Dish alignment for Sky?!

[CaptainGlassback]

I know it should be easy but I have problem! Have tried to line up dishes in 2 parts of the south of UK. Both at 28e. One is 1m and the other 60cm. No rusting. New WF100 cables. New Icecrypt LNBs. Both for Foxsat Freesat stbs and one Sly box. The 'main' channels such as BBC and ITV boom in around 80%+. Some channels such as Food Network are weak and get lost in cloudy weather. (Also the Foxsat EPG is not fully loaded! Might be a separate issue!). Given that it is the same channels that are weak on both types of box and in both locations, (120 miles apart!), I am assuming that although I have peaked the dishes and skewed LNBs many times I am doing something daft. My conclusion is that I am getting a strong signal from 2D but not Eurobird1 @ 28e! The meter is an old Digisat Pro that seems to respond well. Is it possible that a dish pointing accurately at 2D could receive a weaker signal from Eurobird? Perhaps I need a newer meter to make that fine adjustment to get a common strength from all 28e birds. Any thoughts?

 

[Mickha]

What frequency is food network on, could it be connected to DECT phone interference?

 

[Lazarus]

I know you mentioned adjusting skew, but some of the Icecrypt LNBs have the F connector at an unusual position for zero skew.

http://www.satellites.co.uk/forums/...0-1db-single-lnb.html?highlight=icecrypt+skew

Food Network is on 11344 H so is a fair bit below the Low Band TPs normally prone to DECT interference.

 

[CaptainGlassback]

Hi Mickha. Thanks for reading. Food Network is from Eurobird 1 at 11344H. I did look at a neighbour's standard Sly installation and all channels were coming in at very similar strengths. At my house there is a dect base station 18 feet from the Sly box and an extention dect handset 10ft from the Foxsat. At the other house there is a dect phone 22 ft from the Foxsat. Both dishes have a very clear line of sight nowhere near trees either!

 

[Lazarus]

It's not the Foxsat itself, but things like joints in cables (including Wallplates) that are the weak areas exploited by interfence sources.

The box itself is relatively immune owing to the Faraday Cage effect.

However, that is probably of limited interest as the frequency concerned doesn't fit with it being DECt interference.

 

[CaptainGlassback]

Thanks for all comments. I replaced cables at both locations with WF100 and no joins. Have used sleeves at lnb end but not the grease until I correctly aligned! Tivu thanks for dect clarification. The one Icecrypt is a double and the other a quad. Thanks for link to Rolf's excellent comments re skewing and meters etc. I have indeed spent hours on several occasions skewing the lnb in the clamp. It does indeed make a huge difference. However I have only skewed and read / listened to the meter to peak up the ladder as opposed to actually looking at the channels. It does sound like a more expensive meter might give me the answer though I am not keen to spend a lot on an item that I will only ever use to peak 2 comparatively large dishes at 28e in the UK! I have found an old Sharp universal single lnb in the garage. Perhaps I should give that a try. I will be disappointed if Icecrypt turn out to be the demon as many folk swear by them!