Question for "Satellite AV" sponsor

[McGuyver]

I bought and installed one of the new SL2 Bullet dual output LNBF's on a system and I'm experiencing a lower quality signal causing pixelation on some TP's.

The issue is with the 97.ow. The dish is a GEOsat pro 90 cm equipped with the dual LNBF bracket, it's aimed at the 97 and 101. The problem is that the quality has dropped about 8% compared to the standard single bullet LNBF.
Example, with the single output LNBF I get 43% on TP 12115 and 35% with the new dual output model, I put the single back and it goes up to 43% again.

I spent over 2 hours trying to fine tune this baby with no luck, it doesn't compare to the single model.

My question for Satellite AV is; have you had other consumer's experience the same issue? Is there a known issue with these new models or could it be defective? Please advise...

Your help is greatly appreciated.

 

[SatelliteAV]

Sorry that you are experiencing an issue with your SL2. Have you contacted our technical support team? Were you provided any suggestions or RMA for the product testing?

The GEOSATpro SL2 outperforms the GEOSATpro SL1 in every post manufacturing sample testing that we performed. Our product delivery requirement at the manufacturer is very stringent. All LNBFs are to be tested, graded and sorted during the manufacturing process. All delivered LNBFs have been certified within 5% of spec. Several Satelliteguys have purchased SL2 for their projects and have had excellent results.

Here at Satellite AV, we take product development, production and quality control very seriously. We will not knowingly distribute any product that I personally would not stand 100% behind, endorse and use on my own hobbyist system. Satellite AV is a company based on integrity and our products stand out as some of the finest examples of performance and quality available in our market.

Are you adjusting the fore and aft placement of the SL2? We have found that the SL2 provides a BER gain if slid towards the GEOSATpro 90cm reflector. If you ordered multiple SL2s and they are exhibiting the same issue, I would suspect the fore/aft F/D positioning to possibly be incorrectly set.

If you continue to experience negative testing results, please contact our technical support team if you have not already done so. The unit has a one year warranty, so we will certainly replace the unit(s) if found to be defective.

 

[tvropro]

I have 2 Geosat SL1 Bullets for 3 years now and they have always worked fine. Geosat is a quality product in my book. Like Brian said if theres an issue with your SL2 Im sure he will take care of it.

 

[McGuyver]

Thank you Brian for your reply. I have not yet contacted tech support because I was on hold for some time and had to hang up so I thought to first seek some input here before filing a RMA claim. Yes, I did notice the closer F/D with the SL2 vs the single model. I am always careful to cover all aspects of adjustments when it comes to fine tuning especially on this dual LNBF configuration.

I've installed a few of these units already using the standard bullet singles and have too been satisfied until now. I could further test this LNBF on another dish for a more conclusive result before filing an RMA.

I don't mean to step on any toes but one other problem I've noticed with the dishes themselves is that the signal quality varies dramatically with the cold/warm weather, the signal drops when the sun sets and the dish cools, contracting/distorting causing further complications and when the sun rises and the dish warms, the signal increases. I own one of the older 3ABN dishes that I purchased about 8 years ago, it's HEAVY and made of THICK sheet metal with a huge mounting post. This baby does NOT vary the signals in any way, it's consistent with all weather unlike the newer paper thin dishes that usually require tweaking (straightening) out of the box for optimum performance. They don't make 'em like they used to, I'm sorry to admit.

I've installed about 6 of the GEOSATpro 90 cm dishes with the identical configuration, I own 4 of these dishes myself and I have noticed that not any of them were created equally, each one required unique and individual tweaking unlike any older dish I've owned. It's sad that the manufacturer has to make apology and offer instructions to remedy this issue.

I myself would rather spend a few extra dollars for a quality product rather than buy another pie tin.

Thanks again for your support.

 

[Blindowl1234]

McGuyver,
Read your post and thought I'd jump in. I notice that the heating and coling of the day affects my satellite reception as well. Sometimes a good 5-10 points one way or the other. This week I've had the TBN stuff on 97W barely hangin in there at 29-30. That's about the threshold for my Fortec. The other TP's are at their usual 40 plus. Maybe others are noticing issues on 97W? and its not your LNB? Blind

 

[tvropro]

All my dishes are quality reflectors. Unimesh 12 foot for c band, 90cm Primestar and 84cm ADTH for Ku. So I never see any changes due to thin metal flexing.

