DISH Network Signal Strength

[3HaloODST]

Hi all,

I have a few questions, first off is my signal strength on sat 110 too low? Second off are the signal strengths on the other two sats about the usual for 1000.2? Earlier today my satellite signal was lost on certain transponders, and others on all three sats were extremely low. Not sure if it's a problem on my end, probably is. Sat returned to the normal signal strength within about 3 minutes. Note that today was a clear day. First time any such event occured, in 2-3 weeks, other than after a heavy thunderstorm, signal lost at beginning of storm, then returned while it was still raining.

Also, I noticed, after the install that the installer had to remove some tree limbs from a tree nearby my house that were hanging over the roof. I can hardly see the dish, it's way up high, barely a good angle to see it, but from what I can see it looks possible that the tree foliage is still too close to the satellite dish. Surely the installer wouldn't have left a bunch of crap around the dish?

If the tree grows, and starts blocking the dish, will they charge to fix? Will they charge to peak the dish again? I can't see any way that I can get onto the roof, so that's not an option for me.

Final question, are the current strengths enough to minimize rain fade? If not, what is recommended for a DISH 1000.2?

Thanks, TP signal strengths are below:

Birmingham, AL 35205 ZIP 11:22 PM 7/4/2010 74° F Clear DISH 1000.2 ViP 722k


Sat 110


TP 01: 43
TP 02: 50
TP 03: 45
TP 04: 0
TP 05: 42
TP 06: 51
TP 07: 39
TP 08: 50
TP 09: 42
TP 10: 50
TP 11: 43
TP 12: 0
TP 13: 36
TP 14: 51
TP 15: 43
TP 16: 50
TP 17: 36
TP 18: 16 (Spotbeam)
TP 19: 37
TP 20: 0
TP 21: 43
TP 22: 50
TP 23: 4 (Spotbeam)
TP 24: 50
TP 25: 0
TP 26: 0 (Spotbeam)
TP 27: 5 (Spotbeam)
TP 29: 34-36 (Spotbeam)
TP 31: 39-41 (Spotbeam)



Sat 119


TP 01: 14 (Spotbeam)
TP 02: 29 (Spotbeam)
TP 03: 49 (Spotbeam)
TP 04: 12 (Spotbeam)
TP 05: 66 (Spotbeam)
TP 06: 74
TP 07: 58
TP 08: 68
TP 09: 69
TP 10: 69
TP 11: 69
TP 12: 80
TP 13: 71
TP 14: 70
TP 15: 78
TP 16: 81
TP 17: 71
TP 18: 76
TP 19: 80
TP 20: 78-80
TP 21: 82


Sat 129


TP 01: 9
TP 02: 37 (Spotbeam)
TP 03: 11 (Spotbeam)
TP 04: 54 (Spotbeam)
TP 05: 15 (Spotbeam)
TP 06: 43 (Spotbeam)
TP 07: 6 (Spotbeam)
TP 08: 65-67 (Spotbeam)
TP 09: 14 (Spotbeam)
TP 10: 0
TP 11: 22 (Spotbeam)
TP 12: 10
TP 13: 16 (Spotbeam)
TP 14: 9-11 (Spotbeam)
TP 15: 11 (Spotbeam)
TP 16: 23 (Spotbeam)
TP 17: 59
TP 18: 60
TP 19: 58
TP 20: 62
TP 21: 71-73
TP 22: 61
TP 23: 60
TP 24: 62
TP 25: 59
TP 26: 62
TP 27: 59
TP 28: 64
TP 29: 61
TP 30: 62
TP 31: 61
TP 32: 64

By the way hope everyone had a Happy Independence Day!

 

[MikeD-C05]

The 119 sat looks very good and the 129 is fine. The 110 sat is a little lower than it should be. But not enough to cause you rain fade ,except on the transponders that are in the 30s . A signal of 50 or more is supposed to be enough to protect you from most rain fade issues. I had the reverse happen to me at my aunt's house. The 119 sat is blocked more by trees than the 110. Yes, they will charge you for any tech visit to check for line of sight or moving the dish etc. So make sure you have the dish home protection plan for $6.00 a month to limit the tech visit to a lower price.

 

[120inna55]

When was the dish installed?

 

[magnum2066]

The 119 sat looks very good and the 129 is fine. The 110 sat is a little lower than it should be.

What?

