Ready to tear my hair (then my dish) out

[exick]

Ok, this is truly driving me nuts.

I've had DirecTV for a couple months now, and I've had this problem ever since it was installed. Even the installer noticed it.

First, I live in an apartment. I have little choice as to where my dish gets to go. It's on the balcony. Unfortunately, about 5-6 feet from the balcony are two palm trees. They're high and the leaves don't hang in front of the dish, but it's pointed precariously between the tree trunks.

The problem I'm having is with my signal. When I'm watching, I get tons and tons of frame freezes and signal dropouts. It's not like just once every couple hours or anything, its like once every few minutes. Sometimes for as long as 20 seconds. If I monitor the signal, it fluctuates like crazy. From 80-95 range all the way down to zero. It's never steady on any transponder.

Also, I live near a rather busy street. I don't know if that matters, but it's some more information.

So, needless to say, I have a problem. And here's the kicker. It only happens during the day. Once the sun goes down, I get an almost perfect signal. I still get a signal drop here and there, but its way, way less frequent.

So here are my questions.
1) Without a perfect LOS, is there anything I can do to improve my signal strength?
2) I'm kinda angry that I wasn't told ahead of time that having unobstructed access to the southern sky was necessary. It seems to me that the installer should have let me know that it could be a problem. Do I have any recourse with DirecTV if there's no way to solve my problem? (i.e. getting out my contract without paying the ridiculous fee)
3) Has anyone else ever experienced a similar situation? What's a person to do?
4) Any ideas why it only seems to happen during the day?

Thanks in advance for any help anyone can provide. I know this is a long post. Sorry about that.

[AllieVi]

Originally posted by exick
Any ideas why it only seems to happen during the day?
I'd guess that it's only indirectly related to daytime. I suspect you have windier conditions during daylight hours that diminish when the sun goes down. During the day those palm trees are swaying in and out of the line of sight between your antenna and the satellite, causing the signal irregularities/loss.

The installer should have advised you of the potential problem.

[AllieVi]

One additional thought about my prior reply...

You mentioned that the leaves don't hang in front of the dish. The path of the signal isn't what you might expect. The LNB is located off-center in the antenna, so the signals strike a "glancing blow" off the dish to focus on it. As a result, when it appears that the dish is pointing at a particular point in the sky, the signals are actually coming from a higher angle (by an amount that I don't recall). In your case, the leaves may actually be in that path.

[Chris Blount]

Definitely sounds like the leaves are blowing into the path of the signal. Would it be possible to raise or lower your Dish to try and get a better angle? Remember, the satellite is actually higher than the direction the dish is pointing.

[Scott Greczkowski]

Remember that the satellites are 20 degrees higher in the sky then to what your dish is actually pointed at.

So look up in the air and see if there are leaves up there. :)

[Nick]

Sounds like you could use the services of the Midnight Tree-trimmer! :lol:

[exick]

Thanks for replying everyone.
When I get home from work today, I'll check to see if there are any other branches and such hanging in the way.

And yes, Nick, I do need those services. Actually, I already did something I probably shouldn't have done. I cut down one palm leaf that I thought was causing the problem.

[Karl Foster]

a little Roundup sprayed on the other leaves will take care of the problem.....

[exick]

One quick followup question...
When you say that the satellite is 20 degrees higher than where the dish is pointed, are you referring to the LNB or the top of the dish?

I'm just asking because if it's from the top of the dish, I probably won't be able to get all the foliage out of the way, but if it's from the LNB, then I have something to work with.

[AllieVi]

Originally posted by exick
One quick followup question...
When you say that the satellite is 20 degrees higher than where the dish is pointed, are you referring to the LNB or the top of the dish?
What is meant is this: Imagine a cylinder drawn toward space from the rim of the antenna in the direction the antenna APPEARS to be pointed. The signal will actually be arriving 20 degrees above that cylinder.

Obstructing any portion of the signal that would fall on the antenna will degrade it to some degree. The answer to your question is the "top of the dish." You will constantly be battling this problem as the trees grow if they're near the signal path.

[Rusty]

Originally posted by Nick
Sounds like you could use the services of the Midnight Tree-trimmer! :lol:

BEAUTIFUL...........LMAO

[sroesink]

Living in an apartment complex myself, I am very knowledgeable about the midnight tree trimming. I have become very good at pruning trees with a swift swing of my hockey stick!

[Nick]

Living in Florida, sroesink, what do you need with a hockey stick? :confused: :lol:

================= ( . Y . ) ================

I've been shooting 110/119 from between two beautiful, but dense trees for two years off
my ground floor apartment patio. This is the 3rd spring/summer, and I've been watching
the gap between these lovely trees diminish each season. Being a tree-hugger, I wouldn't
want to do anything to harm a leaf on either tree. So I am conflicted about what to do when
the foliage gap finally closes, and I lose (not loose :) ) my signal. I know eventualy I'll have
a tough decision to make.

The way I see it, when that sad time comes I will have only three choices:

a) Give up DBS and call the cable guy.
b) Move.
c) get two sticks of dynamite

After giving the situation much consideration, thought and prayer, I've decided to celebrate
July 4th, 2003 by utilizing the 'Big Bang' theory and accidentally blow up both trees all to
hell and back. After all, matter cannot be created or destroyed, just moved around. :D

:lol: :rolling: :lol:

The Nickster :cool:

[exick]

Actually Nick, I've decided to go with what's behind Door #1. The only reason I got the dish is because I wanted the high quality picture, but I could no longer stand it. I tried trimming the trees, I tried talking to DirecTV and BestBuy, but got nowhere. So, I just called the cable company and they had a guy here the next morning hooking me up.

[markh]

exick, have you considered seeing if you have a shot at Dish's satellites? They would both be west of where your dish is now pointed.

[wrate]

In the days of c-band I remember the latest and coldest (most sensitive) LNB's would sense the noise (RF) coming off of badly tuned cars passing by.

I don't know if Dish/DTV's lnb's are that sensitive but this could explain the fact that this only happens during the day, when there are lots of cars passing by.

I live in a City where the wind blows just as much during the day as it does during the night. But you should be able to tell if when the wind blows harder, you get more freezing. Then it definitely is the trees.

Freezing means signal noise, a bad AC installation could also have the receiver pick up noise. But there are filters for this.

I would get a new LNB. I have also seen LNB's that only work at certain temperatures, and if this fixes itself when the sun goes down, then if may be temperature related. A new LNB will not cost you more than $30.00 U.S. and will most likely fix the situation.


Wrate