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5. In-Depth Info

This guide is designed to assist setting up ICS (Internet Connection Sharing) and tweaking a Direcway SRS 4000 Satellite connection for Windows XP users. Windows 2000 users will find this guide useful but should bear in mind that the screenshots are from Windows XP machines. If you have a Windows 98SE/ME system you will find this networking guide more useful.
NOTE: This guide assumes you have a functioning network.

Most of the information here was gathered from the Broadbandreports.com Satellite Forum and the accompanying Broadbandreports.com Satellite Forum FAQ. I take no credit for it's contents, I've simply tried to organize it into a single guide. Thanks to all in the satellite forum who have contributed to this guide!

By TweakHound

Contributors: snowman, Red Baron, wolfpac, Sat_Man, Rfsjr2, DominoKat

Setting up the Host Machine

(Thanks to snowman and DominoKat for providing the pics for this section!)

Definition: The Host machine is the computer which is connected directly to the Direcway satellite modems.

Open your Control Panel and double-click Network and Internet Connections => in the resulting window, right-click on the icon that says Direcway Satellite Connection => choose Properties => a new screen will appear, Click the Advanced tab.

in the section titled Internet Connection Sharing, check the box next to Allow other network users to connect through this computer's Internet connection.

For those without a firewall, under the section titled Internet Connection Firewall, check the box next to Protect my computer and network.

NOTE: XP's firewall, while better than nothing, is not the best. It only blocks incoming traffic, and isn't very tweakable.

A box may pop-up saying your computer will now be using a fixed IP address of 192.168.0.1 and are you sure you want to enable ICS, click Yes.

Next, open Internet Explorer => On the top menu choose Tools => Internet Options => Click on the Advanced tab => scroll down until you see HTTP 1.1 settings => insure the box next to Use HTTP 1.1 through proxy connections is UNCHECKED and close all open windows.

Although not technically necessary, I highly recommend you reboot this computer at this point.



Setting up the Client Machine(s)

Definition: A client machine is any computer on your network that you wish to access the internet through the host computer's DirecWay connection.

Open your Control Panel and double-click Network Connections => in the resulting window, right-click on the icon that says Local Area Connection => choose Properties => under the General tab click (once) on Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and choose Properties.

Option 1: Using DHCP

Under the General tab, insure that the button that says Obtain IP address automatically is highlighted => click the button next to Use the following DNS server addresses => in the Preferred DNS server box type 192.168.0.1 => in the Alternate DNS server box type 198.77.116.8

Option 2: Using Static IP addressing.

Another way of assigning IP addresses is to use a static IP addresses. This allows for a faster startup and dispenses with DHCP service from the host PC. The IP address you use must be between 192.168.0.2 and 192.168.0.254 with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0.

NOTE: No two devices on your network can have the same IP address (and this includes any router, WAP or gateway you might be using) so it's a good idea to write them down as you set them up.

Option 1: Using DHCP (Obtain an IP address automatically)
(see image below)


Option 2: Using a Static IP Address (Use the following IP address)
(see image below)

Now click the Advanced tab => In the IP Settings window and under the section that says Default gateways, click the Add button...


type 192.168.0.1 and click Add =>


Now go back to the top and click the DNS tab => towards the bottom, in the box that says DNS suffix for this connection, type direcway.com , insure that the box next to Register this connection's address in DNS is checked Click OK to exit out of all windows. We aren't done yet!


Open Internet Explorer. In the toolbar choose Tools => Internet Options => in the resulting window, click the Connections tab => click LAN Settings


Under Proxy server, check both boxes => click on the Advanced button


In the HTTP box, under Proxy address to use type 192.168.0.1 => still in the HTTP box and under Port type 83 => in the Exceptions section, in the box labeled Do not use proxy server for addresses beginning with: copy and paste the following:

https; ftp; http://Windowsupdate.microsoft.com; http://V4.Windowsupdate.microsoft.com; https://v4.Windowsupdate.microsoft.com; http://Download.Windowsupdate.com
Click OK to exit out of all screens and exit out of Internet Explorer. Reboot your computer.


Open Internet Explorer => On the top menu choose Tools => Internet Options= > Click on the Advanced tab => scroll down until you see HTTP 1.1 settings => insure the box next to Use HTTP 1.1 through proxy connections is UNCHECKED and close all open windows.




Tweaks

First, download DrTCP Tweak Utility.

Next BACKUP EVERY COMPUTER YOU ARE GOING TO TWEAK. There is no excuse for not backing up.

Now the caveat. These settings ARE NOT what will work for everyone. You will have to play around with the settings to find what will work best for you. If your connection is working to your satisfaction, I suggest you leave it alone.

Open Dr. TCP. Make sure that what shows in the Adapter Settings box is the connection you connect to the internet with. For the Host PC it will be something like Satellite USB Device. For a Client machine it will be your NIC card. The settings in the picture below are what I use. See THIS FAQ article for more information about the tweak numbers and how they were arrived at.


The Settings

Choose the settings you desire and click Save and then Exit.
You should start with:

TCP Receive Window: 224360
Window Scaling: Yes
Time Stamping: No
Selective Acks: Yes
Path MTU Discovery: Yes
Black Hole Detection:No
Max Duplicate Acks: 3
TTL: 64
MTU: 1460

Optional numbers: (numbers others reported using with success)
TCP Receive Window: 224360, 256920, 474280, 513920
Max Duplicate Acks: 2, 3
TTL: 64, 128
MTU: 1460, 1500

More tweaks...

Increase the number of connections you can make: (primarily for the client machines as the DirecWay software installation has already performed this tweak on the Host PC.)

Click Start => Run => type regedit => navigate to the following keys and change the settings as listed below:
HKEY_USERS\DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings AND HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings
"MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server"=DWORD:00000015
"MaxConnectionsPerServer"=DWORD:00000015

Default Send/Receive Window Tweak

This tweak may or may not help your speeds. What is does is change the amount of info that is buffered before flow control kicks in. You will need to test various values to find which works best for you.

More info on this can be found in this forum thread. Please check it out before attempting this tweak. A lot of unselfish people have put in much effort to try and nail down this tweak. I am only passing on the info, this tweak is theirs and it has worked for me.

Start => Run => type regedit => Go to => HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE | SYSTEM | CurrentControlSet | Services | AFD => right-click on AFD and create a new KEY named Parameters => click Parameters => in the blank space on the right create a new DWORD value DefaultSendWindow => again in the blank space on the right create a new DWORD value DefaultReceiveWindow => Double click on these new values and enter 17a00 (hexadecimal value) to start. Both values should have the same value. Also, if you are on a home network or are part of an Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) network, all the machines on that network should have this tweak added. It will look like this:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE | SYSTEM | CurrentControlSet | Services | AFD | Parameters]
"DefaultSendWindow"=DWORD:00017a00
"DefaultReceiveWindow"=DWORD:00017a00

Other values you may want to try: b000, 18000 (all values are Hex)

To undo this tweak, simply delete the Parameters key.

Browser Cache Tweak: Reduce your cache for better browsing - see THIS FAQ entry for more information.

by TweakHound See Profile edited by seagreen See Profile
last modified: 2004-05-03 11:56:18


The following is a step-by-step guide to create a small, home, computer network for the purpose of sharing the Hughes DW4000 2-Way Satellite Internet Connection via Microsoft's Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) software.

This guide is based on using Win98SE, a switch, as the hub, for networking the computers. The use of the new, Hughes DW4020 router or any other router application is not included in this article. The contributors include DSLReports, Satellite forum members, Watchman57, Seagreen and Amersat.

Click HERE to see the article.

WinXP users: /faq/8237

by amersat See Profile edited by seagreen See Profile
last modified: 2004-08-25 12:49:41

All of the recommended "optimal settings" were formulated by a combination of theory, long hours of testing, and results reported by DSLR members. The specifics of what the settings mean and why we set them a certain way for satellite connections follow.

By far, the most important setting is the TCP Receive Window or RWIN. The Tcp Receive Window is nothing more than a data buffer. Think of it as a bucket. Your RWIN setting determines how big the bucket is. Data is coming down from the satellite, filling the bucket. Your computer is emptying the bucket as it processes the contents. We can't let the bucket overflow, or we would have to ask the sender to re-send what got spilled on the floor. That's inefficient.

If the bucket gets empty, your computer is doing nothing, just waiting for the stream to start again, also inefficient.

