Shaw Direct Signal in Az
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I am in Mesa, AZ and cannot find any sat. signal. I left Van., BC on Nov. 18, 23 and have not been able to receive any sat signal all the way down to Mesa. Howver, there are folks in this area that are receiving a strong signal. They have a 800 receiver with a 75E dish.
I called Shaw and was advised that they would not be able to download an update code unless I was in Canada. I can only guess that I missed an update prior to my departure. I have had the home away from home package for 20 years and this is the first time that I have not been able to receive a signal. It would appear that my only option is to put my account on Vacation, until I get back home, or just cancel. Without the ability to receive Canadian programming south of the border, I have no use for Satellite.
Is this reception of channels still on F2 -- or reception of channels that have shifted to G1?
Like Knightly said, you need a 800 receiver that will pickup some channels that are still on F2. G1 does not reach down to AZ. My 630 receiver lost all programming on F2 Oct 31 here in Mesa.
Has ANYONE outside of the 'official' footprint been able to receive any signals from Shaw Direct on Anik G1, anyone at all?
That includes people who are using much larger dishes than the standard, 75cm Shaw Direct xKu setup.
I read about a fellow in Denver who's using a 2.6 meter dish, is outside the footprint, and IS receiving Anik G1.
Anyone else within a degree or two of Denver having any luck?
I know footprints are official on paper, but any chance they can leak a little further outside the boundries given the right circumstances/equipment?
What equipment would you need to test/hunt for the G1 signal strength if you were out of the official footprint - is there some kind of satellite test gear that could find a weak signal for which to calculate what size dish you'd need beyond Anik's recommended sizes to pull in a signal?
That includes people who are using much larger dishes than the standard, 75cm Shaw Direct xKu setup.
I read about a fellow in Denver who's using a 2.6 meter dish, is outside the footprint, and IS receiving Anik G1.
Anyone else within a degree or two of Denver having any luck?
I know footprints are official on paper, but any chance they can leak a little further outside the boundries given the right circumstances/equipment?
What equipment would you need to test/hunt for the G1 signal strength if you were out of the official footprint - is there some kind of satellite test gear that could find a weak signal for which to calculate what size dish you'd need beyond Anik's recommended sizes to pull in a signal?
All of the test instruments require receiving a signal strong enough for the test instrument to detect.
This means you have to have a big enough antenna to amplify the signal to above detection level before you can do any testing.
Yes, satellites can have areas out of the published footprints where reception is possible. This is likely caused by manufacturing anomalies of the satellite antenna system.
Your report of someone in the area receiving with a bigger antenna - probably a 2.4 meter, indicates you might be able to do it. But, $$ gamble to find out if you can't find others in the area that are already doing it.
This means you have to have a big enough antenna to amplify the signal to above detection level before you can do any testing.
Yes, satellites can have areas out of the published footprints where reception is possible. This is likely caused by manufacturing anomalies of the satellite antenna system.
Your report of someone in the area receiving with a bigger antenna - probably a 2.4 meter, indicates you might be able to do it. But, $$ gamble to find out if you can't find others in the area that are already doing it.
Denver isn't all that far from the boundary of reception of G1 -- maybe 200 miles. In the western US, the boundary runs just south of the 43rd parallel where Denver is near the 40th.
The fact that Denver is 400-500 miles further north than snowbird territory (33rd parallel) makes a huge difference.
The fact that Denver is 400-500 miles further north than snowbird territory (33rd parallel) makes a huge difference.
Is there some simple, approximating math that relates degrees of latitude to EIRP / dbW signal strength numbers?
For example, G1's last, legally reported dbW #'s for Crescent City, Ca. are 46, where the stock, 75cm Shaw dish can still be expected to receive a signal.
If you head to the norther border of Oregon, Cannon Beach, the dbW goes up to 52, and the dish size shrinks to 50cm. That's about four degrees north of Crescent City.
Is there math for going four degrees SOUTH of Crescent City, regarding dbW vs. approx dish size?
Take a look at this chart please. Thanks
See my reply to nelson61 - if Denver is three degrees south of that central, latitude limit of G1, how far south of the west coast locale of Crescent City, Ca. would a signal be receivable with a larger dish...
The signal maps are based on models and those models likely involve multidimensional calculus. Guestimating without the model would likely be impossible as the beams are not conical.
Years of experience have told me that EIRP maps are a good tool to use within the predicted coverage area.
No matter where you are, it is always a good idea to build in some margin (1 or 2 dB or more) to reduce the number of hours per year that precipitation knocks out reception. All of this said, once you are outside of the
predicted outer contours provided by the service, it's a fool's errand to install something without first getting local confirmation of what actually works. This means getting some signal quality or dB readings at the location from an existing user that confirm reality, or physically go there in the absence of available local information and do an actual test yourself. There is nothing worse than an undersized dish to get an end user upset at the predicament they are in because somebody wanted to cut costs on the antenna size.
Hi. I'm assuming a larger dish would be needed, from 150cm to 240cm, but that's a hard thing to test when all you've got is 75cm. On the other hand, if you can get some kind of reading above the 'zero' floor, then at least it's worth investigating. I imagine finding a local technical facility who'd let you test with their large dishes is a possibility, but that won't be easy to find I'm thinking.
I imagine you're right. Ku band isn't all that popular since the advent of widespread broadband.
I am east of Sacramento near Folsom Lake and found a GeoSatPro 1.2m dish awhile back so I ordered the F1X LNB from KuSat to play around. I am about 200 miles from the Oregon border and estimate about 250-275 miles from the lowest contour. I am getting signals in the low to mid 50's on some transponders, with occasional jumps to 60 where I briefly get video. Other transponders can't get a lock and and jump around in-between 0-50 range. This is using the receivers signal meter so with a professional meter I may be able to fine tune a bit, but doubt that would be enough to make it work. Was wondering if I can find a 1.8m dish, any idea how much it would help and at least get the signal to the 60's for some of the transponders?
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yes. In his case, he appears to be right on the edge of the receiver's signal/noise ratio for reception.
Once you are above the C/N magic number the receiver needs for stable signal reception, reception should be decent excepting when weather conditions degrade reception.
