, and I was at about 19v.

Sorry to bother with the newbie problems, but I won't be able to sleep until I get this to work!

[jman11]

One more question: for amplification, are the inline amplifiers (no external power) any good, or should I look for one that takes an external power source (i.e. plugs in)?

[genpix]

two possible errors:
1) you have legacy Twin, but you think that you have DP Twin. Does your Twin have big black "DP" letters on it?
2) vp301 is not a DP receiver (I'm not familiar with vp301; I can be wrong).

One more question: for amplification, are the inline amplifiers (no external power) any good, or should I look for one that takes an external power source (i.e. plugs in)?

bigger dish is the only thing I can consider as an amplifier, sorry

inline amplifier magnifies both, signal and noise. Your Signal-to-Noise Ratio stays the same (in reality, it gets even lower, cause amplifier adds its own noise).

[jman11]

two possible errors:
1) you have legacy Twin, but you think that you have DP Twin. Does your Twin have big black "DP" letters on it?
2) vp301 is not a DP receiver (I'm not familiar with vp301; I can be wrong).

Yep, the LNBF has the big black DP on it, and I do believe the vp301 is a DP receiver, though there is a rumor that it needs to have the latest firmware, which it doesn't.

And as far as I can tell, there are no external powered amplifiers for satellites. I guess I'll go back to the manual "rotate pole 15 degrees" when I need to switch birds

Thanks again for your help.

[genpix]

one more thing:
if you want to use diseqc commands make sure you use WDM driver (and interface to that WDM driver).
If you have BDA driver installed, you have to select BDA interface (and hope that diseqc features of your card are supported in BDA interface).

[jman11]

How do I interface to that driver? I don't see a WDM option under the Device settings in the Options menu.

Also, do you know off hand if there is a WDM drive for the twinhan 1020a?

Thanks once again!

edit: I found the WDM driver for the 1020a on an old Visionplus install disk (now I know why they sent me to cdroms...)

[jman11]

Update: After trying every possible combo of drivers, software, settings, dish aiming, etc., I decided to tear apart the dp twin lnbf. Nothing like destroying something to get rid of excess frustration.

I plugged in a coax to my receiver and then to port 1. After a little playing with a voltmeter (I'm no electrical engineer, mind you) I was able to determine that port 1 is not getting any signal from the 110 side. The reverse was not true - when I plugged the coax into port 2 (110 lnbf), I found that it was getting signal from the 119 side.

I was also able to narrow it down to a little resister or diode doohickey or something that was only half attached, so I am going to get a friend of mine who is an electrical engineer to take a look at it. Or, of course, I could just go on Craigslist and get a new lnbf for $20...but that would be too easy.

[jman11]

Well, I tried out a DP Twin Plus, and same issue. First outbound port on LNB goes to Twinhan, second to vp301 for power injection. It is like the 110 lnb isn't receiving anything at all. I have covered the 119 with foil, and not matter what I do, no signal shows for 110.

Ideas?

[jman11]

I'm not sure what combo of changes did it, but I now get signal for both 119 and 110. I have DP301 receiver hooked to port one on the DPP Twin and the Twinhan 1020a on Port 2. However, I am only able to scan channels on 110.

I used Diseqc v1 / v2, set up 119 under Port 1 and 110 under Port 2, used 11250000 / 14350000, 22khz off, commited = disabled. Didn't touch the transponder files. When I scan 119, it pulls channels from 110. 110 scan works correctly.

Ideas?