The other problem is there is a lag between the time your computer says "Send more, my bucket is almost empty" or "My bucket is almost full, please stop" and the time the sender gets that message. And another lag between when the sender starts sending again or stops, and the result hits your computer. That's latency.

If the bucket is the perfect size, it is never completely full nor completely empty until there is no more stuff to send. The perfect size bucket allows your computer to send the messages at the right time such that the data stops just before the bucket fills and starts just before the bucket empties. Now you can have too large a bucket, because the sender expects to hear those messages now and then. If it doesn't hear from you, it thinks your bucket isn't getting anything at all so it keeps sending the same stuff, over and over, until it gives up on you and stops sending anything. Very inefficient!

RWIN is determined mathematically. The required variables for the equation are Maximum Potential Speed (MPS) of the line, Maximum Segment Size (MSS) of the packet and Return Trip Time (RTT)(which most people measure with "ping" tests). Depending on the type of connection, a multiplier is usually applied to RTT to account for bad ping days. But generally the simple construction of the equation would be (MPS * Average Worst RTT)/8. The result is then converted to the nearest multiple of MSS.

Selective Acks enables re-transmissions of data to consist only of lost packets, rather than entire receive windows. It is very important to enable selective acks when using large receive windows.

Window Scaling allows for RWIN values above 65535. Since Windows only allocates 2 bytes to represent the RWIN value, a value greater than 65535 cannot be represented. By turning Window Scaling on, a scaling factor is applied to the value found in the two bytes to represent larger numbers.

TTL is Time To Live and determines how many hops a packet is allowed to take before being declared lost. If the value is too small, unnecessary packet loss occurs as packets that just haven't reached their destination are lost. If it's too large, then too much time is spent waiting on packets that are truly lost.

Time Stamping: Time stamping adds timing header information to each packet so that Windows can calculate RTT on the fly and use this information to estimate the best points in the empty/full cycle of the receive window to send AKS. Logic would say that would have to make a Long Fat Pipe (meaning high latency, high speed) connection such as satellite more efficient. The reality is that with DirecPC/DirecWay based systems, while it slightly but measurably increases speed, it also prevents certain web sites from loading correctly and can make some email attachments cause email to hang. So the recommendation is for it to be off for DPC, because a number of us have had problems with it turned on.

Path MTU Discovery: This setting changes your MTU on the fly to match the smallest MTU on your path to the server you are communicating with. Testing has shown that tunring it on can, in some cases significantly improve upload speed on two-way systems. Please note that you may notice little or no difference in upload speed "tests" as the file size used on test sites (about 50KBS) is just too small to measure the speed without being skewed by the high latency of a satellite system. To more accurately measure your results, use an FTP client and do an FTP upload to a server of a 750KB file or larger.

Black Hole Detection: Does absolutely nothing if Path MTU Discovery is disabled, may cause problems even when it is enabled...leave it off

Max Dup Acks: Valid values are 1, 2 or 3. Win2k defaults to 2, 98 and ME default to 3. Probably makes absolutely no difference one way or another which value is chosen. It defines the number of duplicate AKS that are allowed to be sent before Windows invokes Fast Re-Transmission. This would occur in a packet loss situation. Windows gets an out of sequence ACK. It figures some packets must have been lost. It sends an ACK back for the lost packet. When the receiver sees the first ACK for a packet, then either 1, 2 or 3 more for the same packet, depending upon how max dup acks is set, it re-sends the whole segment again figuring that it must be lost...that's fast re-transmission.

by PetDude See Profile
last modified: 2002-03-23 22:11:20

The way a satellite stays in orbit, without using any type of engine or rocket to correct its orbit, is to gain a balance between gravity and centrifugal force. The closer to earth, the greater the gravity pulling the bird toward earth. The faster it moves, the greater the force pulling it away from the earth. It turns out that there is a spot, about 22,300 miles above the equator, where the speed an object must travel to gain equilibrium against gravity is exactly the same as the speed the earth is turning. By placing a satellite in this spot, its relative position above the earth stays constant. Satellites used for broadband internet and TV must stay in one place in the sky so that you can point your dish in one spot and get the signal. The only other alternative would be to have a constellation of satellites in a lower orbit, that would rise and fall like the sun and stars. There would need to be enough of these flying that there was always one overhead, which requires a lot of satellites, a lot of infrastructure ,and therefore a lot of money.

In the case of a two-way satellite system, when you request something by clicking on a link, or any other way, that message travels 44,600 miles just to get to the NOC. The stuff coming back to you must travel the reverse route, so the round trip is 89,200 miles. The speed of light is 186,000 miles per second in a VACUUM,slower through the atmosphere. But even if you assumed 186,000 mps then the total time taken in space travel is about 480ms. Given the atmosphere problem, it is actually more like 500ms. Add to that the terrestrial internet latency, which should be about 100ms. Also you can add delays through transponders, gateways, proxies, etc.

Software and protocols can reduce the effect of latency for certain applications, but they can't change the physics...the latency remains. For instance, by increasing the number of simultaneous TCP connections, web pages can load faster after they get started, but they will always take the same amount of time to get started. Better yet, by replacing the protocol between the NOC and the user from TCP/IP - which doesn't handle high latency well at all - to another protocol designed for long fat pipes, even more could be done to reduce the effects of high latency. No doubt, that is the future of these systems. But still, there will be a delay of somewhere around 625+ms between any interactive activities. The latency of one-way systems is obviously less, with the space travel being cut in half.

by PetDude See Profile
last modified: 2002-08-07 21:08:26

No.


Feedback received on this FAQ entry:
  • Actually this is untrue you can reduce latency. 1. First step is to have your resistance checked out by your service provider. 2. clean your computer, defragment, clean your catch often. 3. tweak the ping in the registry, by going to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces There will be multiple NIC interfaces listed in there, find the one you use to connect to the internet, there will be several interfaces listed (they have long names like {7DBA6DCA-FFE8-4002-A28F-4D2B57AE8383}. Click each one, the right one will have lots of settings in it and you will see your machines IP address listed there somewhere. Right-click in the right hand pane and add a new DWORD value, name it TcpAckFrequency, then right click the entry and click Modify and assign a value of 1. You can change it back to 2 (default) at a later stage if it affects your other TCP application performance. it tells windows how many TCP packets to wait before sending ACK. if the value is 1, windows will send ACK every time it receives a TCP package. Then find: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MSMQ\Parameters Right-click in the right hand pane and add a new DWORD value, name it TCPNoDelay, then right click the entry and click Modify and assign a value of 1. Click Ok and close the registry editor, then reboot your PC.

    2011-09-26 23:05:27

by PetDude See Profile
last modified: 2002-08-07 21:08:43

You can save money up front by purchasing the basic Dial Return (one way) system WITHOUT installation hardware. If you pay somebody to put it up for you, get a fixed price right up front and insist they include at least one free call back in the first 30 days following installation. In the long run it's cheaper to buy the system WITH installation hardware, and do it yourself. If you don't have an ISP, you should chose one NOW. Either elect to use DirecPC (easiest installation), or a local ISP (more benefits) that supports IP tunneling. Doing this now avoids complications later in the setup.

The contents of the installation kit are pretty basic. Plan on going to Radio Shack to make up the difference between what you want - and what they provide. A curved mounting pole and bracket should be included; for rooftop or outside wall mounting. I never used mine, favoring instead an section of 2 3/8" (OD) steel pipe. Get a piece long enough to have six feet above ground, and the other end buried a foot below local frost level. Anchor it with at least one bag of Quikrete or Sacrete mix. No water, just pour it straight out of the bag, and top off the hole with dirt. Nothing wrong with mounting it up on your tall house, but remember that - where ever you park it - a couple of times a year you might have to repoint the dish after a big wind. And in many areas, cleaning off snow and ice is a constant concern. Bottom line: plan your mounting location with accessibility in mind. Even if you're not in a windy area, consider guywires. They will definitely make fine tuning the AZ/EL/POL (that comes later) much easier.

A carpenter's level at least 24" long - 48" is better if you do the steel pipe - will help ensure the mount is plumb and level BEFORE you permanently fasten it down. If you start off with a crooked mount, the Azimuth/Elevation/Polarization gradients on the antenna brackets won't do you any good. Directions for selecting the antenna site, and ultimately mounting/pointing the antenna, are included with the installation kit. But there's an inconvenient Catch-22 here - about pointing angles. The installation instructions say to install the antenna, then install the software. Only problem with that is - the antenna pointing angles are provided to you by the software. To get around that, download SatFinder (free) from here. Use the calculated azimuth and elevation numbers as starting points, and use a polarization start point of zero. A lensatic compass is also really handy - to find the starting azimith angle, and a carpenter's rafter square works real good to find the starting elevation angle.

