Astra 2F at 28.2E: General Discussion

[4wd]

Strongest 10964 signal ever experienced here.

 

[Waveguide]

If the center of the antenna lobes are kept pointing to the same spot in UK the movements
east-west and north-south will have different influence depending on the receiver location.
East-west movements of a satellite will have little influence NE and SW of UK. SE will see
the largest changes. If you fix the center of an ellipse with an imaginary pin in UK and the main
axis down over Italy and rotate it around the pin this will sort of simulate the changes in the
antenna coverage.

I see nothing of the daily and yearly changes some of you experience and my position is
in the NE direction from central UK. It take this as evidence for the assumption that 2F is
kept pointing in the same direction towards UK regardless of any movements in its "box".

The elliptical shape of the antenna lobe (2F UK spot) looks like the projection of a circular beam
on a sphere. If the lobe is noncircular, movements round the "roll-axis" would also change how
the reception is influenced. (and that would ruin my home-made theory)

 

[Analoguesat]

Two more ITV HD regions testing

11097V

21020 - Meridian SE
21030 - Central West

Bob Warman on Central looks a bit grizzled

 

[M60]

Two new ITV tests on 11097V (TP66)

21020 - ITV Meridian SE HD
21030 - ITV Central W HD


Edit: you beat me to it AS by about a minute!!

 

[Analoguesat]

Lol never mind - it doesnt matter as long as it gets reported

 

[cazhh]

If the center of the antenna lobes are kept pointing to the same spot in UK the movements
east-west and north-south will have different influence depending on the receiver location.
East-west movements of a satellite will have little influence NE and SW of UK. SE will see
the largest changes. If you fix the center of an ellipse with an imaginary pin in UK and the main
axis down over Italy and rotate it around the pin this will sort of simulate the changes in the
antenna coverage.

I see nothing of the daily and yearly changes some of you experience and my position is
in the NE direction from central UK. It take this as evidence for the assumption that 2F is
kept pointing in the same direction towards UK regardless of any movements in its "box".

The elliptical shape of the antenna lobe (2F UK spot) looks like the projection of a circular beam
on a sphere. If the lobe is noncircular, movements round the "roll-axis" would also change how
the reception is influenced. (and that would ruin my home-made theory)

Attitude control does the trick. It should keep the satellite always pointing at the same direction. For some reasons this is working much better now than let's say, during the spring and summer last year. The variance between the days is since about September much smaller than it used to be. Perhaps they've done a software upgrade or switched the sensors used, or whatever.
3 axis stabilized satellites are more susceptible to perturbing torques in pitch than in roll or yaw. That is the axis through the solar pedals, ie the axis pointing north/south. That would give us the daily east/west movement, which probably also has a smaller north/south component, though i'm not sure if an east/west rotation of the satellite might also cause the variances on the south side. Depends a lot on the 3 dimensional projection . It's very hard to imagine that without a computer simulation.
We anyways need more people on the southern border to monitor the satellite to get a better idea about the movements.

What people reported the last few days was an increasing SNR/Quality _everywhere_ around the border of the main lobe, while people on the border of the other side of the null, at least in north/middle europe reported a decrease. That looks like the "pin" has moved a bit to the SW.

If you don't see any variations in Linkoeping i'd say you are right in the middle of the sidelobe, while Kungsbacka is still on the western border.

 

[BLUEPLATINUM]

I wonder why the ITV HD regions are moving to 2F instead of just waiting for the 1N - 2E TP swap.

Sent from my GT-I9205 using Tapatalk

 

[Pietclock]

The 1N - 2E TP swap is of no importance to ITV. Frequencies stay the same. I think they are configurating their transponders more efficiently, by moving all HD versions to DVB-S2 transponders.

 

[Analoguesat]

The 1N - 2E TP swap is of no importance to ITV. Frequencies stay the same. I think they are configurating their transponders more efficiently, by moving all HD versions to DVB-S2 transponders.

Yup it certainly looks like all the ITV1 HD channels will be DVB-S2'd soon

 

[Huevos]

If the center of the antenna lobes are kept pointing to the same spot in UK

Yes, but they're not. Alignment is based on degrees from geocentric. So if the satellite moves 1º east, so will the footprint. In normal use the satellite wanders around by +/- 0.1º, so the footprint will wander around by the same amount on the surface of the planet.

 

[M60]

I wonder why the ITV HD regions are moving to 2F instead of just waiting for the 1N - 2E TP swap.

Sent from my GT-I9205 using Tapatalk

All ITV HD output is moving to these two TP's together with STV HD and UTV HD. It will also mean the missing HD regions from Freesat ITV HD on LCN119 can finally be mapped to their correct corresponding macro region.

 

[Huevos]

I think BBC2 HD regions and BBC1 England HD regions will be in band C as well.

 

[M60]

I think BBC2 HD regions and BBC1 England HD regions will be in band C as well.

They'll probably fit another slot or two in to their D band TP + existing C band one but agree that they'll need another TP at least which will most likely be in the C band.

 

[Steve Steve]

A very big signal here today.... Prob the best I can ever remember ...100cm dish70Q...150 100Q...still 100Q At 8-40pm CET...usually 60-70Q at this time of eveninig...has 2F moved its footprint...?.....(Humax Freesat HD)

 

[Lazarus]

On another Forum, someone in Tenerife reports a reduction in signal.

Maybe the Bird's attitude has been trimmed?

 

[cazhh]

On another Forum, someone in Tenerife reports a reduction in signal.

Maybe the Bird's attitude has been trimmed?

Never. It will be the weather or the satellite was moved outside of its box

 

[Huevos]

or the satellite was moved outside of its box

Pretty much spot on 28.2E at the minute.

 

[Pietclock]

TLE show both 2A and 2F at exactly 28.175°E ... quite close to each other.

 

[Steve Steve]

Even "4WD" in Norway is reporting a change in signal....IMO...the beam has certanly moved ...and seems to be Tenerife's loss..??...
Ch5 SD still ok on 100cm dish...this has never happened since the start of 2F....

 

[cazhh]

Even "4WD" in Norway is reporting a change in signal....IMO...the beam has certanly moved ...and seems to be Tenerife's loss..??...

Of course it did. No one understands a germans jokes.

Tenerife is pretty far out. Would that be the 2nd or 3rd sidelobe ?