Calling any 129 users in VA...

tempVAdish

SatelliteGuys Pro
Original poster
Dec 4, 2005
709
0
Temperanceville, VA
Welp, the snow let up & I swung the wing dish around to 129 (from 61.5)... I used transponder 21 to tune it (only one w/ a free MPG2 since I used a 311 to point). I peaked the dish to a signal strength of 50-52 on the new meter. However, all the others seem to be around 35-37??? For the techies that keep up, is that the difference between the QPSK, which is XPNDR 21, vs the 8PSK that is used on the rest???

Also, how do you make out in rain/storms etc...

Thanks,
got the new HD for now Rob
 
I've got 129 in Central VA. So your signal strength on 129 is about 20 points higher on 129 than the others?? It's usually the opposite...but I will say, unless you're peaked to the max on 129 in this area, you'll have some trouble during rain...even clouds. But I had a good tech who got everything peaked pretty well. Im going to sling into my Dish receiver and I can tell you what I'm getting on all SATS. I'll let you know.
 
I checked out my signals and they are more balanced than I originally thought.

110 - 60
119 - 70
129 - 62

I will say at the 60 range with 129, I haven't had one single problem with signal loss, break-ups, etc...even through all of this snow, wind and everything else mother nature has thrown at it.

****Correction...I wasn't checking my signal on TP21 originally...switched over to TP21 on 129 and went up to a 72.
 
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K, thanks, one other question... do you have the 1000 dish, or are you using a wing dish??? I ask because you included 110 & 119, your #s on those are comparable to my superdish... perhaps the dish300 is not quite large enough for 129 :(
 
i'll check my signal strength when I get home.

Since Ciel 2 I have not lost my signal in the rain, wind, sleet or snow yet.

I am in Charlottesville and we have been dumped on with snow this winter and it has held up well.
 
The 300 isn’t big enough to cover the area needed, so you’ll need the 1000 dish in order to get good signals on all 3 satellites. I have the 1000 and get...

50 on 129
68 on 119
59 on 110 using T-17, the one you are supposed to use when setting up a 1000 dish. I’m not sure why 110 is at 59 today because it’s usually around 68 as well.

Using T-21

64 on 129
69 on 119
70 on 110.

I’m in the C’ville area, and when the tech installed my 1K dish last fall, I was getting 30 on 129 and suffered dropouts when the weather was really bad. I have since raised my mounting pole 6’, which added 20 points to the meter and haven’t suffered any dropouts.
 
Thx for all the responses... looks like I'll have to get a 1k dish, I can't see DN converting me over to the EA since I have 2 311's that they'll have to replace to make EA work :(
 
K, thanks, one other question... do you have the 1000 dish, or are you using a wing dish??? I ask because you included 110 & 119, your #s on those are comparable to my superdish... perhaps the dish300 is not quite large enough for 129 :(

The Dish300 works fine. I can tell you when I swapped from the Dish300 w/ Dish500 combo of 110/119/129 to a Dish1000, the 129 signals were about the same in my area.

I'd double check your settings, plumb of the mast, line of sight, etc. Something else is going on here.
 
The Dish300 works fine. I can tell you when I swapped from the Dish300 w/ Dish500 combo of 110/119/129 to a Dish1000, the 129 signals were about the same in my area.

I'd double check your settings, plumb of the mast, line of sight, etc. Something else is going on here.

Alrighty... so you're saying w/ the D300, I should be getting better than 35-37 on 129? I'll have to check again this weekend... Would your #'s be higher in LA than mine in VA?

edit:

going through a DP34 switch wouldn't reduce the signal level would it? Seems as though I vaguely remember compatibility issues w/ the DP34 and something????
 
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Yeah... I'm in a 57.93dbw area and you are in 55.93 area. Very easily done with an 18inch dish according to the charts out there.

From what I've been told the Dish1000's are basically like a 3 18inch dishes once you take out the loss for being one dish that picks up 3 satellites.
 
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