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YucaLandia

Jun 13, 2011, 8:15 AM

Post #1 of 12 (3097 views)

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Sun Interfering With Satellite TV Reception?

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Since last March, we have been getting more and more interference on 119W signals here in the Merida area. It started around the equinox and has gotten slightly worse every day, either reducing tunable signal strengths (lower "Signal Quality" %'s), or totally blinding our LNBs. At first, 1.8m dishes were showing problems only on some transponders for 1 hr per day, with no effects on 2.4m dishes (55% larger dishes). As of last week the interferences are now affecting all 119w transponders for up to 5 hours day, and we are also now seeing interference on 110W daytime signals. We're now seeing 5% point - 30% pt losses depending on the 110W transponders with a 1.1m Channel Master dish, during the same times that we completely lose 119W signals, and 2.4m dish systems are also reporting significant daytime 119W transponder losses.

DirecTV viewers are reporting similar problems with ESPN and some other channels, while Shaw's 107.3W systems seem to be unaffected.

My best guess is the effects are caused by a combination of the Northern Hemisphere's closest annual approach to the sun (June 21 at 12:16 CST), paired with increasing solar flare activity that generates x-rays/gamma radiation. The solar activity ionizes the earth's upper atmosphere, creating lots of emf noise that "blinds" our satellite receivers, creating so much noise that the receivers can't discriminate or tune the satellite signal versus the high solar-driven noise levels: kind of like staring into a bright spotlight at night while trying to see a person next to the spotlight.

NASA reports that solar activity has been cycling back up after an 11 year minimum in Dec. 2008 - Jan. 2009. Sunspot activity has steadily increased by at least 50X since that 2009 low point, reaching activity levels in March 2011 not seen since 2003. If the currents sunspot trends continue, the interference should roughly double again from the already high March 2011 levels. http://science.nasa.gov/...14apr_thewatchedpot/

If these satellite signal inferences substantially continue after the earth and Northern Hemisphere simultaneously move further away from the sun by August or September, then our previously effective dish sizes will likely not be large enough to tune Dish Network's 10:00AM - 5:00PM 119W satellite TV signals in the face of increasing solar activity.

What effects (if any) are the rest of you seeing?

Do any of you know solutions, other than buying a larger dish? Shift to 72.7W for SD? or 61.5W for HD? Buy a new receiver and move to Shaw => $$$?

Or are there similar solar interferences on 72.7W?
steve
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(This post was edited by YucaLandia on Jun 13, 2011, 8:46 AM)

johanson / Moderator

Jun 13, 2011, 11:44 AM

Post #2 of 12 (3069 views)

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Re: [YucaLandia] Sun Interfering With Satellite TV Reception?

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Herein lies the problem; I think. Your signal strength is simply too low because your satellite dish is too small, it's not bore-sited in and/or you do not have a hot LNB, and when it threatens to rain, there are sun spots, the wind slightly moves your dish, you loose your signal.

When I used to have DISH along the shores of Lake Chapala, my satellite signal strength was quite low even on good days. You know maybe 27% instead of over 70%, when pointing at 129 W. with a 2.4 meter satellite Dish, yet with my Shaw Direct, be I pointing at 107.3 W or 111.1 West my satellite signals were/are over 75% of maximum. So when a little rain, wind or something else comes up, yes, my signal strength might drop by 50% or or by even perhaps 75%, yet still I have enough reserve signal strength to bring in the signal. (Unless it's raining terribly hard). With my DISH network set up even a slight decrease in signal strength, meant loss of signal

I can't remember what the DISH or DirecTV techs say, but the Star Choice techs always recommended a minimum signal strength of over 70% on a clear day, and I have never even had close to that with DISH, because my satellite dishes were too small for the area. 2.4 meters just wont give you sufficient signal strength, What you need is closer to 3 to 4 meters. And Ku band satellite dishes that size are terribly expensive.

With Shaw Direct the signals are much stronger over most of Mexico and my elliptical dish which is only 36.5 by 26.5 inches. gives me a strong enough signal.

(This post was edited by johanson on Jun 13, 2011, 2:51 PM)

Rolly

Jun 13, 2011, 12:11 PM

Post #3 of 12 (3063 views)

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Re: [YucaLandia] Sun Interfering With Satellite TV Reception?

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I once had a daytime problem like you describe. Re-aiming my dish cleared it up.

Rolly Pirate

YucaLandia

Jun 13, 2011, 3:00 PM

Post #4 of 12 (3044 views)

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Re: [johanson] Sun Interfering With Satellite TV Reception?

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Thanks for the good suggestions.

Both of our dishes are well anchored and have shown no loss of signal effects during the past year's windstorms. We use a reasonably hot, high S/N, $70 USD LNB purchased in the US. The daily signal losses have happened exactly the same ways and times on windless & cloudless days. Transponders with 85% stable signal strengths daily fall below 40% during the daily 11:00 - 4:00 loss periods that correspond with the depth of the ionization layer. Friends with larger 2.4m dishes are seeing less severe losses, but they are also temporarily having signal strength problems. During the solar interference periods some transponders actually show higher signals, but the receivers can't tune them due to the noise.

The problems are happening at the same times of day with pretty much all the Dish Network systems that a friend services here, so, I don't think it is due to installation issues. He has had to shift from daytime to adjusting newly installed satellite dish positions during the evening or nighttime.

