[yotdwhatup]

I'm located on the fringe of the Pittsburgh, PA local spot beam, which is on Sat 110, TP 29. On most days (even a cloudy/rainy day) the best signal meter shows around 45-48, which works/looks fine. But with bad weather (windy or really cloudy/rainy) the signal drops to 39-42 range and if it goes below 39 the locals drop in and out. And that's what happens a lot -- I have the locals for 2 minutes (signal must be at 40+) then the channel drops "acquiring signal" comes up (must go below 39 for a few secs) and then 5 seconds later I get the channel back (signal goes back to 40+ and locks).

I have the SuperDish, and I've tried peaking the signal on the 110/29TP, but did not get much signal improvement. (My "national" channels all peak above 90's if it matters and work great, no matter what the weather)

What what be the recommendation to try and keep the local signal above 40? (because again even if it's 41, it stays locked and works/looks fine, too bad I can't change the receiver software to lock a signal of 35 or higher)

Can I use an in-line amplifier on the 110 LNB (connected before the DP34 multiswitch)?

Or since the 110 LNB sits slightly off-center on the SuperDish, can I take 110 LNB and put it on it's on dish to get a higher signal? (I do have an already mounted round DirecTV dish right near it, or do I need an oval or SuperDish?)

Any help is much appreciated.

Thanks,
TomD

 

[alebowgm]

The inline amps are only good for real long runs of cable, they dont really boost the signal, what you are getting as a signal is what you are getting. Your best bet is to go and get a dish bigger than your superdish and have it setup only for E10. The larger the dish, the better the signal that you can get.

Also, if it is the wind that is making you lose your signal, really make sure everything is as tight as it can be. Some wind resistance/movement is going to happen but the tighter everything is, the less it will move...

 

[akron05]

I'm located on the fringe of the Pittsburgh, PA local spot beam, which is on Sat 110, TP 29. On most days (even a cloudy/rainy day) the best signal meter shows around 45-48, which works/looks fine. But with bad weather (windy or really cloudy/rainy) the signal drops to 39-42 range and if it goes below 39 the locals drop in and out. And that's what happens a lot -- I have the locals for 2 minutes (signal must be at 40+) then the channel drops "acquiring signal" comes up (must go below 39 for a few secs) and then 5 seconds later I get the channel back (signal goes back to 40+ and locks).

I have the SuperDish, and I've tried peaking the signal on the 110/29TP, but did not get much signal improvement. (My "national" channels all peak above 90's if it matters and work great, no matter what the weather)

What what be the recommendation to try and keep the local signal above 40? (because again even if it's 41, it stays locked and works/looks fine, too bad I can't change the receiver software to lock a signal of 35 or higher)

Can I use an in-line amplifier on the 110 LNB (connected before the DP34 multiswitch)?

Or since the 110 LNB sits slightly off-center on the SuperDish, can I take 110 LNB and put it on it's on dish to get a higher signal? (I do have an already mounted round DirecTV dish right near it, or do I need an oval or SuperDish?)

Any help is much appreciated.

Thanks,
TomD

Did you "move" from Ohio?

 

[dishrich]

I did the same thing to get the Chicago spotbeam better with D*. I use a 3' single-sat dish f/101 & it kicked up my signals on the spot at least 10-15 points. Unless we get a heavy rain, I no longer have problems with drop-outs & pixelation on the Chicago locals.

You could try the same thing using a 3' dish f/110 only.

 

[joblo]

If your spot signal is noise limited, as I believe the D* beams are, then a bigger dish should solve the problem.

But in most cases, E10 spots are interference limited, so a bigger dish doesn’t help.

Also, the beam pattern shifts slightly through the day as the satellite moves through its orbit, so even in clear weather, spot signals can be reliably above threshold at some hours of the day, but impossible to get at other hours.

 

[James Long]

29s9 (home of Pittsburgh, PA locals) actually has decent coverage in Ohio. You would have to be west of Toledo before you should start seeing problems. The next spot over is in Illinois - which would cause interference when one gets into Indiana.

 

[joblo]

The maps only show theoretical field strength contours based on standard transponder powers. To determine actual areas of usable signal, you would have to know the capture ratio of the receiver and the actual transponder power being used on the various beams.

We know from signal reports that E* has tweaked its service areas by varying the beam power, and there have also been reports suggesting that some of its receivers are better than others at interference rejection, i.e. have better capture ratios.

Without actually doing the experiment, there’s no way to be sure, but my guess is the original poster needs a better receiver, not a bigger dish.

 

[James Long]

Without actually doing the experiment, there's no way to be sure, but my guess is the original poster needs a better receiver, not a bigger dish.

A better receiver really isn't an option. The real answer is to live in the market that the spot was designed to cover.