99% Strength 0% Quality - Advice

DeltaC

Very new to satellites - if I ever get there...

Using a nice cheap Ross dish from a well known hardware chain.

It is reading 99% strength (sometimes flashing to 20% briefly) and 0% quality in every direction from E to SSW...

Possibly silly question but does this suggest that I might have wired or set something wrong rather than just an alignment problem? I am in an area where it is just possible that the signal quality would be bad all the way round but I cannot see how the strength would be so consistently high as well...any ideas?

Thanks

John mac

its an alignment problem. dishpointer.com can give you a direction to point the dish. its not like an aerial, it needs to be exact to pick up a signal..

have a look at this guide

DeltaC

Thanks John Mac

I had the direction exact - I used the sun azimuth method - twice, and managed to see Astra2 and eurobird briefly. at night..called Ross - turns out the receiver and LNB were faulty (slight tingling on LNB connection, rare, but known issue) I could have taken it up in a shuttle, sat next to astra2 and pointed and still not got signal quality

But one more hint...I got new LNB and receiver home but only had a signal when I dropped to slightly negative elevation...then it lit up like Xmas (I had tried it before with nothing).

Saw on another board that a guy in Scotland who had problems finally got it the same way and notice local sky dishes have minus elevation too.

watty

no they don't, Elevation is a tad more than 20 degrees.

Imagine a Big symetrical dish, about 8 times bigger, elevated at about 21 degrees. then Cut a sky dish or ross dish chunk out of it just above the center, That part will appear almost vertical.

That's what an offset dish is.

Next time you will buy a Triax dish and a Freesat HD set-box, even if you don't yet have an HDTV.

gtg60

DeltaC wrote: »

Saw on another board that a guy in Scotland who had problems finally got it the same way and notice local sky dishes have minus elevation too.

Virtually all modern dishes are offset, basically that means that they don't 'point' where you think they are pointing as the signal comes in at an offset angle from the top of the dish and is reflected to the lnb. This would explain your lack of signal originally.

DeltaC

Ah no...I WAS daft enough to set the elevation by pointing it at the sat two days before I got it, but I certainly wasn't by Monday...signal hits the parabola of dish and is deflected down to LNB - sun elevation is only useful for establishing line of sight.:D

I was using the guauge on the bracket and even allowing for very slight incline in the way I fixed it...but NO QUESTION dish is a negative elevation and so are many around here (in mountains)...

watty

Honestly, Negative Elevation is ONLY used on tall masts (maybe on Tall Mountains or buildings), typically to limit range of a mobile phone signal. You can't pickup ANY satellite below about +10 degrees on a 1.8m dish. Sky/Freesat is about +21 degrees elevation.

Maybe the scale is upside down or in error.
Even in Artic Circle, the Elevation is positive. The dish only "seems" to be a negative elevation. Zero Elevation is pointing nearly at horizon. Negative Elevation means pointing at ground.

Tony

DeltaC wrote: »

NO QUESTION dish is a negative elevation and so are many around here (in mountains)...

Thats simply not possible, the satellite is at 23 degrees elevation. Offset dishes may look like they are in negative elevation but thats simply their design.

Apogee

Tony wrote: »

Thats simply not possible, the satellite is at 23 degrees elevation.

It is if his pole is crooked!

DeltaC

I am not that silly...

I used a plum line and level to see elevation, because I am totally unsure of the uprightness of short pole in temporary position it is in, and if we are talking about the rim of the dish it is at noticeable (but not great) negative elevation...

Not surprising Watty...when I mention I am 1000 feet about sea level and neighbours are at least at 500...:o

Nearer to sea level the elevations are positive.

I can't get anything at positive elevation...who wants to, is welcome to come scold the dish about the error of it's ways.

(Measured it as best I could quickly markings on bracket say about +8 and pole is at negative incline of about - 12 - 15 even though actual satellite position is same height as sun at about 11am at present)

Tony

Think you need to check if the bracket on the dish is upside down, there is simply no way a satellite dish can work at negative elevation.