OTHER Difficulty locking onto FTA signals on Galaxy-31 with small dish

[Dataweasel]

Hi all:

I have an upcoming project that will require working with data that NOAA is sending down on C-Band on Galaxy-31 (121.1W). I am still needing to order the C-Band dish but I have the receiver that NOAA suggests.

I decided to dig out an older KU dish that I have and just try to hit some of the FTA stuff on Galaxy-31 just for fun. I know it is now sitting in the retired location that used to be Galaxy-23 and a lot of the same channels jumped with it.

However...I'm just not having any luck. I'm located almost dead-center of Minnesota...in the Brainerd area. I am using a SatMaximum Single (SM 2010-01) LNB (In: 10.7-12.75 -- L.O. 9.75/10.6 GHz). This dish is just a simple "Winegard 76cm DS-2076". When I set up the dish it is pointed in the general area of 121.1W and the general elevation. On my GTMedia V8 Finder I can get a signal between 75 and 80 but the QUALITY is 30 (basically 0). Same on my cheap-o Dmyco Satellite receiver (signal around 80, Quality near 0). And I rarely, if ever, see a "Lock" onto the satellite.

Moving the dish slowly side-to-side and up-and-down really doesn't help. Rotating the LNB also does not affect the signal or quality. Again...the best I can do is 75 to 80 signal strength but basically no signal quality.

Is it just that my KU dish is too small for this far north? I know things are kind of crowded over there around 121W so am I just getting a bunch of satellites talking over each other causing the poor quality? Has anyone worked any of the FTA stuff on G-31. Was just going to order a 150cm C-band prime focus dish when the time to start the project came around, but now I'm wondering if I will need something bigger? Typically it's not this difficult to lock onto a KU band transponder. C-band is gonna be a bugger unless I'm just missing something.

Thanks.

Joe

 

[Keith Brannen]

Galaxy 31 is a C-band only satellite, so there are no Ku band signals to be found at the 121w location now, hence why you are not finding anything there.

 

[FTA4PA]

Hi all:

I have an upcoming project that will require working with data that NOAA is sending down on C-Band on Galaxy-31 (121.1W). I am still needing to order the C-Band dish but I have the receiver that NOAA suggests.

I decided to dig out an older KU dish that I have and just try to hit some of the FTA stuff on Galaxy-31 just for fun. I know it is now sitting in the retired location that used to be Galaxy-23 and a lot of the same channels jumped with it.

However...I'm just not having any luck. I'm located almost dead-center of Minnesota...in the Brainerd area. I am using a SatMaximum Single (SM 2010-01) LNB (In: 10.7-12.75 -- L.O. 9.75/10.6 GHz). This dish is just a simple "Winegard 76cm DS-2076". When I set up the dish it is pointed in the general area of 121.1W and the general elevation. On my GTMedia V8 Finder I can get a signal between 75 and 80 but the QUALITY is 30 (basically 0). Same on my cheap-o Dmyco Satellite receiver (signal around 80, Quality near 0). And I rarely, if ever, see a "Lock" onto the satellite.

Moving the dish slowly side-to-side and up-and-down really doesn't help. Rotating the LNB also does not affect the signal or quality. Again...the best I can do is 75 to 80 signal strength but basically no signal quality.

Is it just that my KU dish is too small for this far north? I know things are kind of crowded over there around 121W so am I just getting a bunch of satellites talking over each other causing the poor quality? Has anyone worked any of the FTA stuff on G-31. Was just going to order a 150cm C-band prime focus dish when the time to start the project came around, but now I'm wondering if I will need something bigger? Typically it's not this difficult to lock onto a KU band transponder. C-band is gonna be a bugger unless I'm just missing something.

Thanks.

Joe

Welcome to Satellite Guys! Bigger is almost always better with satellite reception. While you are waiting for the c band dish that you chose to show up perhaps take a look at the following list.

North & South America - LyngSat

76cm is small for ku but you may get a few of the strongest signals, perhaps 97w or 123W, maybe 103W. All you can do is try.

 

[cyberham]

In that area of the sky (near 121W), the strongest Ku transponders for me on the west coast are on 117W Eutelsat West A and 123W Galaxy 18. Check for the frequencies on lyngsat.com.

 

[wagonman76]

123W is nice and strong here. Simple and historically consistent.