Weak STO

[Diamond Jim]

Around the 1st of December the Sports Time Ohio signal at G23-3750-14030-Vertical starting getting weaker by the day. Eventually by the middle of the month it was gone. It was gone all of January and most of February. Around the end of February is started getting stronger again day by day until it was very watchable. Now it is gone again. All I get is a flashing signal level of 73% and a signal quality of 4 to 10%, not enough to lock. I have checked all cables, including the one from the LNB to the splitter, checked the splitter, put on a new LNB and have had the dish aligned by a former installer, all with no luck. I am asking if someone that uses a 7.5 to 8ft dish would please check this channel and let me know what their results are. I would appreciate it.

 

[turbosat]

Jim nobody else seems to be tuned in to this thread, so I'll bark. On the 10' SAMI I am getting STO right now, 79sig/60quality, peaked best as I can with the motor. Stable picture for now. The CST channel is 78signal/54quality, stable.Texas Cable news 80signal/65quality. All those showing "H" polarity though, because apparently I still have the c-lnbf A$$-backwards, lol.

 

[Lak7]

It looks weak here - 10.5dB, compared to 13.5dB for 3780 V.
Try tweaking the TP info - 3749 V 14026 is where my Sat Cards lock it.

 

[Lone Gunman]

I've got STO here in Virginia @ 74% Q on the Winegard and a Micro HD.

 

[richyrich]

Around the 1st of December the Sports Time Ohio signal at G23-3750-14030-Vertical starting getting weaker by the day. Eventually by the middle of the month it was gone. It was gone all of January and most of February. Around the end of February is started getting stronger again day by day until it was very watchable. Now it is gone again. All I get is a flashing signal level of 73% and a signal quality of 4 to 10%, not enough to lock. I have checked all cables, including the one from the LNB to the splitter, checked the splitter, put on a new LNB and have had the dish aligned by a former installer, all with no luck. I am asking if someone that uses a 7.5 to 8ft dish would please check this channel and let me know what their results are. I would appreciate it.

Didn't somebody post about that channel changing a few parameters and is now SD and HD back a few months ago? The wag is swagged somewhere in this forum@ This does make the quality jump all over the place like you are saying, and re-scan using your menu of receiver and remote may or may not work. Can you guys post the parameters please. I know the dvr1200 numbers in november 2013 might not be correct, but here they are! Only one scanned with named convent!
MPEG-II; 3780 V 29271 - have not checked scan since...................

 

[FaT Air]

Water or other defect in coax will cause more loss on the lower TP's as they are converted to higher "L" band.
Higher freq = more loss, lower freq = less loss.
5150 - 3700 = 1450
5150 - 4200 = 950

 

[Diamond Jim]

Thanks guys. I seem to have problems that there seem to be no solutions for.

1) RicyRich, thanks for the tip. 3780-29270 is the Texas Cable News, Euro News and some Latin channels. STO was SD on 4074-5632-Horizontal for years. In a move I never understood, they scrambled the SD feed and then put up the on 3750 HD feed in the clear. The SD Feed is now gone as far as I know. I do appreciate the effort.

2) FaT Air, I have replaced the outside cable with a brand new store bought one and have the same results.

3) Lak7, I have sat for hours trying different FRs and SRs. 3745-14025 seems to be the best and it's horrible. The last couple of days the signal has been strong enough to lock and watch in the morning but then starts to go away as the day goes on.

Thanks again, I appreciate your help.

 

[chaskuchar]

coming in good on my 8' q is about 60. dvb-s(qpsk) at 1080 60. Detroit playing Cleveland on Fox. chas

 

[richyrich]

However, i think the quality should not be the problem now on some tp's. I see that a scan and feeds now has moved to a 32 or 64 psk (causing my receiver to vertically blank the quality; or some derivitive). I see the quality blinks#@$ to itself on depends mux or little big boys of broadcast! I am using mpeg iv recvr ;h.264 hobby mode glorystar 1200hdvr geosatpro; shows and no service pops up; always thought Hawaii was hard to get signal from; but i think it is my recvr.!!!!! they are playing lpga from oahu! part of the time C Band; AMC 7; too cold to go outside and adjust it; don't even know what the freq. is because i scanned it on the wrong type of lnbf setting blindly; will not scan on AMC 7 the way i did before it did scan. Guess it could be my c band lnbf went into low freq. mode! di

 

[FaT Air]

Got bugs, in the feedhorn, that is? [who knows, weird things can happen] Take the receiver right out to the dish???

