strange -- no higher than 45

[emuboy]

Many months ago in San Francisco, I successfully set up a system for the first time. I got ahold of a Sony B250 with a Sony dish. With 100ft. of coax stretching from a 4th floor rooftop to a first floor living room, all was well, and I was locked in at a steady 80.

Now I have moved to Philly, and I'm trying to do it again. Only this time, I had to leave my dish in San Fran (the landlord tarred it to the roof), so I picked up another. Only this time, instead of a Sony, I got a "Brand New RCA DSS 18" satellite dish with dual LNB," mounted it on the side of the building 8 stories up, connected it to my B250 with 75" of coax from Home Depot, and the best I can do is a signal that tops out at 45 and intermittently drops. The receiver just keeps searching for the satellite signal.

I've read the notes in this thread that it could be the cabling, so I'll try switching some out tonight, but could I have possibly bought an incompatible dish or something like that?

Thanks.

[emuboy]

Yeah, this is where it's so strange. I tweaked that thing for about 4 hours on Saturday, and I used a level to make sure the post was straight. I just don't understand why my signal is so weak. Is it possible that a building or something is partially blocking the signal? Is that even possible? There's another building off in the distance, but the dish seems to point to the right of it. There is a dish on the building next door (and 4 floors down on their roof) that would seemingly have the same problem as I, but I haven't seen the guy out there cursing at his dish like I have been.

[hufreak]

Yep, check you connections. And when you bought the coax cable from the depot, was it DSS Grade cable or regular RG-48?? This might be part of your problem if you used regular RG-48 cable, it's not shielded as well as DSS Grade coax cable and in long runs your signal will degrade.

[emuboy]

RG6. That's sufficient grade, isn't it?

[azjoe]

RG6 should be fine. Most likely cause is a bad connector or defective/damaged coax. Other thoughts...

If you have any splitters in the configuration, try getting rid of them and see if you get full signal... if so then reinsert them one at a time until the problem reappears.

Are you sure you're dish is aimed correctly? Don't forget that the signal must come from an angle above the center line of the dish equal to the angle the lnb is below the centerline... just use the calibration marks on the dish mount since they take that into consideration. But it explains why dishes mounted under overhangs, etc. might experience signal blockage.

There really are several sats at 101 which are usually considered as a single sat... but they are actually spread out a little. It's possible, I guess, a distant building could degrade the signal from one of the sats and not the others... do you get approx 45 on all transponders? If so, forget this as a possible cause.

Although it's pretty unlikely, you might be aimed at a "reflected" signal from a nearby building instead of the real sat... if so it would be severely attenuated, which a 45 is for your latitude. Again make sure you're dish is aimed at the correct az/el for your location. If you make sure the mast is plumb, use a compass and compensate for magnetic north, and use the dish mount scale you'll be dang close.

Good luck... and let us know what the problem turns out to be. ...azjoe

[MCGUIVER]

Originally posted by emuboy
RG6. That's sufficient grade, isn't it?

EMUBOY

This is what i gathered in your post of no more than 45 on the Sony.

Go to set up write down the azmiuth & elevation beacause it varys form zip to zip code. Then set your elevation for .5 degress higher that it calls for on your dish. EXP (33) 33.5 ELEV

Look in the direction of the LNB for obstuctions such as tree limbs or buildings. Possibly clipping the signal. Also check the level of the mast this is most important beacause the problem could most likely be there. When checking this do not make the mistake of just the verticle without the horizantal as well. Set the level on the top of the mast pole. Also make sure it is secured tight attached to the building and not rocking form the wieght of the dish when set on the mast.

If all to these seem to check out get a RCA 420 or a HUGES E11.

Just trying to help because I install 50 to 100 DAVES a month and have found that SONY B55 or any SON model are slow and signal level inaccurate. The best you can do with a SONY is anround a 80 to 89.

[smack]

The values offered by the IRD already take into condsideration the offset of the dish.

I believe what he was pointing out was that you should look for obstructions above the centerline of the dish (~3 degrees difference - the signal is hitting from ~3 degrees higher than the centerline).

The only real difference might be in azimuth. Most pointing programs do not take magnetic deviation into account. On the West coast, you'll need to swing the dish a little further West than what the compass will indicate (I don't remember...somewhere between 9 and 15 degrees extra).

Good Luck

Scott

[travelin65]

check your angle...I've had weak signal when the angle was wrong. Also make sure there are not trees in the way...