Yamal 90E (90.0°E): reception setup and CCcam/OScam

Satellite Yamal 90E: setting up reception is a task that at first glance seems simple, but breaks down into several independent layers: radio part, channel search, and sharing. Most people get stuck on one of these layers and start adjusting the antenna, while the problem is actually in the reader config. Or vice versa. In this article, we will go through everything in order — from the elevation angle to the line in oscam.server.

Satellite Yamal 401 (90.0°E): what we receive and why

At the orbital position 90.0°E, the satellite Yamal 401 operates. It was launched in 2015 and carries transponders in two frequency ranges — C and Ku. This is fundamentally important because the equipment, angles, and converters for them are different.

Orbital position 90.0°E and coverage areas (C and Ku bands)

The C-band on Yamal 401 is a wide beam, covering a vast territory from Western Siberia to the Far East and partially beyond Russia. Reception is possible even with a large signal footprint, but a serious antenna is needed — from 1.8 to 2.4 m, and even larger at the edge of the zone. Polarization can be both linear and circular, depending on the specific transponder.

The Ku-band has narrow beams with a higher flow density, so the antenna is smaller. In the center of the reliable reception zone, 0.9–1.2 m is sufficient, while at the edges — 1.5–1.8 m. Precipitation affects Ku significantly more than C. Rain fade will be discussed separately below.

What packages and languages are actually present on 90E

On 90E, predominantly Russian-language content is available: regional channels, federal packages on transponders, mixed IPTV multiplexes. Some transponders operate in FTA — open, without encryption. Another part is encoded, and for it, CCcam or OScam with a working line is needed.

Among the encodings on 90E, predominantly Russian systems are encountered. Before setting up sharing, it is essential to know the CAID of the required packages — this will save time when configuring the reader.

Antenna diameter requirements by regions

Refer to the coverage map on the official Gazprom Space Systems website — there is a footprint with EIRP contours. The lower the EIRP value at your location, the larger the dish needed. Rough guidelines are as follows:

• Central Russia, Ural — Ku from 0.9–1.2 m
• Western Siberia, Far East — Ku from 1.2–1.5 m
• Edge of the Ku zone or weak signal — switch to C-band with a dish of 1.8 m+
• C-band on the periphery of the zone — 2.4 m and above

If the signal disappears in the rain — it doesn't mean the dish is too small. This is normal rain fade for Ku, but if the degradation is too severe, the size of the antenna should indeed be increased.

Calculating angles and aiming the antenna at 90E

Without precise angles, aiming turns into a guessing game. Even experienced installers use a calculator — it’s impossible to be more accurate than 1–2° by hand, and that’s where the difference between lock and no lock lies.

Azimuth, elevation angle, and LNB skew angle for your location

Take any online satellite angle calculator (for example, dishpointer.com or similar), enter your coordinates and 90.0°E. You will get three numbers: azimuth (from true north clockwise), elevation angle (above the horizon), and skew angle of the converter.

For Moscow (55.7°N, 37.6°E), this is approximately: azimuth ~143°, elevation angle ~26°, skew about +18° clockwise. For Novosibirsk, the elevation angle will be higher (~33°) because the satellite is closer in longitude. The further north you go, the lower the elevation and the more challenging the reception is with obstacles on the horizon.

Choosing a converter: linear Ku, circular, C-band feed

For the Ku-band, Yamal 401 uses a standard universal LNB with a range of 10.7–12.75 GHz and switching of the local oscillators 9750/10600 via 22 kHz. The polarization is linear — H and V. A circular converter (LHCP/RHCP) is not needed here and will not work.

For the C-band, a C-band feed with a converter of 3.4–4.2 GHz (local oscillator 5150 MHz) is required. An important point: C-band LNB often requires spectrum inversion in the receiver settings — if you forget to enable this, lock will not appear even with perfect aiming. This is one of the most common mistakes.

If the transponder has circular polarization (L or R) — a linear converter will not provide normal reception. It is essential to know the type of polarization for each transponder before purchasing equipment.

