105 interference

[dlsnyder]

Just as a test would it be possible to have two dishes next to each other, one pointed at 121 and the other at 105? In a side by side test you could see if both are receiving the interfering signal at the same time. If they are you may be able to make a guess as to the direction of the offending signal based on the relative effects on each LNB. Just as a wild guess is that Air Force base to the south of your area? Even if they are using a frequency within a few mhz of the satellite transponder frequency the signal strength could be enough to de-sense the LNB, overpowering the AGC (if it has one - maybe it is in the receiver). Since the satellite signal is coming from - what is it 36,000 miles out in space? - it wouldn't take much of a nearby signal to overpower one coming from the satellite.

 

[Stargazer]

The problem does not happen all of the time though so that is why I was saying that one should have some subscribed channels. I guess I could use the PC PVR that I have to record the signal data from the 121 satellite while I setup a recording at the same time the PC PVR is recording the signal strength screen.

I had suggested above to try both the 121 and 105 satellite at the same time to see if it has something to do with the frequency range or just a particular satellite. I have not noticed the problem lately as much as I used to, either that or I have gotten used to it, but I know it still happens every once in a while.

 

[bcshields]

It's the alien's spaceship when they're coming to visit that weird guy downtown...

 

[alfred1964]

superdish with 6000

i have a 6000, where i have 110-119-61.5, i bought the super dish which comes with 110-119-105, my question is :
1: i was told that 105 would carry all the international's like 61.5 does, and if not can i install the super dish and add the 61.5 to it with the switch it comes with and then i have another question can the 6000 work with the super dish with dish pro LNB or has to take regular 500 dish lnb?
Thanks for your support

 

[SimpleSimon]

I'm not sure if the I'nat'ls are on 105 or 121, but to move forward, if your SuperDish is DishPro, the 61.5 can be added by replacing the DP34 with a DPP44 (once they are released - supposedly any day now, which probably really means 2007) and making sure it's got a DP LNBF. You'll also need a DishPro Adapter for the 6000.

 

[gary s]

I recently had a 721 installed here in Southern California. The installer, while he was here, happened to mention that with the superdish (don't know what satellite) in the Needles, CA area they were losing signal about the same time every day. I can not remember exactly, but he said something like, it took a lot of great techs to finally figure that with the angle of the earth on its rotation or something like that they were losing sight of the satellite. I wish I could remember better. I guess I could try and contact my installer and ask him what he said.

 

[mike123abc]

Well the good news is that 105 will be replaced soon with a new satellite (launch is currently set for the end of next month). This will hopefully end a lot of problems people have with recieving it.

One can only hope they get the issues of the DPP44 worked out soon...

 

[SimpleSimon]

Please do - because what you say he said is hooey.

121 is at 184 (almost due south), and at 50 degrees above the horizon (that's high).
105 is at 157 (SSE) and at 48 degrees up - still very high.

 

[gary s]

Please do - because what you say he said is hooey.

Sorry!

 

[SimpleSimon]

No - no sorry from you! Oh, and BTW, welcome aboard!

You're just relaying what you remember someone else said - and as you'll learn by reading these threads a LOT of installers don't know jack.

 

[Stargazer]

I do not remember seeing any problems for a while now or heard of any problems from others either like there was earlier. Perhaps the problem has been fixed or the interference has went away. At least when the new satellite launches if it were to happen again then the satellite itself could not be blamed for the issue. That would be one less thing that it could be.

 

[bcshields]

I had a thought. If it's happening at the same time every day, on one channel... could it be an airplane flying to a nearby airport on approach?

I worked as an aircraft electrician at Dover AFB for 4 years... and I know they have systems which ground crews can recognise what airplane is coming in and such... could it be that an aircraft is sending signals down at a certain frequency that's interrupting the 105 transponder frequency for that channel?

 

[Stargazer]

That could be a possibility if it is only happening in a specific area instead of nationwide. If someone had some type of spectrum analyzer or something like that which would be able to detect different frequencies and see if there is something being transmitted in the air at the same time that the interference is happening.

 

[gary s]

I recently had a 721 installed here in Southern California. The installer, while he was here, happened to mention that with the superdish (don't know what satellite) in the Needles, CA area they were losing signal about the same time every day. I can not remember exactly, but he said something like, it took a lot of great techs to finally figure that with the angle of the earth on its rotation or something like that they were losing sight of the satellite. I wish I could remember better. I guess I could try and contact my installer and ask him what he said.

Please do - because what you say he said is hooey.

I did call my installer and I guess _I_ was full of hooey! He said they were having trouble with the small dishes (I'm sure, or at least as sure as I can be now, from the original conversation with him that it was at a certain time of day) and replacing them with superdishes fixed the problem. He did restate that the techs figured it was caused by the rotation of the earth. He didn't say this was something he figured out. So, my original telling of it was definitely BS. As for their theory I don't know.

 

[jerrydss]

Well All I know is we are having 20 trouble calls a day in the Chattanooga area that johntenn is talking about, and it seems each one is having to do with the 105 lnb. All my techs are saying the LNB is bad, they replace them, works for 2 days, then there is another TC with the same problem. It's a real issue, I could say its inexperience with some of the techs, but it seems to be a real pattern of trouble coming from some where, and no one can find the problem. Its mainly in the GG DMA of Northwest Georgia and South Tennesse, near Chattanooga. If anyone (other than john heh) in that area is having the same problems, post a reply, maybe we can track this problem down.

