What Causes Brief Signal Dropout & Not Locked?

[Ron AKA]

Have DishPro Plus Echostar hardware, and everything has been replaced from the LNBF to the receiver. However I am still having very brief, one second or so, loss of signal incidents - up to 10-12 times an hour. What seems to be unique about it, is that it is HD channels only, and the signal strength is very strong. It is right at full scale (100) or very close (98). I have caught the dropout while watching the signal strength screen a few times. It essentially goes from 100 to zero and Not Locked for a second and then back to 100 and Locked again. The signal does not deteriorate down to 80 or 70 and then go to zero. It simply goes directly to zero and Not Locked, and then back to 100 again just as fast.

Any thoughts on what can cause a problem with these characteristics? Almost everything I have found on the subject seems to assume dropouts are caused by a weak signal. This does not seem to be the root cause. It is almost if there is something else other than signal strength that causes the signal to be locked, and that part is lost.

 

[JerryDowning]

I had the same problem, 129 only. I resolved it by having a tree trimmed. It seemed that when the wind blew just right, the tree blocked 129. The two other satellites were not affected.

 

[Ron AKA]

I think the tree problem is a perfect explaination of what I see happening. My problem however is that there are no trees...

 

[TimberWolf]

How long is the cable run?

 

[cashcobra]

The top culprits are: 1. Misaligned Dish 2. Faulty Switch 3. Cable problem (loose connections faulty cable cable too long and needs a power inserter etc...) 4. Faulty set top box. I had the same problem after a recent storm and had the dish realigned and now I have no problem.

 

[boba]

Add a bad LNB, is this temperature related or at all temperatures.

 

[boba]

Have DishPro Plus Echostar hardware, and everything has been replaced from the LNBF to the receiver. However I am still having very brief, one second or so, loss of signal incidents - up to 10-12 times an hour. What seems to be unique about it, is that it is HD channels only, and the signal strength is very strong. It is right at full scale (100) or very close (98). I have caught the dropout while watching the signal strength screen a few times. It essentially goes from 100 to zero and Not Locked for a second and then back to 100 and Locked again. The signal does not deteriorate down to 80 or 70 and then go to zero. It simply goes directly to zero and Not Locked, and then back to 100 again just as fast.

Any thoughts on what can cause a problem with these characteristics? Almost everything I have found on the subject seems to assume dropouts are caused by a weak signal. This does not seem to be the root cause. It is almost if there is something else other than signal strength that causes the signal to be locked, and that part is lost.

What satellite, Eastern or Western Arc, what receiver? Alberta? are you using DISH or Bell?

 

[teletype]

I never get 100 sig level on sat channel, is this a over the air sig from antenna. May be a loose connecter.

 

[Ron AKA]

"The top culprits are: 1. Misaligned Dish 2. Faulty Switch 3. Cable problem (loose connections faulty cable cable too long and needs a power inserter etc...) 4. Faulty set top box. I had the same problem after a recent storm and had the dish realigned and now I have no problem."

The hardware has been checked by three different Bell techs, and some loose screws tightened. LNBF has been replaced. Connectors were replaced. Cable was upgraded to a Monster quad copper shield copper core RG6, DP Plus Separator replaced, and the receiver replaced. I installed a #6 copper ground to the dish and the coax shield. No improvement from any of the changes.

"Add a bad LNB, is this temperature related or at all temperatures."

It did start about 1 month ago, and it has been cooler. However this DishPro Plus Twin system has been in for a year now, and it is only the last month it has been acting bad. As above, the LNBf was replaced too, with no change.

I have considered 737 size passenger planes may be blocking the signal, but so far I've not seen a dropout and then confirmed seeing a plane. Still checking on that one.

 

[Ron AKA]

How long is the cable run?

My main receiver has 25 feet of Monster Quad copper shield, copper core RG6 cable. It replaced some 3 GHz RG6 used by Bell, and there was no improvement. All connectors replaced too.

 

[Ron AKA]

What satellite, Eastern or Western Arc, what receiver? Alberta? are you using DISH or Bell?

Edmonton Alberta on Bell service. They use 91W and 82W NIMIQ. Most problems have been with the 82W, but some also on 91W. The main receiver is a Bell 9241, which really is a Dish 612 VIP from Echostar. I have another Bell receiver 6131, single tuner HD, which is dropping out at the same time. Only common hardware is the DishPro Plus Twin LNBF.

That is what seems to be unique about this problem. Signal is very strong, and the dropout very brief, and the only common equipment is the LNBF which was replaced once since the issue started a month ago.

 

[Ron AKA]

I never get 100 sig level on sat channel, is this a over the air sig from antenna. May be a loose connecter.

I get 98-100 on the NIMIQ 82W satellite, and 94-87 on the 91W. 82W has more dropouts than the 91W, but they both do it at times. Cable and connectors have been replaced.