The coaxial cable and connectors provided are cheap interior grade stuff. But having said that, there's nothing wrong with using THAT stuff - inside. Hughes is considerate enough to include a tube of silicone sealant. Use that generously outside, or consider buying exterior data grade. They also provide only about 9' of ground wire. DO NOT be tempted just to put a ground stake out by the antenna. Even if it means buying more ground wire, it's important to bring all grounds back to common HOUSE GROUND - normally right under your electric meter.

Instructions for installing the modem (they call it an IRU, or receive adapter) and the software are pretty good. Something they don't tell you - is how HOT the IRU can get. Set it on its side - skinny side up - in a place where there is GOOD AIRFLOW. Hook everything up EXCEPT the USB cable behind the IRU - then install the software. During the installation there will be a screen prompt, at which time you can then plug the USB cable into the rear of the IRU.

When the installation software gets to WebSetup, you'll see how good your initial antenna pointing job was. This is where the AZ/EL/POL fine tuning starts. At this point it's REALLY handy to have somebody at the computer telling you colors and numbers, as you're out at the antenna moving it around. Remember SLOW IS BEST, no more than one degree at a time. First thing you want is to get a signal "in the green". Don't waste time chasing any red ones or yellow ones - they're probably the wrong satellite. Once you "go green" - and begin fine tuning - BE PATIENT. You're trying to home in on a pencil beam. Move it too fast, and the computer software can't keep up. Fine tune AZ first, and partially tighten it down. Fine tune the EL next, same thing. Fine tune the POL last, WebSetup will tell you to rotate to the positive or negative side of the scale - then LOCK POL down. Go back to AZ and see if you can peak one last time - LOCK AZ down. Go back to EL and see if you can peak one last time - LOCK EL down. There's no one set value of what number to strive for. Just get the best you can to get yourself up and running, then come back here to the forum. Compare note with others that share the transponder with you, and see how good you did. We're all more than willing to share advice on how to make it better.

When the WebSetup, registration, and software installation ends - your Dial up Networking should already be set correctly in your computer. If you already had your local ISP/email account info set up, you should be ready to go. If you elected DirecPC as your ISP - AND filled out the web registration correctly - your TCP/IP settings should already be set in your computer. And your email account at the direcpc.com server should be ready to use. You probably don't have to do anything more complicated than setting up the direcpc account in your email client.

by grohgreg See Profile edited by PetDude See Profile
last modified: 2001-10-25 20:15:06

Don't expect the installer to know anything about computers. Actually the customer is suppose to install the software on his own computer. The Installer is only suppose to get a signal to your computer and there ends the official responsibility of the Installer. However, you should encourage the installer to stick around until you have finished installing your software and running Websetup. This way the installer can verify that your system is indeed up and running. The installer can show you how to check your signal strength as well as do a couple of speed tests at DSLReports.

I recommend that you do not install your software until the Installer has your indoor adapters (Indoor Transmit Unit and Indoor Receive Unit - ITU & IRU) installed in your house and connected to the satellite antenna. Make sure you have a modem in your computer and it is connected to an active phone line.

Now, open up the huge box that your system came in. Take out the White box. It contains the ITU and IRU. Get a note pad and write down the serial numbers for the ITU and IRU. The number for the ITU is going to be something like this: T1AB459395-00000000. You will also see the serial number written on another sticker close by. The difference will be that the other number will be identical but may have one extra digit on the end and there will be no zeros. Now look on the back of the IRU and get that serial number. It will be something like this: R1CF18004-00703215. Although all digits are important, the last 6 digits, following the two zeros is the number the NOC wants during the cross polarization operation. Put the ITU and IRU back in the white box, if you want to, so that you do not loose anything. You actually could assemble the ITU & IRU by putting on the clamps, jumper cable, connecting the USB cable and Power Supply cable.

Next, take out the long cardboard box that is 24.5 inches long by 9.5 inches by 8.5 inches. It will have a sticker on the end of the box with RADIO ASSY, HNS-TCP printed on it. It will have a Serial number, also printed on it. That is the serial number of your entire outdoor assembly, which includes your LNB, Transmitter, waveguide and antenna. It is often referred to, by the NOC, as your antenna serial number. Write down that number. Also open the box and verify that the number on the outside of the box is the same as the number on the waveguide. On the bottom of the huge box, your system came in, will also be the serial numbers for your ITU and IRU. I would still open them up to verify the numbers. These numbers are critical and will be registered in your name, with the NOC.

Take these numbers and print them out on a piece of paper, in large 24pt. type. Have it ready to give to the Installer. It will just save him some time and he might really appreciate it. He will need these numbers when calling in for the cross pol. He will also need some other numbers that he will write down on that same piece of paper. Place that paper on a clip board, so the wind does not blow it away. IF you really want to impress the Installer, with your knowledge, print the words, Azimuth, Elevation and Polarization. Leave a blank space next to each of them for the Installer to fill in the information. Also, print your Name, Address with zip code, and telephone number with area code on that same paper. He will have to give all this information to the Cross Pol person.

Now just before your installer arrives, arrange so that a table (card table, picnic table, etc.) is close by where you plan on installing the antenna. This gives the installer a work area and makes life so much more pleasant. Have an extension cord with power strip so that it will reach up to where the antenna will be installed. If you are installing during the daylight hours, have a large box for the installer to put his laptop in, to shield the screen from sunlight. He will have to place his laptop as well as your ITU and IRU, USB cable, power supply, etc. next to the antenna during the installation process.

PLEASE HAVE A CORDLESS PHONE OR A PHONE WITH A LONG EXTENSION AVAILABLE. The installer will need it, at the antenna, during the cross pol process. If it is a cordless phone, make sure the batteries are fully charged. The cross pol MAY take as long as an hour, or more.

Make sure the installer grounds the transmit and receive cables, using a grounding block, to your house or building ground. You can drive a ground rod close to the antenna, but that ground rod must have a wire going directly to your whole house electrical ground. If not, you may end up with ground loop problems, which will never go away.

Next, make sure the installer uses the brace support rods that should have come with your system. If they were not included in the box, with your system, then call the installer immediately and have him bring some. They are white in color, made of square, steel tubing and come in a cardboard box about 24 inches long and 1 inch by 2 inches. They were mainly intended to be used when installing the antenna on a wood surface. However, because of the weight, of the RF head assembly, I strongly suggest they be used, even if you are installing on a concrete wall, roof etc. They help in keeping the mask from sagging or moving, during any kind of winds.

Now, if the Installer shows up with a spectrum analyzer amongst his tools, you may be in luck. He may be a better than the average installer. However, this is where you may want to be paying close attention. When he gets the antenna aligned with the satellite he will try to peak it to maximum signal strength. It used to be that 70 was the minimum acceptable by the NOC. Now, the NOC really does not seem to care. You need to have a minimum of 30 or 31 for the system to work. Of course the more you have, the more of a buffer you will have during stormy weather or rain fade occurrences. The signal strength will not affect your speeds or ability to browse, as long as your system is 31 or above. In other words, a signal strength of 35 will work just as good as a signal strength of 65.

Now, as I said before, the Installer will peak your antenna for maximum signal strength. When he calls in for a cross pol, chances are he will not have good enough isolation, unless he used a spectrum analyzer. The minimum accepted by the NOC is a cross pole of 10 giving you an isolation between vertical and horizontal of 30, on Galaxy 11. A cross pol of 4, with 36 as your isolation is a super good figure. I suppose a perfect cross pol would be 0 with an isolation of 40. However, a cross pol of 8 or 9 with isolation of 32 or 31, is fine. On the SatMEX 5 satellite, the minimum isolation accepted by the NOC is 39, with some NOC engineers requiring a 40.

During the cross pol operation, the installer will have to make further adjustments to the antenna. When he does this, the signal may very well drop. For example he might have gotten a maximum strength 57 to 60 during original peaking, but after the cross pol is completed it may have dropped to 47 to 50. If this happens, I would ask the dealer to stay on the line, with the cross pol engineer and re-peak the antenna for maximum signal, while the cross pol engineer is keeping an eye on the isolation. As long as the installer does not mess with the polarization and only with the azimuth and elevation adjustments then the cross pol should not change.

