Daytime problem 19.2E 11836H - Techwatch: Satellite TV forums, FTA, Cable, Hardware, & Tech forums

dohouch · 18-07-06, 10:35 PM

This is a major TP on 19.2 with Phoeinx and ARD. During the daytime with a signal level of 78% I get a signal quality between 40% and 80%, mostly 40 to 60% which can result in loss of picture. In the evenening its fine.

Is there something I can do to either improve or jusst check cause. At the time this TP is shaky ZDF comes in with quality of 80%.

Along the same lines (maybe?) a friend of mine using a Sky mesh dish and a FTA receiver has this same symptom i.e. signal quality is constantly jumping to and fro between 40% and 75% signal quality. I was thinking maybe I would try and focus his dish, but IS that the cause or would it be a waste of time.
rgds
dOH 8)

BGonaSTICK · 18-07-06, 10:46 PM

It's been soooo hot the last few days, I think a lot of 'daytime-type' problems are currently due to this. Give it a hose down and see if it gets any better. An LNB swap-out is the likely best-fix long term.

My minidish is giving similar results at the mo. Haven't tried giving it a shower, but I'm not surprised it's acting up in this heat. My LNB is a few years old, so I'm going to swap it for a new Raven quad soon.

STICK

alcina · 19-07-06, 02:15 PM

Small Q....

Is this due to the dish itself expanding non-uniformly and getting unfocussed in the heat, or is it due to the electronics of the LNB itself? Do dishes of different materials (eg. steel versus acrylic) work better/worse in "extreme" temperatures?

Alcina

BGonaSTICK · 19-07-06, 02:42 PM

It's not an effect I've studied, or even thought too much about, but it's generally a symptom seen in older LNBs that just start to fail under extreme temperatures (hot OR cold).

Not sure about dish expansion? I guess that the parabolic shape of the dish face would still remain fairly accurate even if it expanded significantly ???

LNBs can certainly get tired after a few years. Some makes more than others, but they definitely have a finite life expectancy, although some can live-on seemingly forever.

alcina · 19-07-06, 03:29 PM

Ah..so "hose down" means actually to hose down the LNB, not necessarily the whole dish - though a cooler dish will also make the LNB less hot!

Alcina

BGonaSTICK · 19-07-06, 03:50 PM

I remember browsing a website where an American guy had used a large (relatively - dunno - 2.4m?) dish to conduct a very dangerous experiment.

Over a period of a year or two (and a lot of bad luck) he completely covered the dish face in a mosaic of pieces of broken mirror. Before long it became very dangerous, and he had to be very careful to cover the dish with tarps etc as he worked. Not sure exactly what the point was (just a crazy guy living out his fantasies I guess) but he could boil a kettle placed at the focal point of the dish in double quick time!

Unfortunately my Google query "satellite dish broken mirror boil kettle" doesn't find it... :spite:

alcina · 19-07-06, 04:35 PM

Strangely enough I seem to recall on one of those "What the Ancient's did for us" programs that apparently the Greeks (I think) did exactly that! They used a whole load of little mirrors in a concave structure to set fire to the invading ships from the safety of the shore! Focal point being somewhat further out of the dish than a standard satellite dish though... :

Alcina

dohouch · 19-07-06, 05:03 PM

Bye the bye, don't know if it is still in existance but the French had a solar furnace in the Pyranees, concave mirrors etc.

Tried the hose down thought for a while I was seeing an improvement but no, also tried covering LNB with carboard and tin-foil to reflect heat, all no good.

Bye the way this LNB is ancient, 10 years I reckon, ( when I rescued my boomless 105cm dish I reeled in about 10 meteres of cable and and at the end was my LNB asleep in the grass for many years. Was excited the thing worked at all but it may be he source of my problems.) but it does say Grundig Universal Digital 0.7dB. Have another LNB probably only 6 years old and I might try this.
Correction: my average signal quality is 99%, Strength is 78%
rgds
dOH

BGonaSTICK · 19-07-06, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dohouch

I reeled in about 10 meteres of cable and and at the end was my LNB asleep in the grass for many years.

Ah, love the image that conjours up...

Fortunately, new LNBs can be had for less than a fiver S/H.

Going to check out solar furnaces now...

"Hey you invaders over there! Come and check out my cool new satellite dish!"

"Fzzztzt!"

alcina · 19-07-06, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dohouch

also tried covering LNB with carboard and tin-foil

Um...wouldn't the tin foil stop it working completely? Stopping the "magic rays" from reaching the LNB ???

