Astra 2F at 28E (at last!)

[Hughes]

I'm quite happy to try anything, but I don't have matching feedhorn or any other bits for my ageing Tagra 150cm PF dish, so it may result difficult to beat the mis-matched Black Ultra LNBF.

 

[Hughes]

No signal 400kms or so west of Cantabria at this moment in time!

 

[Mr Hoover]

I'm quite happy to try anything,

Well you might as well be using a much smaller offset dish with that LNB and you'll have the same signal as you've got now.

There's A quick "dodge" which from experience will improve signals a lot... remove the LNB plastic
front cover and you'll see the circular tube/waveguide taking the signal to the probes at the back
of the LNB

Get a small piece of similar diameter clean alumnium/copper tube and push it flush with the beginning of the internal waveguide tube,it needs to be long enough just to be flush with the front of the LNB.

The signal will then go down the tube straight to the back of the LNB and not "see" the internal offset feedhorn...It's a much better match for a prime focus dish.

Hugh

 

[Hughes]

Signal coming back 11023 at 09.06 CET, but have to leave for work now.

 

[ea7vpg]

Signal report;
Costa Del Sol, 20Km east of Malaga. 36.812554 N -4.008826W

Satellite receiver Technimate TM1000-C1

Satellite finder meter MF-1900

Dish 1.3m offset octo LNB
Dish 2.4m prime focus Fortec Inverto quad Red Classic

Astra 1N on the 1.3m offset 11.4 dB
Astra 1N on the 2.4m prime focus 16.6 dB

Astra 2F test freq 11023 H 1.3m offset dish Nothing, no signal
Astra 2F test freq 11023H 2.4m prime focus Nothing, no signal

Bit disappointed, took some doing getting the big a baby up.
atb

 

[Lazarus]

Well, 23-26 Nov has gone out of the window!

Does anyone here have any contacts, however tenuous, with SES-Astra bods who can at least give us an informed clue as to what is going on (We can speculate until the cows come home, but are all likely to be wholly wrong)?

 

[g8vkv]

Still the same here this morning.

Also my man-flu is getting worse.

As an aside, does anyone know anyone in "the media" to start a rumour along the lines of "Satellite Launch Scandal! Public Money Squandered Yet Again! We Demand the Truth!"

 

[Mr Hoover]

Seeing that here in Portugal...A little bit stronger but not the Pan Euro beam I think.

today morning new signal 12139v low power 1.5db

Can someone in N Europe check/do a scan on this signal to see if it's there?...
It's got a little bit stronger in SW Portugal now,could be PE beam possibly.

 

[Steve Stras]

Tivu
We use SES for some of our communication solutions in the Transcaucasus, I called our commercial guy here in France and he knows nothing about the movement of 2f (he's basically a salesman) but he promised to find out and give me a call back later today.

 

[Lazarus]

Thankyou very much indeed for that - Let's hope he can find something out.

 

[zeeteefje]

Still 14 hours to go (CET) before the start of November 27. Plenty of time to 'empty' the entire 1N satellite should they want to. But do they want to?

 

[TENERIFEFORUMTV]

Well, 23-26 Nov has gone out of the window!

Does anyone here have any contacts, however tenuous, with SES-Astra bods who can at least give us an informed clue as to what is going on (We can speculate until the cows come home, but are all likely to be wholly wrong)?

today is the 26th .... and ive been told 27th starts the WEST AFRICA BEAM ....more i know not

i think they lost a day due to fine-tuning the UK beam (and maybe bad weather there affected feedback or results)

 

[Lazarus]

....more i know not

Quite.

Hence my plea - duly answered by Steve Stras.

We wait!

 

[vladan10]

Can someone in N Europe check/do a scan on this signal to see if it's there?...
It's got a little bit stronger in SW Portugal now,could be PE beam possibly.

i have the pick but its no lock any signal .
BTW : i dont know why but on my fix dish for 11023 H have morre signal on 28.5E transpoders (on big dish 28.2-28.5 its not on same place you need to move the dish to have 0.3 degrice ) sow can same one with big dish motor make one check to see if have little morre signal on 11023H when move the dish on 28.5E??
thanks

 

[andrewcrawford]

i still think they will do the trasnfer 1st or 2nd week in december before the sky lock down, they do seem behind on there schedule maybe there found some problems and there trying to fix it soehow

 

[daztfs]

i still think they will do the trasnfer 1st or 2nd week in december before the sky lock down, they do seem behind on there schedule maybe there found some problems and there trying to fix it soehow

What is Sky lock down?

 

[TENERIFEFORUMTV]

i still think they will do the trasnfer 1st or 2nd week in december before the sky lock down, they do seem behind on there schedule maybe there found some problems and there trying to fix it soehow

the 27th november at the latest - Napoleon Wilson: Can't argue with a confident man.

 

[Steve Stras]

Our commercial guy called me back and said "2f is on station, testing complete and is fully operational" This is also on their internal intranet site. All enquiries are given this standard response. One of his colleagues said there is a delay and it relates to a "DTH platform issue" whatever that is. The migration will be completed within 8 days (8 days in France actaully means a week) or sooner. This particular project is part of a larger operation which is now behind schedule. Apparently the siting of the bird and the subsequent migration are two different operations under different management, with a third operation waiting once this is complete.

SES are not particularly forthcoming with information in general, when dealing with them on a business level most questions are answered with another question. A lot of the people you deal with, even quite high up, come from very technical backgrounds and are often not the best communicators. It's a but like dealing with an oil company who tell you absolutely everything you could find out easily some other way....

 

[Lazarus]

@Steve Stras

Thankyou for your efforts - the first bit is just what last Tuesday's Press Release said, but at least now we have confirmation that a problem is acknowledged.

Nothing to do with beam refinement or positioning the bird, but a migration issue.

Hopefully that will dampen some of the more esoteric speculation here!

Much appreciated.

 

[daztfs]

Our commercial guy called me back and said "2f is on station, testing complete and is fully operational" This is also on their internal intranet site. All enquiries are given this standard response. One of his colleagues said there is a delay and it relates to a "DTH platform issue" whatever that is. The migration will be completed within 8 days (8 days in France actaully means a week) or sooner. This particular project is part of a larger operation which is now behind schedule. Apparently the siting of the bird and the subsequent migration are two different operations under different management, with a third operation waiting once this is complete.

SES are not particularly forthcoming with information in general, when dealing with them on a business level most questions are answered with another question. A lot of the people you deal with, even quite high up, come from very technical backgrounds and are often not the best communicators. It's a but like dealing with an oil company who tell you absolutely everything you could find out easily some other way....

Good to know.

A week then it is, First week of December.