Good signal on 110, Terrible on 119

[Chris House]

I am about to go crazy with this problem. I can get 110 up to 70 signal strength, but best I can get on 119 is 15, at best, consistently.

When aligning, I have seen 119 hit 40 for a second here at there, but very rarely, but can't hold that signal even when I get it at that same position. It usually happens after I lock it down after adjusting and then move the dish a little using the natural slack/bend in the dish structure. However, I can do the same thing a second time and no change.

I am no expert, but I have aligned many DTV, Dish, and Hughes-net Internet dishes over the years and never had this problem. I have swapped out wire and that does not help.

I am using a 625 receiver and only need SD channels. This says dishnetwork 1000 on it and it has a western arc LNBF. I am wondering if I am looking at a failing LNB or if maybe I have a mismatched LNB and dish. I will try to post pics later.

any help/suggestions appreciated

 

[Troch77]

Could be failed LNB, could also be Line of site.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Active

 

[KE4EST]

Bad LNBF, Line of Site issue, or skew not set right on back of dish.

 

[Chris House]

The skew is set per recommended setting.The signal just jumps all over the place, but does not stay high but just a sec.

you can see from the attached pics how the signal jumps from 14 to 18 to 25, without me touching the dish, but mostly stays around 8. Also, not the screw sticking out of the LNB, that makes me wonder if this LNB does not go with this sat.

Would I be getting 110 this strong if it were a line of sight issue?

 

[KE4EST]

Would I be getting 110 this strong if it were a line of sight issue?

Yes.
Take a picture from right behind the dish.

 

[Troch77]

Yes.
Take a picture from right behind the dish.

Agree, 9 degrees of separation.
Definitely.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Active

 

[stardust3]

Try a different port on the lnb. Ports can go bad and cause issues.

 

[Chris House]

Agree, 9 degrees of separation.
Definitely.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Active

Try a different port on the lnb. Ports can go bad and cause issues.

I will try different port first. Will also post a PIC.

I did check the view using the Sat. AR android app and I do have a clear view on 119, but it falls between 2 trees, 110 has a much greater opening. How many degrees do I need on each side of the Sat view? I will run the Sat AR app to locate the sats and do a screen capture. Anyone know of Is there another app I can use that will take the pic within the app without having to do screen capture

 

[Troch77]

I will try different port first. Will also post a PIC.

I did check the view using the Sat. AR android app and I do have a clear view on 119, but it falls between 2 trees, 110 has a much greater opening. How many degrees do I need on each side of the Sat view? I will run the Sat AR app to locate the sats and do a screen capture. Anyone know of Is there another app I can use that will take the pic within the app without having to do screen capture

Do you have a smart phone?
If so download a satellite finder app.
Satellite Finder AR is a good free one.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Active

 

[Bob Haller]

i hope you put a actual level on the pole.

i had a friend call me recently with a simiiar issue his pole wasnt plumb.....

and remember the dish is looking at the opposite location.......

 

[kwindrem]

The skew is set per recommended setting.The signal just jumps all over the place, but does not stay high but just a sec.

you can see from the attached pics how the signal jumps from 14 to 18 to 25, without me touching the dish, but mostly stays around 8. Also, not the screw sticking out of the LNB, that makes me wonder if this LNB does not go with this sat.

Would I be getting 110 this strong if it were a line of sight issue?

I think not seeing 129 on the status screen is a clue. Even though you probably don't need that satellite, it should still show after a check switch. Also, the skew number shown in the menus is not correct for a 3 LNB dish. Use http://www.dishpointer.com and select your location and a Dish Network 1000.2 dish near the bottom of the list to get the proper skew.

In order for the skew number to be accurate, the pole needs to be plumb. You can compensate for a pole that isn't plumb by adjusting skew after peaking the CENTER satellite (119 in this case). It looks like 119 is on the center LNB because it shows first on the status screen but to make sure, cover the outer two LNBs and make sure 119 is still received.

You should cover the outer two LNBs and peak the dish on 119 then look to see what you get on 110, adjusting skew only if necessary.

If you still can't get a usable signal on 119, try covering the center LNB and uncovering one of the others, then seeing if you can get a better number on 119. If so, it's likely an LNB problem. If it's no better, then my guess is you have a line of site issue and may need to move the dish.

The smart phone and tablet apps that show you satellite locations are only as good as the compass and inclinometer are. Metal in the area could also cause the compass to be incorrect. If the app says you are close to a tree you may actually be looking through the tree.

 

[Chris House]

Thanks! That makes a LOT of sense. Here is my sky view attached

Given what you said about accuracy, I may looking directly into top of tree. Also, my signal meter just came.

So, I am going to check the plumb and skew and if that does not fix it, it has to be LNB or obstruction. I did swap the port on the LNB and it did not help.

One other bit of data that may help. Signal strength is jumping up to 25 every once in a while, then back to 14 then down to 5. What is an acceptable signal strength on 119?

 

[KE4EST]

Those apps can be off a little depending on how well your phone is calibrated and how well each phone brand calibrates.
Also noted it looked like you were standing behind the dish with your phone and not at the dish's level.
Even if it is barely getting over the top of that tree, I would never install a dish like that, cause guess what next year when the tree grows more, the signal is out.
Anyway to move the dish to a different location or higher up?

 

[Troch77]

Those apps can be off a little depending on how well your phone is calibrated and how well each phone brand calibrates.
Also noted it looked like you were standing behind the dish with your phone and not at the dish's level.
Even if it is barely getting over the top of that tree, I would never install a dish like that, cause guess what next year when the tree grows more, the signal is out.
Anyway to move the dish to a different location or higher up?

And as you also stated, those apps are close, but if the app is saying it's that close to the trees, it very well could actually be in the tree line.

You should move your dish Up and over to the left.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Active