Costa Blanca, 2E/2F, seasonal signal fluctuation.

[mickwig]

That's right. I might have been a bit loose with my interval. It's 1 and 1/4 year!!

BTW: http://www.satellites.co.uk/forums/threads/astra-2f-at-28-2e-general-discussion.156976/

Beginning of december 2012 C5 dissapeared from my old trusted 120 kathrein polar mount. A sad day!!

 

[Huevos]

Although 2E is slightly further east the changes in signal are corresponding most of the time.

Not according to my records. I've been plotting all spot beam transponders on 2E and 2F every 10 minutes since February 2014 and the 2 satellites have a completely different daily/yearly cycle. Yes, they do rise and fall together when it is down to transmission path loses but otherwise they are very different.

 

[mickwig]

I only take about 10 times a day down and not while I am asleep (no automation). So I don't know what happens at night. The rare times that I come home late and just check then it seems, that during the night the SQ picks up only to drop again towards early morning.

I don't know the exact positions but just by looking at my numbers it seems similar. Probably due to the midday/midnight fluctuations.

 

[skomedal]

2E but it wobbles out of range now and then due to its position.

Living in a scandinavian so called near null zone can get lock all my receivers ( 5 ) on the Freesat UK psb channels with 6 month old gibi. 125 cm when 2E does an axis wobble.
Regards

http://www.satellites.co.uk/forums/...or-fringe-reception.161825/page-2#post-888692

 

[cazhh]

Huevos, you are in a completely different location. The wobble we see here is mainly caused by an east/west movement of the footprint. You will not see this, as BCW doesn't see this in the south of france. 2E and 2F wobble usually in sync here, just as Mickwig reported. This is reported by a lot of other people on the eastern rim of the mainlobe from north germany down to bavaria as well. (And by people on the western rim of the 1st sidelobe)
I measure a representative list of transponders every minute since july 2013 (and 2e since early february)

This is a graph simply plotting each and every single measurment in one graph. I have shifted 2E a bit upwards so that it's better so see what happens. usually the distance between 2E and 2F is about 2db here in my location.



Note that when the signal rises here it will go down on the other side in the side lobe. And vice versa. This is NOT caused by influences on the transmission path.

 

[Huevos]

Huevos, you are in a completely different location.

Yes, that's why I started this thread. Hadn't realized Mickwig was in Germany. In the 2D days we were on an east/west null line that wandered north/south in a daily cycle. Anyway what is happening in Germany is not connected to what BrianGW is reporting. Fingerprint is identical here every day, just that SNR is up or down by 0.25dB.

 

[cazhh]

Yes, that's why I started this thread. Hadn't realized Mickwig was in Germany. In the 2D days we were on an east/west null line that wandered north/south in a daily cycle. Anyway what is happening in Germany is not connected to what BrianGW is reporting. Fingerprint is identical here every day, just that SNR is up or down by 0.25dB.

That is correct. Probably BrianGW is nearer to the rim of the sidelobe ? I didn't follow the reports from southern spain, but do we know how far to the south (east) the sidelobe extends ?

 

[briangw]

That is correct. Probably BrianGW is nearer to the rim of the sidelobe ? I didn't follow the reports from southern spain, but do we know how far to the south (east) the sidelobe extends ?

I do think I am right on the edge. I see quite a significant fluctuation as though the daily wobble is just taking us to the edge of reception, and then brings us back in again. I hear reports that 25km further south at the bottom end of Mojacar that its just about impossible with a 1.8. There is a local 2.4 Fam and it struggles just as much (I think because of its much tighter focus), so thats why I never bothered going to a larger dish, and am just going to experiment with feedhorn/LNB combos till I get the best that I can (I know what you are going to say, Huevos!). As a community we are prepared to accept occasional loss of some channels, seeing as the project has cost about €175 per person. Fortunately, the strong signal coincides with peak viewing time in the evening.

 

[Huevos]

I hear reports that 25km further south at the bottom end of Mojacar that its just about impossible with a 1.8.

All the reports I've heard is Mojacar is an easy catch on a 1.8m. If a 2.4m doesn't make any difference it is set up wrong.

