Point Dish Signal Meter Changes

[RandallA]

I found this in the Tech. Portal. It looks like there will be changes to the Point Dish Signal meter and that receivers will lose signal at 10 pts or less and signal above 17 pts will be enough to provide signal. By adjusting this meter, there will loss as much as 40 pts. from the current signal readings.

Also a new yellow status will be added to the Sys Info screen. It will show when the signal is marginal (11 to 17 pts).

For the Power Point file (too big to attach):

http://rweb.echostar.com/departmental_content/TechPortal/content/zips/20070524.1_NewPDSmeter.zip

 

[gadgtfreek]

I might be readin this wrong, but why would they intentionally add this when it will visually decrease SS but not technically decrease it?

 

[NickG]

A new yellow status indicator? I have already seen yellow on my system info screen on my old 501 receiver for the 129 satellite. Sometimes it's yellow sometimes green even though that receiver can't "see" 129.:shocked

 

[RandallA]

I might be readin this wrong, but why would they intentionally add this when it will visually decrease SS but not technically decrease it?

Actual signal received strength did not change, it's the way the receiver will display the SS that will change.

 

[RandallA]

A new yellow status indicator? I have already seen yellow on my system info screen on my old 501 receiver for the 129 satellite. Sometimes it's yellow sometimes green even though that receiver can't "see" 129.:shocked

They might've started rolling it out already to some receivers. I've seen that the 5xx receivers got new software last week and this week.

 

[gadgtfreek]

But doesnt it state the actual displayed will "decrease"? Seems like they are opning themselves up for a headache.

 

[RandallA]

But doesnt it state the actual displayed will "decrease"? Seems like they are opning themselves up for a headache.

Yes to both, they're just asking for trouble. Once people see that their previous SS has decreased the calls will increase. Hopefully most of us will see this document before they roll it out.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Ok, just wanted to make sure I understood it correctly.

The uninformed customer is going to notice a decrease and call in, plus I feel for the installers who will have to deal with this now. When the guy left me with a 1000.2 and the SS's i had on 110 and 129 I was not happy. I later found out that adding a 500 was best. People are really going to be unhappy with their SS on a 1000.2 now.

Is the loss of signal at 10% better than it was. I figured youd lose it before then.

 

[RandallA]

You will lose signal at 45 pts as of today but the document says that you'll lose it at 10 pts. with the new changes.

 

[Ronald_Jeremy]

It states that they did it to bring consistancy across different types of receivers. I imagine it was so the bedroom with the standard receiver will show the same signal strengths as the VIP in the living room.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Randall, do you think thats(loss at 10 instead of 45) because they are going to drop the signal close to 30 points on the receivers screen, or do you think they are adding some technical benefit so that itll take more SS loss for you to lose your picture.

In other words, is this strictly a cosmetic deal or are they making tuning improvements.

 

[lakebum431]

The way I understand it this is a cosmetic change only. So that all of the receivers are on the same scale. It is intended to make it easier for an installer to get consistent readings across all receivers. It should not have any effect on the consumer.

 

[RandallA]

Without more specific details don't really know elwaylite. It could be like Ronald said to "bring consistancy across different types of receivers" or to hide the problems with 129.

I noticed that with the L4.01 software update some TPs on 129 were displaying higher readings than before. These TPs were the ones showing low SS readings, coincidence? I don't think so. My 211 still shows the same low readings on the same TPs coming from the same 1000.2 dish but my 622 shows higher readings.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Gotcha. Still think its gonna suck for the installers trying to explain why the new 622 they installed has such a crappy SS.

Seems like they coulda worked this out without intenttionally dropping viewed SS.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Randall, I see what you mean.

Hopefully the Mpeg4 plans work out well for them and we can get good SS off two birds next year. I really do not like having a 1000.2 + a 500.

 

[Van]

God what a bad idea, the current signal screen allows for better trouble shooting on the job with signal flux but this new system sounds like its going to change it to where the minor flux ( 5 - 10 bars ) wont show up.

 

[mdwatt]

Signal levles on dual tuners have always read lower than on single tuners. It's always kinda been a pain. The signal meter is nothing more than the software's interpetation of the signal strength. That's why the difference. It's all software. I see both good and bad things with this coming change. We'll be able to tell more once we get our hands on it.

 

[kstuart]

The uninformed customer is going to notice a decrease and call in...

The uninformed customer has never seen the signal strength screen.
I would estimate that less than 1% of customers know what the current signal strength numbers should be.
If this makes all the receivers show the same stength numbers when connected to the same coax wire from a dish, it's definitely an improvement.
I assume they are using 10% for loss of signal, because there seems no point to the scale currently between 0 and 40, since 30 is no better than 15.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Yeah BUT, if you get your install finished and see 100 on most of 119 and then 60 on most of 129, you might ask some questions even its the first time youve seen it.

Granted I wasnt a first timer but I asked, and the tech's answer about 129 would not give a new customer a fuzzy feeling.

 

[long_time_DNC]

A tech who just left here after putting a "low noise" LNB up in-place of the standard one for 129 showed me the tech sheet on this signal strength change and yes, while it will freak some of us out, at least initially, in the long-term, it's an improvement because signal strength readings will be uniform across all the receivers, which will make installs and problem diagnosis faster/easier...but I agree, it'll take some time getting used to the adjusted readings.

The new LNB increased my average signal strength on 129 by 8-15 points (average) across all the TPs and the 30-point swing, while it still happens, doesn't cause signal lock to be lost. Now, whether this resolves the loss-of-signal issue, that remains to be seen, but if not, then we'll add a 24" dish out there (much as I dislike the idea of becoming something that looks like an uplink center) and resolve the problem permanently, assuming the LNB doesn't resolve it.

We'll see...