Some channels proving to be an issue

[Channel Hopper]

Sounds like it could be temperature-related instability in the frequency of the local oscillator in the LNB - in which case it would be a good time to buy a new one!

PS: somewhat surprised that no-one else has raised this possibility before.

Some channels proving to be an issue

In my setup in Javea I am using a 1.2m dish with a Humax Foxsat and in general its works pretty well showing good SS and SQ on most channels. Lately a few HD channels sometimes give the no or poor signal message and sometimes won't tune in at all. I have the tuner set for Freesat channels in...

www.satellites.co.uk

 

[the frenchman]

Well, as nobody else has had a stab I may as well have a guess, based upon a previous post by someone in Spain. The fact that your lnb is the incorrect type is possibly not helping, because it is has a plastic cover which at specific times in the year will be stupidly hot from the sun being in the position where is is focussed back onto the lnb cover. I am wondering if the plastic has in fact been fried and cracked or damaged so is now open at some point and a spider has nested inside, only returning to the nest when the sun goes down, as I say it is just a guess but based on a previous occurrence of similar symptoms submitted by someone in Spain.

The incorrect lnb is mine but at a different property. This is on a smaller dish and I did wrap the body of the lnb in white plastic to try deflecting at least a little of the heat. As a total layman I'd just imagined that once some circuits had been affected that those channels would never return.
It's 7.10 at the moment and I have ITV4 on by maybe 17.00 it'll start to pixilate and will go completely an hour later to reappear just after midnight. New lnb is cheap enough but as I'm glued to Sky Arts since it's gone free to air it's not a priority yet. Thanks as always gents for the prompt information.

 

[Channel Hopper]

Somewhere in the mists of time, I recall a similar issue with some transmissions from Astra, where the signal down south would drop off daily at around 4pm.
I'm not sure if anybody actually proved why it occurred, some mentioned the uplink being turned down in power to prevent copyright transgressions abroad, others thought a slight wobble in the satellite itself was throwing the beam around.

 

[jeallen01]

Could be a combination of all the above factors????

 

[Sleepingwiththefish]

This is on a smaller dish

What size?

I'm over here in the middle of Portugal and no problems whatsoever with signal from 28.*E on 2.4m PFA. In fact, signal is very good since end of September, signal started to go up slightly, same as last year as I reported here.

 

[the frenchman]

Mine is 80 cm. Really odd the way it's acting up. Last few weeks I've been re-watching Wallander on Drama. And the signal degraded as time went on until near the end I was losing and regaining the signal. Last night good picture right through.

 

[Topper]

Mine is 80 cm. Really odd the way it's acting up. Last few weeks I've been re-watching Wallander on Drama. And the signal degraded as time went on until near the end I was losing and regaining the signal. Last night good picture right through.

I'll bet it was a clear night i.e. no cloud in the sky, clouds or water vapour attenuate signal quality

 

[the frenchman]

I'll bet it was a clear night i.e. no cloud in the sky, clouds or water vapour attenuate signal quality

Being honest I didn't look, if there was any it wouldn't have been much.
Thing is during the Summer with obviously cloudless skies no signal at all,then maybe the daytime frying didn't help much.

 

[Sleepingwiththefish]

Dish is too small, can't cope with 'little' normal fluctuations during 24h period
You need more signal margin.

 

[the frenchman]

Dish is too small, can't cope with 'little' normal fluctuations during 24h period
You need more signal margin.

Largest dish the apartment community will allow unfortunately,but to be fair when it was first fitted all was good, probably buy a new lnb in the Spring... unless it fails totally.

 

[a33]

Mine is 80 cm. Really odd the way it's acting up. Last few weeks I've been re-watching Wallander on Drama. And the signal degraded as time went on until near the end I was losing and regaining the signal. Last night good picture right through.

When you cannot have a bigger dish, you could try to check if the LNB feedhorn is really at the one and only focal point of the paraboloid dish. That sometimes gives a little improvement.
But it would mean some accurate measuring of dish dimensions....

Greetz,
A33