VOOM Power level

occammd

SatelliteGuys Pro
Original poster
Apr 19, 2004
397
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What is a good rx power level for the box? I was jsut installed and show hi 80's to 90 as an average on the dish and OTA.
 
Maybe I should get more? I'm in FL with no obstruction in line of sight whatsoever. When it gives you the OTA power, I assume it is giving it to you for the stationyou are tuned to?
 
I only get power in the mid-60's and quality around 80.

I guess I should get my dish re-peaked but lately it hasn't had any signal drops at all.
 
occammd said:
Maybe I should get more? I'm in FL with no obstruction in line of sight whatsoever. When it gives you the OTA power, I assume it is giving it to you for the stationyou are tuned to?

I think you should get more. I am in NYC and get over 95 and as high as 98 with an 18" dish.
 
The installer stopped @ 90, he said that was excellent. Is the power level update quick/accurate enough that I can move the dish myself and aim it or do I need a meter?
 
I'm going to try the C-band install and see how that works out. Just 'cause of rain.
 
occammd said:
The installer stopped @ 90, he said that was excellent. Is the power level update quick/accurate enough that I can move the dish myself and aim it or do I need a meter?

You probably can do it yourself without a meter. Use the meter of the VOOM receiver and the audio that it outputs.
 
Sean Mota said:
You probably can do it yourself without a meter. Use the meter of the VOOM receiver and the audio that it outputs.

I might try this too as soon as I get a windless, sunny day. I've never had a dish before Voom, can you easily move it around -- or do you need to loosen bolts etc?
 
Are you guys talking about power or quality?
My power with 18"er in NE is ~75 and quality ~95, and I have no problems with light rain when the quality drops to ~85.
 
In Chicagoland, I get a quality of around 95. Today was our first day of rain since I got the dish and I will check the signal levels again in a couple hours when I get home from work if it's still raining.
 
By C-Band I mean I have a BUD (big ugly dish) that came with the house when I bought it. I have hardly used it so I may turn it toward the VOOM bird and place the LNBF in it. I'm anxious to see how that affects the signal.

Sean, by audio do you mean the station audio or is a tone output from the rcvr for diag? I can look at the picture as an analog input to the TV for some signal quality/ghosting/multi-path assistance, but I thought the rcvr meter would be better.
 
occammd said:
By C-Band I mean I have a BUD (big ugly dish) that came with the house when I bought it. I have hardly used it so I may turn it toward the VOOM bird and place the LNBF in it. I'm anxious to see how that affects the signal.

Sean, by audio do you mean the station audio or is a tone output from the rcvr for diag? I can look at the picture as an analog input to the TV for some signal quality/ghosting/multi-path assistance, but I thought the rcvr meter would be better.

The meter outputs a high pitch audio that it should get louder as the dish getting the signal. This is according to Jay. Jay do you want to share some light here as to what to do.
 
You can buy a satellite signal meter at electronics parts suppliers. I picked up one for $20 locally and it is invaluable for aiming your dish. You just connect the meter between the LNB and the Voom box, loosen the bolts on the dish, and move it around until the meter maximizes. The meter I have requires nothing more than an extra 3' coax cable to connect to the LNB (the meter draws it's power from the box through the existing coax). The readings correlate very well with the on-screen Voom signal quality readings.
 
hrmm.. Im only getting a signal str of like 47-51 and power in the late 70's. Do you think I should crawl up there and try for a realignment? Picture seems fine, but the numbers are WAY off from what everybody else is saying. Also Im running 5.06 software, were there any changes made to the "scale" of the signal str meter in the latest software update?
 
Oh yeah, forgot to mention, that the installer said that about the best he has seen in my part of FL (NW) is a 60. Anyone have a comment on that?
 
If you don't have the newer software, you are ok. The new software goes up much higher. Mine went from mid-40s to low 90s after the update.
 
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