Does the SQ drop if left on 24/7? If not, I would side with bpalone's cold solder suggestion or even a cable /connector that pulls when no power.
Turning all power off
- Thread starter armadillo_115
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Pull the blue cover off the LNBF like Bpalone suggested and make sure you don't have bees in there. I had it happen two or three times with my C1WPLL until I got smart and put a small plastic plug in the hole in the center of the blue cap. Might not be the problem, but it literally only takes a minute or so to check.
My V Box just says DISEqC-Box on it too, but doesn't get hot at all. It's interesting, I paid $60 for that one a few years back and it works great. It seems that the ones being sold for $35 now are the troublesome ones. I have a $35 one that someone gave me that they'd told me was burned out, I never looked at it though to see what was wrong with it because I haven't needed another mover yet.
My V Box just says DISEqC-Box on it too, but doesn't get hot at all. It's interesting, I paid $60 for that one a few years back and it works great. It seems that the ones being sold for $35 now are the troublesome ones. I have a $35 one that someone gave me that they'd told me was burned out, I never looked at it though to see what was wrong with it because I haven't needed another mover yet.
I'll leave the receiver on tonight with the Vbox turned off and see if that makes any difference.Reception seems to improve on the problem channels after the sun warms things up a bit or could just be a coincidence.I have held off burying the coax until everything is working satisfactory.Coax gets cold at night lying on top of the ground now.
I'll double check that ,Raine.I looked,but couldn't see all the way back up in there today without removing the lnbf.
I may try the titanium scaler on there instead of the old scaler which is what I have been using.
Will also take the receiver and tv to the dish again to see if that makes any difference.
Might be a few days before I get around to it though.
I appreciate all the help!
Is a 10 foot Unimesh buttonhook a good dish? Mesh looked to be in great shape.Maybe I should ask is there any specific mesh dishes to avoid? I looked at five today.
One looked to be a 12 ft'er but no one was home.I had the wife and daughter 'spotting' while I drove.lol.
The following is just an update for those interested:
Problematic transponders on 116W were out last night until sometime between 7am - 9am...even though the receiver was left in standby.(I didn't check other satellites). All signals were lockable today until between 7pm and 7:30pm...at which point they fell out again.The system was ON and viewing a different Satellite at the time.
I noticed that those transponders had wildly fluctuating signal even while viewable during the day.
One possible problem I had forgotten: There is a tree remaining which MAY be reducing signal levels on 116W and making it easier for something else to wipe them out.(?)
Today I replaced 1 barrel connector that was not (?) certified for 3 Ghz.Replaced 1 screw on type connector on an inside coax with a compression connector.No noticable improvement.
Also added 2 missing compression connectors to the second coax.Will switch coax and check feedhorn for insects tomorrow if possible.
Adding a related post on the 'what's up there' board.
Good night all and thanks!
One looked to be a 12 ft'er but no one was home.I had the wife and daughter 'spotting' while I drove.lol. The following is just an update for those interested:
Problematic transponders on 116W were out last night until sometime between 7am - 9am...even though the receiver was left in standby.(I didn't check other satellites). All signals were lockable today until between 7pm and 7:30pm...at which point they fell out again.The system was ON and viewing a different Satellite at the time.
I noticed that those transponders had wildly fluctuating signal even while viewable during the day.
One possible problem I had forgotten: There is a tree remaining which MAY be reducing signal levels on 116W and making it easier for something else to wipe them out.(?)
Today I replaced 1 barrel connector that was not (?) certified for 3 Ghz.Replaced 1 screw on type connector on an inside coax with a compression connector.No noticable improvement.
Also added 2 missing compression connectors to the second coax.Will switch coax and check feedhorn for insects tomorrow if possible.
Adding a related post on the 'what's up there' board.
Good night all and thanks!
If the signal went out while powered-up, likely can rule out cold solder joints.
A tree? If it is in the line of sight between the dish and the satellite, yes.... that definitely could be a problem. Limbs do not only move in the wind. They will lift and droop with heat and moisture throughout the day. The branches will also increase attenuation when covered with rain, mist or even absorb moisture. Post a photo from behind the dish lined up with the feedhorn so we can look at the line of sight to the 116w satellite?
If signals drops regularly or at similar times, might be a good indicator of terrestrial RF interference. Neighbors fire up the wide area WiFi, power company transformers load-up, transmitters turn on or increase power, radar from local airport, etc. ?
