[MrGibbage]

Over the last few days, I noticed that my picture started dropping out a lot more often, and last night I noticed that my signal strength on the 101 satellite was 0. Here's the rundown:

101 -0
99s -0
99c -0
119 -100
110 -95
103c -91
103s -58

We have had some thunderstorms come through in the last few days, so I suppose my dish could have moved, but I really locked it down last time I was up there. I'm going to go up on the roof today to check things out, but I was wondering if you guys thought this could indicate anything else, or is this most certainly a dish mis-aligned? Any tips for realigning, if that is the case? Which satellite should I use to align the dish?

Skip

 

[K4SMX]

Your dish is well-aligned. The dish is not aligned by satellite-by-satellite. They all line up simultaneously in an arc. You have some other problem.

More info, please. Do you have additional receivers requiring that you have an external multi-switch, or are your receivers connected directly to your dish?

Please post your signal strengths for the following satellites:

Menu Button > Parental, Fav's & Setup > System Setup > Satellite > View Signal Strength

(Use the remote to navigate to the requested satellites. Check both tuners 1 & 2, but post the info for tuner 1 only, unless they are significantly different.)

Satellite transponders (32 total at 101º)
[Most of your standard definition channels are beamed from 101ºW]
1-8 # # # # # # # #
9-16 # # # # # # # #
17-24 # # # # # # # #
25-32 # # # # # # # #

Satellite transponders (14 total at 99º(c)
[New national HD channels]
1-8 # # # # # # # #
9-16 # # # # # # NA NA

 

[MrGibbage]

This installation has been working more or less flawlessly for about 2-1/2 years. I only have two receivers, no multiplexers. I live in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area of Virginia.

101
1-8     0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
9-16    0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
17-24   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
25-32   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0

110
1-8   n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a  95
9-16  n/a  91 n/a  96 n/a n/a n/a n/a
17-24 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
25-32 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

119
1-8   n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
9-16  n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
17-24 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 100  99  98
25-32   0  99 100  98   0 100 100 100

99c
1-8     0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
9-16    0   0   0   0   0   0 n/a n/a
17-24 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
25-32 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

99s
1-8     0   0   0   0   0   0 n/a n/a
9-16  n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a   0   0
17-24   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
25-32 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

103s
1-8    59   0  77   0   0   0 n/a n/a
9-16  n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a  61  62
17-24   0   0  83  69  78   0  52  40
25-32 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

103c
1-8    91  81  85  79  86  77  83  79
9-16   88  79  85  78  89  76 n/a n/a
17-24   0 n/a n/a n/a n/a   0 n/a n/a
25-32 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

 

[Mertzen]

I'd be weird to be a misalign. It's not perfect but I don't see 101 not there and 103 there. Anything in the LOS?

 

[MrGibbage]

No, the dish is on top of my roof and points up to a clear sky. I'm baffled too. I guess I will at least go up and see if moving the dish around will get me a 101 signal (I'll mark where the dish is set first), but I find it hard to believe that I could have a 0 on the 101 and good signals on the 103. Do you think you could do that *ON PURPOSE*, let alone, to have it *just happen*??? I think that would take some mad dish pointing skills. I'm quite puzzled here too.

 

[Mertzen]

Well 101 and 99 are all on the same 'side' of the signal. Well none of them require 22Khz tone. Maybe LNB failure. It'd be still strange though.

 

[MrGibbage]

Would you believe......

Dish mis-aligned. I went up and the post wasn't level (any more). It was most certainly level when I installed it, and last checked it a few months ago when the new HD channels were coming online. But now it was off by a little bit (the bubble was almost completely out of the black circle). I pushed it back into placed and re-tightened everything down, and now everything is working just fine.

 

[K4SMX]

Are you sure? It would be really unusual to have had those 103(c) signals, which weren't all that bad, and have no 101 signals at all.....

Can you re-post your current signal strengths on 99(c), 101, and 103(c) only?

 

[MrGibbage]

Yeah, something is wrong, because the signal went away again. I went back up, and saw that the post wasn't level any more, and found a clamp that was slipping. I got it perfectly level now, and here are the signals as of right now:

101
1-8    82  83  83   0  80  91  86  88
9-16   80  81  87   0  83  91  85  89
17-24  79  72  86   0  82  84  84  82
25-32  83  33  85  82  85  85  85  87

99c
1-8     0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
9-16    0   0   0   0   0   0 n/a n/a
17-24 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
25-32 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

103c
1-8     0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
9-16    0   0   0   0   0   0 n/a n/a
17-24   0 n/a n/a n/a n/a   0 n/a n/a
25-32 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

Unfortunately, I have to leave for a couple of hours, but hopefully when I get back, I can get to the bottom of this.