Okay, now you have a good cross pol and signal level. It is time to move inside to connect the adapters (ITU & IRU) to your computer, load the software and run websetup. However, it is not time to drink beer yet!

Do not have your computer networked, yet. Have it as bare bones as possible. Later, you can experiment with what ever else you want to.

Turn off any Firewalls, Anti-Virus protection software and go into your "Device Manager" and disable any and all "Network Adapters" you may have enabled. However, don't disable your "Dial-up Adapter" because then your modem won't work. Also it is a good idea to clean up your System Tray so that you don't have a bunch of software running while you are loading the Direcpc software. After the software is installed and you have run websetup, go back and enable any Network Adapters you really need. You can also turn your Anti-virus program back on.

It is a good idea to install your ITU & IRU so that you can see the idiot lights on the front of them. Stand them in a vertical position versus laying them down flat. Some users even prefer to not even use the clips and separate them for circulation of air. Also, I would recommend that you plug the IRU power supply into some sort of surge protector and have it being the only device plugged into it. There may be times, in the future, when you will need to power cycle your adapters (ITU & IRU) and it is a lot easier to turn off a switch then it is to unplug and plug in an electrical cable. Never, plug and unplug the power cable where it is attached to the back of the IRU. You always run the risk of bending those prongs.

Now, you are ready to pop the software CD into your CD drive. Make sure the USB cable is not connected to the back of your computer, yet. However your ITU and IRU must be on and connected to the satellite antenna. It will tell you, during software installation, when to plug in the USB cable. The rest is a normal step by step installation of software. Make sure you have your credit card handy. By the way, if you happen to have internet access, already, via a dial-up modem, then it is better to run websetup via the Internet. All you do is after installing the software it will ask you to restart your computer, if using 98SE. With Win2000 or XP, it doesn't do that. Go ahead and restart your computer. Then the websetup screen should appear. If it does, close it. If it doesn't, don't worry about it. Get online with your dial-up access, but do not open any browser. Go to Start, Programs, DirecPC, Websetup and then the window will open. Run websetup.

by amersat See Profile edited by PetDude See Profile
last modified: 2003-09-26 11:50:19

Hughes uses a proprietary piece of equipment to accept the radio signals called BCD (Burst Channel De-modulator). There is another device called a DNCC that converts the radio signal into an Ethernet packet. The BCD is a shared medium device in the fact that several people will share one BCD for their in route. Each BCD has a max of 128 Kbps and with overhead it is about 113. With that in mind even if you were the only person on a BCD you would still not get 128 Kbps.

You may find, however, that your upload speed appears higher than 128Kbs. There are a couple of reasons. First of all, Direcway uses compression techniques to compress the data before it is sent so that there is less data to send and then uncompresses it at the other end. So if you are transmitting highly compressible data you will find that the upload will occur faster. If, on the other hand the data you are sending is already highly compressed, the upload will take longer.

Also when using the java based speed tests like the ones here at BBR and elsewhere, you must be using the Microsoft version of java (msvm) in order to get accurate upload readings. Using Sun Java will give you completely bogus upload speed results. Since this phenomenon does not occur with other types of connections, we can only assume that Sun Java is either not handling the latency of the connection well, or is confused by the compression taking place.

by PetDude See Profile
last modified: 2004-03-30 21:49:54

The definitions for the error codes were researched by installguy. Thanks installguy!

TX Code 0 ITUST_NONE: The transmitter is not connected to the receiver.

If this state persists over at least 10 seconds, then the system is not properly functioning. If an ITU is present on the system but this message appears, first check the LEDs on the ITU. If neither is flashing, then one of the following is likely the cause.

· IRU-ITU cable not properly connected to the IRU or ITU.
In this situation, the ITU does not receive power or does not have the communication link established. Please check that the cable is properly connected and secured.
· ITU/ IRU version mismatch.
If operating software prior to 4.0.0.40, the ITU version must be less than or equal to 3
· ITU Failure.
In this case, the ITU might need to be swapped out.

TX Code 1 ITUST_DISABLED: The transmitter has been disabled by the Network Operations Center.

This status appears when a unit is disabled. If the NOC does not support automated cross-polarization, the unit is disabled when first installed onto the network and must be manually enabled by the network operations center once the installer has met the cross-polarization and installation specs and requests that the NOC enable the unit. A unit may be disabled for short periods of time by the NOC for service troubleshooting. It may also be enabled if the user discontinues 2-way service. Contacting the networks operations center and requesting that the unit be enabled can only correct a persistence of this condition.

TX Code 2 ITUST_TEST: The transmitter has been placed in test mode by the Network Operations Center.

This state occurs when the NOC staff places the unit into special transmission modes to measure the performance of a users unit. One example is that cross-polarization requires that a special continuous carrier by transmitted by the unit. When in this mode, the unit is unable to transmit user traffic to the NOC. If the unit is not expected to be in test mode, the network operations center must be contacted to remove the unit from test mode.

TX Code 3 ITUST_NOLOCK: The transmitter is locking to the receive carrier.

This status should correlate to one of the following issues: Upon initial startup or locking to the receive carrier, this is a normal state for up to 10 seconds. If this persists for more than 10 seconds, try disconnecting and reconnecting the IFL and wait 10 seconds to check for recovery. If the situation persists, then the ITU and IRU must be replaced.

TX Code 4 ITUST_BADIF: The transmitter is not responding to commands set from the receiver.

This indicates that there is something not properly operating in the IRU/ITU configuration. The expected actions to attempt to recover are as follows:

· Perform Activate ITU from the Adapter Diagnostic Utility to see if the system recovers
· Perform a reset of the IRU (power-cycle the unit) which will reset the IRU and ITU
· Check the IRU/ITU cable to ensure it is connected and secure
· If it cannot be resolved via resets, replace the power support, IRU/ITU cable, and the ITU
· This could also be caused if the power supply is faulty.

TX Code 5 ITUST_NOTIME: The transmitter is not locked to network timing.

No action is necessary if this occurs from time to time and quickly resolves itself. If this issue persists, it is likely due to a NOC-related service issue. If this problem is occurring on a user unit while it is not occurring on other units in the network, then it could be caused by one of the following:

Marginal Receive power: If the receive signal strength is in the 30''s, then this is causing sufficient dropped packets to lead to loss of network timing information. Use standard approaches to peak the receive power or re-point the antenna.
ITU Failure: Swap out the ITU.


TX Code 6 ITUST_NORX: The transmitter is not available because the receiver is not detecting a signal or is not locked to the correct network.

This status should correlate to the receive status indicating a problem.

Refer to the receive status messages to deal with this issue.

TX Code 7 ITUST_RXMODE: The transmitter is not available because the receiver is not tuned for normal operation.

When the unit is placed into special modes like antenna pointing mode, then the unit cannot transmit. By exiting the antenna pointing function, this should be resolved. In the worse case, a PC reboot (or restart of the navigator) should resolve this.

TX Code 8 ITUST_OK: The transmitter is available.

This is the normal operational state of the transmitter if it is installed.

TX Code 9 ITUST_RANGE: The transmitter is adjusting for optimal network timing.

The unit is currently in a special mode where it measures its power and timing and is adjusting both to properly operate in the network. When in this mode, the transmitter is able to send small amounts of data (~1-2kbps). It will enter this mode at installation until it succeeds. It may enter this mode at NOC operator command or when the dish is installed into a different location and re-pointed using the antenna pointing program. This is a normal state for a unit when it is first installed.

TX Code 10 ITUST_RTX: The transmitter is unable to communicate with the Network Operations Center.

This state indicates that the unit has stopped attempting to transmit user data because of a large number of packets unable to be received by the NOC. This could be a result of weather conditions causing lost packets or NOC equipment failure on the return channel equipment. Also, verify that the cable connecting the ITU to the ODU is in place, secure, and not damaged. Replace cable if necessary.

TX Code 11 ITUST_BADVER: The transmitter is not available because the receiver software is out of date.

This state indicates that the client software is not recent enough to operate on the network. New client software will be required from time to time due to network infrastructure and capability upgrades. The system will always back-support software for a period of time, but may at times obsolete software to ensure maximum network efficiency. If this message appears, new software is needed on the client machine.

TX Code 12 ITUST_BADDNCC: The transmitter is not receiving network control messages from the Network Operations Center.

