DirecTV and signal strength

[Mark22]

DirecTV and signal strength

When I check the signal strength on my Sony SAT A3 receiver, I get a level of 77-79 using the default settings (transponder 2) and near the level bar it says "LOCKED". When changing the transponder nr, I get much better level of over 90, let's say on transponder nr 6. But actually I can't make it remain on nr 6, always goes back to # 2. In the receiver manual says "The Transponder option allows you to select a transponder number from 1 to 32. You should not need to change this number (the default is 2) unless you're instructed to do so by your program provider". This is my question. Why the DirecTV guy which mounted the dish did not select as default a better transponder nr, because with the one that it is default now sometimes I have rain fading problems. What should I do to change it. I remember a few years ago when living at another location and when called DirecTV customer service with this problem, they said that it can not be changed from Transponder 2. Why is that?

Thank you

Mark

 

[VOOMER]

When you change channels on your receiver (your equipment picks which transponder)it needs to get you that channel.
Can not just pick a transponder in your set-up on the receiver !
If you check through all your transponders and find quite a few lower than others then you probably need to have your dish aligned (peaked )for maximum signal.

 

[Mark22]

I just check randomly about 30 channels from 100-900 and all were using only transponder # 2. It is supposed to be like that? Thank you.

 

[dragon002]

when you go to the satellite strength screen, the ird defaults to transponder two, thats all. voomers post is correct, different channels use different transponders

dragon

 

[VOOMER]

system test

when you go to the satellite strength screen, the ird defaults to transponder two, thats all. voomers post is correct, different channels use different transponders

dragon

you need to go into setup then to system test (test signal) this will give you info on all tp. and you can determine from there if you have a signal problem from these results.


:shocked

 

[Loric]

when you go to the satellite strength screen, the ird defaults to transponder two, thats all. voomers post is correct, different channels use different transponders

dragon

In future UIs, the signal strength screen will display the signal strength for each transponder of the same sat. The sat being displayed is selectable.

you need to go into setup then to system test (test signal) this will give you info on all tp. and you can determine from there if you have a signal problem from these results.

How the system test behaves may differ from one product to the other.

 

[VOOMER]

How the system test behaves may differ from one product to the other.

??

He needs to give more complete info on results of tp numbers to determine if indeed his numbers are Low or not ,Yes if you are saying that he may need to acces these numbers by different means from setup I agree not all receivers work exactly the same but he still needs to find all numbers to do a comparison . Results from signal test will verify the possibility of issues in concern.

 

[Loric]

??

I can only speak about the product I know (and then again I don't know how much I'm allowed to speak about it) but all I meant is that the System Test on that particular product does not check all transponders. (Probably because it would take too long to run).

 

[Newshawk]

I just check randomly about 30 channels from 100-900 and all were using only transponder # 2. It is supposed to be like that? Thank you.

Older receivers, like your Sony SAT-A2, were designed to go to a preset transponder (2 in the case of the Sony). Newer receivers are designed to go to the transponder that carries the channel the receiver is tuned to.

Consider this-each standard definition video signal has an approximately 4.2 MHz bandwidth. Placing the 30 channels you randomly sampled on one transponder would require it to have a bandwidth of 126 MHz. In reality, each transponder has a bandwidth of only 24 MHz. Thus, each transponder can only carry between 6-8 channels. This, of course, does not take compression into consideration.

In practical terms, depending on your programming package and whether your local channels are on the 101 or another satellite, you will have the potential of using up to 27 of the 32 transponders on D*'s 101 satellite.

 

[Loric]

Consider this-each standard definition video signal has an approximately 4.2 MHz bandwidth.

The 4.2 MHz value is for analog video signals.
SD transponders with digital signal have a larger bandwidth (Roughly 29 MHz for a QPSK 6/7 and 20 Mbaud bitrate).
The MPEG compression allows to squeeze about 6-8 channels on each transponder.

 

[Mark22]

I checked last night all the transponders level:

1--92
2--80-82
3--91-92
4--96-97
5--89-90
6--82
7--88
8--79-81
9--79-80
10--65-67
11--74-75
12--78-79
13--70-72
14--65-66
15--68-71
16--63
17--66-68
18--76-78
19--63-65
20--66-68
21--58-59
22--56-58
23--57-59
24--57-59
25--53-57
26--60-61
27--55-56
28--0
29--50-51
30--53-55
31--53-55
32--52-54

Exactly the transponders that transmit most programs that I watch has a level under 70 like # 10, # 15, # 21, # 25, # 27, # 29, # 30 and # 32. Is this normal? Trying to realign the dish is going to improve the signal strength? Thank you again.

Mark

 

[Newshawk]

The 4.2 MHz value is for analog video signals.
SD transponders with digital signal have a larger bandwidth (Roughly 29 MHz for a QPSK 6/7 and 20 Mbaud bitrate).
The MPEG compression allows to squeeze about 6-8 channels on each transponder.

Ah! Thank you. I used to work in video, but only in analog... was forced out of the field (by Comcrap, incidentally) just as digital was booming, so I'm not as fluent in digital as I am in analog. Also, I did some quick Googling last night when I was writing that reply and everything I came up with was from the mid 90s. It's funny, though, that even with the differences between the analog and digital signals that the maximum you can put on one transponder still is about 8 channels.

 

[uboatcmdr]

I checked last night all the transponders level:

1--92
2--80-82
3--91-92
4--96-97
5--89-90
6--82
7--88
8--79-81
9--79-80
10--65-67
11--74-75
12--78-79
13--70-72
14--65-66
15--68-71
16--63
17--66-68
18--76-78
19--63-65
20--66-68
21--58-59
22--56-58
23--57-59
24--57-59
25--53-57
26--60-61
27--55-56
28--0
29--50-51
30--53-55
31--53-55
32--52-54

Exactly the transponders that transmit most programs that I watch has a level under 70 like # 10, # 15, # 21, # 25, # 27, # 29, # 30 and # 32. Is this normal? Trying to realign the dish is going to improve the signal strength? Thank you again.

Mark

In my area (north Alabama), 4 is always under 50, 12 & 20 are always 0, 18 & 28 are most always 98-100 and all the others fall between 88 -97.

 

[silversurfer]

Transponder 4, 12, 20, 18 & 28 are spot beam transponders and will vary depending on if you are in the range of that particular beam...The rest should be at least mid 80s...I would say your dish is not aligned properly.

 

[VOOMER]

Transponder 4, 12, 20, 18 & 28 are spot beam transponders and will vary depending on if you are in the range of that particular beam...The rest should be at least mid 80s...I would say your dish is not aligned properly.

Ditto : What Silversurfer stated !

 

[jimisham]

I need to ask a question.
If this is a single LNB dish, or isn't it, how is realigning the dish going to bring up the higher numbered transponders to the level of the lower numbered ones?
Isn't changing azimuth and/or elevation going to throw everything off?
Realignment might bring everything up, but I don't understand how it would balance the readings from one end to the other.