Only getting 3 of 10 Channels on AMC-21

[Tron]

When I re-pointed my 1 meter Channel Master from 123W to 125W, I took the Pansat 2700 up on the roof to use as a meter (sadly, that's about all it gets used for these days, since I have the two Visionsats hooked up inside). I was having problems with 12140 on the 2700, only getting about 45-50Q at best. Once I went inside and turned on the Visionsats, though, they were getting 80+ quality on that TP. I guess different receivers respond differently, which is one of the reasons why so many of us often have different results on the same bird.

 

[Dee_Ann]

For days now I've lost the two PBS HD channels.
There is one that shows up as "PBS HD WILD FEEDS" (about half the time it has those stupid color bars and that horrid squealing) and it comes in fine.

Create and Montana and some other one are coming in great.

The two 24/7 HD channels however are totally dead. Nothing. No signals at all.

The other channels show 100%/100% on the little meters. The sky is crystal sparkling clear. Zero weather issues here.

Pretty confusing to me. I just assumed they shut them off since other channels were working on the same satellite but now I see others are having issues too.

 

[ghia]

I have recorded my readings over the last few nights here in North Tx using an 85cm dish, Pansat 9200 and the red TechSat Tracker II+ lnb and have the following:

11798 H 63%
11957 H 99%
12003 H 88%
12072 H 55%
12148 H 57%
12161 H 85%
12167 H 71%
12173 H 55%
12104 V 63%
12140 V 50%
12180 V 51 %

 

[emuman100]

The trouble everyone has with 12140V is caused by that damn Hughesnet 12140V 30000 transponder at 127W. The only solution to this problem is a bigger dish. All I watch are the HD feeds on 12140V. I have a 90cm Prodelin and 12140V comes in weaker than others like 12104V and 12180V, but I am able to get it for the most part. The only time I lose it is when the picket fence the dish is mounted on moves slightly and knocks it out of alignment. Attached are BER graphs from a Sci Atl D9850. The areas with no data are when the IRD would return 0 because it lost lock completely. Between the 2nd and 3rd was when I repeaked it from when the picket fence moved slightly. The data for around "week 41" is when the IRD was tuned to the QVC digital multiplex on AMC11. Also attached is the picket fence I have it mounted on. It's not sturdy, so I have to push or pull it slightly and also shim one of the pickets with rocks to get it just right. Talk about ghetto!

Jonathan

 

[whatchel1]

12 ft

Actually PBS uses 12 ft Patriot prime focus satellite dishes, I worked for PBS so I know what they use.

 

[Mr Tony]

The trouble everyone has with 12140V is caused by that damn Hughesnet 12140V 30000 transponder at 127W. The only solution to this problem is a bigger dish.

I agree...the 1.2m dish I had didnt have issues like the 36" does for PBS HD

Also attached is the picket fence I have it mounted on. It's not sturdy, so I have to push or pull it slightly and also shim one of the pickets with rocks to get it just right. Talk about ghetto!

Jonathan

awesome pic
(and whats wrong with ghetto)??

 

[whatchel1]

1 meter

So how well does a 1 meter (39") dish work on PBS? I have one on 72 for dish net right now but I could put the .63 X .9 meter (only using a single LNB so effective area of .63 round dish) primestar on to 72 and move the 1 meter to AMC21 for PBS.

 

[Mr Tony]

I think it would work pretty well. I do see a difference between the 30" and the 36" that I have set up (on 2 motorized setups)

The bigger dish would reject adjacent signals

 

[Tron]

The 1 meter Channel Master works very well for all DVB transponders on 125w, getting 75 quality or higher with the Visionsats. Since I don't yet have DVB-S2 capability, I haven't been able to test LPB.

 

[B.J.]

Since I've moved it to where it isn't looking through trees, my 90CM primestar does a nice job on AMC21. I get all the channels people talk about, including the DVB-S2 from La (except when it's raining heavily), and I get a lock on the IP/DVB transponder when it's up, 12 transponders lock fine {actually 13 including one strange one that gave signal lock but not data lock}. My 90CM Fortec doesn't do quite as good a job (8 of the 12 transponders), but it is really a bit smaller than 90CM (ie the advertised size is really an exaggeration), however it is looking through tree limbs, and not quite all the leaves are gone yet (oak leaves are still hanging on a bit). The Fortec gets the main transponders fine (140, 180, 150, etc, but not the DVB-S2, and a couple of the weaker DVB-S transponders. But I expect some of the missing transponders to come back in a week or so when the oak leaves finally are gone completely. A month ago, the Fortec didn't get ANY channels on 125.
So anyway, I don't think you need a 1M on 125. A good 90CM will get all the channels discussed here, and even a fair 90CM will get most of them.

 

[emuman100]

It PBS broadcasting DVB-S2 data on 12120H?

 

[B.J.]

It PBS broadcasting DVB-S2 data on 12120H?

I think that's where they're experimenting with their IP/DVB data type delivery. My TT3200 is too tone deaf for me to be able to look at it with TSREADER, although it did lock once, and it WAS data. My Diamond 9000 locks it easily though, but of course doesn't find any A/V channels on the mux.

 

[guapoharry]

Here is another thought....and it has to do with our dish size

Just ran a test of signals depending on which TP I peaked 125 on. The issue we have is 2 signals on 125 have another TP of same info (or close) next door
PBS HD (12140 V 30000) has a data TP with the same info at 127W
...
If I had a bigger dish I could get better results. Later on I'll try the 36" dish I have. The key thing is with the PBS HD feed you need to reject the signal from next door at 127W. Bigger dish will help with that. I know when I had my 1.2m dish at 125W all the signals were very strong. All were maxed but 12140 which was at 75-80 quality on the Pansat 1500. Conversely right now 12140 on that Pansat reads at 55

You have to remember PBS has their affiliates use probably 15 foot dishes so they can reject the adjacent sats just fine (and they probably dont care about WSEE either)

The trouble everyone has with 12140V is caused by that damn Hughesnet 12140V 30000 transponder at 127W. The only solution to this problem is a bigger dish. All I watch are the HD feeds on 12140V. I have a 90cm Prodelin and 12140V comes in weaker than others like 12104V and 12180V, but I am able to get it for the most part. The only time I lose it is when the picket fence the dish is mounted on moves slightly and knocks it out of alignment. Attached are BER graphs from a Sci Atl D9850. ....

I missed this the last time, but those BER graphs are excellent! Considering that they were generated from RRDtool, they must come from data over the ethernet network from that receiver. That's the difference between professional gear and the consumer stuff I own.... I wonder... Does the Azbox do this too? Don't believe it has a SNMP service....

Anyway....

I had problems with 12140 on 125ºW again last night. On a dish with the HD receiver where it had been working fine, the SQ was down in the dirt... I forgot about this issue.

But on the dish with the SD receiver, 12140 came in fine. So, I watched the HD program on the Skywalker slaved to that receiver while fiddling around with the HD receiver settings.

I got 12140 back after steering the dish east, -- away from the Hughes data transponder on 127ºW, which is not surprising after re-reading this thread.

Could this situation be improved by changing one of the adjacent 12140 transponders from V to H polarity? (Theoretically)

 

[Mr Tony]

Could this situation be improved by changing one of the adjacent 12140 transponders from V to H polarity? (Theoretically)

that would be nice if they would. But since PBS is using probably 20 foot dishes they can reject adjacent sat interference