This state indicates a NOC equipment outage on the server that controls return channel bandwidth (the DNCC). This problem should be reported to the NOC for service recovery.

TX Code 13 ITUST_RRTX: The transmitter is unable to range because it cannot communicate with the Network Operations Center.

This state may indicate many root causes. It occurs when the NOC does not receive ranging information from the unit. This could occur because the unit is unable to achieve enough transmit power for the NOC to receive. It could also occur because timing is incorrect due to entering the improper zip code or latitude/longitude information. It could also occur if the transmit ODU is not properly operating or is not properly cabled to the ITU. Severe weather conditions may also cause this to occur.

TX Code 14 ITUST_RBAD: The transmitter is not available because ranging has failed.

This state indicates that the NOC was unable to complete ranging if a user. The NOC needs to re-enable ranging to ensure successful ranging by users. This likely indicates that ranging capability is not currently operating correctly in the NOC.

TX Code 15 ITUST_RBUSY: The transmitter is waiting for a ranging request to be processed by the Network Operations Center.

This state occurs if the system is busy with adjusting power and timing for other users. This can be resolved by the NOC by adding more ranging capacity. Otherwise, the user must wait for a turn ranging.

TX Code 16 ITUST_ABUSY: The transmitter is waiting for a transmit request to be processed by the Network Operations Center.

This state occurs if the system is overloaded with users going active and is unable to provide bandwidth to a user going active. This indicates an overloading of the network with users. NOC operations should be contacted about increasing capacity.

TX Code 17 ITUST_NORATE: The transmitter is unable to obtain an available transmission rate.

This occurs if the unit cannot successfully range at any of the available inroute rates.

The possible causes are:

First generation ITU is used on a system that does not have 128K inroutes. In this case, the ITU must be replaced.
Unit could not achieve enough power to transmit on the lowest available inroute rate. This is likely caused by an installation/transmit power problem.

TX Code 18 ITUST_XREQ: The transmitter is requesting a transmit pointing test.

(Automatic CrossPol (ACP) Only) The unit is in this state when the antenna pointing program on the PC requests that the unit perform a transmit pointing test. The unit remains in this state until the NOC responds that the unit is either performing the test or queued to perform the test.

This is a normal state for installation. The unit may also periodically go into this state for short periods of time (<5 seconds) for periodic system checks that are performed on the antenna pointing to ensure that it continues to meet the cross-polarization requirements.

TX Code 19 ITUST_XQUE: The transmitter is queued for a transmit pointing test.

(Automatic CrossPol (ACP) Only) The unit is in this state when the antenna pointing program on the PC requests that the unit perform a transmit pointing test and the NOC has responded that the unit is queued. It also may occur periodically when the system is rechecking the pointing of the antenna. This occurs when other users have requested transmit pointing. This is a normal state for installation.

TX Code 20 ITUST_XTEST: The transmitter is performing a transmit pointing test.

(Automatic CrossPol (ACP) Only) The unit is in this state when either the antenna pointing program on the PC requests that the unit perform a transmit pointing test or the periodic system check is performing the antenna pointing test. This occurs once the NOC has provided the resources to initiate the test. If this is a PC pointing function, the unit remains in this state until the user exits pointing mode or the NOC times out the pointing. If this is the periodic test, it should exit this state within 5 seconds.

TX Code 21 ITUST_XFAIL: The transmitter is disabled because a transmit pointing test failed.

(Automatic CrossPol (ACP) Only) The unit failed the transmit pointing test, which means that it did not meet the specifications required by the satellite provider for cross-pol versus co-pol. This is likely due to an installation problem. The installer needs to fine-point the antenna to improve the cross-pol result and then re-execute the transmit pointing. The unit will not transmit until the cross-pol passes.

TX Code 22 ITUST_XPEND: The transmitter is disabled pending a transmit pointing test.

Units will only enter this mode on systems that support automated cross-polarization periodic rechecks. The unit is expected to be in this mode for up to 2 minutes at periodic intervals. This is also likely to occur upon power up after the unit has been turned off for more than a day. If the unit remains in this state for more than 2 minutes, then the auto-cross-polarization system in the Network Operations Center is likely experiencing an outage.

TX Code 23 ITUST_XNONE: The transmitter is disabled because a transmit pointing test cannot be performed.

A unit is placed into this mode when it cannot perform transmit pointing upon initial setup on the network or when the unit is required to re-range. This mode indicates that the NOC components that perform the automated cross-polarization pointing function are not operational.

IRU State Message Strings:



RxCode 0 IRUST_SUSPEND: The receiver is in USB suspend.

This should be a transient state at startup or after a suspend. A customer should never see this message. If they do, shutdown and restart the PC to clear this state and check TCP/IP settings if the condition persists.

RxCode 1 IRUST_POINT: The receiver is in pointing mode.

This status indicates that the user is performing antenna pointing. In this mode, the transmitter is disabled for safety reasons since the installer is working near the dish.

RxCode 2 IRUST_RXMODE: The receiver is in factory or NOC mode.

This status is for testing purpose only and will not been seen by users.

RxCode 3 IRUST_NOLOCK: The receiver is not locked to a signal.

This status indicates that the IRU is unable to receive the signal from the NOC. This is also associated with a signal level less than 30. This occurs if there is a weather outage for the user, a complete NOC outage, a mis-pointed antenna, or if the LNB is not operating correctly (either due to the connection via cable to the IRU or an LNB failure). This is likely a pointing issue or a temporary NOC outage.

RxCode 4 IRUST_BADNET: The receiver is locked to the wrong network.

This status appears if the receiver locked to a signal, which does not match that which the user was assigned to at web-setup time. This is likely due to the user changing pointing to the wrong satellite or changing the tuning frequency to not match that which was provided during the commissioning process. If the user has been reassigned to a different transponder or satellite, then the user should use web-setup to get the proper configuration parameters.

RxCode 5 IRUST_OK: The receiver is operational.

This is a normal operating state where the receiver is receiving data from the NOC.

This is the only state when the transmitter will operate normally.

RxCode 6 IRUST_SATAGC: The receiver is not detecting any signal (check connections).

This indicates that the LNB to IRU connections are either faulty or the IRU itself is faulty. The cables and connectors should be checked.

RxCode 7 IRUST_NONET: The receiver is locked to a unknown network.

This status appears if the receiver locked to a signal that does not have DirecWay identification. This is likely to occur if part of the DirecWay NOC is not operational. It is also likely if the user is pointed to the incorrect satellite or a frequency other than that provided during the commissioning process. To ensure it is not a local issue, reset the IRU to see if this condition persists.

Other strings that appear on status dialog:
Idle (Not connected in version 4.0.1)

This is the normal status when a 1-way unit is not connected to the internet via a phone line. This is also the normal status for a 2-way unit configured to use terrestrial rather than satellite return channel when it is not connected to the internet via a phone line. It is also possible to be in this state if the return channel mode is set to "Use satellite as primary ... fall back to terrestrial..." and the satellite is not available

Connecting

This is the status during the time when a unit is dialing the phone line and connecting for internet access.

Connected via Satellite

This is the normal mode for a 2-way unit. A 2-way Unit is connected all of the time when it is properly operating (whether data is being transmitted or not).

Connected via Modem

This is the normal status once the phone line is connected.

Connected via Satellite - Modem connection to Internet Service Provider (ISP) is still active The connection to your Internet Service Provider (ISP) is no longer required. - Press the ''Disconnect'' button to disconnect your modem.

This set of messages appears when DIRECWAY is configured for satellite return channel as primary and modem as fallback and: The satellite return channel was considered non-operational some time in the past. The modem is connected to the internet as the backup to the satellite return channel. The satellite return channel is now considered operational. The modem is still connected to the internet even though the satellite return channel is now being used. The user should disconnect the phone line since it is not being used.

DIRECWAY needs to establish a connection to the Internet. Press the "Connect" button to establish the connection or "Cancel" to close this dialog.

This message indicates that access to the internet is needed because a user requested connection to a website that is not in the PC cache. This occurs on a 1-way system where auto-connect is not enabled.

by grohgreg See Profile edited by PetDude See Profile
last modified: 2002-08-07 21:20:31

What follows is a step by step, detailed description of how one particular satellite dealer would advise a do-it-your customer on how to perform a standard pole mount installation of a Hughes, two-way system (SRS).

I am going on the assumption that one plans on installing a one-way Hughes System with the intention of upgrading to a two-way, at a later date. However, this installation will work for both one-way and two-way.

