8ft mesh dish --> low signal

[PeterRing]

Hi
I live in Montreal (Quebec, CANADA)
last time i buy 8ft mesh dish.
and... when i finish to setup everything i have low signal...
i try everything.. with elevation, lnb, ...best what i have is ;
sample:
105.0W ( NASA TV) --> have 58-59Q...
97.0W ( LATV ) ---> 62Q

before i have old dish 120cm (4ft) and can get 64Q on 97,0W (LATV)
but for sure never have NASA TV..
so WTH? what is wrong? this is normal?

 

[Magic Static]

to the forum Peter
Unfortunately there isn't a simple answer for your questions. But let's see if we can get a discussion going that will give you some ideas of where to look for better performance. We all like pictures here, so post some pics of you setup. That is always good for discussions. What brand/ model dish do you have? What receiver? Type of LNB(F)? Quality readings vary widely among receivers and as such do not indicate any particular problems. An 8' dish is minimal for C-Band and needs to be in good working order. A 10' dish is more forgiving and provides exponentially better performance. Have you set the FD ratio (relationship between the scalar and feedhorn) and then set your focal depth (distance from dish surface to feedhorn opening)?

 

[KE4EST]

Welcome to SatelliteGuys PeterRing !

Several factors could cause this.

LNB or LNBF aging or going bad.
Dish warped or support arm(s) warped.
Focal Distance set wrong.
..and of course dish not aligned properly.

NASA can be tricky. Also low Q is a relative term, as every receiver shows a great signal with different numbers.
What kind of dish is it? What LNB(F) are you using?
How long is your coax run? RG-6? What receiver are you using?

 

[KE4EST]

Magic beat me by just a few seconds.

Yes pictures, pictures, pictures.

 

[O'Doyle]

Welcome to the forum PeterRing!

 

[FaT Air]

Well I'd say performance, overall, is better as now you see NASA.
But the Q on LATV is lower. HMMM,.. ,Another possibility - -
Could be adjacent satellite interference. The sidelobes of the 1.2M probably fell in a region of lesser interfering signals. But the 8 ft may not be. Adjusting the scalar a bit above or below the calculated, then readjusting the focal length for maximum Q MAY improve this by slightly moving the sidelobe away from the interfering signal.
All you can do is try this / try that. See what works / what doesn't.
Not much of the tuning season left tho-

 

[PeterRing]

ok..
i fix my info
sorry if i do some screw up but im fresh here
...OK! so
1...before on 97.0W (LATV) have 57%Q
so now if i have 4x bigger size i have 3-4% more signal?!...
2... NASA TV i "playing" with scalar ring, LNB . and get now 60%Q
its very stability because when is big rain and dark outside have still 59%Q stabillity

3... maybe somebody know some music channels on FTA?

 

[PeterRing]

Starsat sr-2000 hyper
Mesh Dish 2.4m
100' cable RG-6
LNBF -> NS-741U C/Ku band
range : 22.0W-131.0W

Thats is good "stuff"?

 

[Magic Static]

I don't know the receiver, so no opinion there. Not sure what dish you have. If it is a Tek2000, I don't think much of that one. The 741 combo LNB is not the best choice for C-Band and not real good at Ku either. Those LNBFs are a compromise in performance to get both bands on one dish. You are probably experiencing average results for the equipment you have. And might be able to tweak a little more out of it but not much.

 

[pacificrim]

I would advise you to peak your due south satellite, except there is no Cband at 72 degrees. You could try it on Ku.
Do you have a way to measure the elevation and declination of your dish to make sure they are set correctly?

 

[FTA4PA]

Welcome to Satellite Guys PeterRing! Don't know if your dish is a Tek2000 or not. We have their 8 foot mesh (motorized), which we use daily and, for the most part, are happy with it (definitely think the mount could have been better). Tried a c/ku combo lnb at first but the ku results were lacking and c/ku never seemed to be at the same spot. We decided to go with separate motorized ku and c band dishes, using pll lnbs on both, and got better results.

 

[FaT Air]

Another thing to check is if the feed is centered, and looking at the center of the dish.
Center - Measure from the edge of the scalar to the edge of the dish at 3 or 4 locations.
Look - make sure the face of the feed is in the same plane as the dish lip.
I had no joy in trying to get good Ku performance on my BUD. But I fixed that: How I made a C only BUD work on KU

 

[PeterRing]

ok i fixed all thats thinks and now have 61%Q (NASA TV ) 105.W
so its okaaay...
but if i want change to "the best" LNB for C-BAND what i have to get?

 

[Magic Static]

ok i fixed all thats thinks and now have 61%Q (NASA TV ) 105.W
so its okaaay...
but if i want change to "the best" LNB for C-BAND what i have to get?

We like the PLL ones that Titanium Satellite has right now.

 

[PeterRing]

So You think if i buy that one (titanium) my signal going up a little bit?
More like 61Q on NASA;-) lol ?

 

[Titanium]

Welcome to SatelliteGuys.

NASA is a fat and strong signal that should provide decent Signal Quality readings. Don't have any experience with that receiver, so don't know how the meter reading levels should display. Doubt that any LNBF is going to perform much differently. If you have optimized the current LNBF for this C-band transponder, swapping LNBFs might buy a few percentage points. I would first concentrate on the string test to be sure the reflector is not assembled warped, make sure the feedhorn is perfectly centered / aimed at the center of the dish and the scalar FD ratio and the focal length has been properly set and optimized.

 

[Cham]

PR,
Also check your feedline cables, connectors, and any switches... One bad connection can create a lot of frustration... Bad switches (diseqc or 22KHz) are sometimes difficult to diagnose so by-passing them eliminates each as a possibility in most cases (check Radio's posts).
Hope winter stays away until you have your system running great!