BEV in San francisco

[jamps]

I just recently moved to san francisco from montreal.I brought my reciever over and already have a subscription.I have already looked up the azimuth and elevation but can't seem to get a single.I tried to look up help in the forums but haven't really found anything.Can someone tell me if i can recieve a signal or if i am doing anything wrong?Thanks for any reply.

 

[Mr Tony]

ExpressVu will work but some of the transponders you will not be able to get. ExpressVu is using 2 satellites at 91 (Nimiq1 & Nimq3). Nimiq1 is the original Bell satellite and N3 is an old DirecTV satellite that Bell uses 8 transponders on. The N3 satellite wont work in California due to the footprint.

Here is a spot to get the elevation & azimuth
http://sadoun.com/Sat/Installation/Satellite-Heading-Calculator.htm

use TP12 or 14 (or any even) when aiming the dish.

 

[jamps]

Thanks Iceberg,I was usually trying to get the odd transponders.Will try the even ones and see if i get lucky.Thanks for the reply.

 

[Mr Tony]

once you get the evens, then try the odds

I know there are 8 of them that wont work in California. I think (key word there) they are
3,7,9,11,13,17,23,25

I'm in MN so I can see all of them

 

[Napa_Golfer]

you won't get all the important HD channels on BEV from SF. Trust me on this one, to save yourself a massive headache and heartburn, order a starchoice system and you will enjoy stable signals on all channels.

 

[carl033]

once you get the evens, then try the odds

I know there are 8 of them that wont work in California. I think (key word there) they are
3,7,9,11,13,17,23,25

I'm in MN so I can see all of them

Iceberg, the above transponders were moved to Nimiq 1 earlier this week. Apparently, the old DirecTV satellite was about to or has run out of fuel. BEV indicated in a press release that they have turned on another old DirecTV satellite at the 91-degree orbital slot to take up the slack. They are calling it Nimiq 4iR. The suffix probably stands for "interim replacement". It too is on its last legs, but they are hoping it will last until they launch their new Nimiq 5 and Nimiq 6 satellites next year and the year after.
I've not found any info on the 4iR footprint, but I was able to get weak useable signals from the satellite that died with my 90-cm Fortec dish. I live in Northern California about 80 miles west of Reno, NV. So, now that transponders 4, 8, 10, 12, 18, 22, 24 and 26 are the weak ones, I have a 100-cm dish on order. If their signal strength is similar to those from the old satellite, I may be able to pick them up. I'll report the results in a week or so.

 

[mguevrem]

Carl033,

Can you quantify the "weak" signal you receive currently on your 90cm dish?

The reason I am asking is because I use an old 2700 receiver and the performance on signal bellow the 50% mark is dismal. In the event the 100cm dish works I may have to upgrade to a receiver with better S/N capability.

Thanks

 

[carl033]

Carl033,

Can you quantify the "weak" signal you receive currently on your 90cm dish?

The reason I am asking is because I use an old 2700 receiver and the performance on signal bellow the 50% mark is dismal. In the event the 100cm dish works I may have to upgrade to a receiver with better S/N capability.

Thanks

I use an FTA receiver to peak up on transponders. It has "Signal" and "Quality" bar graphs. I've found the "Signal" readings useless. they are always at least 70. However, the "Quality" numbers are extremely sensitive to alignment. On a scale of 0-100, anything over 35 is good.
My numbers from Nimiq 4i on the 8 odd transponders averaged 32-38. This is borderline. As I said on a previous post, there is no guarantee that the new replacement satellite's footprint is the same. It should, however, be similar.
If you end up going with a larger dish, I recommend the Invacom QPH031 LNB. Its 0.3 dB noise figure is better that stock Dish or BEV LNBs, which are rated between 0.7 and 1.1 dB.

 

[paddy9990_1]

Nimiq1 & Nimiq3

This is really a question. What exactaly is this NIMIQ1 and 3 bit? I know Expressvu has signals from 2 satellites 91 and 82 West. Is a different oreintation required for Nimiq1 and 3? Possibly it has eomething to do withtransponders. I was of the oponion that all transponders worked some had a stronger signal than others. Is it possible here in eastren Canada that some transponders will give 0 signal?

Thanks

 

[pturcotte]

San Francisco (22+26?)

Greetings,
I too moved from Montreal to San Francisco last summer and was able to install my expressvu with limited channels due to some transponders not working (3,7,9,11,17,21,23,25).
My problem is that 2 weeks ago, 2 transponders stopped ... 22 and 26. They carry the channels I most care about.
Anyone can help me understand what happened and what I could do ?
Thanks

 

[carl033]

This is really a question. What exactaly is this NIMIQ1 and 3 bit? I know Expressvu has signals from 2 satellites 91 and 82 West. Is a different oreintation required for Nimiq1 and 3? Possibly it has eomething to do withtransponders. I was of the oponion that all transponders worked some had a stronger signal than others. Is it possible here in eastren Canada that some transponders will give 0 signal?

Thanks

Unlike Star Choice, Bell is using a rag-tag fleet of satellites to deliver its programming. They have two at 82 degrees and two at 91 degrees. To recap the history, Nimiq 1 was their original 91-degree satellite. Nimiq 2 was added at 82 degrees.

Sometime ago, Nimiq 1 experienced trouble with the solar panels and/or electrical system. The result was that they had to reduce power on some of the transponders. Weak signal complaints began to come in, especially under adverse weather conditions. As an interim solution, Bell acquired an old DirecTV satellite and moved it into the 91-degree slot to share the programming load. Eight of the 32 transponders (3, 7, 9, 11, 17, 21, 23 and 25) were moved to it. They named it Nimiq 3. But its coverage is not good in the extreme western US and deep south.

This did not bother Bell because they have a strict policy prohibiting distribution of their signals into the US. Star Choice is more benevolent and even has a "home-away-from-home" package to allow their subscribers who vacation here to get programming.

Late last month, Nimiq 3 ran out of fuel. Bell moved in another old DirecTV satellite near the end of its life to take its place. Their hope appears that it will last another year or so until a permanent replacement is launched.

Bell must take pleasure in renaming its satellites. Quietly, Nimiq 3 was renamed Nimiq 4i. The replacement satellite is called Nimiq 4iR, according to a recent press release. For some reason that I'm unaware of, they didn't put the 8 above-mentioned transponders on it. Instead, on April 28, they pulled a swap. Transponders 3, 7, 9, 11, 17, 21, 23 and 25 moved over to Nimiq 1 and 4, 8, 10, 12, 18, 22, 24 and 26 were put on Nimiq 4iR. This has caused much consternation among US viewers in the weak or non-existent portion of Nimiq 4ir's footprint. Many popular channels went away.

As a result of all this madness (and probably more to come), there is now more talk than ever about viewers in the "Southern Provinces" abandoning Bell in favor of Star Choice.