Step-by-step aiming based on signal level and quality (SNR)

This is where most guides are silent: aiming should be done based on theQuality (SNR/MER), not on Signal/Strength. The Signal scale shows the power level — it increases simply because you are looking towards a noisy source. Quality/SNR shows the actual signal-to-noise ratio, and only with it will the receiver lock onto the transponder.

Aiming algorithm:

1. Set the calculated azimuth and elevation according to the calculator
2. Slowly rotate by azimuth — look for the SNR peak
3. Once the peak is found, adjust the elevation up and down by 0.5–1°
4. Fix and adjust the skew of the converter
5. Go over the azimuth again — after changing the skew, the peak may shift slightly

You need to turn slowly — the angular size of the Ku beam is narrow, missing by 1.5–2° and not seeing the signal is very easy. After the initial lock, you can secure the mount and check all transponders.

Transponder parameters and channel search

Satellite Yamal 90E: reception setup is impossible without correct transponder parameters. Frequencies on 90E changed in 2024–2026, so any lists found in old articles should be verified against current databases — satbeams.com, lyngsat.com, or specialized forums with an update date no older than a few months.

Frequencies, symbol rate, polarization, and FEC

Transponder parameters are a set of several values:

• Frequency — in MHz (for example, 11045, 12523, etc.)
• Polarization — H (horizontal), V (vertical), L/R (circular)
• Symbol Rate — symbol rate in kSym/s (kBd)
• FEC — error correction coding (3/4, 5/6, 7/8, etc.)
• Standard — DVB-S or DVB-S2, modulation QPSK or 8PSK

DVB-S2 with 8PSK is a denser modulation, requiring better SNR for stable lock. If the signal is on the edge — DVB-S transponders with QPSK will perform better, DVB-S2/8PSK may drop out. This is important to consider when diagnosing unstable reception.

LNB setup: heterodyne 9750/10600 (Ku) and 5150 (C)

Universal Ku LNB works with two heterodynes:

• 9750 MHz — for frequencies below 11700 MHz (lower band, 22 kHz off)
• 10600 MHz — for frequencies above 11700 MHz (upper band, 22 kHz on)

The receiver switches them automatically via a 22 kHz tone — the main thing is that the LNB settings are set to Universal type, not fixed. If you set one heterodyne to 10750 (as on older converters), some transponders will not be found.

For C-band: heterodyne 5150 MHz, range 3.4–4.2 GHz. In the receiver settings, be sure to enable spectrum inversion — without it, transponders will not open even with correct alignment. This is not obvious, but it is so.

Manual (blind) and automatic search on Enigma2/DVB

On Enigma2 (OpenATV, OpenPLi, OpenVision, etc.) there are two modes. Manual transponder addition: in the scanning menu, enter frequency, SR, polarization, FEC — most reliable for specific known multiplexes.

Blind scan searches for all transponders in the range by brute force. It takes 10–30 minutes but finds what is not in the databases. On 90E, blind scan is useful if you want to pick up everything that is actually broadcasting, not just known transponders. The downside is a lot of junk and dead entries in the channel list after scanning.

On cards with a DVB driver under Linux (TBS, Prof, Azurewave), scanning viadvbscan orw_scan2 — you send a file with transponders, and receive a channel list in channels.conf or zap format.

Connecting CCcam and OScam for channels 90E

When the radio part is working and FTA channels are coming in — it's time to deal with sharing. Here, satellite Yamal 90E: the setup for receiving encrypted channels completely depends on the correct reader config.

CCcam: C-line string and CCcam.cfg file

The CCcam config is located in one of two paths — depending on the firmware:

• /etc/CCcam.cfg — standard path for most Enigma2 builds
• /var/etc/CCcam.cfg — found in some distributions

The connection string to the server (C-line) looks like this:

C: hostname port username password

Wherehostname — server address (domain or IP),port — port agreed with the provider,username andpassword — issued credentials. The actual values are specified by the server side — here only the format.

If your receiver shares cards with others — add an F-line:

F: client_username client_password 1 0 0 0 { }

After editing the CCcam file, you need to restart the daemon. On Enigma2:init 4&& init 3 or through the web interface.

