A
archive10
Guest
Hi,
I'm problems getting proper Astra 2D reception here just north of Copenhagen in Denmark.
IRDs: Pace Sky+ box (5 yrs old), and a Thomson Sky+ HD box (just under 2 years old).
Cards: Sky biewing cards for both boxes, converted to "Freeview from Sky" earlier this year.
Dish: Fortec 185 cm prime focus dish and an Invacom Universal Single LNB, both new from Maplin.
Cable: Tried both a 2 meter CT100 cable and a 30 meter RG-6 run with minimal difference. Only one run, though, connected to input one on the IRD.
There is a clear line of sight to where the satellites are. I can almost align the dish now by hand - I know the direction by heart. Azimuth requires a sat meter. 8)
I can get Astra 2A, 2B and Eurobird 1 channels (like BBC News, Sky News, FIVE, Ch4 HD, ITV Meridian SE + all the ehtnic channels) with no problem. With no clouds, I can get blocky BBC HD, and chirpy/blocky BBC Yorkshire. Very bad BBC1/2 and no ITV1/2/3 etc.
Using a TV explorer II+ signal meter, I get at most 61.5 - 63.2 dbµV signal strength on 28E2 "channel" 45 (Astra 2D 10773 MHz H 22000 5/6) with around 5.5 db C/N ratio. The TV instrument does say "carrier restored" as in contrast to signal lost, and may occasionally flash "MPEG2 TS", but not long enough to lock on and decode.
With 2A/2B transponders (and not fiddling with dish), I get 78-82 dbµV from the LNB, and something like 10-12 db C/N ratios. The TV explorer reads the TSs, and will decode and show the F2A content.
Dish is standing on it's ground mount (no mast mount available). I have tried relocating the dish sideways at four different locations with 2m intervals with no change. I have tried putting the dish higher (on a 60 cm table), with little difference. I have fiddled with the LNB focus (moving back anbd forth). I have fiddled with the Skew around the clock, but settled at about 3-5 degrees clockwise looking from the dish at the LNB.
At one point a couple of days ago, through shere luck, I got the output strength up to 65-67 dbµV. and could get BBC1 Yorkshire (I think it was) and BBC HD with no blocking or anything. BBC2 was chirpy and blocky though. I had to move the dish to release the table it was standing on to other uses, and have not been able recapture that performance again even though using same table.
I wuold be expecting to gain another 3-5 db to get all channels (esp BBC2 is sorely wished for), but I am now at a loss on how to achieve that. I am not expecting miracles, but I am know looking for any advice on optimisations such as:
- The dish is specc'ed to have 684mm focus point. But where on the invacom should the focus point be? At the tip? Somewhere in the middle?
- The dish is use-supplied-ground-mount-only. Does the height off the ground matter, i.e. should I build a slight platform to stand it on?
- is the Fortec cr*p and should be replaced with a solid (and more expensive) dish to get anything?
- Should I try a different prime focus LNB?
Cheers
I'm problems getting proper Astra 2D reception here just north of Copenhagen in Denmark.
IRDs: Pace Sky+ box (5 yrs old), and a Thomson Sky+ HD box (just under 2 years old).
Cards: Sky biewing cards for both boxes, converted to "Freeview from Sky" earlier this year.
Dish: Fortec 185 cm prime focus dish and an Invacom Universal Single LNB, both new from Maplin.
Cable: Tried both a 2 meter CT100 cable and a 30 meter RG-6 run with minimal difference. Only one run, though, connected to input one on the IRD.
There is a clear line of sight to where the satellites are. I can almost align the dish now by hand - I know the direction by heart. Azimuth requires a sat meter. 8)
I can get Astra 2A, 2B and Eurobird 1 channels (like BBC News, Sky News, FIVE, Ch4 HD, ITV Meridian SE + all the ehtnic channels) with no problem. With no clouds, I can get blocky BBC HD, and chirpy/blocky BBC Yorkshire. Very bad BBC1/2 and no ITV1/2/3 etc.
Using a TV explorer II+ signal meter, I get at most 61.5 - 63.2 dbµV signal strength on 28E2 "channel" 45 (Astra 2D 10773 MHz H 22000 5/6) with around 5.5 db C/N ratio. The TV instrument does say "carrier restored" as in contrast to signal lost, and may occasionally flash "MPEG2 TS", but not long enough to lock on and decode.
With 2A/2B transponders (and not fiddling with dish), I get 78-82 dbµV from the LNB, and something like 10-12 db C/N ratios. The TV explorer reads the TSs, and will decode and show the F2A content.
Dish is standing on it's ground mount (no mast mount available). I have tried relocating the dish sideways at four different locations with 2m intervals with no change. I have tried putting the dish higher (on a 60 cm table), with little difference. I have fiddled with the LNB focus (moving back anbd forth). I have fiddled with the Skew around the clock, but settled at about 3-5 degrees clockwise looking from the dish at the LNB.
At one point a couple of days ago, through shere luck, I got the output strength up to 65-67 dbµV. and could get BBC1 Yorkshire (I think it was) and BBC HD with no blocking or anything. BBC2 was chirpy and blocky though. I had to move the dish to release the table it was standing on to other uses, and have not been able recapture that performance again even though using same table.
I wuold be expecting to gain another 3-5 db to get all channels (esp BBC2 is sorely wished for), but I am now at a loss on how to achieve that. I am not expecting miracles, but I am know looking for any advice on optimisations such as:
- The dish is specc'ed to have 684mm focus point. But where on the invacom should the focus point be? At the tip? Somewhere in the middle?
- The dish is use-supplied-ground-mount-only. Does the height off the ground matter, i.e. should I build a slight platform to stand it on?
- is the Fortec cr*p and should be replaced with a solid (and more expensive) dish to get anything?
- Should I try a different prime focus LNB?
Cheers