 

[Mertzen]

I'd say if it's a monopole clamp that is slipping [ pretty common] just put a self tapping screw in it

 

[litzdog911]

Yeah, something is wrong, because the signal went away again. I went back up, and saw that the post wasn't level any more, and found a clamp that was slipping. I got it perfectly level now, and here are the signals as of right now:

101
1-8    82  83  83   0  80  91  86  88
9-16   80  81  87   0  83  91  85  89
17-24  79  72  86   0  82  84  84  82
25-32  83  33  85  82  85  85  85  87

99c
1-8     0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
9-16    0   0   0   0   0   0 n/a n/a
17-24 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
25-32 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

103c
1-8     0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
9-16    0   0   0   0   0   0 n/a n/a
17-24   0 n/a n/a n/a n/a   0 n/a n/a
25-32 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

Unfortunately, I have to leave for a couple of hours, but hopefully when I get back, I can get to the bottom of this.

Once you've got the maximum readings on 101 and 119º, you should be able to adjust the dish's "dither" adjustments to peak 99 and 103º.

 

[MrGibbage]

Once you've got the maximum readings on 101 and 119º, you should be able to adjust the dish's "dither" adjustments to peak 99 and 103º.

dither?? What is this "dither adjustment" that you speak of?

I'm back home now and about to go back up. I went with a long bolt right through the post and clamp (I didn't have any self-tapping screws around, which was my first idea).

 

[litzdog911]

dither?? What is this "dither adjustment" that you speak of?

I'm back home now and about to go back up. I went with a long bolt right through the post and clamp (I didn't have any self-tapping screws around, which was my first idea).

Check out the installation videos here ....
http://www.solidsignal.com/dtvkuka

 

[MrGibbage]

Success (I hope). Rotated the dish about about 5 degrees in azimuth. Thanks for all the help, guys!

101
1-8    96  95  96   0  95  99  96  97
9-16   95  96  97   0  96  99  96  99
17-24  95  95  97   0  96  98  98  98
25-32  96  63  96  94  97  99  96 100

What's up with TP 26?

110
1-8   n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a  98
9-16  n/a  96 n/a  98 n/a n/a n/a n/a
17-24 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
25-32 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

119
1-8   n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
9-16  n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
17-24 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 100 100  99
25-32   0 100 100  99   0 100 100 100

99c
1-8    88  94  86  94  87  89  85  92
9-16   88  89  87  93  95  95 n/a n/a
17-24 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
25-32 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

99s
1-8    29  75  48  86   0   0 n/a n/a
9-16  n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a   0   0
17-24   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
25-32 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

103s
1-8    54   0  77   0   0   0 n/a n/a
9-16  n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a  67  83
17-24   0   0  92  89  88   0  60  65
25-32 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

103c
1-8    67  95  91  93  91  93  87  92
9-16   92  93  89  92  95  95 n/a n/a
17-24   0 n/a n/a n/a n/a   0 n/a n/a
25-32 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

 

[K4SMX]

Success (I hope). Rotated the dish about about 5 degrees in azimuth. Thanks for all the help, guys!

101
1-8    96  95  96   0  95  99  96  97
9-16   95  96  97   0  96  99  96  99
17-24  95  95  97   0  96  98  98  98
25-32  96  [b]63[/b]  96  94  97  99  96 100

[b]What's up with TP 26?[/b]

Wow! I'm really amazed that you were getting those 103(c) signals in the 70's and no 101's prior to re-alignment. I don't think I've ever seen that before....

101 spotbeams are 4, 12, 18, 20, 26 and 28

 

[MrGibbage]

Wow! I'm really amazed that you were getting those 103(c) signals in the 70's and no 101's prior to re-alignment. I don't think I've ever seen that before....

Like I said, I don't think you could do that if you tried... and somehow my dish figured out how to do it on its own!

 

[K4SMX]

Uh-huh. Normally, with 103(c) signals like you had originally, your 101 Ku's would still be up in the 90's, not "0" across the board. And you'd be getting some signals on 99(c), too, which you weren't. The 99 and 101 satellites do share the same signal switching voltages, however, which would make one think you also have an intermittent LNB problem, so keep an eye on it.....

 

[MrGibbage]

OK. Thanks for the tip. All is well so far 12 hours after adjustment. Let's hope it stays that way.

 

[MrGibbage]

Well, that didn't last long. Back to all zero's on the 101, and high 90's on the 103c. The dish is still pointed exactly where I left it yesterday. Any votes for an LNB problem? Is this a typical way for them to fail? I doubt if it could be a cabling problem. Is there a good place to buy LNB's online?

 

[MrGibbage]

By the way, this is the dish I currently have
http://www.summitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=6336

If I get a new one, should I be looking for the same one, or is there a newer one that I should consider?