 

[Lak7]

DiamondJim,

Doubt location would be an issue, but are you in Northern Indiana - "the boilermaker state"

Another thing would be your Dish is moving in the ground - freeze thaw cycles. Need to adjust a little?

 

[richyrich]

On another note; it is how a c band lnbf can be lowered in freq. to 3.4-3.7 and tune any freq. there. I blind scanned a non-existant ku standard 10750 setup freq. of 11999 h 15000 from a only c band lnbf of 5150; and now i am watching the live oahu feed for g*lf channel!

Excuse my self-centeredness; you are right; anything can happen! and in problems solutions are required!

And also - > I tweeked back on my dish; an 8'er; and now the signal and quality are popping; I have weekly major wind problems here! They bend dishes into flat piles! The 8 ft. dish i am working on flew over my shed and broke the feedhorn holder. just taped it back on, and it pops better than before! wind is dangerous around big dishes!

just went off n back on is signal problem usually; especially when using a big dish; which today must exactly be tuned to the satellite it is receiving from! Digitally, signals running on small bandwidth slots tend to need this perfectly picking the satellite in questions signal! Even a breath of wind moves the c band dish enough to send the thing off kilter; the blips you see occasionally or rarely; but wind is sometimes the only factor. I have to tie the dish down to the c band side for "perfect reception"

 

[Mr Tony]

On another note; it is how a c band lnbf can be lowered in freq. to 3.4-3.7 and tune any freq. there. I blind scanned a non-existant ku standard 10750 setup freq. of 11999 h 15000 from a only c band lnbf of 5150; and now i am watching the live oahu feed for g*lf channel!

doesnt matter what the LNB LO is. As long as it can scan in the signal it will show it. It scans the IF frequencies which are between 950-2150
Take a KU LNB and set it to 5150 and see what happens....same thing but it will show as C-Band frequencies

Using your example above lets see
12000-10750 is 1250 (take the frequency minus the LNB LO gives you the IF frequency)
so 5150-1250 is 3900 (5150-the IF frequency)

The actual feed is at 3900 H 15000

 

[richyrich]

doesnt matter what the LNB LO is. As long as it can scan in the signal it will show it. It scans the IF frequencies which are between 950-2150
Take a KU LNB and set it to 5150 and see what happens....same thing but it will show as C-Band frequencies

Using your example above lets see
12000-10750 is 1250 (take the frequency minus the LNB LO gives you the IF frequency)
so 5150-1250 is 3900 (5150-the IF frequency)

The actual feed is at 3900 H 15000

3900 h 15000 has no quality with 5150 setup; as it will not tune below 3.7 standardly!
IN ADDENDUM: IT THEN SCANNED AS 3911 H 15000; it is gone now; made for some japanese viewers in US!

But i cannot scan (but them it did) that into the recvr. with blind scan from the setting 5150 normally; as i get the 24 hr. alaska mux in dvb-s as scanned that way; but no h.264 scan blind, brings in this feed from hawaii. it won't scan! but the freq. 11999 h 15000 did when set as 10750! frequencies of ku are backwards compared to c band; that is they go + in freq. when c goes - !

i m on amc 7 c band!

It has a 5150 C/Ku International 3.4-4.2 and 11.2-12.2 or thereabouts - i bet it is 3500 H 15000 in standard mode - i'll try! nope, that does not work, but it allows the freq. to be entered

Oh, and please excuse me, this thread is STO; land where the quality of the signal matters for a channel to blip or not; and weak tp's are weaker than strong tp's; amd here i went outside and pushed the dish against the wind; hard; and when they go to h.264, a tp will show how well the satellite dish is receiving the satellite. Which is why i even tryed to scan in the first place; and now i learned how to put c band lnbf of 5150 into international mode; or tune a lower frq. than normal without changing the lnbf setting and adding a second satellite with the same name and position....
however, ii now shows the channel as if it scanned at 3911 h 15000 with long name id h.264; as i now get the duplocator of the channel and have to spend time del' signal is fun to work with and entertain an old smiley woah... and since i found it, i watched it live!

