How To Look For & Find 5G Interference in C Band

[el bandido]

Note: This is a split thread from here: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

For about the last 5 weeks I have started to have problems with 5G interference on my BUD. Getting worse by the day. I was using a BSC621 C/Ku Combo LNBF. And that worked great for me for C and Ku. But i started noticing pixelation creeping in. I checked online to see if 5G was finally in my area, and it was. And then it got worse and worse. Checked every possible "other" issue, connectors, coax, etc..

So i decided to order the Titanium C138 5G Filter LNBF.

I have a 10 Ft Winegard Pinnacle BUD and lucky for me, i have the manual so i know the focal distance right from the specs. Set that and had to do a best guess for the rotation of the LNBF. Turns out i was off quite a bit at first. After a few adjustments got that just right too. Its a bit of trial and error for me. The dish has to be moved to extreme west for me to be able to reach it with a ladder barely. And no sat signals there. So i have to set it, run the dish to true south and check thats its horizontal.

Anyway, this Titanium C138 5G Filter LNBF totally fixed my 5G issues. Completely 100%. Before i could get say CIVI on 119.0W but it would pixellate enough to make it unwatchable. Over on 127.0W i could not even get a signal on the NFL /Mav TV Transponder. After installing the Titanium C138 5G Filter LNBF, no problems whatsoever, CIVI etc plays perfect. I scan in everything on on 127.0W, same on 103.0W. 3 Sats tested, everything is great.

If you have 5G issues like i did, i would totally recommend this product. I am a happy camper having my C Band back to normal. I lost Ku Band on my BUD by changing, but i will add a Ku Sidecar LNBF come spring.

Excellent that it worked out for you, but it was a crap-shoot at best. I have seen others do the same thing only to find they now have a brand new spare lnbf that doesn't work. Another thing I have yet to figure out is how one checks to see if 5G is available in their area without using any radio equipment. 5G consists of multiple bands with only part of the mid-band being near the c band satellite frequencies. This has been confusing for many people and has led to errors or purchases that either did not work or were not needed.

For some years, I assisted with work on mountaintops including radio maintenance, the installation of towers and the installation of antennas. Interference is common on mountaintops, and the first step that was always performed when dealing with interference issues was to locate and identify the source of the interference. To date, I have yet to see anyone in the satellite hobby do this.

Usually filters cut signal reception, so care should be taken when adding them. It doesn't do much good to add a 20db filter when the carrier you are trying to filter is 25db at your antenna. Quality built spectrum analyzers and other properly constructed directional finding tools can be very expensive. Depending on the situation, the offending signal may need to be measured on the satellite dish to determine the amount of filtering needed.

Things will probably continue pretty much they way there are now in the c band satellite hobby. Someone decides they are getting 5G mid-band interference and will buy parts that either fixes the problem or not. Then these solutions that work or not will be discussed because we try to help each other.

Simple tools including a directional c band beam antenna can be purchased on the Internet for about the same or similar price as the 5G lnbf. To me, it is better to make a small or even large investment in some tools that can show the exact frequency the c band interference is on and where the interference is located instead of throwing money at parts that may/may not work. But this is a hobby with no real right or wrong answers, and each person has a right to his own ideas.

[ArloG]

I don't think 5G will hit my area for a long time. If it does I have a house blocking anyplace where towers could be. South of me is state forest lands that go on and on and on.
Anyway. Over on satguys there is a thread discussing using a spectrum analyzer to check if 5G interference is of any concern. True EB. A good SA is $$$$. Sometimes $$$$$.
Using an SDR radio. In my case an SDRPlay RSP2 that can receive up to 2GHz should certainly be able to be tapped into the LO output of a c-band lnbf.
I kind of thought of doing that when 'sneaking up' on unknown satellite locations where a receiver won't do a signal lock.
My spectrum analyzer has a home on my work bench and only really moves for cleaning.
Anyways.....

Othernet got me sparked. They're using their Bullseye ku lnbf without a dish pointed at SES-2 87W. No dish!
It would seem a similar setup using a c-band lnbf with a waveguide and bias-t connected to a SDR radio and spectrum analyzer application could be used for signal hounding 5G sources. Maybe not.
Then. In my area at least. If a source of interference were pinpointed off angle of the dish. Perhaps something could be fabricated to block it out. A framed screen grounded to the earth? I dunno.
Considering the source would be line of sight. Hmmm.

