Quick set up Javea

[joddle]

Just arrived in Javea to find the receiver for our rebroadcast tv has failed and Swiss Cable want 140e for a replacement. As I have a humax hd box here and a 1.2m dish I decided to drop the rebroadcast system and save 33e per month and use the humax instead. I set the dish up on the ground and using a 12 year old invacom lnb am getting a decent signal on most freest channels. today I will mount the dish more securely but which is the best transponder to tweak to? I only have a simple squarker and the TV to tune it.

 

[joddle]

Have now managed to set up the dish on a secure and rigid wall mount with a perfect clear view. I am getting a very good signal on most freesat channels but nothing on Pick and Challenge – just a bad signal message on those channels. Ch5 and 4 groups are perfect as is bbc and itv. Any suggestions as to why?

 

[Lazarus]

What frequency are the iffy Channels on?

 

[Lazarus]

Found them: Not on TPs associated with local interference from other household gizmos.

 

[joddle]

are there any other channels likely to be affected which I can check?

 

[Lazarus]

Hard to say - I was vaguely thinking of DECT phones issues, but the effects of those are felt around 11530 and 12480.

I suppose there might be other stuff that could cause interference, but the best thing to do is go round and turn off anything and everything electronic eg WiFi Routers, Mobile Phones etc. to see if the Channels in question come back. If so, re-instate the other kit one item at a time until the culprit identifies itself.

Can't think of any other reason why just a couple of Channels would go AWOL in the circumstance you describe.

 

[joddle]

I think I am getting closer - its the sky channels which are causing problems - including sky news. I have turned everything else off - phones, router Wi fi etc but finding it hard to tune to sky news. Had it briefly but as I tightened everything down it went again. I think my squeaker is not really up to this task. Have all the main channels well into the green for ss and sq. I think I will need to get one of the professional guys to tweak it up! Is anyone in Javea at the moment?

 

[woborny]

I am getting a very good signal on most freesat channels but nothing on Pick and Challenge – just a bad signal message on those channels.

challenge is on 2a s north beam, which in javea 2.4m dishes struggle to get 24/7 - especially at their weakest 4-5pmtime of day.
on a good aligned dish you should get it til about 12-1pm ish.. and it should start to pop back in again from about 7-8pm...

hopefully this improves if ./ when they move to 2e,2f, or 2g

ps was in javea today.... :-)

 

[joddle]

challenge is on 2a s north beam, which in javea 2.4m dishes struggle to get 24/7 - especially at their weakest 4-5pmtime of day.
on a good aligned dish you should get it til about 12-1pm ish.. and it should start to pop back in again from about 7-8pm...

hopefully this improves if ./ when they move to 2e,2f, or 2g

ps was in javea today....

thanks, as everything else is OK perhaps best to leave it and see what happens later when 2a is no longer in use. I am in Javea until 5th so if you are over let me know. also in Valencia I have to attenuate Pick as the signal form my 2.4 swamps the Humax although the less sensitive Manhatten PLaza is OK!

 

[joddle]

Now I really am puzzled...In desparation I reconnected the old LNB from the dish - its at least 18 years old but now I get everything! The sky based channels , news, pick etc have 100% on sq and ss!!! - looking at the old lnb it is very different from the invacom. It connects to the feedhorn on a flat face, no hole at all and its very thin. It only has one output and has the name Cambridge on it but I dont have a clue about its make or type. Either this lnb is perfectly matched to the dish and feedhorn or my invacome is duff - but I suspect the former and that I may have been trying to mate a pig with a horse here!!!

 

[Lazarus]

Some things are best left a mystery - Just enjoy what you've achieved!

 

[joddle]

Some things are best left a mystery - Just enjoy what you've achieved!

Oh I intend to - but I am curious as to the different shape and performance of the LNBs trying to leave a photo but cant see how to. The dish is an old Tagra possibly 20 years old so did it have a unique feedhorn and lnb?

 

[joddle]

this is the lnb / does anyone know what it is

 

[kota]

it looks like a c-120 version of the old 0.9db Cambridge lnb. I've used one of those some 20 or so years ago too ;-)

 

[joddle]

that makes sense - it has Cambridge on it but I was not sure if that referred to a maker or something else. Does this mean my Invacom is duff or just not compatible with the feedhorn? I really wanted a twin but for now this oldie is doing fine for now.

 

[kota]

probably. Why don't try an Inverto Black Pro ?? They're inexpensive and maybe it will do the trick. I myself use one here near Lisbon on a 1.8m dish and receive perfect pictures on the 2A north beam channels 24/7.

 

[joddle]

I really still don't understand why the Invacom won't pick up the sky channels. The pic here is of the whole setup - currently a bit pixie on Challenge but suspect skew not perfect. Sky news and Pick give 100% on SS and SQ.

 

[joddle]

well happy new year to all. At least I was able to view the celebrations in London OK so am convinced I won't be needing the rebroadcast service any more. The signals held up well all night apart from Challenge but not really worried about that for the moment. I do get good SS on that channel but very poor SQ (using the box metering). Is that likely to be a skew issue or just the old LNB?

Has anyone any idea why the Invacom should perform so well on the main channels but not on the Sky ones? The feedhorn and dish alignment were identical for each LNB yet could not get a whiff of pick or sky news from the Invacom yet on the Cambridge Sky news come in 100% SS and SQ / I did consider swamping so also tried using an attenuator for that channel but it made no difference. Maybe I should try another LNB as suggested above - Inverto or another Invacom or something else?

 

[joddle]

The more I play the more confused I get. I spent ages very carefully adjusting the skew to get max SQ on 12304 - result is a picture sometimes and not at others. If I add the attenuator I sometimes get ss of 60% with SQ never higher than 30% Sometimes I get a similar result without the attenuator but usually nothing. Seems this particular transponder is particulaly vunerable and everything else seems fine!

 

[woborny]

The more I play the more confused I get. I spent ages very carefully adjusting the skew to get max SQ on 12304 - result is a picture sometimes and not at others. If I add the attenuator I sometimes get ss of 60% with SQ never higher than 30% Sometimes I get a similar result without the attenuator but usually nothing. Seems this particular transponder is particulaly vunerable and everything else seems fine!

again, that one is a north beam, and very tricky to receive 24/7 on smaller dishes...

my 1.8m dish just up the road just about keeps it in 24/7.... (but the Samsung sky hd box needs an attenuator to keep it in, the sky branded hd box does not).
but 100kms north (just above Valencia, I have a 90x100cm dish that gets that north ream 24/7.... just goes to show how much it varies along the cost...


so attenuators do help a tad, but does not make the problem go away, it is simply the signal in the afternoon for that beam is so weak in this area...

if you want to get those channels better, then you will have to wait until it moves from the 2a north beam...