90% signal strength, 0-10% signal quality

[ayelvington]

Two different birds. Both give me 90% signal strength on an HD channel. One is running 40%+ on signal quality, but the other is 0-10%. I'm going to check my declination, but hard to know what's going on when the signal strength is solid.

Any experience to share? I enjoy LPBHD a lot, but signal quality is poor. (I'm in NW Pennsylvania with an elevation angle of 41 to see SES2)

Al

 

[KE4EST]

Same here with LPB. Signal will be great and then vary. Then back to good. Will do this several times a day. Had it happen like this for years on a 90cm.
I watch PBS on 125W so I hardly ever go to 87W for PBS any more.

 

[ayelvington]

Same here with LPB. Signal will be great and then vary. Then back to good. Will do this several times a day. Had it happen like this for years on a 90cm.
I watch PBS on 125W so I hardly ever go to 87W for PBS any more.

I wish that I could see 125W, but hour house backs up to a bluff to the west. The furthest I can see is 105W

Nice to know that I'm not the only one having an issue with LPB, and maybe it's just the channel and nothing more.

Thanks!

Al

 

[Titanium]

LPB uses a PCIE hardware encoder. I recall that it is a DekTec card. LPB has always had some quirks and the low locking Signal Quality reading has always been one of them.

Techie Talk: The 3/5 FEC is very generous and the excellent error correction ratio makes decoding possible even with very poor signal and many errors. I always use a meter with SNR readings to set this satellite, as it is near impossible to optimize using only a Signal Quality meter reading. Here in California with a 90cm, the Signal to Noise Ratio on LPB is approximately 11.5dB, so it is pretty easy to locate and optimize. A good tuner will start displaying video slightly above 6.0 SNR and LPB will have almost zero BER correction as soon as it locks above threshold. The BER correction really isn't used with their robust signal.

 

[Cosmo Blatz]

I always use a meter with SNR readings to set this satellite, as it is near impossible to optimize using only a Signal Quality meter reading.

Titanium: Could you please recommend a meter for this task?

BTW: I too have problems with LPBHD on the 90cm dish. Some days good, other days the breakups make it unwatchable.

 

[Titanium]

My preferred meter is the Allied Instrument AI Turbo S2, but that is not a realistic purchase for most hobbyists. I also have a sample meter from a manufacturer that is similar to SatLink WS-6922. An excellent meter in my opinion. There are many medium priced meters and free (or inexpensive) software for USB/PCIe DVBS (S2) tuners that display SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio), BER (Bit Error Rate) and carrier strength in dB units. My favorite PC software solution is EBSpro @ $35. Along with an inexpensive PCIe DVBS2 tuner and you can have a great signal analysis tool, advanced receiver and 4:2:2 as a bonus.

Maybe other members could weigh in on their experience with current available DVBS2 meters. Meters that are reasonably priced include the 8dtek DSM Desired, First Strike FS1, SatLink (many models), SatHero (several models), etc.

Personally, if I had a limited budget or only occasionally needed a diagnostic tool, I would go with a PC based solution. If you have a laptop, add a USB DVBS2 tuner. If a desktop, a DVBS2 PCIe tuner and EBSpro. Easy to install (10 minutes) use and many advanced features including motor control, switching, TS analysis, etc.

 

[Titanium]

updatelee found this great deal on a TBS USB DVBS2 tuner for $55.99! Add the $35 EBSpro software to a PC laptop And for $81 you will have a great new toy!

http://www.buydvb.net/tbs5980-usb-d...b.net/tbs5980-usb-dvb-s2-tv-qbox-ci-p-25.html