Toughsat
Users Manual
Ground Control
- 28 -
Basic System Troubleshooting
The first step before going into more detailed troubleshooting is to make sure that all cables are connected properly and
then perform a power reset on all equipment. Always try this first before doing more in depth troubleshooting.
Troubleshooting Search Issues
Under acceptable conditions, a Toughsat should be able to complete its search procedure and establish a full signal lock
on its designated satellite in as little as 5 minutes, and never more than 30. Average search times are around 6-7
minutes. In th
e event that your dish has been searching for 20+ minutes, it’s highly unlikely that it is going to be able to
establish signal lock.
There are several factors which effect a Toughsat
’s ability to locate signal, but the majority of them come down to location.
This is due to the fact that all satellite communication units require an unobstructed line of site to the satellite in the sky.
All of our target satellites are geosynchronous, meaning their orbit speed matches the rotation of the earth, keeping them
in a fixed, constant position in the sky, directly over the equator. In our case, our target satellite for all iDirect systems is
located at 123 west longitude, meaning for North America, your dish will always be looking south to southwest.
If your di
sh is searching for long periods without finding a signal lock, you’ll first want to eliminate any possible
environmental factors.
Line of Sight
– Your dish needs a completely clear, unobstructed view of the south to southwest sky. This includes even
sma
ll items such as hanging power lines that you might not suspect can cause a problem. If there’s anything you even
suspect might be too close, move your system and try again. The Toughsat actually will locate and identify 2 satellites
during it’s search; the first at 99west (this is a reference satellite that speeds up the search process), and then the target
satellite of 123west. As these satellites are several degrees apart, the dish needs a wider field of view than if it were just
looking for a single target.
Flat Ground
– Because the satellite signals are polarized, the dish has to align itself not only up and down, but also with a
clockwise/counterclockwise twist known as skew in order to establish a signal lock. Because of this, the dish platform
(and thus whatever it may be mounted on) have to be within 5 degrees of perfectly level in order for the signals to still
align properly. The dish will actually give you an error message if it is more than 5 degrees off, which eliminates some of
the guessw
ork, but it’s good to get it as level as possible prior to searching.
Possible Sources of Interference
– This is an issue that is rarely encountered, but still a legitimate concern. Satellite
shares operating frequencies with a handful of other technologies, the most prominent of which is radar, though any
source of strong radio signals can potentially be an issue if in close proximity (large radio antennae, cell phone towers,
etc.). Airports tend to be the biggest source of radar related interference cases, though we have also seen cases of police
with hand-held radar guns actually causing issues as well. Unfortunately in any situation where a large stationary device
is
the
source
of
the
interference,
the
only
option
is
to
move
the
Toughsat
further
away.
In the event that you’re confident none of the above is preventing your unit from seeing signal and yet it still cannot
establish a lock, the problem most likely lies with the hardware itself (or its corresponding software). This is mostly seen
on units which have
The dish is online, but I can’t browse the Internet
If your dish is on-signal (showing a green Signal Quality bar on the Main Page: 192.168.1.2) but you cannot browse,
check the status line. It should read “passed test, system online”. If it instead says “Passed test, system pointed” then
your dish connected to the satellite without the modem. Power cycle the modem and the dish, then try again.
Also, check the status lights on your modem. If you are fully online, and not stuck in cross-pol or another status.
If you are still unable to browse, check the Ethernet connections between your computer, your modem, and your GC
Controller. You should see link lights active on all of them:
