A tricky proposal for 68E

[Vipersan]

Hi Huevos ...
Do I take it you mean the tree to the left of picture 2/4 ?
If so ..thats the one I refer to as the troublesome tree ...and I can't see how that can be a factor ..
Its not in full leaf yet but the dish should see around that one if Dishpointer is to be believed ...as 68 deg is to the right of that tree ..
The aerial photo I posted showing the line of 68.5 E ...should clarify the relationship between the dish ...the sat ..and the troublesome tree..

I can't remember exactly where the dish was actually pointing when the photo was taken ...but I suspect the focus was at 62 degrees ...roughly the max travel of the motor..


rgds
VS

 

[Vipersan]

Well friends ...
Final post for tonight ..
been playing with this setup for hours ...nada...
Decided to backtrack a couple of degrees to Intelsat 17 at 66.0°E

Absolutely nothing to see on this bird ..
but in desperation I tried to catch a Russian data transponder ..
Just to confirm that its working ...and that I can actually get to 66 deg East..
A bit unstable as it drifts in and out a bit ...but proof positive that I could see 11488 H
DVB-S/MPEG-2 9960 5/6 HeliosNet

enough for tonight ..I'll retire still confused that that last 2 degrees eludes me ...
gnite peeps
VS

 

[Vipersan]

Checked again this morning ..the data transponder is still there and constant ..
Though does vary in power a bit..
Here are 2 traces from the F15 speccy ..to show this ...the first image is a bit blurred ..
My hands aren't steady first thing in a morning..



...closer analysis of the 2 traces shows that the whole frequency range varies in amplitude ...
Tiny peaks which are obviously active transponders appear and disappear...
There are only 3 possibilities for this behaviour I can think of .
1 I am on the edge of the footprint ...and there is a slight wobble on the sat ..making the fringe of the footprint vary..

2 ...some distant obstacle ...such as the pennines is masking some of the low angled signal ...and ...but this too implies a wobble in the sats position ..

A third and unfounded idea occurred to me ..but will probably be dismissed as nonsense..
Since the target path passes over the city of Manchester...
Could rising heat from the concentration of the city environment ...give rise to a sort of 'heat haze' ..lensing effect ...which might account for the variation ..
Effectively changing the density of atmosphere through which the low angle signal is passing ???
This _might_ also account for my inability to receive signals 2 degrees further East ..and thus lower to the horizon..
Comments welcome..
rgds
VS

 

[Rick]

Just done a realignment in lytham. A 1m orbital. Got 68e but a very low level. Looks to be a lot of noise on the spectrum too but that's not surprising considering how low in the sky she comes in.

 

[Vipersan]

Thanks for the update Rick ..
its _very_ much appreciated ..
were you using the focus ..or an offset ?
every fraction counts on this one I suspect.
Chances are I am just a midges too low on the horizon ..at my location ...and 66 E is my physical limit without getting a dish up higher.
rgds
VS

 

[Rick]

That was on the focus m8, the motor wouldn't turn far enough, so I had to swivel it around the pole a few degrees once it was at the east limit to get it, but it was there.
Don't know if this has been mentioned but what LNB are you trying for it ?

 

[aceb]

Could rising heat from the concentration of the city environment ...give rise to a sort of 'heat haze' ..lensing effect

Something along these lines definitely used to effect my mates reception of 75E, only time he could resolve full frames from it were on cool calm mornings, at less than 1° elevation over the Channel (he is 200ft ASL on the clifftop) there isn't much else it could be, not unless there was a very high tide

Do you know anyone with an Android or iPhone VP? Get a copy of Dishpointer Pro on it and that might show any obstacles. I've got it on my Desire and it's very accurate, it's allowed me to find the best spot in our garden to get the easterly sats without lugging a dish and pole around.

 

[Rick]

I've got the Dishpointer App on my Desire, and it is pretty accurate, but it told me I shouldn't have got 30w today and I did.

 

[Vipersan]

Thanks for the suggestion aceb ..but I know I can get 66E now ..so it can only really be an elevation issue ..
@Rick ...As to the LNB Im using for this one 68E ..
Its not at the focus so subject to signal reduction there ..plus its not the best lnb in the world ..
Its labelled 'Triax and 0.3db'...in white

rgds
VS

 

[Rick]

Might be worth giving a Black Ultra a go on there, I've usually a couple on the van and will let you have a go with one when I get over to see you if you like.

 

[Vipersan]

Thanks Rick ..
Always in the market for the best lnb I can get ...
Is the black Ultra ...the ultimate lnb ...or was there a better one from Inverto that wasn't generally available in the UK ..
If its the one I once considered buying from Europe ....then I'll buy it off you anyway..if thats ok ?
rgds
VS

 

[Rick]

The Black Ultra Singles are about the best about at the moment, there can be a noticable differance in gain using one compared to other LNB's.

 

[Vipersan]

Not sure if the one I was considering was called black ultra premium ..
But If the Ultra is as good as you say ...I supect thats the one on the dish currently ...but at the focus ..
A second for the offset wont go amiss..
cheers
VS

 

[Rick]

There is the Black Premium and the Black Ultra, both good but the ultra is better.

 

[Huevos]

I've got the Dishpointer App on my Desire, and it is pretty accurate, but it told me I shouldn't have got 30w today and I did.

It's pretty accurate for elevation, but for azimuth it uses the phone's compass, so it is only as accurate as the surrounding magnetic field allows, which is pretty good most of the time, but sometimes very wrong (just like with a regular compass). Also if you leave the app running by accident it flattens the phone's battery in no time at all.

 

[Rick]

Also if you leave the app running by accident it flattens the phone's battery in no time at all.

Your not kidding, I learn't that one early on ;)