lower signal strength

[ronfelder]

first off i have a dish plus pro. dish 500 with a 61.5 side dish. i had been getting a signal strength of above 100. now i'm getting for the most part in the low to mid 80's. sometimes i get the message that there is a problem with the switch and need to run test switch again. i've done this and atleast once it's failed on the 110 and 61.5 dish on tv 2. i've also noticed a number of times that on the 61.5 dish transponder 6 my signal go from high 80's to nothing. do you think my switch is going bad or do i need to have my dishes realigned? E* is coming out on Saturday the next time i'll be home during the day.

With the lower signal strength i've been loosing reception much easier than i used to with just a moderate amount of rain.

Ron

 

[garys]

Sounds like you may be pointed toward some trees and didn't have problems until the trees get leaves. With just a bit of rain, the leaves are lower due to weight of the water and block the signal. If there are no trees around you, I would not have any idea what your problems could be.

 

[ronfelder]

Sounds like you may be pointed toward some trees and didn't have problems until the trees get leaves. With just a bit of rain, the leaves are lower due to weight of the water and block the signal. If there are no trees around you, I would not have any idea what your problems could be.

yes there are tree but i beg to differ for this problem didn't occur in previous years. i only lost a few points with the leave in bloom. so i'd say no that's not it to your answer. thanks just the same.

The trees wouldn't make transponder 6 on 61.5 just go fromsignal to no siganl

Ron

 

[garys]

I had this problem, trees do grow and sometimes when branch gets longer, the added weight causes it to drop. We finally had the tree cut down and our signal went up over ten points. Installers around my area (there are trees all over) and late April through May, people always call with the same problem you discribed and it is due primarily to the trees. Second most solution is to your dish may need realigning.

 

[ronfelder]

I had this problem, trees do grow and sometimes when branch gets longer, the added weight causes it to drop. We finally had the tree cut down and our signal went up over ten points. Installers around my area (there are trees all over) and late April through May, people always call with the same problem you discribed and it is due primarily to the trees. Second most solution is to your dish may need realigning.

again it isn't the trees. easpecially when the check switch and sys info screen shows a failure erratically. the trees only reduce the signal by a few points. i am positive it isn't the trees.

 

[Kru83]

again it isn't the trees. easpecially when the check switch and sys info screen shows a failure erratically. the trees only reduce the signal by a few points. i am positive it isn't the trees.

where do you live in south jersey. may be i can stop by during my work hours.

 

[blue]

I had a similar problem in February (which isn't a big leaf blooming month in Chicago). It turned out to be a bad LNB. Check your LNB drift values (and references to same in these forums)

 

[ronfelder]

where do you live in south jersey. may be i can stop by during my work hours.

i live in washington twp, gloucester county.

this happened once before and it turned out to be misalignment. that was during january but last year when things bloomed i checked my signal strength and didn't notice a major change do to attenuation by the leaves. that's why i'm quite confident it isnt' the trees. the trees are about a couple of feet from my house. i'm getting now strengths in the low to mid 80's on average. I used to get after realignment over 100. switch test sometimes fails along with sys info screen when it checks dish operation.

Ron

 

[wied]

Make sure you dish and switch are grounded.

 

[ronfelder]

Make sure you dish and switch are grounded.

it was when it was installed 7 years ago. unless of course connections go bad. that could also be my problem. connections gone bad from time.

Ron

 

[Kru83]

it was when it was installed 7 years ago. unless of course connections go bad. that could also be my problem. connections gone bad from time.

Ron

you might have bad connectors. do you have weather boots outside ??? what kind of recievers you have ???

 

[ronfelder]

i can also go to 110 sat transponder 3 and watch the signal go from 93 and then drop into the 50's. find it hard to beleive that is caused by a trees leaves. don't think so. not sure what it is but not from a leaf.

Ron

 

[ronfelder]

you might have bad connectors. do you have weather boots outside ??? what kind of recievers you have ???

at the dish i don't know if there are weather boots. i know there aren't any at the grounding block. i have a 522 and a 311. strange thing sometimes on the 522 besides what i've already mentioned. sometimes the tone that indicates signal strength is muted.

Ron

 

[Kru83]

i can also go to 110 sat transponder 3 and watch the signal go from 93 and then drop into the 50's. find it hard to beleive that is caused by a trees leaves. don't think so. not sure what it is but not from a leaf.

Ron

chances are those are the tree. cause the signal comes in when the leaves our not moving, when the leaves move you loose the signal.

 

[ronfelder]

chances are those are the tree. cause the signal comes in when the leaves our not moving, when the leaves move you loose the signal.

not when it didn't happen earlier in the season or last year don't tell me the trees grew that high in one year. i don't think so. the trees give me a neglible change.

 

[Kru83]

not when it didn't happen earlier in the season or last year don't tell me the trees grew that high in one year. i don't think so. the trees give me a neglible change.

check for lnb drift on the sys info screen..... click on detrail if you get error on the sys info screen. it will show you if your lnb has drift or not.

 

[ronfelder]

check for lnb drift on the sys info screen..... click on detrail if you get error on the sys info screen. it will show you if your lnb has drift or not.

i was correct all the tech had to do was realign the dish. now i'm over 100 and shouldn't loose reception except in severe rain. the signal strength is the same for me as it is when there are no leaves on the trees. the tech did say evewntually i might have to move farther back the dish for a greater angle of attack should i start loosing the signal in fair weather. i dont' expcet that to happen for quite a few more years. it's been fine for the past 7 years that i've had E*.

Ron