I have Hopper 3 and recently my picture seems pixelated and distorted. I checked my signal and it’s 48 out of 125. Could this be the issue? Would you recommend having a tech come out to realign the Dish? Is 48 pretty low?
Satellite Signal
- Thread starter Matdawg86
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Hi there, Matdawg86! Good news, that Signal Strength of 48 is normal and about where the signal should be.
It's definitely not good news that your picture is distorted and pixelated. Since this issue first started happening, have you moved your DISH Antenna or any of your DISH equipment to a new location?
Also, confirm that all of your cables connected at the Hopper, focusing on the coax cable port labeled "To HUB" is hand-tightened and secure at the Hopper and following down to the wall is tight and secure. Some setups, may have the cabling going through the wall, with no connections, if you confirm that yours does not connect at the wall, checking the port at the Hopper only is all we need.
If after checking all of these connections and resetting the Hopper, cycle through your favorite channels and see if you notice any pixelation still. If so, definitely reach out to our Tech Support Team so we can go more in-depth with you on troubleshooting this issue for you. You can reach us by clicking the link here: Direct Chat
You know this how? The ONLY bird that 48 is normal is the 72 on Eastern Arc and even that's low. 51-52 is optimal The 61 should be in the 60's. His area uses a .4 Eastern Arc, and the 77 should be in the 50's.
Not withstanding, pixelation could also be caused by water damage or infiltration in one of the connection points or damaged cable, ie twisted, kinked, damaged jacket....
Very true on Nimiq5 at 72.7 deg. Only way i am able to get signal up into the 60’s is a 1m dish.
Your problem isn't the signal level. Are there any tree branches, bushes, etc., that might intermittently interfere with the signal when the wind blows?
I’d say tree branches. It’s mounted on the roof which is pretty high, higher than most roofs. There are trees in sight that it points toward.
If there is a chance of a tree limb or two the leaves on these get wet from dew and droop.
I find it hard to believe that a signal at 47 or 37 is not low or wouldn’t affect the quality of the picture. When it is this low the picture is so blurry and fuzzy. Dish claims both are good signals and only 20 is low and 37 or 47 range would not affect the quality of picture. Unbelievable if you ask me.
A digital signal is either good or bad. There's no snow and the pixels are either on or off with nothing in between. A low signal level that's still above the "no signal" threshold should display the same picture sharpness as the strongest signal. The lower signal will however, be subject to more rain fade, etc., than the stronger signal. Pixelation occurs when the signal is briefly interrupted and data bits are lost beyond the capability of the automatic correction system to compensate for them.
Blurry or fuzzy? I've never had that issue. I either get a signal or don't. Switching back and forth between no signal and signal I get pixelation. As a full time rv'er for over ten years, I've had lot's of times where the signal was in the 30's and 40's and did just fine. I did lose signal easier during foul weather, but tried to go places to avoid such things.
So either way, a tech should look at it because something is causing the picture quality to be blurry, am I right or wrong? Maybe it isn’t the signal strength.
How is the TV connected to the Dish receiver? HDMI? Component? Is the resolution set to a value compatible with your TV?
Hopper 3 is connected to the TV HDMI to TV HDMI. Resolution is set to 1080p/4K. TV is a 50 inch Samsung UHD TV. I checked all cables to make sure their tight and secure. I even replaced the HDMI cable just in case with a brand new one. Definitely something with the Dish. This happened one time before 2013, and I believe the tech told me back then the Nodes had got wet and corroded and was causing the blurry picture so he had to replace them. Maybe it’s the same deal again?
May have been true with the old VIP and the legacy receivers which seem to work better with lower signal but the hoppers are finicky animals. And those are low signals which could easily lead to the problems you’re having.
I really wish that the CSR’s would stop making assumptions or giving people blanket answers. In my opinion, you absolutely need a tech to just come out and figure it out.
