How is your 24" dish?

[Jeff_in_MA]

I finally got the 24" dish upgrade and I still have rain-fade problem. With the original 18" dish, I used to get signal strength of 96 and accasional drop out during heavy rain. With the new dish, I get exactly the same signal strength of 96 on clear days.

Does anyone get higher number?

 

[jimmykce1]

You will have drop outs durining heavy down pours because your not getting a clear signal from dish to LNB. I have drop outs with my 30-inch dish too. However, durning normal steady rains I don't loose my picture.

 

[jimmykce1]

I am getting a topical storm now here in Va where the rain yesterday and today and experience no drop outs.

 

[Impatient]

98-99 I still get dropouts on soakers, but fine in normal rain.

 

[DarrellP]

There is no dish that will stop signal loss completely. What is your location? I'm in Oregon and lose the sat even when there is no rain if there are some really heavy black clouds to the East hanging over the Cascades & if it is raining overhead, but light clouds to the East, I maintain my signal.

 

[lostcause]

You will have drop outs durining heavy down pours because your not getting a clear signal from dish to LNB. I have drop outs with my 30-inch dish too. However, durning normal steady rains I don't loose my picture.

Ok I'm confused now...is dropout and fade caused by the signal from the sat not getting to the dish, or is it the signal from the dish to the LNB?

 

[DarrellP]

The sat signal to the dish is dropping too low due to blockage by raindrops to maintain a signal. With Voom, if you watch your signal strength, it starts breaking up around 72 and blacks out at 70.

 

[bbtkd]

Ok I'm confused now...is dropout and fade caused by the signal from the sat not getting to the dish, or is it the signal from the dish to the LNB?

The loss caused by rain flowing between the dish and the LNB is so minimal I doubt it can be measured (though snow accumulation on the dish surface can reduce the signal). Rain fade is caused by rain/snow/heavy clouds between the dish and the satellite.

Think of this as a + and - deal. If the satellite sends out a strong signal to begin with, it would take a lot of rain fade loss to reduce the signal far enough to interrupt the data stream. Other things can cause signal loss and they are additive: long cable runs, problematic/lossy cable, poorly installed cable ends, too many splices, a diplexor, a mis-aligned dish, incorrect spacing between the LNB and the dish, poor STB sensitivity, etc. Voom has a poor signal to begin with as compared to their competitors - who seem to do very well with 18" dishes.