OScam: reader in oscam.server and binding caid/provider

OScam — a more flexible option. Configurations are split into files:

• /etc/tuxbox/config/oscam.conf — main settings, httpport, logfile
• /etc/tuxbox/config/oscam.server — description of readers
• /etc/tuxbox/config/oscam.user — list of users

In some firmware, the path is different:/usr/keys/oscam/ or/var/keys/. If you edit the file and there are no changes — check if you are editing the correct file. This is a classic trap.

Example of a reader for connecting via the CCcam protocol:

[reader]

Parametercaid restricts the reader to only the necessary systems — there is no need to route requests for other satellites and encodings through it. Parameterident narrows it down to specific providers within CAID. This reduces the load on the line and speeds up the response.

Values of CAID and ident for packages on 90E need to be taken from a real ECM request — check the OScam logs after the receiver attempted to open the encrypted channel.

Ports, protocols, and checking the connection status

Port — this is a server parameter. There is no standard single port for CCcam: different servers use different ones. In C-line, this is the third field, in oscam.server — the parameterdevice=host,port. Use the one issued along with the credentials.

Checking the OScam status via the web interface: inoscam.conf should be specifiedhttpport = 8888 (or another). Open the browser athttp://ip_receiver:8888 — you will see the status of readers, ECM time, number of CWs and errors.

For CCcam — the web page is available on the port specified in the config (usually 16001 or 8080). It shows connected servers and clients, card status.

Criteria for normal reader operation: ECM time up to 0.3–0.6 s, minimum NK (No Key) and timeout, uptime without interruptions. If the reader goes DOWN — check the host's availability, the correctness of the port and password.

Diagnosis of reception and sharing problems on 90E

When something is not working, it is important to immediately determine the class of the problem. The radio part and sharing are two independent layers, and advice from one does not help with problems in the other.

No signal / low SNR — mechanics and cable

If there is no lock at all — we start with the radio part. Checklist:

• Correct DiSEqC port — if 90E is on a multi-feed with other positions, the port must match the one to which the converter is physically connected
• Polarity — correct H/V for the required transponder
• LOF — correct local oscillator for the range
• Spectrum inversion — mandatory for C-band
• F-connectors — poor contact causes noise and unstable lock
• Cable length — RG6 loses ~6 dB/100 m at 12 GHz. A cable longer than 30–40 m without an amplifier already causes noticeable attenuation

Rain fade on Ku — a separate story. In rain, the signal weakens by 3–10 dB depending on the intensity of precipitation. Channels break up and reappear with the clouds. This can be fixed by increasing the antenna diameter or switching to C-band.

Channels are available, but encrypted ones do not open (ECM/CW)

FTA is working — so the radio part is fine. We look for the problem in sharing. We go to the OScam log:

tail -f /tmp/oscam.log

The path to the log is taken from thelogfile parameter inoscam.conf. What to look for:

• CW NOT FOUND — the reader cannot obtain the key. Either the reader is DOWN, or the CAID is not supported by the line
• reader DOWN — no connection to the server. Check the host, port, credentials
• TIMEOUT — the server did not respond in the allotted time. High ping, overload, geographical distance
• CAID/IDENT mismatch — the request went to the reader, but the CAID did not match what the server serves

If the log shows an ECM request and a CW response — we look at the response time. The norm is up to 0.3–0.6 s. At 1–2 s, channels start to hang. At 3+ s — the picture constantly breaks up.

OScam/CCcam logs: reading errors and timeouts

Connecting to the receiver session via SSH and real-time monitoring:

ssh [email protected]
tail -f /tmp/oscam.log | grep -E "ECM|CW|reader|TIMEOUT"

We check the status of the demons through the web interface or with the command:

ps | grep oscam
ps | grep CCcam

If the process is not running — we look for the reason in the startup log. A common problem: a syntax error in oscam.server (extra space, incorrect caid format) — the daemon starts, but the reader is not added.

For CCcam similarly — the log is usually in/tmp/CCcam.log или /var/log/CCcam.log. There you can see the status of the C-line: CONNECTED or DISCONNECTED, the number of cards on the line.

If the reader is working, but only some channels open — check that all necessary values are listed incaid andident. Missing one CAID = silence of all channels of this encoding.