bandstacked LNB doesn't work on even "horizontal"

[TheKrell]

Using DVBDream 1.3c on existing Dish Network "Dish Pro" setup. (Yes, I know there's not much there broadcast ITC...) I have a brand new Twinhan 1025 DVB-S card running THBDA 1.2.3.8 drivers. I have a 3-satellite setup using all DishPro bandstacked LNBs pointed at 61.5, 110, and 119 deg W, and a DP34 Diseqc 2.0 switch. The switch responds to Diseqc 1.2 commands just fine: that is not the problem. The problem is with the bandstacked frequencies, shown in DVBdream as "horizontal". In some places, they're numbered as even transponder numbers.

I pick the LNB type by selecting Options --> Diseqc --> Add Satellite --> LNB Type "NA Bandstacked DP Ku-Hi (DBS)". Lof-1 is filled in with 11250000 and Lof-2 is filled in with 14350000. I believe these numbers are in kHz and correct (since they work in MyTheatre). The even "horizontal" transponders should use a LOF according to the following formula for circular polarized LNBs: 25600000 minus ini-file "horizontal" frequency = band stacked "horizontal" frequency. If I calculate this number and enter it into the frequency box for an even transponder, and do a manual scan, channels are found. Doing an automatic scan results in missing all the even "horizontal" bandstacked transponders with the error message "No signal."

Some people claim they had my exact setup working fine in the previous version of DVBdream. Has this (automatic bandstacked frequency calculation) been broken in 1.3c? Thank you for your rapt attention! (And a best-in-class TV viewer.)

[rel]

are you sure there is a problem with bandstacked LNBs ?
I got no bug report related to them yet.

what do you mean exactly with "even transponders"?

[TheKrell]

Welcome back rel! Boy my OP was 2 months ago. Let's see. I have not seen the reported behavior above since I tried ScanMan's BDA driver. This crashes my computer quite effectively, and I've removed it again. But something is different because I can rarely tune anything in, either from my previously-stored channel list or using the auto-scan. I just tried auto-scan again on 110, with the result that it found 1 new channel, updated 27, and lost 184.

What I meant in my original post was that when I tried an auto scan, the vertical frequencies would find channels, but the horizontal frequencies would not. Ever! Doing a manual scan, and entering a different LOF for the horizontal frequences as posted above, I found most (if not all) of the missing channels. That is why I figured the bandstacked frequencies were being calculated incorrectly. That would explain why a manual scan with a new frequency did locate those missing channels.

However, I've been manually adding transponders and trying so many different things, it's unclear to me now whether entering a calculated new LOF, or simply doing a manual scan on a transponder, did the trick. I also saw (on the above scan of 110) a horizontal transponder labelled 8psk actually found a number of channels. That can't be right since I'm pretty sure a Twinhan 1025 can't do 8psk at all.

Very confusing situation. I probably need to (1) start with an up-to-date transponder list and (2) clear out the junk I've stored in various DD ini files, before I can make sense of what's happening.

[rel]

I dont understand what is the difference on your setup. Normally "bandstacked DP" setting should work fine on DD.
let me know if you find something.

[TheKrell]

I downloaded new transponder files from http://joshyfun.peque.org, deleted settings.ini and settings.cfg, and set up my switch and LNB settings again. (Used the NA bandstacked DP LNB). Doing the autoscan results in hundreds of lost channels, 10 or 20 updated channels, and 1 new channel on each satellite. Few transponders are found via auto scanning.

I will now try manually scanning w/o fiddling with LOFs...

[mazaii]

I have similar problem. Auto-scan in DD 1.4g returns way fewer channels than in MT (used 119 for test). LOF1 and 2 are set to 11250. Manual scan find s around 260 channels, but I believe it still less than in MT (well over 300 if I recall correctly).

[rel]

1) try INI files in the setup package with "Network scan" enabled . Don't use any special INI file for bandstacking LNBs, DD will handle them

2) have you tried twinhan_SDK device ? (It needs some directshow filters that you can find in the following pack, just install it)
www.dvbdream.org/files/WinDTV2.5_SDK_03.zip


3) I dont have the card to test but maybe 1025 needs another way to handle Diseqc, and there is no manufacturer documents related to this, so diseqc on some twinhan models might not work at all.