[el bandido]

It's good that someone is at least discussing the use of a spectrum analyzer. To do the job properly, you will need a small beam antenna that covers at least 3-5 GHz, and a portable analyzer of some sort. Trying to connect some SDR thingy to a lnb that is installed on a dish could yield some useful results, providing it worked. But the first step should be identifying the source for the interference. I have yet to see anyone do the first step.


The mid-band cellular frequencies that can interfere with c band satellite will not be in DVB-S or DVB-S2 format. The frequencies that can cause c band interference may also be outside the frequency range of a c band lnb. I can't think of anything worse than using equipment that gives false readings or equipment that is unable to receive the frequencies the source of interference is using.

[mememeth]

look at r and l eletronice for the new tiny sa ultra spectrum analizer , then put a small yagi, pinpoint the source , tiny sa ultra about $ 129.

[el bandido]

look at r and l eletronice for the new tiny sa ultra spectrum analizer , then put a small yagi, pinpoint the source , tiny sa ultra about $ 129.

Thanks for the info! A small, cellular-WiFi yagi type antenna might be had for around forty dollars more.
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]


[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

I purchased the ALGA Blue 5G filter from Rick and it instantly fixed my 5G issues. I contemplated going with other solutions but anything else would only be temporary with the Phase 2 completion of the spectrum now being December 2023.

Also the other inexpensive solutions are only for Phase 1 which would be short term and a waste of money. You truly need a 5G filter and not just an LNB/LNBF that does not have any Band pass filtering included. In addition having to go from a Corotor to an LNBF that doesn't do Ku is also a consideration. The only concrete solutions are a real 5G filter and the ALGA Blue 5G Filter is the most economical one and proven to work. It is what many in the Broadcast industry are using with great success.


Here's a link to get the ALGA 5G Blue Filter. [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Emil

So nothing works except a 5G filter if we are to believe the above quote. No effort or suggestion to try and locate the interference or anything else. Just buy Rick's Blue filter and all will be well. The Titanium 5G lnbf cannot be a solution at this site because Rick doesn't sell them, even though this solution is mentioned in the thread.

I am almost 100 percent certain that some users have experienced 5G interference on c band. I am almost also 100 percent certain that something else besides purchasing 5G interference parts could have solved or fixed the problem. Those who purchase 5G parts need to remember that they Are Not Returnable or Refundable unless proven defective. Just because it doesn't fix your problem is not a valid reason to return the 5G parts for a refund!

[el bandido]

Transponders with viewable channels can still be found around 3.7GHz or 3700MHz. Those that have installed North American 5G interference filters can no longer get these transponders. If you install the ALGA 5G Blue Filter, then you won't get any transponders below 4 GHz or 4000 MHz. Filters almost always reduce the satellite signal by at least a db or two, which means your dish becomes somewhat smaller when cellular 5G filters are installed.

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[Megatron817]

I got 5g here or an under size dish for that channel on 105w 3712 v. Shows 11.8 db but Picture is breaking up really bad and unwatchable for sure.

[el bandido]

I have also had problems/issues with the 105w 3712 v transponder. At times, it will show a good signal in db but Picture breaks up really bad. Is it 5G? I dunno as I have no way to test (yet).

Last night, I was watching one of my Favorite channels at 65w, c band.Suddenly in the middle of my program, the picture started breaking up with sparkles and glitches. Finally the tv picture became unwatchable. All other transponders for the satellite had normal signal, so maybe this was also 5G? The c band frequency for this transponder is 4705MHz. 5G will be blamed for almost every signal issue from now on.

[Terryl]

Below you will find a interactive 5G map, you can find one (or more) closest to you and see if it's in-line or off to the side of your dish.

If 70 to 90 degrees off to the side you should not have problems, unless it's very close by.

Some have seen good results with a conical shaped scalar ring, it helps reject the side to side signals a bit better.

But if out in front of the receive beamwidth of the dish your using, you may be hosed for those channels affected by the 5G signals, but there may be hope, as more and more new satellites are launched they should have most if not all transponders higher in frequency to help with this boondoggle.

https://www.speedtest.net/ookla-5g-map

Note: I have also seen the 5 GHz WIFI signals from some cheap routers affect the signals on a "C" band dish, one customer of mine had "C" band problems, I found out it was the router across the street, it was in direct line with the "C" band dish, it had a signal spur right in the middle of the "C" band channels, (this was found with a spectrum analyzer that I don't have access to anymore) it was an ISP provided router so a quick call to them provided a new router, all was fixed after that.

[Megatron817]

Using the map I got a 5g verizon/att tower a couple miles south and another one a couple miles west of my location. That's not good being directly south. Signal coming directly in my dish.