Unfortunately, we at Solid Signal sometimes get calls from customers who have lost satellite signal. Because we’re the largest mobile and marine satellite dealer, we get a lot of calls from folks who had service when they left in the morning and don’t have service now. What’s the problem here?
The term “line of sight” means the direct line between you and the thing you’re trying to receive signal from. It doesn’t mean you can actually see the thing. Even if you have great eyesight you won’t be able to see a satellite 22,000 miles away. But, you can receive signals from it, miraculously. I think that’s amazing, really.
This is generally pretty easy, because you have a supercomputer in your pocket. Your phone has a compass, a live map, and a web browser and with those tools you can get all the information you need.
TV antenna reception is fairly forgiving. Use the map app on your phone and turn your body until you’re pointing at the closest major city. That should be all it takes. If you want more precision, you can use an app like this one from Winegard which will even let you use augmented reality.
Once you’re pointed right, look for hills, trees, or buildings that might be in your way.
It gets a little more complicated with satellite, but you have options for how to find out where the satellites are.
If you have DIRECTV, the satellites are all in a cluster which sits at the equator, roughly even with the state of Texas. So, if you’re in or around Texas (or north of that like Oklahoma or the Dakotas) then your satellites are due south. If you’re east of that like in Florida, your satellites are southwest. If you’re west of that, they’re southeast.
If you have DISH, there are two satellite fleets. One is over the equator, roughly even with the Bahamas. One is over the equator a little west of San Diego. In most of the country, you’ll use that Western Arc. So, generally you need to look southwest. However, in the Deep South and Northeast, you’ll need to look south or southeast.
Keep in mind that the further north you go, the closer to the horizon the satellites are going to seem. So look carefully for buildings, trees, or anything that could block the signal.
You can also use dishpointer.com which will give you exact line of sight on a map. For DIRECTV choose DIRECTV SL3 from the list. If you have DISH, choose DISH 1000.2 (Western Arc) or DISH 1000.4 (Eastern Arc) depending on where you are. All these are toward the bottom of the list, as shown below:
If you’re in an RV or boat, it’s easy: just move. Boats have a lot of problems when in the marina, because they’re so close to each other. RV parks are sometimes in the woods where there are a lot of things blocking line of sight.
If you’re having problems at home or on your business, look for trees that can be trimmed. You may be able to move your dish or antenna up higher on the roof or put it on a tower or pole. That will help a lot in general.
If you want to know more about your options, call us at 888-233-7563 or fill out the form below.
The post How do you know if something’s blocking your satellite or antenna signal? appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.
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It’s called “line of sight”
The term “line of sight” means the direct line between you and the thing you’re trying to receive signal from. It doesn’t mean you can actually see the thing. Even if you have great eyesight you won’t be able to see a satellite 22,000 miles away. But, you can receive signals from it, miraculously. I think that’s amazing, really.
How do you know if you have line-of-sight?
This is generally pretty easy, because you have a supercomputer in your pocket. Your phone has a compass, a live map, and a web browser and with those tools you can get all the information you need.
If you have a TV antenna:
TV antenna reception is fairly forgiving. Use the map app on your phone and turn your body until you’re pointing at the closest major city. That should be all it takes. If you want more precision, you can use an app like this one from Winegard which will even let you use augmented reality.
Once you’re pointed right, look for hills, trees, or buildings that might be in your way.
If you have satellite:
It gets a little more complicated with satellite, but you have options for how to find out where the satellites are.
If you have DIRECTV, the satellites are all in a cluster which sits at the equator, roughly even with the state of Texas. So, if you’re in or around Texas (or north of that like Oklahoma or the Dakotas) then your satellites are due south. If you’re east of that like in Florida, your satellites are southwest. If you’re west of that, they’re southeast.
If you have DISH, there are two satellite fleets. One is over the equator, roughly even with the Bahamas. One is over the equator a little west of San Diego. In most of the country, you’ll use that Western Arc. So, generally you need to look southwest. However, in the Deep South and Northeast, you’ll need to look south or southeast.
Keep in mind that the further north you go, the closer to the horizon the satellites are going to seem. So look carefully for buildings, trees, or anything that could block the signal.
You can also use dishpointer.com which will give you exact line of sight on a map. For DIRECTV choose DIRECTV SL3 from the list. If you have DISH, choose DISH 1000.2 (Western Arc) or DISH 1000.4 (Eastern Arc) depending on where you are. All these are toward the bottom of the list, as shown below:
What if your line of sight is blocked?
If you’re in an RV or boat, it’s easy: just move. Boats have a lot of problems when in the marina, because they’re so close to each other. RV parks are sometimes in the woods where there are a lot of things blocking line of sight.
If you’re having problems at home or on your business, look for trees that can be trimmed. You may be able to move your dish or antenna up higher on the roof or put it on a tower or pole. That will help a lot in general.
If you want to know more about your options, call us at 888-233-7563 or fill out the form below.
The post How do you know if something’s blocking your satellite or antenna signal? appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.
Continue reading...