Fortunately, the strong signal coincides with peak viewing time in the evening.

The big dip is at 19:30. This year has been the driest in more than 100 years. What are you going to do in a normal year?

 

[Huevos]

do we know how far to the south (east) the sidelobe extends ?

No. Distance from here to CdS is 400km going south-west and there are almost no Brits living between the 2 areas. Going north-south along this coast the roll-off is pretty gentle, about 1dB per 100km. But there is no enough data outside this area to draw proper maps. Here we've needed big dishes for more than 10 years so there's plenty of data. But further south they didn't need them until now and the few people that are down there are to scared of failure to experiment. And to make it worse there is no one down there who has any experience setting up big dishes so most reports are going to come from dishes that are set up badly.

 

[briangw]

All the reports I've heard is Mojacar is an easy catch on a 1.8m. If a 2.4m doesn't make any difference it is set up wrong.

I wouldnt say its an easy catch, but it is at the very bottom end of Mojacar where it tails off. You are right though, everybody in the Villaricos/Garrucha/Mojacar/Turre/Vera area has gone for a 1.8 and are quite happy with the results. The guy who put the 2.4 in, couldnt get anything with a 1.8, so who knows what he was doing.

The big dip is at 19:30. This year has been the driest in more than 100 years. What are you going to do in a normal year?

But its coming back on song at 9.00 when the good programs come on ! If all else fails, there is always the bar (for the drink not the TV).

 

[Lampard25]

I

I wouldnt say its an easy catch, but it is at the very bottom end of Mojacar where it tails off. You are right though, everybody in the Villaricos/Garrucha/Mojacar/Turre/Vera area has gone for a 1.8 and are quite happy with the results. The guy who put the 2.4 in, couldnt get anything with a 1.8, so who knows what he was doing.


But its coming back on song at 9.00 when the good programs come on ! If all else fails, there is always the bar (for the drink not the TV).

I've installed lots of dishes in my 20yrs & Mojacar is good in fact very good with a 2.4 fam , even Turre los Galliardos , Vera is even better, so I would say it is installed wrong.

In all my years here I've never seen so many cowboys & that is where the negative reports are coming from.

 

[mickwig]

At our end the singal drops off about 1 dB every 10 to 20 km going east. Another 100 km east of my location even 4 m will probabla not be enough.

 

[Archive4]

No. Distance from here to CdS is 400km going south-west and there are almost no Brits living between the 2 areas. Going north-south along this coast the roll-off is pretty gentle, about 1dB per 100km. But there is no enough data outside this area to draw proper maps. Here we've needed big dishes for more than 10 years so there's plenty of data. But further south they didn't need them until now and the few people that are down there are to scared of failure to experiment. And to make it worse there is no one down there who has any experience setting up big dishes so most reports are going to come from dishes that are set up badly.

Huevos, fancy a long weekend down south! If Lampard25 won´t mind!

 

[Lampard25]

Huevos, fancy a long weekend down south! If Lampard25 won´t mind!

You could do no worse

 

[Archive4]

I've installed lots of dishes in my 20yrs & Mojacar is good in fact very good with a 2.4 fam , even Turre los Galliardos , Vera is even better, so I would say it is installed wrong.

In all my years here I've never seen so many cowboys & that is where the negative reports are coming from.

Lampard25, what size dish are you using?

If we, or I, do come down for a busman´s holiday, I promise not to wear the Stetson!

 

[Lampard25]

Lampard25, what size dish are you using?

If we, or I, do come down for a busman´s holiday, I promise not to wear the Stetson!

Personally i am using a 2.4m famaval

 

[Huevos]

In all my years here I've never seen so many cowboys & that is where the negative reports are coming from.

Yes, plenty of terrible installs here too.

 

[Deso]

That is terrible, wouldn't you think they would have got the correct size stone pillar for it.

 

[briangw]

Yes, plenty of terrible installs here too.

View attachment 66620

Jeez, I never thought of that. I am just going to run round and replace all my planks of wood and plastic zip ties.