Step 1: Figure out where you are going to install your pole and take all measurements for the length of conduit you will need to run your cable underground. Determine how many elbows you will need and couplings. Also figure on putting a junction box at the entrance of your home. If you are running the conduit on the outside of your wall, up to the roof overhang and then into the attic, I would suggest two junction boxes. One will be about 12 inches up from ground level and the other will be under the eve of the house. The junction box should be large enough to mount your cable grounding blocks on the inside of the box that is close to ground level.

Step 2: Head to the nearest electrical supply store and purchase an adequate amount of 1 and 1/2 inch or preferably 2-inch electrical PVC conduit. Try to avoid the flexible type. Get the gray colored rigid type. Also make sure you get enough sweep 90-degree elbows, couplings and 45 degree elbows, if you need them. Do not substitute with the PVC elbows used for water. If you do not have any pull string (for pulling cable through conduit) then get some of that also. Don't forget the PVC cement and 5/8 inch by 8-foot long ground rod and ground clamp for that rod. Also some #8 or larger, solid copper grounding wire. Don't waste your money on the aluminum grounding wire.

Step 3: Go to the local supply store where you can purchase a 3-inch, schedule 40 steel pipe. The pipe will be 3 inches inside diameter (ID) and 3.5 inches outside diameter (OD). It should be a minimum of 8 feet, 2 inches long. It can be galvanized or black painted, depending on your environment. If you have sprinklers that spray water containing chlorine or if you mount it close to a swimming pool, then I would suggest the galvanized. However, cleaning the pipe, with a power brush, and painting it with Rust-Oleum Rusty Metal primer followed by two coats of Rust-Oleum paint (color of your choice) will give you many years of service. While at the pipe supply store purchase a short piece of schedule 40 pipe that is 10 inches long and having an OD of 2 and 3/8 inches. If you can't find this short piece in schedule 40, as a last resort, you can substitute by buying a piece of Chainlink fence post. It is usually 2 and 3/8 inch outside diameter.

Step 4: Head to the nearest welding shop and have them weld a piece of 1/4 or 3/8 inch steel plate to the end of your 3 inch schedule 40 pipe. Have them cut a round 2-inch hole in the center of that top plate. You are going to run cable through that hole. Now, have them weld the piece of 2 and 3/8 OD pipe to the plate. Make sure everything is perfectly straight and centered. Also it would be nice if the top plate was cut so that it is round and the outside diameter is 3 and 1/2 inches. You should now have a pipe that is 9 feet long including the 2 and 3/8-inch by 10-inch extension. While at the welding shop, have them cut a 45-degree angle cut on the bottom of the pole. However, instead of the angle cut they could cut a couple of ears (I prefer three staggered ears) near the bottom of the pole and bend them out. This keeps the pole from turning in the concrete. I prefer the ear method versus the 45-degree angle method. It keeps the pipe from raising vertically as well as turning. Don't leave the welding shop yet. There is more. Consider that your pole is going to be buried 36 inches into the soil. Figure at what depth you want to place your conduit. Take a sweep 90 elbow, place it next to the pole and have the welder cut a hole so the elbow fits nicely into the pipe. You want to make sure that one end of the elbow fits completely into the pipe and the other end is at a 90-degree angle to the pipe. You are going to run the cable through the center of the pipe and out through this elbow which will then be connected to the underground conduit. There will be no unsightly conduit or cables strapped to the outside of your pole to be cut with "Weed-eaters" or to deteriorate from sunrays. Last, have them weld a 1/2 inch by 1 inch long, bolt to the pipe about 6 inches up from where you think the pipe is going to meet ground level. For example, if you bury the pipe 36 inches in the ground then your would weld the bolt at 42 inches from the bottom of the pipe. You will want to weld the head of the bolt to the pipe. Then make sure you get a 1/2 nut. This is going to be your ground wire attachment point for the pole. There is no need to purchase a ground bracket for the pole. Put a piece of tape on the threads of this bolt, to protect the threads, for now.

Step 5: On your way home pick up about 5 to 8 bags of concrete "Ready Mix." I never use that quick set stuff. You can use it if you want to. The "Ready Mix" usually comes in 80-pound bags and has the gravel, sand and cement already mixed in. All you do is add water and mix it up and throw it in the hole. Depending on your soil will depend on how much "Ready Mix" you will need and the diameter of hole you will need to dig. For example, if you have a very sandy soil, I would recommend the full 8 bags. If you have a hard, solid type of clay soil then you could probably get by with the 5 bags. Of course if you have solid rock then you could probably get by with just a couple of bags. Good luck on drilling or blasting a hole in solid rock. I have been there and done that.

Step 6: This is the hole digging section. The dimensions are for sandy or a sandy loom soil. Get out the "Post Hole Digger" and some gloves, if you have delicate hands. Dig a hole 36 inches deep. You might want to dig the first 12 to 15 inches with a shovel. Make the hole 14 inches in diameter. Dig it down to 30 inches using the "Post Hole Digger." Now, cave in the sides of the hole to form a "Bell Shaped" hole and take out the dirt. The bottom of the hole should be about 20 to 24 inches in diameter. Next, using the "Post Hole Digger" dig down to the 36-inch depth but only making a 10-inch diameter hole. Remember, because of your hole in the pipe to attach your conduit and the bolt welded on for the ground wire attachment, it is critical your hole is exactly at the right depth and not an inch or two more or less. Try to have all angles of the hole as sharp angles versus rounded. Don't forget to dig the trench for the conduit. Have the conduit trench go all the way to the pole.

Step 7: Now it is time to mix the concrete and set the pole. You can do it however you want to but I am going to tell you how I have found is the easiest, most efficient way with the best water to concrete mixture and the least about of work and clean-up. Of course if you have one of those small, electric or gas powered concrete mixers, then you might want to use it. However, I have found that you have to put too much water into the mixture to get the concrete to flow out of the mixer. If you want to, try this method. I call it the water injection method. Get a piece of ˝ inch or thicker, plywood or some large piece of material about 4 feet by 4 feet. Lay it next to the hole with it hanging over the edge of the hole about an inch. Hook a hose to the water faucet with a hand sprayer connected to the end. Take a bag of "Ready Mix," lay it in the middle of the plywood and split it in half with a shovel. Empty the contents. Take another bag and gently lay it on top of the "Ready Mix" you have on the board. Split that bag and empty it. Now you have a small hill of "Ready Mix." Spread out the "Ready Mix" so as to make it look like you would imagine the top of a volcano would look like. Turn on the water, grab the hand sprayer and shove it down into the "Ready Mix" so just the tip of the sprayer is in the "Ready Mix" and no water sprays any where except that being injected into the "Ready Mix." Dont leave the spraying nozzle in one place too long. Move all around the inside wall of your volcano until there is water about an inch to an inch and a half deep, inside the volcano. Take the shovel and start from the outside wall of the volcano and gently shovel the "Ready Mix" into the center of the volcano until all the water has been absorbed by the "Ready Mix." Now start mixing, with the shovel. You do not want it too wet. You want it wet enough so that the concrete will be smooth if you happen to run the shovel across the top of it. You want the concrete to maintain its shape and not end up like a soupy mixture. Have a 9-inch magnetic, torpedo level handy that you can stick on the side of the pipe. The pipe should already be in the hole. Don't worry about it being level at this point. No need for rocks and such to keep the pole level. That is a waste of time and energy. Now, throw your first mixture of wet concrete into the hole. Level the pipe with the torpedo level. Level two sides of the pipe at 90 degrees apart. For example, level the North side and the East side. Don't worry if it does not stay perfectly level, when you let go to mix some more concrete. Mix two more bags of "Ready Mix" and throw it into the hole. Repeat mixing and throwing until you have reached the point where the 90-degree sweep elbow is to be inserted into the pipe. Make sure the pipe is now perfectly level. Tie a nut to the end of a piece of pull string and drop it into the pipe, from the top. Reach in through the hole in the pipe where the elbow is going to be inserted and pull out the string. Run it though the elbow. Glue a coupling to the end of the elbow and have about a foot or two of PVC glued to the other end of the coupling. Pull the string all the way through so that it extends at least three feet out of the top of the pipe and 3 feet out the end of the short piece of PVC, that is now in your trench. Tape the string to the outside of the top of the pipe so you dont loose that end. Insert the elbow into the pipe and continue to mix and throw concrete. From time to time you will want to poke the shovel into the concrete, that is already in the hole, to make sure it fills all air pockets. Don't forget to dam up the trench where it enters the hole, with dirt, so that you do not have concrete running into your trench, from the hole. Stuff some newspaper or paper towels into the end of the short piece of PVC that is in the trench, so you dont fill the PVC with dirt. Once you have concrete all the way to the top of he hole, put some more on top of that. Check two sides of the pipe to make sure the pipe is still perfectly straight, using the level. Form like a dome or ant hill around the base of the pipe. Go a head and use your hands. Be creative and see how smooth and pretty you can make this dome. Form the dome with your hands and then pat the concrete to smooth it out. The reason for the dome is you dont want soil to come in contact with the metal pipe and cause it to rust. Also, when it rains you will not have water standing next to the pipe; and last when you use the Weed-eater you wont need to get so close to the pipe that you start knocking paint off of the pipe and give it a chance to rust, at the base. Now, before you leave the job site to let the concrete setup for 24 hours, drive your grounding rod in, next to your concrete. It is best to drive the rod next to and on the outside of your concrete, but I have also driven the rod in, next to the pole and buried the top 3 feet of the rod in concrete. Of course if you put the rod next to the pole, make sure you drive in the rod before you start mixing and throwing concrete. Now you can rest or start running cable on the inside of your house.

