microHD Quality Meter Linearity?

phlatwound

SatelliteGuys Pro
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Dec 25, 2007
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Goosapeak Junction
How is the linearity of the quality meter readout on this new unit?

Is it similar to the CS4-5-6K, or Openbox S-9s (very non-linear), or (hopefully!) more like the Visionsat and some of the old Pansats, with usable % reading over a wide range of the 100 scale?
 
So far, microHD quality meter seems to be on par with that of my AZBox Premium. Can't remember my CS4K anymore and have no experience with the Openbox receivers.
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Neil
 
kinda like the openbox but I have locked signals down to 11%

also has the "full screen" meter too
attachment.php
 
not that i'm complaining ( i like flashy lights :D )

whats with the 10 scales , it goes up to 100% vertically but has 10 meters horizontally ?

it shows SL at 90% in Blue and Quality @ 73% in green yet the nice scale above them shows about 75% ( could be 73%) but its in Blue ?

since the scales across the top in blue are not equal all the way across . it must be reading something that is just slightly a little different than the others any insight into what it is ?
 
since the scales across the top in blue are not equal all the way across . it must be reading something that is just slightly a little different than the others any insight into what it is ?

It samples the signal quality every few moments and updates the bars. The left-most bar is the oldest sample of the last 10 or so, the right-most bar is the most current sample. Since Iceberg's bars are not equal across the top, it means the signal quality varied slightly over the 10 or so most recent samples.

What I find odd is that it says "tone" by the red button. I don't recall that in my June 15th firmware but I'll go check it to make sure. Maybe iceberg is using older firmware or yet to be released new firmware in that screen shot?
 
It samples the signal quality every few moments and updates the bars. The left-most bar is the oldest sample of the last 10 or so, the right-most bar is the most current sample. Since Iceberg's bars are not equal across the top, it means the signal quality varied slightly over the 10 or so most recent samples.

What I find odd is that it says "tone" by the red button. I don't recall that in my June 15th firmware but I'll go check it to make sure. Maybe iceberg is using older firmware or yet to be released new firmware in that screen shot?

Yes, if you get a lot of "ripple" in the bars, you have a signal problem of some sort. Kinda cool setup.
 
What I find odd is that it says "tone" by the red button. I don't recall that in my June 15th firmware but I'll go check it to make sure. Maybe iceberg is using older firmware or yet to be released new firmware in that screen shot?
When I got my MicroHD I updated it to 6/15 software right away so the pictures in the review are with that date software
 
When I got my MicroHD I updated it to 6/15 software right away so the pictures in the review are with that date software

wow. i'll have to check my firmware version. I know I USB'ed the june 15th software to the receiver and all I get on my signal screen is a red button with no word "tone" next to it (just confirmed that after my earlier post).

EDIT: I have june 15th software in there! maincode M3601S/128M 2012-6-15 and seecode M3606 SE 2012-6-15 product ver HDVS54012-1108249A0 2012-6-15

firmware was downloaded from this site.

Did you do a G19 Ku download that rolled things back to 5/23 after you did your 6/15 firmware upgrade?
 
Best meter funktion i ever used ,you can find on the old openbox X-series.
Showing signal and S/N in db,is more helpful for me.
ob810 signal.jpg
 
One other thing I noticed is the Signal Level is always 90 if you have a signal, 45 if there's no signal. Have never seen anything else.

In the full screen meter, the left most bar is the newest sample.
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Neil
 
One other thing I noticed is the Signal Level is always 90 if you have a signal, 45 if there's no signal. Have never seen anything else.

In the full screen meter, the left most bar is the newest sample.
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Neil

I agree.

I have now tried 3 KU only lnb's so far, universal, standard, and a bandstacked Dish FSS (from a Superdish, which lnb by the way only seems to find horizontal transponders, and not vertical. I'm not sure why as of yet. Too hot here (95%+) to try anymore playing with it for now). Same results each time: 90% when you have a signal, and 45% when you don't.
 
IMO.... Signal Level is only useful for two things.

1. Am I connected to a working LNB?
or
2. Am I not connected to a working LNB?

SL 0% = No connection
SL 45% = Connection
SL 90% = On Satellite

We are working on adjusting the ranging for the Signal Quality reading. Right now the Signal Quality reading is not discriminating enough on strong Signal Quality signals and this makes optimizing less accurate.

We will be adding a software switch for selecting Pre FEC and Post FEC BER metering in a future firmware release.
 
We are working on adjusting the ranging for the Signal Quality reading. Right now the Signal Quality reading is not discriminating enough on strong Signal Quality signals and this makes optimizing less accurate.

We will be adding a software switch for selecting Pre FEC and Post FEC BER metering in a future firmware release.

I am glad to hear this. I have never like the default way the Ali chip-sets show quality.
 
What LO is selected? Is this happening on Blindscan or TP scan?

It happens in all of the various scans.

It's a Dish FSS Bandstacked lnb from a Superdish pointed on Sat 83w Ku AMC9 (dish is fixed for now). This is the first time I used it, so perhaps it's part bad, I'm not sure, but it worked to pick up one signal...) I tried setting lo to "13850" and scanned V side, nothing found. I then tried "Stacked (10750/13850)" then just "10750" all by itself, and set to scan both V and H. It only picked up the same feed each time ("AMC9-embedded" which is a news feed). The lnb is mounted to the original Primestar 1 meter feedhorn (looks like a Dalek eyestalk, kinda, lol.) and dish, and it couldn't find any thing except 1 horizontal transponder feed. It did pick up "quality" on some of the transponders though. Maybe I have to rotate the lnb 90 degrees, as the coax connector was mounted facing the ground. Well, on a -1.5 deg skew for my area, and I tried it in a range from +10 to -10, no difference. It got up to 100 degrees here today, so I didn't play with it long...

0821101836.jpg <<< That's the feedhorn, borrowed pic from "Duster014". Mine is mounted to the FSS lnb
 
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IMO.... Signal Level is only useful for two things.
Yep, can't argue with that, Brian. Just something I noticed different from other receivers I've played with.

Spent the afternoon looking at a few transponders with my new microHD, my AZBox Premium HD, and my old standby Coolsat 4000 Pro. Used a Primestar 84e on an SG2100 motor. Used the microHD to move the dish each time before switching between the receivers. Here are my Level/Quality readings.

SAT-----transponder-----channel--------microHD--------AZBox-----------CS4K

83W----11735H4440-----RTV-----------90/65-70--------82/60-----------78-90
101W---11820H20000---Pentagon------90/75-----------94/78------------86/95
103W---11770H30000---NBC West-----90/56-71--------91/60-----------N/A (S2)
103W---11880H30000---NBC East------90/65-71--------92/68-----------N/A (S2)
103W---11940V20000---HB Surf--------90/74-----------92/68-----------81/91-94
125W---12060V30000---PBS mux-------90/72-----------86/55-----------81/69-87
125W---12106V2398----Montana PBS---90/71-----------78/76-----------N/A (S2)
125W---12180V30000---PBS mux-------90/65-71-------75/61-----------N/A (S2)

The microHD quality meter jumps around quite a bit for me on S2 signals, especially compared with the AZBOX. No signal breakup on any of these channels except I noticed the NBC East feed stuttering quite a bit on the microHD, but very little, if at all, on the AZBox. I've heard others complain about stuttering on that feed, yet the AZBox seems to handle it better.

Anyway, phlatwound, not sure if you can glean anything from these results to answer your original question.
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Neil
 
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