Ka satellite signal strength question

[vfr781rider]

With D10 up, I knew I had limited time to get a 5 LNB dish up :) Took the plunge this weekend and got through the course adjustments. Without going through the fine adjustments, I am receiving the 3 Ku sats with all +/- 95 on the signal meter. I also receive 5 of the 6 available transponders on the 99 deg satellite over 95 percent. 0 on the 6th one, so I suppose it is not beamed here in Tennessee. On the 103 satellite, I get low (15 - 35) readings on 3 of the 7 available transponders and 0 on the rest.

Question is, should I be getting higher readings on the 103, or is low OK on that position until D10 and/or D11 get positioned? Just wondering if I really need to go through the fine tuning crap on the dish or whether I may be OK pending proper location of the new sats.

Thanks!

[Michael D'Angelo]

With D10 up, I knew I had limited time to get a 5 LNB dish up :) Took the plunge this weekend and got through the course adjustments. Without going through the fine adjustments, I am receiving the 3 Ku sats with all +/- 95 on the signal meter. I also receive 5 of the 6 available transponders on the 99 deg satellite over 95 percent. 0 on the 6th one, so I suppose it is not beamed here in Tennessee. On the 103 satellite, I get low (15 - 35) readings on 3 of the 7 available transponders and 0 on the rest.

Question is, should I be getting higher readings on the 103, or is low OK on that position until D10 and/or D11 get positioned? Just wondering if I really need to go through the fine tuning crap on the dish or whether I may be OK pending proper location of the new sats.

Thanks!

That should be fine with 103 since everything on 103 is spot beams right now. Once the D10 is at the 103 spot you signals should go way up on 103.

[Smthkd]

Oh, thanks guys for answering his question because I was having the same problem! :D

[P Smith]

I would tweak a little and do fine adjustments just for check if your triple LNBF could be better aimed to 103W.

[compnurd]

I would tweak a little and do fine adjustments just for check if your triple LNBF could be better aimed to 103W.

You would be better off waiting for the 103 to go national.

[TriggerDeems]

With D10 up, I knew I had limited time to get a 5 LNB dish up :) Took the plunge this weekend and got through the course adjustments. Without going through the fine adjustments, I am receiving the 3 Ku sats with all +/- 95 on the signal meter. I also receive 5 of the 6 available transponders on the 99 deg satellite over 95 percent. 0 on the 6th one, so I suppose it is not beamed here in Tennessee. On the 103 satellite, I get low (15 - 35) readings on 3 of the 7 available transponders and 0 on the rest.

Question is, should I be getting higher readings on the 103, or is low OK on that position until D10 and/or D11 get positioned? Just wondering if I really need to go through the fine tuning crap on the dish or whether I may be OK pending proper location of the new sats.

Thanks!

Since you got great signals on 4 out of 5, you are PROBABLY ok for the 103. If it isn't OK, you are PROBABLY slightly too far left. The only thing you'd need to do to dial it in precisely, if needed when D10 goes up (or if you just want to tinker), is to dither the azimuth around the 101 satellite. Loosen your fine azimuth screws, underneath on the front of the mount. You do the fine azimuth align by setting the rotating number scale on the fine azimuth screw to the zero index (call it "old zero"), rotating counter clockwise exactly two turns, note your new 101 signal strength on an odd transponder, then turn it clockwise until you get that same reading on the other side of "old" zero (say it is 3.6 turns clockwise to get the same stength reading). Now you divide the number of turns by 2 (in this example 1.8) and go that many turns back counterclockwise to the precise aimpoint. There is another mount that has a different method than I describe, so if it doesn't make sense, you probably have that "other mount".

[P Smith]

Not necessary to wait for D10, it will be positioned at same spot.