110 is about where it should be, but if you check TP 14 15 and 16 on both 119 and 129 orbitals they are low, especially 129. The numbers there should be above 60 at least.

 

[3HaloODST]

The 119 sat looks very good and the 129 is fine. The 110 sat is a little lower than it should be. But not enough to cause you rain fade ,except on the transponders that are in the 30s . A signal of 50 or more is supposed to be enough to protect you from most rain fade issues. I had the reverse happen to me at my aunt's house. The 119 sat is blocked more by trees than the 110. Yes, they will charge you for any tech visit to check for line of sight or moving the dish etc. So make sure you have the dish home protection plan for $6.00 a month to limit the tech visit to a lower price.

Ahh thanks, so no need to re-peak? Any idea how much the tech visit is? I'm on the DHPP (free for now, will keep when it's not.)

When was the dish installed?

The dish was installed about 2-3 weeks ago.

What?

110 is about where it should be, but if you check TP 14 15 and 16 on both 119 and 129 orbitals they are low, especially 129. The numbers there should be above 60 at least.

What? My 119 TP 14 15 16 are 70 78 81? That's above 60? 129 TP 14 15 16 are spotbeams? Possibly not aimed for me? You still think the 110 is fine strength for me though?


Thanks all

 

[120inna55]

...Earlier today my satellite signal was lost on certain transponders, and others on all three sats were extremely low. Not sure if it's a problem on my end, probably is. Sat returned to the normal signal strength within about 3 minutes. Note that today was a clear day.

Sounds like a line of site issue if this happened on a clear day. The wind could be moving a branch in front of your dish. Remember the signal comes in from the top of the dish and is reflected into the lnb. Your lnb is not actually pointing at your target satellites, but rather the top rim of your dish is.

...after a heavy thunderstorm, signal lost at beginning of storm, then returned while it was still raining...

This is rain fade, although that's a misnomer. The thick clouds between the satellite and your dish are interrupting your signal. The rain itself has very little to do with it. This is why you may lose signal before it actually starts raining. If the storm is approaching such that the clouds are between the satellites and your dish, you'll lose signal. Once the clouds are directly overhead, it'll still be raining---and very likely raining hard---but the signal will be restored because the clouds aren't in the path anymore. A marginal signal strength will result in more frequent and prolonged rain fade.

...Also, I noticed, after the install that the installer had to remove some tree limbs from a tree nearby my house that were hanging over the roof. I can hardly see the dish, it's way up high, barely a good angle to see it, but from what I can see it looks possible that the tree foliage is still too close to the satellite dish. Surely the installer wouldn't have left a bunch of crap around the dish?...If the tree grows, and starts blocking the dish, will they charge to fix?

Note, it's not the DISH installer's responsibility to create line of site for you. It is only his job to determine line of site. Theoretically, he could simply say, "no line of site" and leave. Most installers will trim back some limbs, though, but I wouldn't complain about the job they do since they're essentially doing you a favor off the books.(Independent installers can do whatever they want as far as trimming trees according to their own policies and compliance.)

...Will they charge to peak the dish again?

If you're within 60 days of the install, no. The DISH install is warrantied for 60 days. If you're beyond the 60-day warranty, you'll likely see a $15 charge on your bill if you have DHP.

I suspect you have a tree problem. I'm basing this on the fact that you have intermittent signal on a clear day. A limb is probably blowing in the satellite path. The rain fade may be a result of the water weighing down the branch and therefore pulling it into the satellite path.

FYI: A stronger signal lessens the likelihood of rain fade, but nothing helps line of site, short of removing the offending object.

 

[3HaloODST]

Sounds like a line of site issue if this happened on a clear day. The wind could be moving a branch in front of your dish. Remember the signal comes in from the top of the dish and is reflected into the lnb. Your lnb is not actually pointing at your target satellites, but rather the top rim of your dish is.

So I should get DISH back out here? So far I think it's only done that once, but I fear it may get worse as the tree grows?

This is rain fade, although that's a misnomer. The thick clouds between the satellite and your dish are interrupting your signal. The rain itself has very little to do with it. This is why you may lose signal before it actually starts raining. If the storm is approaching such that the clouds are between the satellites and your dish, you'll lose signal. Once the clouds are directly overhead, it'll still be raining---and very likely raining hard---but the signal will be restored because the clouds aren't in the path anymore. A marginal signal strength will result in more frequent and prolonged rain fade.