Alcina

18-07-06, 10:35 PM	#1 (permalink)
dohouch Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 65 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Daytime problem 19.2E 11836H This is a major TP on 19.2 with Phoeinx and ARD. During the daytime with a signal level of 78% I get a signal quality between 40% and 80%, mostly 40 to 60% which can result in loss of picture. In the evenening its fine. Is there something I can do to either improve or jusst check cause. At the time this TP is shaky ZDF comes in with quality of 80%. Along the same lines (maybe?) a friend of mine using a Sky mesh dish and a FTA receiver has this same symptom i.e. signal quality is constantly jumping to and fro between 40% and 75% signal quality. I was thinking maybe I would try and focus his dish, but IS that the cause or would it be a waste of time. rgds dOH 8)

18-07-06, 10:46 PM	#2 (permalink)
BGonaSTICK Super Murderator Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Brighton Posts: 10,633 Thanks: 3 Thanked 64 Times in 37 Posts	Re: Daytime problem 19.2E 11836H It's been soooo hot the last few days, I think a lot of 'daytime-type' problems are currently due to this. Give it a hose down and see if it gets any better. An LNB swap-out is the likely best-fix long term. My minidish is giving similar results at the mo. Haven't tried giving it a shower, but I'm not surprised it's acting up in this heat. My LNB is a few years old, so I'm going to swap it for a new Raven quad soon. STICK __________________ Dreambox 7000, Skystar2 PCI, Skystar USB, Fibo 90cm on Moteck SG2100, Triax TD110 multi-LNB. Sky + ART cards. 45.0°E - 58.0°W

19-07-06, 02:15 PM	#3 (permalink)
alcina Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 70 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Daytime problem 19.2E 11836H Small Q.... Is this due to the dish itself expanding non-uniformly and getting unfocussed in the heat, or is it due to the electronics of the LNB itself? Do dishes of different materials (eg. steel versus acrylic) work better/worse in "extreme" temperatures? Alcina __________________ Technomate 1000D Super, old 60cm Sky dish, MTIBlueLine 0.3db LNB, 6' scaffold pole and saving up for a motor.

19-07-06, 02:42 PM	#4 (permalink)
BGonaSTICK Super Murderator Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Brighton Posts: 10,633 Thanks: 3 Thanked 64 Times in 37 Posts	Re: Daytime problem 19.2E 11836H It's not an effect I've studied, or even thought too much about, but it's generally a symptom seen in older LNBs that just start to fail under extreme temperatures (hot OR cold). Not sure about dish expansion? I guess that the parabolic shape of the dish face would still remain fairly accurate even if it expanded significantly ??? LNBs can certainly get tired after a few years. Some makes more than others, but they definitely have a finite life expectancy, although some can live-on seemingly forever. __________________ Dreambox 7000, Skystar2 PCI, Skystar USB, Fibo 90cm on Moteck SG2100, Triax TD110 multi-LNB. Sky + ART cards. 45.0°E - 58.0°W

19-07-06, 03:29 PM	#5 (permalink)
alcina Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 70 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Daytime problem 19.2E 11836H Ah..so "hose down" means actually to hose down the LNB, not necessarily the whole dish - though a cooler dish will also make the LNB less hot! Alcina __________________ Technomate 1000D Super, old 60cm Sky dish, MTIBlueLine 0.3db LNB, 6' scaffold pole and saving up for a motor.


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19-07-06, 03:50 PM	#6 (permalink)
BGonaSTICK Super Murderator Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Brighton Posts: 10,633 Thanks: 3 Thanked 64 Times in 37 Posts	Re: Daytime problem 19.2E 11836H I remember browsing a website where an American guy had used a large (relatively - dunno - 2.4m?) dish to conduct a very dangerous experiment. Over a period of a year or two (and a lot of bad luck) he completely covered the dish face in a mosaic of pieces of broken mirror. Before long it became very dangerous, and he had to be very careful to cover the dish with tarps etc as he worked. Not sure exactly what the point was (just a crazy guy living out his fantasies I guess) but he could boil a kettle placed at the focal point of the dish in double quick time! Unfortunately my Google query "satellite dish broken mirror boil kettle" doesn't find it... :spite: __________________ Dreambox 7000, Skystar2 PCI, Skystar USB, Fibo 90cm on Moteck SG2100, Triax TD110 multi-LNB. Sky + ART cards. 45.0°E - 58.0°W

19-07-06, 04:35 PM	#7 (permalink)
alcina Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 70 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Daytime problem 19.2E 11836H Strangely enough I seem to recall on one of those "What the Ancient's did for us" programs that apparently the Greeks (I think) did exactly that! They used a whole load of little mirrors in a concave structure to set fire to the invading ships from the safety of the shore! Focal point being somewhat further out of the dish than a standard satellite dish though... : Alcina __________________ Technomate 1000D Super, old 60cm Sky dish, MTIBlueLine 0.3db LNB, 6' scaffold pole and saving up for a motor.

19-07-06, 05:03 PM	#8 (permalink)
dohouch Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 65 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Daytime problem 19.2E 11836H Bye the bye, don't know if it is still in existance but the French had a solar furnace in the Pyranees, concave mirrors etc. Tried the hose down thought for a while I was seeing an improvement but no, also tried covering LNB with carboard and tin-foil to reflect heat, all no good. Bye the way this LNB is ancient, 10 years I reckon, ( when I rescued my boomless 105cm dish I reeled in about 10 meteres of cable and and at the end was my LNB asleep in the grass for many years. Was excited the thing worked at all but it may be he source of my problems.) but it does say Grundig Universal Digital 0.7dB. Have another LNB probably only 6 years old and I might try this. Correction: my average signal quality is 99%, Strength is 78% rgds dOH