7.5 mesh dish signal loss after snow storm

[i4tas]

there was a snow storm while I was out of town, the heavy wet snow stuck to the lower 1/4 of the dish and was about 4 inches thick. The snow froze. I ended up hitting the dish softly until the snow slid off the dish.

Now my problem is that signals are about 5% worse on the dvb-s2 cband signals, drop outs on NBC HD channels and a few others. I think it could be worped.

How can i fix this?

 

[Long Hair]

there was a snow storm while I was out of town, the heavy wet snow stuck to the lower 1/4 of the dish and was about 4 inches thick. The snow froze. I ended up hitting the dish softly until the snow slid off the dish.

Now my problem is that signals are about 5% worse on the dvb-s2 cband signals, drop outs on NBC HD channels and a few others. I think it could be worped.

How can i fix this?

Are you sure your lnb is still centered. Maybe the wet snow sat on the lnb cover and moved it a hair, or hitting the dish may a vibrated the lnb? Do the string test to see if it's warped. If so you might be able to fix the warp with a ratchet strap on the front of the dish and pull the top and bottom together?

 

[i4tas]

yea your right... i really got to go outside and figure it out. Not really the cold that makes it hard, just the lack of daylight.

 

[turbosat]

It might've pulled the elevation off a little, have somebody watch a channel while you pull up slightly on bottom of dish to check that. Hope it didn't bend the dish, check the bolts in the mount, possibly just loosen and pulled down the elevation a bit.

 

[tvropro]

If the bolts were slightly loose the extra weight of the snow with wind gusts could easily have changed alignment. It happened to me years ago. Best thing when there is wet heavy snow is to stay on top of it and keep it swept out. Also helps to have everything aligned and snugged up before winter rears it's ugly head.

 

[B.J.]

There may not be any easy fix. Years ago, my BUD worked very well on Ku, but each winter, I did exactly as above, ie I'd get ice and snow on the bottom half of the dish, and would bang the thing to get the snow off. Each year the Ku reception got worse and worse, until now, it's considerably worse than what I get with my 3' dish. I have some significant dents in my mesh due to my broom attacks, but you'd think that the 90% of the dish that I didn't dent would still be working, but apparently not. I've tried the measuring in different directions, but that didn't seem to indicate any out of round, and I've checked and adjusted the focal length, but nothing seems to help.
I've been thinking of pulling out the mesh, and flattening it again, like someone on the forum recommended a while back, but that will have to wait till spring I think.
Anyway, I've pretty much given up on my dish. It just doesn't take much to kill the Ku reception on a BUD.

 

[truckracer]

string test it , if that checks out i would take a tv outside and tune a ku channel lifting up and down and see if your elevation is out of whack. I swept mine off gently with a broom several times friday night. sometimes i use hot water in my garden hose to clean off the ice. works pretty well.

 

[tvropro]

I gently brush the dish out with an extension broom most times. If I whack it I whack the rim only in powdery snow with the dish low in the arc. I had a few dents in the mesh that I flattened out a couple months ago. No matter how hard you try to keep the dish mint it won't stay that way. It is exposed to all kind of elements. The best you can do is try to keep after it and take it easy on it and hope for the best. All in all for 20 1/2 years old it still works very well.

 

[mikekohl]

A heavy wet snow such as that experienced in Wisconsin a week ago wreaks havoc on prime focus antennas. Many mesh antennas are poorly made with respect to the stability of the mount. Due south satellite in Wisconsin means that the elevation is at 40 degrees above the horizon, give or take a degree. Remember that 45 degrees is halfway between vertical and horizontal, so it takes a lot of motion to empty snow from a dish. The best method that I always found was to point the antenna all the way east (with an HH mount), or all of the way west when using a polar mount. 139 West is around 20 degrees elevation, so if you can get that steep or steeper, snow should be much easier to tap out.

Study the actual angle of an offset Ku-band antenna as compared to a prime focus type. At typical angles of 30 to 40 degrees coming in, offset antennas are anywhere from high single digits to low 20s in reflector elevation, meaning less issues with sticking of snow. If you want to do yourself a favor during the next heavy snowfall, move your antenna to the steepest elevation that you can for the duration of the storm, to minimize the cleanup work in the morning. And consider an offset type motorized antenna for Ku-band, to minimize problems even more.

 

[i4tas]

I was out of town and could not do anything to take the snow off right away... I try to park the dish at 137 AMC 7, just didn't do it that time. I noticed broom dents, so I took off four pannels and flattened them, slight signal improvements. I might mess with the elevation tomorrow. Also, my new method for removing ice / frozen snow is hot water.

I have extra pannels and might try that in the future.

My signal issues are only on dvb-s2 c-band. NBC on AMC 18 is just a tad low and breaks up now and then, same with Disney (from Latin America), and the 3920 S2 mux on AMC 18. I am working with a 7.5 foot dish, and from past experience it should get these tough S2 signal if everything is tunned just right.

A heavy wet snow such as that experienced in Wisconsin a week ago wreaks havoc on prime focus antennas.

That was the storm that got me.

 

[tvropro]

Your working at threshold on that 7.5"dish on the DVB S2 stuff, thats why a minor loss is so critical. I'll bet you would not see much change with a 10 or 12 foot. I guess Im spoiled with my 12 foot for so many years. No weather takes it completely out