FTA Dish and equipment upgrades

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drbrain

Hello all,

As I wait to get my new receiver I am testing my installed FTA system.

I currently have a 7 year old setup - a 31" dish with an Invocom QPH-031 quad LNB running on a SG2100 motor. The Linear and circular outputs are going through a Chieta 4x1 switch. I have a long run from the LNB to the receiver of about 60 to 70 feet. I am using RG6 Quad cable for all connections. Before I get my new receiver I powered up my old Viewsat Ultra VS2000 and ran some tests. My Q meter on 97 on most TPs is around 60 on the stronger TPs. When I go to 83 to tune in RTV my Q is around 38 to 40. On 103 I get about the same on the two beach channels with a QA of around 40. On 123 I get a Q of around 75. I tried nudging the dish east and west with the viewsat and only saw drop and no improvement. I remember that my Q was much higher back when the system was installed and am trying to figure out what adjustments and changes I need to do to improve my signal quality? Will a 36" dish give me that much improvement? Also can an LNB age or lose quality over time and would buying a new LNB maybe help? If so is there a better one out there now then the one I have? I find it interesting that the furthest west of 123 has a better signal. I am at 75.7 W.

Thanks for all the input
 
Sounds like a dish alignment issue or you may need to skew your lnbf. A 36" dish will improve signal but I would suggest at least 39" to cover the arc. I don't think your issue is with the lnbf. Just out of curiosity, what are you using the circular ports on the invacom for?
 
The Invacom QPH-031 quad is an excellent LNB, I use one myself on my 39" KU system.

60-70 feet is not a long run, if you have lost some quality I would suspect the 7 year old cable or switch..you can take out the switch and run direct and see if there is a gain.
Some transponders are strong and some weak depending on your location..A bigger dish would certainly help along with some fresh cable.

Keep in mind different boxes have different tuners and signal meters, some will show much more or much less using the same equipment with a different box.
 
Thanks for the reply. 39" is a bit too big for the wall mount and motor according to any specs I find. Not using the Circ anymore. Just bought the Invocom many years ago and I think we used it a little more back then.

Any suggestions on what alignment I should change? I can nudge the motor side to side in small increments and the signal drops off fast so it seems my true south is good and the east west position is good. Could the mount have dropped some over the years so maybe I need to check the azimuth?

Any better LNBs out there now? I read somewhere that the Invocom can cut off some TPs that others see but I don't want to sacrifice signal strength for TPs I don't care about.


Thanks
 
I had my 39" attached to my front porch and even mounted to a wooden fence with no problems..In fact it performed better then than now mounted on a pole...lol
 
Where can I get a 39" dish?

Also can someone explain how to skew the LNB? Are you saying to just turn it in the mount or to move it forward or back in the mount?

Thanks guys
 
drbrain said:
Where can I get a 39" dish?

Also can someone explain how to skew the LNB? Are you saying to just turn it in the mount or to move it forward or back in the mount?

Thanks guys
Click to expand...

Before you move anything, use a marker and make some lines where you are now on the lnb and mount. So you can go back easily.

Try going to RTV and leave it on the signal meter.

Then loosen the top two Phillips screws move a tad clockwise then check your meter for any gain or loss. adjust counter clockwise depending on quality.

I would still suggest some new cable either way.
 
thanks. Will try some skew adjustments tomorrow. Since it is motorized I guess I just have to find the sweet spot. I have been searching for a 39" dish and most of the sites look suspect. appreciate a legitimate dealer suggestion if someone has one.
 
Try this site:

HTML: 
http://worldwidesatellites.com/satellite-dishes-30-to-12-meter-dishes-c-22_65.html?osCsid=db5c44b4041c54361a0f2ce662f7dd4b
 
drbrain said:
thanks. Will try some skew adjustments tomorrow. Since it is motorized I guess I just have to find the sweet spot. I have been searching for a 39" dish and most of the sites look suspect. appreciate a legitimate dealer suggestion if someone has one.
Click to expand...

Ebay is a good place as long as they have excellent positive feedback. Don't be afraid of Canadian seller either..I have seen more than a few with free shipping to the US.
 
Thanks for all the input. I will try some skew changes tomorrow or Thursday, suppose to get bad weather tomorrow. The weight on 39" dish linked above is over 21lbs without an LNB. Is this OK on an SG2100 motor? I think the upper limit is suppose to be 22lbs.
 
http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.as...ase&utm_medium=organic&utm_source=google_base


I really like Winegard. Seems I remember this dish having some issues when mounted on a motor though. Be sure to check for motor compatibility before you buy it! i do not own this dish but i have seen many good reviews of it.

Look for a dish that has specs. Some dishes are sold without much information, and usually they are sub-standard. the spec sheet of the Winegard 1 meter dish is in the link below.

http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.as...ase&utm_medium=organic&utm_source=google_base
 
I have been running the same invacom lnb on a 39" dish with an sg2100 motor off the back of my house for a couple of years. Still works great and it gets snowed on and iced over along with sub zero temperatures. I actually bought the dish with free shipping from a dealer in Canada. How is the weather where you are drbrain? Do you attribute any of your quality loss to fade from the weather?
 
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