I have to agree with low cost items not being made like they should. (Im having an issue with an actuator now) The bottom line is these days people for the most part want things as cheap as possible and the manufactures want to make as much as possible. Due to those factors we see the junk out there. There is some quality consumer gear but not at low cost. The best stuff in satellite these day are commercial products, but they carry a hefty price tag.

 

[SatelliteAV]

All materials expand and contract with variation of temperature. Steel will have a greater variance than composite materials and gauge will affect the rate and amount of change. The real question is: Are you using the right product to meet your specific needs?

The GEOSATpro 90cm dish is the heaviest gauge, galvanized steel 90cm dish currently distributed in North America. I have both the GEOSATpro 90cm and the 1.2M models for my personal hobbyist system at my home and am extremely satisfied with the performance.

Satellite AV has explored manufacturing a thicker gauge 90cm dish, but the price-vs-performance gain places the product cost far above the pricing of 90cm dishes in the DTH market. Hobbyists often desire a product which has performance factors which exceed the DTH product and only can be met by a commercial product. These commercial products are manufactured to higher specification, require more robust supporting hardware, higher distribution cost and demand additional labor to install than the DTH market would accept. The GEOSATpro 90cm certainly does not fall into the "pie tin" category!

Satellite AV is not making any apologies for our product, but we have chosen to provide awareness of a possible defect that could occur in the shipping process and offer a simple solution that could save hours of frustration. Satellite AV believes that we have an obligation to inform a buyer of a potential issue that will certainly negatively affect reception and result in customer dissatisfaction, increase telephone support demands and result in increased cost of a product. Most suppliers only provide an assembly sheet and make no mention of possible issues that could negatively impact the reception. You would be surprised at the number of "professional" installers who don't even know how to check a dish for warpage!

3ABN logo'd and distributed many different brands and models of dishes throughout the years. Most of the Azure Shine manufactured dishes were 0.8T, but they also distributed a slightly thicker gauge of 0.9T.

GEOSATpro products exceed performance of similar products offered in our market. Satellite AV products are designed for performance and quality and not to be cost cutters. We appreciate the support of our products by both the average DTH purchaser and the hobbyist with higher expectations and demands! We thank you for your feedback and this information is always considered as products continue to be refined and new items are introduced!

 

[McGuyver]

I appreciate the comments from all of you who have replied and I do agree that the high cost facter of materials vs performance and consumer demand and affordability is a touchy matter, one must weigh in all these factors.

Brian, I don't mean to insult you or anybody at Satellite AV or catorgorize the GEOSATpro dish as a cheap pie tin, the term is only used to compare apples with oranges, there is a distinct quality difference between the old and new. This is understandable but I must say that the older/heavier dishes aren't affected by weather alike, my dish farm and 10 years experience in this hobby proves this so, to myself anyway, lol.

There has been improvements that we can appreciate such as the added feedarm support struts that the earlier GEOSATpro dishes didn't have, I own one of the early models as well which I fitted with supports before they started adding them to the kit.

Now as for the 97w signal issue, yes I have noticed a lot of signal variances even on other sats recently. Much of the low signal problem may be weather related most likely but I can't say for sure. I always try to choose a clear day for tuning when the signals are strong. I have taken this possiblity into consideration when evaluating the problem I'm facing with this particular dish setup. The one thing I noticed is that 2 identical systems perform differently. The dish with the new SL2 bullet is the only one I have the greatest trouble with. The signals from the 97w are low on some TP's as the other post says and I have noted this but I can still watch a stable picture on the other dish without the SL2 bullet.

Thanks again to you all.

 

[zamar23]

I didn't try any GeosatPro Dishes, but heard good things about their quality. One of the points, no-one mentioned, is uneven bolt tightening on the dish mount, and deficient design of some dish mounts that can lead to dish angular position deviation under heat & cold condition due to residual stresses in mount points, which vary depending on ambient temperature.

I have one of Jonsa Tech TW made dishes, and quite happy with its profile accuracy, workmanship, consistent make quality and performance under average weather conditions. Signal strength doesn't change depending on temperature, and it works OK under a 50 m/h wind despite having no side struts to stabilize LNBFs mount. The struts themselves may stress some dishes under temperature variations, but resulting deformation will vary depending on the dish sheet metal gage. I would not recommend Jonsa dishes for extreme weather conditions due to weaker dish mount design and lack of side struts.

 

[Mr Tony]

I have a Geosatpro 36" dish motorized and it is very sturdy. I use to have a Fortec dish and that seemed to flex in the wind way too much.