 

[Stargazer]

Well I am guessing that it is not the lnb because I had run a test using a PrimeStar dish with PrimeStar lnb on one receiver and a SuperDish at the same time on a second receiver and both - went out/pixellated/etc/whatever you want to call it - at the same time indicating that it was not a problem in my installation or with their lnb's.

 

[Van]

Ive been installing super dish type 1 for the 121 sat in southern michigan for the last 8 months or so and have had several issues. One customer has had everything replaced atleast twice because transponders 1 - 6 would not maintain a consistant lock on to the sat while transponders 6 and up would remain locked at %80 - %95. Another customer has the same issue but only with transponders 1,2,4,6 and again everything had been replaced. A third customer had issues with the 119 sat completely loosing transponders 4 and 18 on one reciever while loosing transponders 10 and 16 on another, this issue was fixed by moving the SD 30 ft out from the house.

About a good dozen or so customers in an area from west sout/west jackson going south west into Jonesville and hillsdale michigan are also experiencing various but similiar issues. %99 of the customers are living out in the countryside, 2 are within 8 miles of a radio tower, the rest are 10+ miles or greater from any know radio towers of considerable broadcasting power.

Potential causes for several may have to do with very old wiring in the house ( several have the original tar wrap wiring from the late 40's ) while 2 have improper wiring allowing for multiple rooms to be on one circuit. For those who may be experiencing terrestrial interference I am trying an ugly but potentialy effect fix by using a mesh window screen material made of metal to wrap around the lnbf housing to deflect the signal in question enough to stop the problem. Another solution that Ive run across was to make a cage of chicken wire and place it around the dish, its effect is similiar to that of the mesh screen solution.

Echostar engineering is aware of these issues and is working on determining what the causes are, until a fix is found it would be a good idea to not throw anymore equipment at the system to save time and money, Ive had the locals removed for my customers until such a time as when they will be able to have theyr locals and not loose them at all.

 

[jerrydss]

I have heard about the mesh wiring before, but I've never tried it. As for removing locals from customers untill they become more stable isn't an option, and Dish is not going to tell customers that "the problem is in our equipment, not your install" so I guess we're stuck with sending techs out to waiste their time at trouble calls.

 

[Stargazer]

Well Dish obviously does not seem to be aware of the issues to me (or at least they did not want to admit their problems to me) because I tried calling tech support and they said that there were NO known issues with their satellite and would not submit anything pertaining to my issue even though I explained to them that it was happening on more than one system at the same time. They still acted like it was the satellite systems and that it must have been a coincidence.

In other words they didnt act like they cared very much and did not take much interest in what I had to say. Oh well for trying to resolve a problem. I guess the only way they will learn is when they lose a ton of subscribers to DirecTv in my area since they now have our locals and I am sure they do not have such issues.

I am glad that I have not had many calls regarding this but I do not know if they have called Dish Network directly about this or thought it was some other issue. In the past I have noticed it just glitches out at certain times but is not a constant issue, probalby not enough to where you are really missing anything.

I have not seen the issue lately but I really hope this problem does not come back because this just gives the customers another reason to switch to DirecTv (if they also have your locals).

 

[bweiteka]

bizarre 105 problem

I encountered a similar problem a few days ago in the Champaign, IL area. When I first arrived at the trouble call the 105 signal was locked at 71 and the locals where coming in fine on the first tv. I went downstairs to hook up another receiver (that the folks at Dish had made the elderly couple unhook and carry upstairs to try on the first tv). the 105 signal on the second receiver was bouncing between 0 and 82 rapidly. when i went upstairs to check the first receiver it was doing the same. 110 and 119 were fine, all transponders locked over 100. I went outside and put a sat meter on 105 lnb and heard a bizarre chirping noise from the meter and the needle was pulsating. I tried another meter, same problem. I unhooked EVERYTHING from the dish, which was on a wooden post, made a fresh lead for 105 to the meter, same thing. I replaced the LNB, same thing. Replaced the entire dish, new dish, new lnb, new lead to sat meter, same thing. The LOS was beautiful, except for a spooky abandoned house across the street. I took the new dish off the post and walked around in the yard to find a spot where the bizarre chirping from my meter would stop. In some spots it was much louder, in others it disappeared, and it did not seem to matter which direction the dish was pointed, no matter how i tried to pinpoint the "interference" I couldn't. finally i set the dish on a new post in a spot where there was no chirping and peaked it. My meter showed excellent signal strength, but when i hooked up the receiver it was only 36, even with fresh new line to it. One receiver, a 301 was giving a crystal clear picture with that 36 signal, transponder 16, even when flipping through channels. It worked perfectly, only I knew the signal was only at 36. the other receiver was a 2800 + DP adaptor, wouldn't show channels with 36 signal. I was totally baffled, (and aggravated) and will go back in a couple days to try again. I'm afraid of how far away from the original spot I might have to put the dish (and trench line).
Anyone have any ideas? the only other thing besides the spooky house that I could see was a power line 40 feet away, 20 feet high, well below the 41 elevation required for the dish. I have mounted many superdishes near and pointing at powerlines and not experienced any problem.