Step 8: Gather together all of your conduit, elbows, couplings, glue, pull string and junction boxes. Run the pull string through all of your PVC, couplings and elbows. Glue all PVC and its components together except for gluing the junction boxes to the PVC. I normally never glue junction boxes to PVC. You can if you want to, after the junction boxes have been installed or just before you install the boxes. Make sure you have at least one pull string installed. I usually install two and leave at least one, after all cable has been pulled through. You never know when you might want to run more cable. Make sure you pull all cable through the conduit before you fill in your trench. Remember that you are going to pull the cable through the center of your antenna pole. Let about 6-feet extend out from the top of your pole. It is easier to cut off extra than to have to add some. Dont forget to pull that grounding wire through your conduit if you attached a ground wire to the grounding point on the Radio of a two-way system. Also, if you placed your coaxial grounding blocks, at the antenna. All electrical grounds need to be connected to your whole house ground. Check out the grounding FAQ . You might also want to consider gluing the conduit after you have pulled all of the cable. It gets a bit messy, by doing it this way and it is hard to keep the glue off of the coaxial cable but it is easier fixing a problem before the entire conduit is glued together. Once the cable is installed and the trench is filled, you should be ready to install and point your antenna. Refer to your antenna pointing manual of the one-way system or call the certified installer to install the two-way system. You could actually install the antenna before you run the cable, as long as you wait at least 18 hours for the concrete to setup. The end result you want is to run your cables so that they are neat as possible and with the least about of cable being exposed to the elements.

You might want to check out the Photos of Our Satellite Systems, click on Gallery, then click on Amersat. You will see several antenna installations where the cable can barely be seen.


Feedback received on this FAQ entry:
  • 5 to 8 bags of ready mix.....I think the phrase OVERKILL does not do your article justice.They sell 40 lb bags for setting post and 1 or 2 80lb bags (depending on your post)would be moore than great for corner post.a satellite post would only need 8 80lb bags of concrete if it doubled as a car hoist.LOL

    2010-04-30 16:40:11

by amersat See Profile edited by PetDude See Profile
last modified: 2002-04-02 23:50:32

If you use the consumer version of a DirecWay product, the IP address of your satellite adapter is not routable on the internet. It can only be used on private networks. Hughes uses a method of translating your IP address to a routable address called Network Address Translation. This is where "NAT" comes from. In a typical NAT configuration, your computer appears to every other computer on the internet to have the IP address of the machine that is performing the NAT services. All your traffic goes through that machine. It keeps a table (a NAT table, strangely enough)of entries of everything you have requested from the Internet so that when the response comes back, it knows who requested it and where the response should be sent.

NAT is used as a way to conserve IP addresses, as Internet routable IP addresses are neither free or readily available in huge quantities. It also provides a good level of initial security, as unless your computer requested it, it is very hard for an external computer to send you anything. It can cause issues for some applications that insist on knowing the exact IP address of the computer they are talking to. This can make being a VPN client difficult, and can make it impossible to connect to your machine as an FTP or PcAnywhere server.

Now the odd thing about the Hughes NAT is that sometimes it seems to work like every other NAT in that your public, routable IP address is shared with every other user going through the same NAT device. Other times, the translated address is unique to you alone. This is the phenomenon we around here call being "un-nated". It really is a misnomer, because your address is always a result of NAT. Even the unique one you get during the "un-nated" phases is still not the address of your adapter and has been translated for use on the Net. The difference is if your NAT'd public IP address is unique to you, then any security benefit of NAT is lost, and those applications that require you to have a unique public, routable IP start magically working.

It has been the experience of DirecWay users that when they are NOT using the proxy AND they have a public IP address ending in a single digit, they are "nated" or are sharing the address with many other users. If that address when not using the proxy ends in some other multi digit octet, they are "un-nated" and have a unique IP. During these times you will see many hits on your firewall as your computer is completely exposed to the Internet, and all the port scanning traffic.

by PetDude See Profile
last modified: 2002-05-19 16:37:03

I have seen many posts on this forum with people having trouble running Websetup. There is a way to run Websetup without connecting to the registration server, that is without having a modem and a phone line installed on your computer.

When you normally run websetup it downloads the following three files from the registration server into your Direcway\BIN Folder:
1. authrsp.acm
2. eemkrsp.acm
3. paramrsp.acm
4. paramrsp.dpcrsp (NOTE: this file is downloaded only if you run websetup from the 4.0.0.36 or 4.0.0.40 software version. 4.0.1.28 downloads only the first three files. File #3 and #4 contain the exact same information, the only difference is the file extension.)

The three files contain all the info that Websetup uses while it configures your computer (IP Address, Gateway, DNS address, etc). No matter how many times you run websetup (with same satellite modems) it will always download these three files with the same exact information on your BIN folder.

In order to avoid to have a modem installed every time you run websetup you can do the following:
Assuming that DW is already installed in your computer and you are able to access internet do the following:
1. Backup these three (or four) files that are located in the BIN Folder into a different folder in your computer (create a new folder in your computer and name it: Activation files. Copy these three files into the new folder youve just created.)
2. Uninstall DW.
3. Re-install DW as you normally do until the Websetup window pops up. When you see the Websetup window, click EXIT. At the Are you sure you want to exit prompt click YES.
4. Manually copy and paste the three files that you have backed up in step #1 into the BIN Folder (usually c:\program files\direcway\bin.)
5. Open MS-DOS prompt by clicking START>RUN and type COMMAND [ENTER]
6. At the MS-DOS prompt navigate to the BIN Folder
- Type: CD\ [ENTER]
- Type: CD PROGRA~1\DIRECWAY\BIN [ENTER]
- Type: WEBSETUP.EXE /CONFIG [ENTER] (make sure you leave a space between websetup.exe and /config
7. At this point Websetup will start past the point when it searches for modem. It will automatically start configuring your computer.

In case you are having trouble following step #6 do the following:
Open NotePad and paste the following line to it:
C:\PROGRA~1\DIRECWAY\BIN\WEBSETUP.EXE /CONFIG

Click FILE>SAVE AS. At the Save as Type box select ALL FILES. In the 'File Name' box type: Activate.bat and click Save.
Now all you have to do when you get to step #5 is to double-click on the Activate.bat file that you have created and websetup will automatically start configuring your computer.

From now on, you can install DW in any computer, without having a modem installed, as long as you have those three (four) files backed up in step #1. I suggest you copy the three files into a floppy disk so you can easily install your DW system in any other machine without the need to have a modem and a phone line.

Posted originally in the sat forum by Booyakasha.

by Red Baron See Profile edited by seagreen See Profile
last modified: 2004-05-03 11:47:50

This section was copied from the DirecPc 2.1 help files but is the best method users have found to find the satellite signal. I will stress that the mount has to be secure and the mast plumb.

Pointing the Antenna

This section describes how to accurately point the antenna reflector at the satellite. Alignment is critical to the operation of the DirecPC® system. When the reflector is pointed directly at the satellite, the adapter receives a strong signal. If the reflector is not positioned properly, the signal may be weak, resulting in data transmission errors.