Yeah I figured it's because of the massive clouds that usually come in the beginning of a storm or a cold front. The clouds aren't so tall as the storm progresses.

Note, it's not the DISH installer's responsibility to create line of site for you. It is only his job to determine line of site. Theoretically, he could simply say, "no line of site" and leave. Most installers will trim back some limbs, though, but I wouldn't complain about the job they do since they're essentially doing you a favor off the books.(Independent installers can do whatever they want as far as trimming trees according to their own policies and compliance.)

I never thought about that, but that is good to know. However, I'm pretty sure there are plenty of other areas the installer could have tried, and gotten a line of site. There are plenty of other spots on the roof, without trees around, and there is also a driveway where I used to have my DISH 500 that got a great signal as far as I could tell. However, this time around I requested a roof install, my roof is huge, and pretty far up high, my view of the southwest sky is great, he could have even mounted it on the chimney for all I care. However, I think the spot he chose was great as far as aesthetics are concerned, can hardly even tell there's a dish there! I'm not complaining, but just concerned.

If you're within 60 days of the install, no. The DISH install is warrantied for 60 days. If you're beyond the 60-day warranty, you'll likely see a $15 charge on your bill if you have DHP.

I suspect you have a tree problem. I'm basing this on the fact that you have intermittent signal on a clear day. A limb is probably blowing in the satellite path. The rain fade may be a result of the water weighing down the branch and therefore pulling it into the satellite path.

So again, should I contact DISH? I am within the 60-day period.

FYI: A stronger signal lessens the likelihood of rain fade, but nothing helps line of site, short of removing the offending object.

Yeah, I figured I thought I would ask about my signal strengths here, to minimize rain fade, because it seems to me that my new 1000.2 installation has a lower signal than my old DISH 500 setup, on the 110 sat anyway. Seems that I remember TP 11 on the DISH 500 was around 68-70 on the 500, but it's 43 on this one. 110 was my main concern. As well as the possible tree interference.

 

[120inna55]

...So again, should I contact DISH? I am within the 60-day period.

Yes. If you are having intermittent signal loss on a new install, by all means, contact DISH.

They will first have you go through some troubleshooting procedures such as ensuring connections are tight. Once you've confirmed all that, they'll arrange for tech to come out.

 

[ebms1]

Hi all,

I have a few questions, first off is my signal strength on sat 110 too low? Second off are the signal strengths on the other two sats about the usual for 1000.2? Earlier today my satellite signal was lost on certain transponders, and others on all three sats were extremely low. Not sure if it's a problem on my end, probably is. Sat returned to the normal signal strength within about 3 minutes. Note that today was a clear day. First time any such event occured, in 2-3 weeks, other than after a heavy thunderstorm, signal lost at beginning of storm, then returned while it was still raining.

Also, I noticed, after the install that the installer had to remove some tree limbs from a tree nearby my house that were hanging over the roof. I can hardly see the dish, it's way up high, barely a good angle to see it, but from what I can see it looks possible that the tree foliage is still too close to the satellite dish. Surely the installer wouldn't have left a bunch of crap around the dish?

If the tree grows, and starts blocking the dish, will they charge to fix? Will they charge to peak the dish again? I can't see any way that I can get onto the roof, so that's not an option for me.

Final question, are the current strengths enough to minimize rain fade? If not, what is recommended for a DISH 1000.2?

Thanks, TP signal strengths are below:

By the way hope everyone had a Happy Independence Day!

i personally think all your signals are very low .... but .....

for the last 2 years or so dish has been messing with sooooo much ... you can hardly tell any more what is norm.....changed settings on meter ... different sats.... it is hard to keep up .... i usually just hit the highest i can & leave it ... it is all you can do ....

make sure all your dish settings are correct ... pole is plumb ....

 

[120inna55]

i personally think all your signals are very low .... but .....

for the last 2 years or so dish has been messing with sooooo much ... you can hardly tell any more what is norm.....changed settings on meter ... different sats.... it is hard to keep up .... i usually just hit the highest i can & leave it ... it is all you can do ....

make sure all your dish settings are correct ... pole is plumb ....

Agreed. No question, there.

However, intermittent signal loss in the presence of a new install warrants a re-visit from DISH.

 

[magnum2066]

Yea ignore my post about signal strengths when it comes to 129, I completely blanked out that TP21 matters not 14,15,16.