Are you using Dish Network equipment now in Mexico?
steve
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Read-on MacDuff
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(This post was edited by YucaLandia on Jun 13, 2011, 3:01 PM)

johanson / Moderator

Jun 13, 2011, 3:12 PM

Post #5 of 12 (3043 views)

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Re: [YucaLandia] Sun Interfering With Satellite TV Reception?

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I and most of my techie friends have given up on DISH. Some are happy with DirecTV using a single 2.4 meter dish with three LNBs installed on that single sat dish by www.cp-electronics.com of Guadalajara.

I love www.shawdirect.ca because although it's Canadian, it gives me my Seattle home-town stations and I get a strong signal from a 36.5 by 26.5 Shaw Direct 75E elliptical dish

YucaLandia

Jun 28, 2011, 11:01 AM

Post #6 of 12 (2951 views)

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Re: [YucaLandia] Sun Interfering With Satellite TV Reception?

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Dish Network in Yucatan Update
Our daily outages on Dish Network signals are getting shorter every day since the summer solstice. The longest outages on 119W and strongest solar interferences on many 110W transponders lasted from 9:45 AM - 7:15 PM a few days before before the solstice. Since then we've improved by multiple hours both in morning with less and less interferences and shorter outages every day. e.g. Most of our 119W transponder signals are still working at 1:00 PM in the afternoon, which is the best in about 3 weeks. How much longer will it last? Quien sabe.
steve
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johanson / Moderator

Jun 28, 2011, 11:42 AM

Post #7 of 12 (2942 views)

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Re: [YucaLandia] Sun Interfering With Satellite TV Reception?

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All I can say is weird. I had no idea the signal strength could vary so much, you know from 80% to less than 40% every day. Most of my experience has been with C band and with Star Choice (now Shaw Direct) and signal variations of this magnitude never happened. Yes I had DISH USA too, but I never really used it that much because C band and Shaw gave me all I wanted.

Thanks for the info. Please keep us updated

YucaLandia

Jun 28, 2011, 2:49 PM

Post #8 of 12 (2926 views)

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Re: [johanson] Sun Interfering With Satellite TV Reception?

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I had to go do a repair project between 1:00 and 3:00 pm today, (so I don't know if 119W signals were swamped-out by solar interference today at the peak 1:00 - 3:00 period), but for the first time in weeks, the 119W transponders were working fine when I returned at 3:00. Maybe Dish Network tweaked their coverage and signal strengths, but the changes correlate and track with the earth's passing through the solstice and the year's longest day, with the sun tracking overhead at our latitude about in the line where 110W and 119W satellites sit 22,000 miles up in the sky.

If my guesses are right, the interferences may only be significant around Merida's latitude?
Which is why I'm writing to hear what other Dish Network watchers are experiencing in southern Mexico.
steve
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YucaLandia

Jul 7, 2011, 11:58 PM

Post #9 of 12 (2810 views)

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Re: [Rolly] Sun Interfering With Satellite TV Reception?

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Final Update on our DN satellite TV reception problems:
Thanks to Rolly and Johansen for their comments about problems on the roof and the "wierd" comment ! They came closer to identifying our problem than my sun-spot/solar-flare ideas.

It was actually partial failure of both LNBs (on our 110W and 119W dishes), which is surprising because one was 14 months old ( a high gain, low noise $70 USD LNB purchased NOB), and the other was less than 24 months old. In the meantime, I had used a third LNB to swap-out and test the system. It turns out that all 3 LNBs were not working correctly. 2 of the 3 worked ok/normally when cool, but when heated by sunlight, they would lose signals on some transponders in March. As they heated even more every week with our late-April - May hot season and longer days, the losses got worse until I got no daytime signals after 9:00 AM on 119W and gradually lost almost all transponders on 110W by 12:00. After 9:00 PM they both worked ok.

We finally had our rainy season start, and one consistently over-cast drizzly day kept most transponders working on both dish's LNBs all day, which gave a clue to the heating issues. I then remembered that the problem started and got worse immediately after 2 wicked storms, when the electrical power had bounced up and down = slight damage to both LNB's circuitry.

I replaced both LNBs today, and signal strengths are stronger than they have ever been, (60% - 90% now) and fairly constant, regardless of sun or shade or time of day.

Thanks for the input and ideas, and pointing me away from the solar interference issue.
(Though it actually was a solar interference - but due to the sun's Infra-Red heating our LNBs, not EMF interference.)
steve
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(This post was edited by YucaLandia on Jul 8, 2011, 12:01 AM)

johanson / Moderator

Jul 8, 2011, 5:55 AM

Post #10 of 12 (2802 views)

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Re: [YucaLandia] Sun Interfering With Satellite TV Reception?

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That was a tough one to figure out. I'm glad you got it working.

RickS

Jul 8, 2011, 9:44 AM

Post #11 of 12 (2783 views)

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Re: [YucaLandia] Sun Interfering With Satellite TV Reception?

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Yes, but the sun-spot/solar-flare ideas sounded more 'sexy'! ;>)

YucaLandia

Jul 8, 2011, 7:51 PM

Post #12 of 12 (2754 views)

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Re: [RickS] Sun Interfering With Satellite TV Reception?

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JA JA JA JA JA JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

love it!

Who would expect 3 bad LNBs, all within the same window of 2 months....
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