Rain = No DSTV??

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za1

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It i usual when it rains to lose signal - I mean down to 0%??

Not sure if my (dual) LNB is stuffed or if I must rewire or is it normal?

10 minutes b4 the end of private practice, rain comes down in buckets and signal just goes and I haven't been able to restore since, rain is still coming down though but there isn't much lightning...

signal appears to be very delicate with dual LNB and extra view:(


PS: anyone watch the end of private practice?
 
Ok, ok, I can't do it. Just taking the piss! ;)

They took him off in an ambulance to do the operation on him. What else did you miss?
 
lmao yeah it usually does that.....lol the rain blocks the signal between the exchange
 
Thats very normal... if the rain comes down in buckets your signal will be so distorted the decoder won't even be able to recognise it.
 
za1 said:
It i usual when it rains to lose signal - I mean down to 0%??

Not sure if my (dual) LNB is stuffed or if I must rewire or is it normal?

10 minutes b4 the end of private practice, rain comes down in buckets and signal just goes and I haven't been able to restore since, rain is still coming down though but there isn't much lightning...

signal appears to be very delicate with dual LNB and extra view:(


PS: anyone watch the end of private practice?
Click to expand...

Rain = No DSTV = BAD alignment. Only HEAVY rain and thunder should kill it.

I have dual view and there would be some interuptions for a few seconds during bad storms but never 0%
 
It's k@k when that happens. Mine does that too when it rains a bit heavy. Fortunately, the recorded programs on the PVR still work.
 
Agreed on the bad alignment - what is your signal strength and quality like normally?
 
Check whether your receiver still has a plastic cover over it. Mine got worse over time, until I found out that the receiver was perished by the sun and started to leak. Bought a new receiver. Problem solved.
 
I had a look at my dish when its raining (just out the window) and saw a huge waterfall streaming down the dish :eek:

Def have to clean out those gutters :o

Also lost signal during good tv - sucks, yeah generally huge clouds and lighting and noise and waterfalls = no signal.
 
lexis said:
Check whether your receiver still has a plastic cover over it. Mine got worse over time, until I found out that the receiver was perished by the sun and started to leak. Bought a new receiver. Problem solved.
Click to expand...

Surely you mean the LNB? The receiver is the black box on your tv, eg PVR.
 
I am Penguin said:
Rain = No DSTV = BAD alignment. Only HEAVY rain and thunder should kill it.

I have dual view and there would be some interuptions for a few seconds during bad storms but never 0%
Click to expand...

May I add the following mathematical equation:

1.) Rain = No Traffic Lights = High Frustration

2.) Rain = Garden Growth = Wasted Weekends Cutting Grass

(Equation 1. is particularly relevant to the non-waterproof traffic lights in JHB)
 
lexis said:
Check whether your receiver still has a plastic cover over it. Mine got worse over time, until I found out that the receiver was perished by the sun and started to leak. Bought a new receiver. Problem solved.
Click to expand...

I just put a lid of spray paint cannister over it and Bob's your uncle. Much cheaper this way. :p:D
 
ToxicBunny said:
Thats very normal... if the rain comes down in buckets your signal will be so distorted the decoder won't even be able to recognise it.
Click to expand...
This is how it works:

DSTV sends a fairly weak signal from its satellites. A decent signal is costly. In the UK, the SKY TV signal is stronger, so they can use much smaller dishes.

DSTV needs to keep the installation costs down, so they allow the installers to market smaller, cheaper dishes. The LNB's are also the cheapest cr*p they can get away with, as is the cable. The installer is happy with 70% signal quality and will leave without trying to achieve anything better.

When it rains, they tell you that you are losing the signal because the dish is too small and encourage you to upgrade, and blame the signal on the installers.

In fact, even with a larger dish and the best LNB, the signal will always be poor because the power is low from the sat.
 
za1 said:
It i usual when it rains to lose signal - I mean down to 0%??

Not sure if my (dual) LNB is stuffed or if I must rewire or is it normal?

10 minutes b4 the end of private practice, rain comes down in buckets and signal just goes and I haven't been able to restore since, rain is still coming down though but there isn't much lightning...

signal appears to be very delicate with dual LNB and extra view:(


PS: anyone watch the end of private practice?
Click to expand...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0972412/episodes
 
Sackboy said:
This is how it works:

DSTV sends a fairly weak signal from its satellites. A decent signal is costly. In the UK, the SKY TV signal is stronger, so they can use much smaller dishes.

DSTV needs to keep the installation costs down, so they allow the installers to market smaller, cheaper dishes. The LNB's are also the cheapest cr*p they can get away with, as is the cable. The installer is happy with 70% signal quality and will leave without trying to achieve anything better.

When it rains, they tell you that you are losing the signal because the dish is too small and encourage you to upgrade, and blame the signal on the installers.

In fact, even with a larger dish and the best LNB, the signal will always be poor because the power is low from the sat.
Click to expand...

They do use smaller dishes in Europe, but not for the reason that you explained. The signals are normally more focused in Europe, because they need to cover smaller areas. The Intelsat 7 footprint for DSTV is quite big to give coverage to other African countries.

There is also nothing wrong with the dishes and LNB's that the good installers use. The problem is mostly bad installation by guys without the know how to align dishes properly. I've got a small cheap dish running a HD PVR through a multiswitch at home. This is normally quite a sensitive setup. I did the installation myself using a proper instrument. I only get a little breakup in extremely heavy rain.
 
I also get a terrible signal when it rains.
I will be the first to admit that i was too lazy to drill four holes and settled for three.
Now i have neighbors from hell in the flat below and we are at war so in essence, i screwed myself over because now i cannot drill my fourth hole and re-align my lnb!
I learned a valuable lesson.
 
We have a 90cm fiberglass dish with a high quality LNB and the last time it lost the signal during rain was about three years ago!
 
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