 

[MikeD-C05]

The 110 sat should be much higher . That is a powerful satellite and the signal strengths should be in the 60s and some 70s. But if you have a tree in your path , that would explain why the 119 and 129 are fine and the 110 is lower.

 

[3HaloODST]

Hmm well I don't know for a fact that it's a tree problem, but I think I'll have DISH come out anyway, just to make sure everything's doing ok. Since nobody has a reason other than trees, for the random outage, it probably is the tree.

We'll see, I'll update this thread after I get someone out!

 

[ebms1]

Hmm well I don't know for a fact that it's a tree problem, but I think I'll have DISH come out anyway, just to make sure everything's doing ok. Since nobody has a reason other than trees, for the random outage, it probably is the tree.

We'll see, I'll update this thread after I get someone out!

if trees were a problem .... on a windy day you should notice the signal fading in & out ....

 

[thedamaja]

It's possible that your skew is a bit off which could account for the low 110 readings.

 

[gadgetguru63]

Something no one has mentioned is the possibility of a bent dish. The 1000.2 dishes are prone to this bouncing around in the vans. It just takes a tweak to get it back into shape. Since his 110 is low and it is on the outside of the dish along with 129, 119 being in the middle. Just something to have the tech look at when he gets there.

 

[3HaloODST]

Hi all,

Quick update. Still haven't called DISH yet, was waiting to see how much of a problem my signal strength will be. It is barely raining outside, and sat 129 is in the 40s-50, sat 110 cannot be acquired.

Definitely looks like I'll be calling DISH.

EDIT: Looks like the little cloud is moving on, Sat 110 is acquired at 25-30 strength and (very) slowly rising. 129 is still at 45-50.


EDIT2: Made the HUGE mistake of using the online chat, here is the log, interesting bits are highlighted:

Customer Chat
Chat Transcript
Please wait while we find a representative to assist you...
Thank you for being a valued Dish Network customer. I will be happy to assist you today.
Ian: Hello, my name isIan. How is your day going so far?
Scott: Not bad at all, other than some signal loss haha, how about you?
Ian: Having a great day thanks. Are you having signal loss on both receivers Scott?
Scott: Yes sir
Scott: Sat 110, very low signal, 119 and 129 are pretty normal
Ian: How is your weather today Scott?
Scott: very light rain
Scott: sat 119 and 129 still come in, 110 was lost, for 5 minutes
Ian: Thank you.
Ian: Is there any chance that a tree or anything else may be obstructing the dish?
Scott: Well, the installer cut some tree limbs, to make room for the dish, however there were plenty of spots he could have chosen other than that spot, but, the signal on 110 is consistently low, I believe the dish needs a re-peak
Ian: Thank you.
Ian: Have you been having this issue for a while or just today Scott?
Scott: by the way, on a clear day, sat 119 is in 70-80s, 129 is 50s-60s, 110 is always in high 30s low 40s
Ian: Thank you.
Scott: well, it has been off and on, the other day i did however lose signal for about three minutes on a completely clear day
Scott: on all three sats
Ian: Scottdoes this seem to happen when it is the hottest outside ?
Scott: I'm not sure
Scott: the problems i have noticed are during mid-afternoon i believe, so maybe, again, not sure
Ian: Alright.
Scott: but isn't high 30s low 40s on sat 110 pretty low on a clear day?
Ian: Lets see if we can fix this with some trouble shooting, please unplug the dish receiver from the electrical outlet, wait 15 seconds then plug it back in.
Ian: That is a low signal reading yes.
Scott: ok i will do that
Ian: Thank you.
Scott: on both receivers right?
Ian: Yes please.
Scott: okay one moment please
Ian: Alright.
Scott: does it matter if it is recording should i turn off recordings?
Ian: If you wish to finish the recording you may do so and chat back after to do the trouble shooting.
Scott: naw haha
Scott: i want to get this done
Ian: Alright.
Scott: is it okay if i just power cycle the one receiver and troubleshoot with it? instead of both?
Ian: Yes that will be fine.
Scott: okay
Scott: done
Ian: Thanks.
Scott: not a problem
Ian: Alright.
Scott: it is on the "starting up..." screen
Scott: step 3 acquiring
Scott: ok its back
Scott: by the way, i have a list of all the signal strengths from all the transponders on all three sats that i made the other night on a clear night
Ian: lets see if it will acquire signal.
Scott: it did
Ian: Alright, is the programming back on?
Scott: yeah
Scott: sat 110 tp 11 34 strength
Ian: Alright, with your No 1 remote press Menu then 6,1,1, and check your signal strength on all satellites and see if it is any better.
Scott: ok
Scott: haha
Ian: Thanks.
Scott: so far its not on 110
Scott: ill check 129/119
Scott: unless thats not necessary
Ian: Scott, I will note your account with the problem you are having, if this continues to be a problem please chat back within 72 hours and we will have the tech come back out to either repoint the dish or move it.
Scott: well, if it rains slightly within 72 hours im pretty sure it'll be the same problem
Scott: but if not, probably not
Scott: i just think sat 110 is low strength to begin with
Ian: Okay, in the event you have signal loss again please chat in, and we will set up that tech visit.
Scott: okay, well ive already lost signal twice in light rain, and even on a clear day, does that count?
Ian: We need to have more than one incident notes on your account, if you call in a second time with signal loss we will be able to send out the technician.
Scott: oh, so i probably should have reported the problem on the clear day
Ian: Anytime you have signal loss for no apparent reason, if it is longer than 5 minutes you should give us a call.
Scott: okay well, if you absolutely cant get someone to come out, isn't 43 strength on a clear night pretty low, shouldn't it be in the 50s?
Scott: or even 60s
Ian: The low signal strength at this time may be attributable to the storms to the southwest of you at this time.
Scott: holy heck
Scott: i said the other night haha
Scott: clear night
Scott: 74 degrees
Ian: I understand, but low signal strength alone is not sufficient reason to have a tech out, if we have recurring instances of signal loss then we can send a tech out.
Scott: okay
Ian: I'm glad we were able to take care of that for you. Thank you for being a DISH Network customer, have a great day.
Scott: technically there are recurring instances, but okay, ill definitely report back the second it messes up for little or no reason
Scott: bye!