A tree? If it is in the line of sight between the dish and the satellite, yes.... that definitely could be a problem. Limbs do not only move in the wind. They will lift and droop with heat and moisture throughout the day. The branches will also increase attenuation when covered with rain, mist or even absorb moisture. Post a photo from behind the dish lined up with the feedhorn so we can look at the line of sight to the 116w satellite?
If signals drops regularly or at similar times, might be a good indicator of terrestrial RF interference. Neighbors fire up the wide area WiFi, power company transformers load-up, transmitters turn on or increase power, radar from local airport, etc. ?
A 10 foot Unimesh buttonhook is a good dish. Provided there's no damage to it. The only dishes I would suggest you pass up, are old fiberglass dishes, AND a Janeil Dark Star (known as the "Death Star) plastic dish. You aren't likely to find a Dark Star, but if you do, use a sledgehammer on it and save us ALL. lol
SOME fiberglass dishes can be exceptional. Though you need to know which ones, and deal with issues such as: they are usually very heavy, typically use 36" actuators, and are very noticeable in your yard without easy ways of camouflaging them.
SOME fiberglass dishes can be exceptional. Though you need to know which ones, and deal with issues such as: they are usually very heavy, typically use 36" actuators, and are very noticeable in your yard without easy ways of camouflaging them.
This got me laughing too... Reminded me about a discussion on another forum about big block GM nylon cam gears that went something like "Throw it away after you smash it with a sledge hammer"...
I'm no troubleshooter, but here's what I've run into recently and maybe help... Until replaced by a 10' SAMI, I had a 7.5' Echostar/KTI in service. The 'as received' scalar placement on the 7.5' was kept fairly intact and tuning was at the LNBF. There were a few transponders on 117°W that would pose some issues with the 7.5' dish (mostly channels rhymed with Bolden). I'd be able to watch quite a bit for a long while and then it'd just start to really pixelate. Q would be great and then decrease. Other transponders on that satellite would be fine, but just that certain mux. After swapping to the 10' dish, no more issues. Checking and doing calculations for LNB(F)/scalar distance on the 10' showed the factory arms in about the right location. Calculations for the 7.5' showed the LNB(F)/scalar distance on the 7.5' to be much further out from the placement the current arms would allow- which would mean some modifications to increase LNB(F) and scalar distance. However, on high FEC transponders (as found on 99W) the 7.5' dish worked very well.The most problematic transponders are on 116.8W and shouldn't be named here.One has a lot of cows and horses.
Here's the pics.Warning...pics are large! What do y'all think? The top of the only tree even close to interfering looks well below when viewed by eye...The camera angles are a bit misleading.Trees is 85+ feet away.Also,if that tree is blocking signal,it should have been much worse before the leaves fell.
Temps were warmer last night and the night before...problem transponders remained on much later,possibly even all night.I will know more once the daytime temps drop below the 40's.
I want to thank everyone again for all the help I have received so far.I hate to be such a pain.There is so much that has worked out positive to date.Pole appears to be well set.Pivot bolt and brackets are finally working correctly.Etc.Etc.I could never have gotten this far without you folks! All that remains is the small,tedious stuff.
Temps were warmer last night and the night before...problem transponders remained on much later,possibly even all night.I will know more once the daytime temps drop below the 40's.
I want to thank everyone again for all the help I have received so far.I hate to be such a pain.There is so much that has worked out positive to date.Pole appears to be well set.Pivot bolt and brackets are finally working correctly.Etc.Etc.I could never have gotten this far without you folks! All that remains is the small,tedious stuff.
If the dish is aimed at 117w for these photos, the line of sight looks clear without any trees or branches in the way.
Yes,it was on 116.8 at the time.Thanks,Brian
Just checked back on the Unimesh 10ft perf that I've been lusting over.lol.Owner said he has had it soooo long,he won't sell it for any price because he "hates changing things". Pines grown over 50ft tall in front of it.<Sigh>
That makes 3 "no's" in the last week...my luck has to change soon!
I have really met some nice people while searching.Most love talking about their dishes BITD.Some have even taken my phone # and say they will ask around and help me find an available dish.Kind of reminds me of the old Amateur Radio community.
COLD weather is coming soon!
