Losing Signal

[bluestring]

Right now I have BronzeHD with locals and Chinese internationals. I think I have a DIsh 500+. Is it normal for me to lose signal with every thunderstorm that passes by? I will always lose the signal and then when the storm passes by in 30 minutes I would get it back again. I'm just wondering if this is a normal occurrence or is it just me that is getting it.

 

[grb]

You should only lose your signal during severe storms. Go to the menu and check your signal strength.

 

[papalittle]

All depends...you may need a dish alignment...maybe. I install dish everyday and I have a superdish setup. If it even looks like it is going to rain the signal drops 50%. On a clear day my signal on 119 transponder 19 is around 80. 110 sat on trans 19 is close to 90. I lose my signal all the time when it rains more than a sprinkle, or if there is hail in the clouds. I have tried different dishes, LNB's, and cabling. I just switch over to local OTA when it happens. If I was you I would check your signal and see where it is on the scale.

 

[bluestring]

My signals are
129 - 50
119 - 85
118 - 55
110 - 70
These are all during a clear day.
During the storms 129 and 118 goes to almost 0 signal strength and 119 and 110 goes to around 20-30 where we can't see anything.

Are the signals good or bad?

 

[grb]

My signals are
129 - 50
119 - 85
118 - 55
110 - 70
These are all during a clear day.
During the storms 129 and 118 goes to almost 0 signal strength and 119 and 110 goes to around 20-30 where we can't see anything.

Are the signals good or bad?

On the surface. these signals are OK, but could be higher. You should really check all the transponder signals for each satellite to see how much they vary from those you have posted.

My satellite signals are weakest on 129 (mostly in the 50-60 range) and I seldom get an outage. However, we have fewer severe storms in Southern California than most of the country. I also noticed that most of the lower transponders (1-16) appear to be deactivated. I believe I read some time ago that they had moved several 129 channels to 110 or 119.

With the signal strength you report, you must be having severe storms to cause extended shortages. However, you may be able to get higher signals, especially on 110 and 119, by re-aiming your dishes. 129 is a dying satellite and I have found signal readings varying by 30 points within a 15 minute period presumably because of the wobble in the satellite. There isn't a lot you can do to get a consistently higher signal on 129.

 

[bgee]

Is it normal for me to lose signal with every thunderstorm that passes by?

Others will tell you no, but my experience is yes, it is normal for many of us. Here, I lose 61.5 signals and my weaker OTA signals. I've gone through lengthy diagnosing with Dish tech support where in the end, they told me all my signal levels were good but if I have thick clouds to my south I will lose signal and that's just the way it is.

I'm having some different type of trouble now with my Sat sigs (OTA fine) and waiting for chat to open for business. IMHO, DirecTV was a lot more reliable in a general sense than Dish.

 

[Midas42]

DIRECT TV will go off with a heavy FOG, much less a heavy rainstorm. If DISH is properly tuned in, it take a HEAVY rain storm to knock it out.

 

[MikeD-C05]

DIRECT TV will go off with a heavy FOG, much less a heavy rainstorm. If DISH is properly tuned in, it take a HEAVY rain storm to knock it out.

I find that was true when I had both systems in 2003 and in 2008 . For DIRECTV I used a regular 18 inch dish for 101 sat back in 2003 and the Au slim line dish last year for hd. For DISH I had the dish 500 in 2003 and a dish 1000.2 last year for hd. Everytime it got overcast , DIRECTV went out, while DISH continued to work. Once the rain got very strong -sideways rain, cats and dogs, DISH would go out. But DIRECTV always went out first and lasted longer than DISH.