[TheKrell]

I'm having great success with DD 1.4g correctly controlling my DP34 switch. This is a DishPro (bandstacked) diseqc 1.2 -compatible switch with 3 sats in, and 4 receiver outputs. I'm not familiar with your LNBs, but I am guessing that they are not bandstacked. So... All you probably have to do is make sure your switch is set up correctly and DD should find channels. Note that I'm using the Twinhan BDA driver v.1.2.3.8 dated 2006.05.

[rel]

I'm having great success with DD 1.4g correctly controlling my DP34 switch. This is a DishPro (bandstacked) diseqc 1.2 -compatible switch with 3 sats in, and 4 receiver outputs. I'm not familiar with your LNBs, but I am guessing that they are not bandstacked. So... All you probably have to do is make sure your switch is set up correctly and DD should find channels. Note that I'm using the Twinhan BDA driver v.1.2.3.8 dated 2006.05.

Which BDA interface do you use on DD for Twinhan 1025?

BDA_Native or ScanMan's BDA_ALL ?

or does diseqc work ok on both ?

[mazaii]

rel,
1) not quite sure what you mean by "ini files in the setup package", dd transponder setup files? I haven't used any special files. I scanned with network scan, and got a bunch of duplicate channels.

2) Just tried with twinhan_sdk driver you suggested + network scan option. It took really long time to scan, found 146 channels only, and somehow it detected all the "vertical" transponders without signal.
One one, MT seems to lock a signal a couple of times before it gives up, how about DD? It seems just zooming through, without verifying whether there is a signal or not.

3) AltDVB, MT don't seem to have a problem with that, so I'm pretty sure DD needs changes, well unless they do it wrong.

TheKrell,
The switch is setup exactly as for MT/AltDVB, but they don't have that problem.
I read somewhere that BDA drivers don't support USALS or motor commands; not sure how true it is, or how up-to-date that information.

Any other suggestions, or anything I can try?

[TheKrell]

Which BDA interface do you use on DD for Twinhan 1025? BDA_Native or ScanMan's BDA_ALL?

BDA_Native. ScanMan's BDA_ALL very efficiently crashes my computer 100% of the time when I restart DD.

Any other suggestions, or anything I can try?

Well... How about rotating to a known satellite, and directly connecting the LNB to see how DD scanning goes? If channels then scan properly, then that will eliminate all tuner issues.

[rel]

not quite sure what you mean by "ini files in the setup package", dd transponder setup files?

Yes, but sorry, I don't think you will have success on DD with diseqc switch or motor until 1025 is added to the list of supported/tested devices . (I'll need info on how to control diseqc through WDM or BDA, but no enough info provided by Twinhan)

[mazaii]

ok, "undetected vertical transponders" should have been the clue. I checked my LOF-SW settings and it wasn't there (only lof-1 and lof-2), so I set it to 0. Now the scan sees the signal from <most> of the transponders. After the auto-scan, I go to scan manually those without the signal; this detects the rest. So far, 119 has 358 channels, and 110 - 406.
The only thing now is that DD keeps crashing! I tried to send the stack to the server, but couldn't; I'll add an attachment.

Thanks for your help. Back to MT

[casperc]

I had a similar problem, solved it by modifying Transponder setup files, slightly after using manual scan.

Using A Skystar 2 PCI and latest DVB Dream, with Bandstacked NA LNB, I had lost all the upper (H )Channels on both 110 & 119 Birds, Using Manual Scan I found I had to add 2 or 3 to Transponder Frequency Setting to receive. I modified Transponder file accordingly and now receive all.

This is probably due to;

1) My DishPro Dual LNB has drifted, although all lower band channels are OK and leased receiver has no similar problem.

2) My Skystar 2 card has drifted in frequency, although again lower band is OK.

3) DD somehow miscalculates Upper Band frequencies from Transponder File.

4) Some other problem.