Why is the signal from 129 so weak?

[superharo]

Hey Guys,

I just installed my Dish 1000 dish with relative ease. I peaked the dish at 119 with a strong signal ranging from low 80's to upper 90's. 110 comes in with a similar signal strength. My issue here is that after struggling for a couple of hours I'm only able to get the 129 satellite with signal readings from the upper 50's to mid 70's. I have a ideal line of site to all satellites, new cabling, etc. Any tips on how to get this signal up or is this as good as it gets? I'm concerned about rain fade this winter. I live in Sacramento, CA

-Thanks!

 

[BnT]

Did you use the skew and azimuth settings that were in the book? If so that could be a problem, most people are finding that the settings they give you are way off. What LNB set up are you working with?

 

[RandallA]

I'm in SF the Bay Area and when I tried to point a Dish500 at 129 all I got was mid 60s to 70s. Some people in the Seattle area are reporting mid 50s to 60s. Keep trying but I think you are getting close to the max. you are gonna get in the West Coast.

 

[goaliebob99]

im here in chicago.. and i get 100 + on 119, 110 is in the 90's 80's and 129 is in the 60's to 90's...... but more like 70's on most tp's.. I think its the bird... (everything is setup right too!)

 

[BnT]

If you are having issues with rain fade. set up a dish 500 with an "I" bracket and a DP dual just for the 129 location. That should bring you signal up and decrease rain fade.

 

[superharo]

Yeah - I messed with the skew, azimuth, and elevation for a long time but this is the best I could get. Some tr's are in the upper 50's, while others are in the mid 60's, and a couple are near 80. Is the 129 footprint not as strong out west or is the 129 just a weaker satellite all together? I wonder if Dish can fix this eventually? A friend said the 1000 dish was not large enough to get a great signal from all three satellites.

 

[superharo]

BTW,
The LNB's I'm working with are the ones that came with the dish: Dish Pro Plus. I have an extra DPP LNB that I'm not using so I'm gonna swap that one out today for the 129 and see what happens. I used to have it pointed at the 61.5 with very good results. The whole point of getting the 1000 was so I could get rid of that extra dish on my house for a cleaner set up. If 129 is going to be the primary HD satellite you would think DISH would do some tweaking on their end.

 

[goaliebob99]

its not your lnb's i think 129 is WEAK!!!!!!!! all together.. or dish has the power turned down on it.

 

[webbydude]

its not your lnb's i think 129 is WEAK!!!!!!!! all together.. or dish has the power turned down on it.

I was just going to say the same thing. In Ohio I've averaged about an 80 on the transponders that are used for the local channels (1 and 17). I just installed one this morning where the 129 came in at 88. Still not sure how THAT occurred , but am very content nonetheless. I'm guessing that the overall low signal strength has something to do with Dish keeping "headroom" on the satellite and not wanting to burn their bridges when more channels are added

 

[DSquared]

129 Mystery

I live in Modesto and finally receive 129. I get the following levels of reception off the transponders:

Transponder 12 63%
Transponder 10 73%
Transponder 9 52% (?)
Transponder 6 76%

My problem is that I get 129 on my 921 receiver in the den but cannot receive it on my 811 in the kitchen. I have the latest software in the 811(330) but no luck receiving 129. I have a Dish 500 (110/119) and Dish 300 (129) running off a SW64 switch. Check switch on the 811 will not detect 129.

Comments and suggestions appreciated.

 

[M Sparks]

One thing for sure is that the transponders are all over the map. Some low 60s, some high 80s. But it all depends on where you are and what's around you. I get a much better signal on 129 than 110.

Seems like the obvious answer is that the satellite at 129 is very crippled. It's just temporary.

Theoretically, could DISH lease all 32 transponders if they put a decent satellite there?

 

[Mr Tony]

129 has to be crippled, as the best I can pull is a 75 signal in Minneapolis. They were going to move a must carry from 61.5 to 129 (KAWE) but they sqeeeeezed it onto 110 spotbeam (giving TP8 on 110 13 channels!!)

 

[JIGGIEFLY]

I have 89%-101% on my dish 500 that i am useing for 129 that is here in lower michigan.

I have it set up on my garage useing the y bracket on the arm with a single dp pro lnb on the 119 side of the bracket

 

[BnT]

once they launch their new bird to that location that will most likely take care of the week signal.

 

[SummitAdvantageRetailer]

Hey Guys,

I just installed my Dish 1000 dish with relative ease. I peaked the dish at 119 with a strong signal ranging from low 80's to upper 90's. 110 comes in with a similar signal strength. My issue here is that after struggling for a couple of hours I'm only able to get the 129 satellite with signal readings from the upper 50's to mid 70's. I have a ideal line of site to all satellites, new cabling, etc. Any tips on how to get this signal up or is this as good as it gets? I'm concerned about rain fade this winter. I live in Sacramento, CA

-Thanks!

Your 119 and 110 readings are somewhat low, I think. You should be able to get 90's and higher (excluding the really low power TP's) on both 119 and 110. Mid 70's look fine for 129, though.

 

[SimpleSimon]

when I did my first testing with a Dish1000, the 129 readings were jumping around on a periodic basis. I think E* was testing at that time - trying to get the best they could out of the bird.

Here's a speculation, tho. Maybe they're using a different modulation scheme with 129?

 

[Dirtydan]

129 Mystery

I just sent you a PM

 

[Stargazer]

I have also seen weak signals from 129 compared to what they are on 110 and 119 but it sure beats trying to get 105 in. I read another post where it could be the result of the satellite being old but if some are in a fringe area then it may not reach as well. This is also a Canadian slot so I wonder if this has anything to do with it.

 

[kvhollis]

If you are having issues with rain fade. set up a dish 500 with an "I" bracket and a DP dual just for the 129 location. That should bring you signal up and decrease rain fade.

Whats an "I" bracket? I'm having that problem right now with rain fade.

 

[inwo]

Whats an "I" bracket? I'm having that problem right now with rain fade.

It is a plastic part the allows mounting lnb at prime focus. Your local dealer should have one for a couple bucks.