Can't Get any S2/8PSK

[Scott Greczkowski]

I have been trying for MONTHS now to get DVBS2/8PSK signals from my AZbox with no luck... I can pick up anything in DVB, or even standard DVBS2 such as TCT on G19. But I can't tune anything that is S2/8PSK.

On satellites where there are known S2/8PSK signals such as RTN, I can get everything on the bird, with signal of 100% and quality of around 70, yet I can't tune any of the S2/8PSK.

Even some of the networks on KU, I get a nice high signal and quality on the normal DVB channels, but NOTHING on the S2/8PSK transponders. Not a single peep. These KU ones should be coming in GREAT, my signal and quality on KU is higher then I ever had it on my other 1.2 meter KU Dish. The KU signals should be like cakewalk...

I don't get it...

Anyone have any of these issues with theirs? Should I do a factory reset to the box and try again? I have a 8 Foot C / KU Dish and again all other non 8PSK come in GREAT with high signals and quality, just not the 8PSK ones...

Any ideas?

 

[Yurek99]

My dish isn't align quite right, but I have no problem getting both PBS on S2 here in Eastern Ontario. Quality isn't as strong as on 12180, but it doesn't break out. Oklahoma is better than Luisiana for about 10 %.
Do you get any quality on them?

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Yurek if you could PM me the settings for those 2 channels so I can try them, as I dont have them programmed in. And I will give them a shot.

Thanks!

 

[Mr Tony]

LPB is at 12072 H 16666 3/5 FEC pilot OFF (so set to 0)

LPB Web

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

LPB is at 12072 H 16666 3/5 FEC pilot OFF (so set to 0)

LPB Web

Nope can't get it... I can get all the other PBS stuff on that bird without issue.

Screen shots below.

 

[Mr Tony]

I know LPB is wacky at night. I havent been able to get it here in MN at night.....

try tomorrow during the day

 

[Yurek99]

Hi Scott,

Please check yours dish aligment... I've got folowing reading just a minute before:

12180 = 84%
12072 = 63%
12113 = 76%

But I remeber it was quite difficult to get a dish set correctly to get S2-PSK.. it is much, much more 'tricky' than other Ku transponders.
Just try to move dish few steps in each directions from max you get on 12180.

 

[Lak7]

My opinion:
To get Ku on a BUD, it needs to be well-tuned.
To get DVB-S2 Ku on a BUD, it needs to be near perfect
8' may be too small for some C Band DVB-S2

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

I am starting to think its not the dish though..

Again I can tune in non 8PSK S2 signals, just not 8PSK ones.

All the signals on all the other channels are very high, but I can't lock on a SINGLE 8PSK encoded transponder. If it were a signal issue you would think I would see a peep from at least one 8PSK transponder on one of the birds.

While I will hate to do it, I may try doing a factory reset to the AZbox and see if that helps.

I wish I knew someone in the area with a AZbox so I could try theres and see if I got a bad unit or something.

 

[brentb636]

Scott,
My guess is that your aim is still off for the DVB-S2 8psk. The AZbox has a terrible signal meter compared to the Coolsat 8000, for example. With the CS8000 doing the dish aiming I can nail the optimum point on the 8psk tp's , even in USALS mode, by just bumping the dish a step and watching the meter.
Not that the CS8000 meter is linear, not by any means, but the more I see these other receivers ( AZbox, Vantage ) , the more I appreciate the CS8000 , for all its limitations.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

What I am dreaming of is a SuperBuddy Meter that can get S2/8PSK so you can see at the Dish what your getting.

 

[B.J.]

I am starting to think its not the dish though..

Again I can tune in non 8PSK S2 signals, just not 8PSK ones.

All the signals on all the other channels are very high, but I can't lock on a SINGLE 8PSK encoded transponder. If it were a signal issue you would think I would see a peep from at least one 8PSK transponder on one of the birds.

While I will hate to do it, I may try doing a factory reset to the AZbox and see if that helps.

I wish I knew someone in the area with a AZbox so I could try theres and see if I got a bad unit or something.

BTW, thanks for posting the QPSS DVBS-2 transponder. I've been looking for an example of that. My receivers show QPSK as an option, but I've only seen examples of 8PSK DVB-S2 , and a couple examples of transponders that lock in both QPSK AND 8PSK mode, but haven't run into a pure QPSK DVBS2. BTW-2, my Azbox is giving me a slightly higher Q on the 8PSK transponders on this sat than it does on this QPSK transponder. Like I'm getting 87/87 on 4140/29860 while only 68/76 on the QPSK transponder. So it seems like you should be able to get the 8PSK transponders when they are on.

