Signal Strength / Signal Quality

Kotek Besar

So I just installed a Zone 2 Sky dish at my new house, for use with my Amstrad Sky+HD box.

Input 1 is showing 70% Signal Strength / 100% Signal Quality.
Input 2 is showing 50% Signal Strength / 100% Signal Quality.

I understand that signal quality is what's important, not so much signal strength - is that right? If so, I should be happy I have 100%.

But what about only having 50% signal strength on input 2? Will that cause me problems? Should I try realigning the dish to bring it up? Or might I risk throwing out my 100% signal quality by doing so, and in which case I'd be better of leaving as is?

John mac

that is a good signal i would be very pleased with that.

Leave it alone.

Kotek Besar

Thanks John.

Do you know what's funny? I was in the garden with a TV and an old Sky box, working out where to place the dish, then aligning it. While holding the dish in my hands, Signal Strength was 70-100%. Even holding the dish facing the ground(!), Signal Strength was 70-100% (Signal Quality was obviously nil). How can this be?

How can Signal Strength be anything at all, when dish not even pointing in the air, let alone at a satellite?

How can Signal Strength and Signal Quality both be at ~100% when in the garden with an old Sky box, then in the house with the Sky+HD box, Signal Strength is 50% on one input / 70% on the other, while Signal Quality remains at 100%?

Barack Obama

John mac wrote: »

that is a good signal i would be very pleased with that.

Leave it alone.

+1

My Strength\Quality numbers are about half of yours and I never have a problem

Kotek Besar

benifa wrote: »

Input 1 is showing 70% Signal Strength / 100% Signal Quality.
Input 2 is showing 50% Signal Strength / 100% Signal Quality.

Note that the quoted figures is on my Amstrad Sky+HD box.

I tried, for the hell of it, on my Pace TDS470N Sky+ box and I get the following:

Input 1 is showing 90% Signal Strength / 90% Signal Quality.
Input 2 is showing 80% Signal Strength / 90% Signal Quality.

Either way, the readings seem very good and I'm not having any problems. What it does indicate though, is that the Signal Strength / Signal Quality levels shown in the Sky boxes may be down to software / calibration as well as actual dish alignment.

Cupart

My 2nd input also is a bit lower than the 1st input, but quality for both are always around 100%.

I'm using an older (existing from my old digibox) cable for for my second input which could explain the lesser signal strength as a new cable was pulled for the main input...

celticbest

Hi I live in an estate were dishes are not aloud on the front of the house which is the direction I require it to be pointing if I want to receive a signal, is there anyway to get it from the back of my house?
Why does Sky not have two Satellites so all people can receive a signal?

Cupart

celticbest wrote: »

Hi, I live in an estate were dishes are now aloud on the front of the house which is the direction I require it to be pointing if I want to receive a signal, is there anyway to get it from the back of my house?
Why does Sky not have two Satellites so all people can receive a signal?

1. Only if your dish gets high enough in the line of the sat (28.2drgE)

2. I'm afraid that is impossible as the TV transmitting sats hangs over equator in a geostationary arc. You are suggesting that Sky (who doesn't own the sats btw) should fire up a sat on the other side of the world which then would mean that the elevation of your dish would be negative i.e. pointing towards the ground (sat signals don't move through the earth)...

Besides, do you know how much it costs to send up a sat into space? Not cheap I tell ye...