Motorized dishes (DiSEqC 1.2, USALS) and Unicable

A satellite adapter in Castreon can drive a dish on a polar motor (DiSEqC 1.2 or USALS) or share a single cable with other tuners through a Unicable LNB or multiswitch (EN 50494 / EN 50607). Both are set in the adapter editor; the motor also has installation controls in the adapter panel.

Available since Castreon 3.0.0, in all editions, for cards in the server (not for SAT>IP tuners — there the SAT>IP server drives the dish).

Dish motor

DVB adapters → edit a satellite adapter → Motor:

• none — fixed dish (the default).
• DiSEqC 1.2 (stored positions) — the motor keeps positions in its memory; choose the Stored position (1–255) for this adapter's satellite.
• USALS — Castreon calculates the motor angle from the Satellite position (degrees, east + / west −) and the dish site: Dish latitude (north +) and Dish longitude (east +). The editor shows the resulting angle, for example “Motor angle: 13.6° east”. A satellite below the horizon of the site is refused.

When the adapter starts, Castreon moves the dish first, waits for it to arrive, then tunes. All the channels of the adapter follow the dish — a motorized dish serves one satellite at a time. Use it for channels on the same satellite, or for occasional feeds.

Installation controls

In the adapter panel (operator rights), Dish motor has the commands used when the dish is installed:

• West / East — continuous movement until Halt; 1 step west / east — about 1/8 degree, for fine alignment.
• Go to position and Store here (DiSEqC 1.2), Go to satellite (USALS).
• West limit here, East limit here and Limits off — the motor's soft limits, so it never hits the mount.

Channels on the adapter are interrupted while the dish moves. Watch the signal in the same panel while you align.

Unicable

With a Unicable LNB or multiswitch, each tuner gets its own user band on a shared cable and asks the LNB for a transponder with a DiSEqC command. In the adapter editor:

1. Unicable: EN 50494 (Unicable I) or EN 50607 (JESS / Unicable II).
2. User band (UB) — 0–7 for Unicable I, 0–31 for Unicable II; every tuner on the cable needs a different band.
3. Band frequency — the frequency of that user band, 950–2150 MHz (from the LNB's label or manual, e.g. 1210, 1420, 1680…).
4. Position (satellite) — for LNBs / switches with several satellites.
5. With PIN — for protected bands in multi-dwelling installations, with the PIN (0–255).

Unicable is not combined with a DiSEqC switch, tone burst or motor on the same adapter — the editor tells you if it is.

Problems

• “the satellite is not visible from the dish site” — check the sign of the longitudes (west is negative).
• No lock after a move with DiSEqC 1.2 → the stored position is different from the one in the motor's memory; go there with the controls, align, then Store here.
• Unicable locks on some transponders only → two tuners use the same user band, or the band frequency does not match the LNB.