Some dish aiming questions for satellite Xperts...
Recently got a Birdog meter. Sure helps for peaking a signal. Also just got a 34" dish to get more gain. Installed a new Invacom QPH-031 LNB on it which has 2 linear outputs and 2 circular (one right, one left). I got the big dish for trips farther south because we're using Bell sat service on Nimiq-4 82 and Nimiq-1 91 and the signal footprint drops down significantly around the WA/OR border but some users have reported getting an adequate signal farther south, even as far as Florida. We're currently camping in WA not far from the border.
Just tried setting up the dish at the CG and it's not a very good site for sat reception due to trees. The deciduous trees I'm aiming through have lost there leaves and thought I'd give it a try. Was surprised to find that the meter is telling me I'm getting a 100% signal on both sats. However, using "point dish" on the receiver, it works fine on 91 but when I switch it to 82 it says I'm on the wrong sat (91). Have been able to get 82 from this same CG last year using a small 18" dish.
Have tried re-aiming the dish towards what I *think* should be 82 but the meter is still saying 100% on both sats. We were at another CG last weekend and was able to get 82 just fine. I don't want to have to bother with two LNBs and having to adjust the skew angle. Sat 82 has most of the HD stations but 91 has the program schedule so it would be nice to get both 82 & 91. Have done the check switch process a few times and have tried moving the dish around a bit but doesn't help.
Questions are:
1. Can a dish with only one LNB receive two sat. signals?
2. The receiver has a separator with and have one coax cable out to the dish. Could it possibly be anything to do with this?
3. Why does the meter say I'm getting both 82 & 91 simultaneously with 100% strength? The receiver says the signal is 84% on 82.
4. The satellite downloads from the Birdog site lists both sats with a prefix of "BR" and "BL". Is one circular right and one circular left? Doesn't seem to matter which output (right or left) on the LNB but the meter was only locking in on one of them.
5. I've read that too strong a signal can overwhelm a receiver. Could this be a factor?
TIA!
Just tried setting up the dish at the CG and it's not a very good site for sat reception due to trees. The deciduous trees I'm aiming through have lost there leaves and thought I'd give it a try. Was surprised to find that the meter is telling me I'm getting a 100% signal on both sats. However, using "point dish" on the receiver, it works fine on 91 but when I switch it to 82 it says I'm on the wrong sat (91). Have been able to get 82 from this same CG last year using a small 18" dish.
Have tried re-aiming the dish towards what I *think* should be 82 but the meter is still saying 100% on both sats. We were at another CG last weekend and was able to get 82 just fine. I don't want to have to bother with two LNBs and having to adjust the skew angle. Sat 82 has most of the HD stations but 91 has the program schedule so it would be nice to get both 82 & 91. Have done the check switch process a few times and have tried moving the dish around a bit but doesn't help.
Questions are:
1. Can a dish with only one LNB receive two sat. signals?
2. The receiver has a separator with and have one coax cable out to the dish. Could it possibly be anything to do with this?
3. Why does the meter say I'm getting both 82 & 91 simultaneously with 100% strength? The receiver says the signal is 84% on 82.
4. The satellite downloads from the Birdog site lists both sats with a prefix of "BR" and "BL". Is one circular right and one circular left? Doesn't seem to matter which output (right or left) on the LNB but the meter was only locking in on one of them.
5. I've read that too strong a signal can overwhelm a receiver. Could this be a factor?
TIA!