Preparing the Antenna for Alignment

Loosen the four polarization nuts and set the polarization to the value calculated during AutoSetup (Websetup). Tighten the polarization nuts.
On the Azimuth capmount assembly that secures it to the mast tube, loosen the clamp bolts just enough to allow the antenna to move smoothly on the mast.
Loosen the two elevation pivot bolts to allow smooth movement of the mount assembly during the elevation adjustment.

Pointing Using the Box Method

The easiest way to find the satellite signal is by scanning the sky in the general direction that the satellite is located. While you could possibly achieve this by trial and error, you should be able to find the signal in a few minutes using the "box" method. What you are effectively doing is scanning the sky in a pattern similar to the way a farmer plows a field.

Pointing Procedure

Set the elevation to the elevation value calculated during AutoSetup (Websetup). Mark this point and then mark 5 degrees below and 5 degrees above this mark. Tighten the elevation nuts.
Set the azimuth to the azimuth value calculated during AutoSetup. Mark this point and then mark 5 degrees to the left and 5 degrees to the right of this mark.
If you are receiving a signal, go to step 6. Otherwise, grasp the antenna reflector and adjust the azimuth by slowly rotating the antenna from the -5 (leftmost) azimuth mark to +5 (rightmost) azimuth mark. As you slowly rotate the antenna reflector, pause at each degree for at least 10 seconds to determine if the signal is acquired.
If signal is still not acquired, loosen the elevation nuts and increase elevation by 1 degree. Tighten the elevation nuts and then repeat step 3. If signal is still not acquired, continue increasing the elevation one degree at a time and re-sweeping the azimuth until you increased the elevation by 5 degrees.
If signal is still not acquired, loosen the elevation nuts and decrease the elevation by 1 degree (from the initial elevation value), tighten the elevation nuts, and repeat step 3. If signal is still not acquired, continue decreasing the elevation one degree at a time and re-sweeping the azimuth until you decreased the elevation by 5 degrees.
Once a signal is acquired, you should fine-tune the disk orientation (azimuth and elevation) for maximum signal strength. To fine-tune, make small adjustments to the azimuth and elevation to maximize signal strength.
Once the maximum signal strength is obtained by adjusting the azimuth and elevation, try fine-tuning the polarization value to maximize signal strength.

by Red Baron See Profile
last modified: 2002-10-18 11:21:46

Condition: Websetup.exe will not run. It may appear to start and then disappear after a few seconds. You may not get an error message, or there may be an error message stating that websetup.exe is not a valid Win32 program.

Probable Cause: Websetup.exe depends on components of the Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) Dynamic Link Libraries and Active X controls of Inet Control (MSINET.OCX). This symptom can occur if the registry information regarding MSInet.ocx is missing or corrupted or if websetup.exe is unable to self-register MSInet.ocx (see note below).

Solution:

Click on "Start" from your Windows desktop. Click on "run"
Type: regsvr32.exe msinet.ocx
Click on "OK"

This will load msinet.ocx and all of its dependencies and correct the entries in your registry. Websetup.exe should now run correctly.

NOTE: If you have trouble running RegSvr32.exe in Windows XP, or if websetup runs but stops with:

Unable to register ActiveX control C:\WINDOWS\system32\msinet.ocx
Websetup cannot continue. Please press OK to end ...

then locate the file c:\winnt\system32\regsvr32.exe (or c:\windows\system32\regsvr32.exe on Windows XP Home or a system that was upgraded from Windows 9x). Right click on the file, select "properties" and make sure that "hidden" and "read-only" are NOT checked. If you are running Windows XP Pro, also select the "Security" tab and make sure that Administrators have "full control" permissions. Try running regsvr32.exe again.

RegSvr32.exe depends on the Kernel32.dll, User32.dll, and Ole32.dll files (and the Msvcrt.dll and Advapi32.dll files in Windows NT). Regsvr32.exe loads the file you are trying to register or un-register, along with all of its dependencies. The process may be unsuccessful if a required file is missing or damaged.

by wpfranklin See Profile edited by seagreen See Profile
last modified: 2003-06-12 09:01:42

Here is what you need to do to stop Norton Internet Security from blocking the direcway usage page from loading. This will prevent the loop effect you get and the page will load properly. So here it is!

1) Go to the NIS (Norton Internet Security) main page.

2) Click the options tab up near the top of the main page.

3) Next choose Internet Security > The Norton Internet Security Options Window will come up.

4) Now click on the Advanced Options page > The Norton Internet Security Advanced window will come up.

5) Now you will click on Add Site near the bottom left hand corner.

A) New Site/Domain window will come up

B) Type in the bar www.mydirecway.com then click okay

6) Next click on and highlight www.mydirecway.com in the left hand pane

A) Move to the right hand side and click on the tab above the right hand pane that says Privacy

B) Now check mark the box by use these rules for mydirecway.com

C) Now choose (PERMIT) cookies, (PERMIT)Referer, (PERMIT) Browser and (BLOCK) email then click apply

Now you want to repeat Step 5 and 6 but type in www.direcpc.com this time. After you complete these steps again, then click OK until you are back at the main window.

Then disable NIS and then restart NIS.

Now go to mydirecway and click on the Check My Usage Link and it should work now.

by watchman57 See Profile edited by seagreen See Profile
last modified: 2002-12-19 09:14:20


Q: How do I perform a "clean install" of the Direcway software, or just get rid of a service pack?
A: Tips on how to FINISH uninstalling DirecWay software/service packs.

Beginning with v4.0.3.9, the native Direcway uninstall does a much better job of cleaning up after itself than the previous versions. To finish the job, use the procedure below - especially for vers. 4.0.1.28 and earlier. But getting rid of a service pack still involves employing the clean install procedure (Note 1).

The native DirecPC/DirecWay uninstall application unfortunately leaves many leftovers - in both the directory tree, and in the registry. Many have solved their problems following this procedure (Note 2). The only way to get a 100% Direcway-free computer, is to completely reformat - everything. Second best would have been to employ a software monitoring and removal utility at installation time, but hindsight is 20/20. Short of that, you may resort to the following MANUAL procedure:

1. Uninstall all the DirecPC/DirecWay/Earthlink/AOL+ software (Note 3) from the Add/Remove Programs window or from the applicable folder in your Programs menu. Shut down the computer, unplug the USB modems and restart Windows.

2. From the directory tree delete the entire folder(s) in which the satellite connection software was/were installed

3. Search files and folders for
a) all occasions of DPC*.* and delete everything found. It's VERY important to use the *.* wildcard qualifier, or you'll end up removing stuff that has nothing to do with Direcway/DirecPC.
b) all occasions of OEM*.*NF , opening each one with Notepad. Delete all that say "Hughes Network Systems" inside.

4. Back up your registry. Start=>Run=>type in "regedit" click OK, File=>Export... & save the file to a location of your choice.

5. Restart Windows

6. Run a competent registry cleanup utility. Repeat this until the utility says there is nothing left to cleanup (Note 4)

7. Manually remove all residuals
a) launch REGEDIT from the RUN line and select FIND
b) type in HUGHES NETWORK SYSTEMS, click OK, delete the entire folder when found
c) Repeat search/delete for all occasions of Hughes, DirecPC, Direcway, and DPCNET5* (again, don't forget the *)

8. repeat step 6

9. Restart Windows, and reinstall the latest version of your software. Follow all on-screen instructions, plugging the USB cable back in at the appropriate time.

10. Reapply any tweaks you feel necessary

11. When you're sure the new configuration is operating to your satisfaction, it's safe to delete the registry copy saved in step 4.

Note (1) Beginning with v4.0.1.28, Direcway began silently and arbitrarily editing your Windows registry with their SERVINFO.INI file. This "clean install" procedure will not remove 100% of the registry changes made by Direcway's SERVINFO. To date, no significant problems have manifested themselves should these entries remain in the registry.

NOTE (2) this procedure applies to ALL hard drives and ALL partitions on your computer. A complete uninstall MEANS a complete housecleaning of EVERYTHING related to the sat connection software. Even mismatched USB drivers on physically separate HDDs can conflict at Windows startup.

NOTE (3) this procedure has NOT been tested on an AOL+ configuration, so it's possible that AOL-branded residuals may still exist.

NOTE (4) if you don't HAVE a registry utility, consider getting one. Otherwise this step is optional. The critical stuff can be still be found with Step 7, it will just take longer.

by grohgreg See Profile edited by seagreen See Profile
last modified: 2004-05-03 11:48:32