Just checked back on the Unimesh 10ft perf that I've been lusting over.lol.Owner said he has had it soooo long,he won't sell it for any price because he "hates changing things". Pines grown over 50ft tall in front of it.<Sigh>
That makes 3 "no's" in the last week...my luck has to change soon!
I have really met some nice people while searching.Most love talking about their dishes BITD.Some have even taken my phone # and say they will ask around and help me find an available dish.Kind of reminds me of the old Amateur Radio community.
COLD weather is coming soon!
Yes,it was on 116.8 at the time.Thanks,Brian
Just checked back on the Unimesh 10ft perf that I've been lusting over.lol.Owner said he has had it soooo long,he won't sell it for any price because he "hates changing things". Pines grown over 50ft tall in front of it.<Sigh>
That makes 3 "no's" in the last week...my luck has to change soon!
I have really met some nice people while searching.Most love talking about their dishes BITD.Some have even taken my phone # and say they will ask around and help me find an available dish.Kind of reminds me of the old Amateur Radio community.
COLD weather is coming soon!
Be patient and don't lose hope. I thought I would never find a bud, but within a year I had found two like-new beauties.
Just keep checking Craigslist or the equivalent and take a long scenic drive once in a while. Keep your eyes open and
you will eventually find the best dish ever!
I tried the Titanium scaler hoping for improvement.Got varied results.Some transponders actually improved.
Tested for 5 days and fine tuned skew and FD adjustments.Of the transponders that I really want on 116.8W :
* One mux improved in signal slightly and remained lockable whenever I checked it,even while cold at night.
* The other transponder completely disappeared .Not so much as a blip in 5 days,regardless of temperature.No cowboys and indians.
I replaced the original scaler yesterday and immediately got the missing transponder back.Other transponder signal dropped slightly but was still lockable.
Lost both transponders as temps fell last night.Back up this morning as temps rose.So...I'm back right where I started.lol
My original scaler has an inner ring that protrudes out farther than the lnbf. I'm wondering if that long rings help reduce interference from adjacent satellites or something.I plan to experiment by adding a temporary metal extension to that ring in hopes of improving signals.Any one tried something like this before?
Tested for 5 days and fine tuned skew and FD adjustments.Of the transponders that I really want on 116.8W :
* One mux improved in signal slightly and remained lockable whenever I checked it,even while cold at night.
* The other transponder completely disappeared .Not so much as a blip in 5 days,regardless of temperature.No cowboys and indians.
I replaced the original scaler yesterday and immediately got the missing transponder back.Other transponder signal dropped slightly but was still lockable.
Lost both transponders as temps fell last night.Back up this morning as temps rose.So...I'm back right where I started.lol
My original scaler has an inner ring that protrudes out farther than the lnbf. I'm wondering if that long rings help reduce interference from adjacent satellites or something.I plan to experiment by adding a temporary metal extension to that ring in hopes of improving signals.Any one tried something like this before?
I installed the new C1-PLL today by eye alone.Plan to fine tune everything after I get over this bug I have.It appears to be better,so far.Signal improved and the needle is not bouncing like before.
I must have jolted something loose in the first lnbf while futz'ing with it so much.
Going to lay down.Thanks all
I must have jolted something loose in the first lnbf while futz'ing with it so much.
Going to lay down.Thanks all
Got more improvement today.I decided to delete channels off each list and delete all transponders...then do fresh scans.(Which has never been done with the new wimax filtered lnbf) I'm suspecting that TI before gave me some squirrelly transponders that have never been quite right.
Started at 97W and got as far as 116.8W so far. It took many individual scans after blind scanning each satellite...but I have channels I have never seen before!
116.8W was the most dramatic change: 61 channels before ....
I now have 93 channels ITC plus 11 test/feeds = 114 ITC
Still more that may scan in individually tomorrow...but I'm done for the night.
How many ITC channels do y'all get on 116.8W?
Started at 97W and got as far as 116.8W so far. It took many individual scans after blind scanning each satellite...but I have channels I have never seen before!
116.8W was the most dramatic change: 61 channels before ....
I now have 93 channels ITC plus 11 test/feeds = 114 ITC
Still more that may scan in individually tomorrow...but I'm done for the night.
How many ITC channels do y'all get on 116.8W?
Thanks Brian! I'd kinda like to know how far short I am falling. 
Edit: I'm more interested in the # of 'regular' channels rather than feeds.
Edit: I'm more interested in the # of 'regular' channels rather than feeds.
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