Have you tried rebooting the Azbox using the "reboot" command from Telnet? I assume that flipping the switch does the same thing, but not necessarily. We had one of our MANY power outages a couple days ago, and when the power came back, I couldn't receive ANY channels on my Azbox. I went in via telnet, and told it to reboot (too lazy to walk 6' across the room), however when I did that, it came back to a black screen, and I had to connect an RCA cable to use the A/V outputs to get the thing back to HDMI/ATSC (it had reverted to PAL). After the reboot though, I was receiving everything again. Anyway, a full factory reset might not be necessary, unless you've tried this.

But as others indicate, 8PSK requires a much better signal, so it doesn't take much in the way of mis-alignment OR polarity that's off a bit, to make it hard to lock 8PSK.


One other thing, even though my C-band dish is in VERY POOR shape due to hitting it with brooms and trees falling on it, etc, I still have an easier time of locking C-band DVB-S2 8PSK than KU band signals with either of my Ku dishes. I'm not sure why this would be exactly, but I'm guessing that the Ku LNBFs aren't nearly as stable (phase noise wise) as my Norsat C-band LNB.

 

[pendragon]

A cheap signal squawker should be enough to get the crosstrack alignment across the arc set perfectly. The GBOX and the SQ meter on your receiver should get the in-track position close enough to lock.

However this may not be enough to get reliable S2 on a shallow dish like your 2.4m, particularly on Ku. The feed alignment itself is very critical. You want the horn mouth perfectly centered and pointing at the center of your dish. This can be harder to accomplish than it sounds. For a shallow dish, you may have to work a bit to get the scalar ring pulled far enough forward so the feed doesn't illuminate beyond the edge of you dish. That would be a S2-killer. Most critically, you will likely have to tune the focal distance by trial and error. Measuring will rarely set this accurately enough. You cannot set this by moving the feed in and out of the scalar. The scalar has to stay fixed at the proper f/D point.

Even when all is said and done you may still get no joy. Ku on a combination C/Ku feed is a horrible technical compromise. Based on messing around with this myself, a 1.2m offset with a dedicated Ku LNBF would probably blow away your 2.4m with a combo feed, even when both are perfectly tweaked. You should get S2 on C-band without much hassle on a 2.4m. I get a lot on my 1.8m and nearly everything on my 2.3m. If not, it may be your feed/LNBs. S2 is very demanding on low phase noise and it's possible the LNBs aren't cutting it. Also, the demod chip in the AZBOX is decent, but not incredible on S2.

 

[tdti1]

Do you have a direct run from the lnb to the receiver? if not try that, I get most 8psk feeds some are hard and some require a larger dish but not all.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Well guys it's not the AZbox, it appears it is my Dish...

Thanks to cracklincrotch I was able to get signal from my first S2/8PSK signal tonight.

Unfortunately my level is 64 and I guess the AZbox needs a 65 to show a picture.

But not screwing with the dish now having a big snow and ice storm here.

I am just glad to know that its not the box.

I just wish one of you guys lived in the area so you could come check my dish as sometimes 4 eyes are better then two.

 

[Mr Tony]

plane ticket might be cheaper

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

plane ticket might be cheaper

I tired, but you told me that the big man don't fly.

 

[Mr Tony]

If I take something to sedate me during the flight maybe

but yeah I am scared of flying. Last time when I went to Florida and 1/2 way down the runway they jacked the brakes up and "oh a sensor shows a door open" kinda solidified why I dont fly

 

[Electro960]

I am also unable to tune into any S2/8PSK channels through the AZBox on a 6ft dish, such as the NBC channels on C and Ku band. All other transponders off the same satellites are coming in fine. I even tried tuning to S2/8PSK channels off of a regular DVB MPEG2 just to see if I can get decent quality with no luck. Could this format really be that sensitive?

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

If I take something to sedate me during the flight maybe

but yeah I am scared of flying. Last time when I went to Florida and 1/2 way down the runway they jacked the brakes up and "oh a sensor shows a door open" kinda solidified why I dont fly

I fly about once a month, and I am so use to it now that I am usually sleeping before the plane even takes off.