So should I call DISH instead? Or will they give me the same crap? Stupid scripted crap ticks me off if you're not talking to a recording, then the "human" that you talk to pretends they're a robot with all their scripted junk.

Signal is back at 39-40 on TP 11, not too far from it's max of 43, never ever seen it higher than 43 even on the clearest night, such as the night I posted that list.

Thanks!

 

[3HaloODST]

Hah, another storm came through, knocked out all three sats, 119 129 came back, and for over five minutes now I still cannot acquire 110. Guess it's time for me to really irritate DISH.

P.S. Sorry for double post.

EDIT: Just for grins, I tried the online chat again, guy said he gets 40 strength and has no issues. I then told him I'm pretty sure that it could be a good bit higher than that, long story short he ended up disconnecting on me, saying my "issue" was "fixed." I was plenty repectful, so no problem there, however my grin quickly turned into a frown!

So, I called up DISH, first representative kept saying "hello?" as if I was not talking. Then she said "I'm going to have to disconnect this call due to no response" and hung up.

SO, I called again, somehow ended up in some new customer section or whatever, and the kind woman on the other end didn't hesitate in the least to schedule an appointment for me, on Wednesday, which is when I'm free, so I'm pretty happy, even with the rough start!

However, I noticed, she said that "as long as your strength is 10, you have a good signal" and that floored me. I said "oh, but you still don't mind sending anyone out?" and she said "no I don't mind" (I'm paraphrasing.) Also asked if it would cost me, she said no, I asked about the 60 day thing, she said that is true.

Anyway wish me luck!

Does anyone think I might be overreacting? I just figure that if sat 110 takes over 5 minutes to acquire, after 119 and 129 are back, then something's not right? 110 is also the first to go out. Also, that other day, which was clear, it went out for no reason, I have not experienced that problem since, but I feel like it might happen again and I should push the issue before my 60 days are up? Thoughts?

 

[magnum2066]

110 should have the highest signal strength. 10 being an ok signal will get you reamed if a tech left the install that way and got caught. You should have zero issue getting a minimum of 60 on transponder 14.

It could also be a defective lnb as well. Just food for thought.

 

[Dr.Pepper]

110 should have the highest signal strength. 10 being an ok signal will get you reamed if a tech left the install that way and got caught. You should have zero issue getting a minimum of 60 on transponder 14.

It could also be a defective lnb as well. Just food for thought.

119 should have the highest signal strength, not 110.

If there is no problem with the dish and LNB, and LOS is good, peaking the dish off the 119 should allow the 110 and 129 to fall right into place signal-wise.