 

[Diamond Jim]

Doubt location would be an issue, but are you in Northern Indiana - "the boilermaker state"

West Central Indiana. 3 miles east of the Illinois state line, 3 miles north of I-70. We checked the post and realigned everything. Put on a new LNB, new cable from the lnb to the receivers, adjusted the polarity. Next we are going to check the focal point. The thing about this is I had it fine for years and it didn't go away over night. Then it came back in full force and then left again. I am buffaloed.

 

[waylew]

I've got it here @ 55% Q on the 10' Pinnacle,BSC621,AZUltra.I know the dish is a bit out of whack from the wind/frost/mud from this ridiculous winter.

 

[bpalone]

West Central Indiana. 3 miles east of the Illinois state line, 3 miles north of I-70. We checked the post and realigned everything. Put on a new LNB, new cable from the lnb to the receivers, adjusted the polarity. Next we are going to check the focal point. The thing about this is I had it fine for years and it didn't go away over night. Then it came back in full force and then left again. I am buffaloed.

Is there a possibility of terrestial interference? We are talking C band. Just a thought I had, since it went, came back and went again, plus you have tried most all other things.

 

[richyrich]

West Central Indiana. 3 miles east of the Illinois state line, 3 miles north of I-70. We checked the post and realigned everything. Put on a new LNB, new cable from the lnb to the receivers, adjusted the polarity. Next we are going to check the focal point. The thing about this is I had it fine for years and it didn't go away over night. Then it came back in full force and then left again. I am buffaloed.

Ok, you have replaced everything; the only thing you have not replaced is the dish! What dish is it? Some of the dishes i find are clones or self made, very expensive maintained but not "worked" but look the same as some type, work normally or usually. How many "people" have worked on it? What is the name for many; well they are Channel Master, and Orbitron, and prodelin, and Diamond, and echosphere, and Laser, and sami, and Seavy Beta, or ?????? You are using polarity; has anybody confirmed it moves? And your recvr.?lnb's need to be scanned as 18v only channel list?? I use splitters with the lnbf locked in 18/14 or on 18 v splits, single pass; for the recvr. doing the polarity; then take the two polarities to 2x4 and one of the 4 sw port to the DVB-S2 receiver name???? The receivers named???

I am using 8' wilson tan w/o decl. Bolt; so i pinned it on AMC 7 with a bar. The pole it is on is too small for it and i cannot remove it as it is such a heavy type (took 2 people with strong backs to put it on the polw!!!; a clone i found along side the road last year at an owners house. 20.00 for the aluminum!!!. It flew over the shed same year ago and broke the feedhorn holder off and it was not tied down as i had no pipe for it ;; now that it is on one it is hard to handle, and shakes the pole to no end in the wind we have here. IM GOING TO WELD IT DOWN TO THE PIPE WITH BARACES TO 2 PLACes called a dead mans brace; then put an arm on it; i caan adjust it to any i want) now) )) My quality now is 63 and signal 90 on it now (usually in the 70-80 range when it is done then i will sell it when it is all perfect bit rate and s/n just like dbs guys brag about !!! (parts are harder to find))); and i am not done fixing it. It has stayed there, on AMC 7 ever since i put the bar in it to keep it on satellite, with my geosatpro 1200hdvr; mux w/cbs (which does not come in locally, but I must have! I receive one local channel(())) but no pbs (see it once a week from 250 miles!; no dropouts on that h.264 fee with the ber and s/n the best it can get]]]]] ed after i adjusted the dish! Oh, and i have not adjusted the focal further since i first tried it way off from its original design!!!!. but i should soon before i sell it! And i will finish fixing it by adding a declination bolt; or at least adjust one into it by adding washers or somethimg!!!

 

[rv1pop]

I vote to check for TI! I lost TBN on 97W on my best dish - and could not figure why the smallest dish longest run got solid lock. Then I put the (new) wireless land line phone back in the charger base and the signal came back... Took it back off charger and no signal. Disconnected the new phone and put the old phone back on line and had signal. Not the same frequency as the TV signal so I do not understand -- OH yeah, All the noise went away on 20m ham band, too! New phone to junk box.

 

[turbosat]

I'm leaning towards TI also. Maybe Diamond Jim will build himself a huge square wooden frame (6x6' or 8x8') and cover it with hardware cloth, try positioning that giant TI screen on various sides of his dish/lnb to see if he can block that offending electronic attack on his signal.