Transmit/Uplink errors

Transmit is much more sensitive to even slight misalignment. Can have good receive signal strength but off just enough to cause transmit problems. Again, could also be the transmit side of the radio is going bad. I'm sure Amanda will be back to help on Monday.

Alignment aside, it's good to check to see if the dish is fully in the clear from surrounding foliage:

Many things can cause these errors, to include dish alignment and poor cabling, which would require a skilled technician to remedy. However, it's also possible that a quick inspection of the dish can show where the problem is.

Tree limbs around the dish that appear to be out of the way may actually be reflecting stray signals back onto the dish. These then cause standing waves that the modem interprets as transmission errors.

Generally, the dish should be clear of any foliage within 45 degrees in any direction. Pay particular attention to any branches that may be blowing into that area, which could possibly cause intermittent problems.

In the fall and winter you might also want to inspect the dish to see if there are any fallen leaves or ice stuck to it. These will reduce the reflective nature of the dish, possibly causing additional transmission (and reception) errors.

As well, cables and connections may become brittle or loose with frequent weather changes. So you may also want to see if the connectors are finger-tight and the cabling isn't cracked or weathered to the point where coax shield wire is showing through.

Some error codes (e.g., 12.1.19) stem from the modem's sensitivity to power levels. You may want to inspect the routing of the power cable to make sure the DIN plug in the back of the modem is firmly seated, as well as at the wall and at the power brick.

If those are fine, make sure that the modem's power cord is plugged directly into a wall socket and the wall socket is on a circuit intended for lights. Use on the same curcuit as heavy-use items (e.g., air conditioners/heaters, washers/dryers, ovens, etc.) will cause power drops that may contribute to modem errors. Powering the modem though a surge protector may likewise cause power levels to drop and is therefore not recommended.

Good points Mark! Forgot about a loose DIN plug, can cause all kinds of weird problems.

Hi Mari

Thank you for getting back to me. I still cannot communicate with the modem and it appears that our signal logger has not been able to get historical data for your signal for quite some time. The mount or cable might be loose, or a connector corroded. I think at this point the best thing for us to do is set up a visit from a technician to have them come out and see what the problem is. The visit and repair are at no cost to you. Since I am not in the office I am not sure if I can set up the visit from here, but if I can I will post back here to confirm.

~Amanda

BirdDog

I'm kind of sensitive to the foliage one, myself, because I've been stung by it a few times. Everything seemed to be in the clear and was still getting red x's on Uplink, until I trimmed some stray branches that were actually reflecting signal back.

Aside from a myriad of other things, there was even one branch from a black walnut that would sag into the path when it rained, then pop back out of the way after it dried. Real elusive sucker, that.

Bottom line, after some trimming, I rarely if ever see any errors occur except for the spurious association error caused by a bit of congestion.

Mari

Only one thing concerns me in that photo is the flashing overhanging from your roof. The reason is that the takeoff angle for the dish isn't even with the feed horn, it's actually at an angle more vertical to it.

Appearances could be tricky though. If you've not had a problem with that before, it shouldn't be a problem now.

Hi Mari

I've scheduled the dispatch but I am not sure if the tech will have these modems on hand yet. If he doesn't, I can ship you one. I was able to get the 8-11AM slot for Monday, but their office will call or text you ahead of the visit to confirm the appointment. If you need to, you can reschedule with them when that occurs.

Thanks,

Amanda

That is why Amanda is going to send a technician out, your modem is logging transmit errors, it's possible it can listen most the time, but for some reason it's not sending data back.  Think of it like a phone call, where one end can hear things clearly, but the other end only hears bits and pieces.

Correct, C0RR0SIVE. Warning: wall of text incoming.

The inability to see a modem remotely can be caused by a number of different things or a combination of some of them. I'll list what I consider to be the top three.

1. The radio mounted on the arm of the dish is a newer design from our Gen3 radios. The uplink and downlink are separated from each other. The "Uplink" or "Transmit" is very, very sensitive because it has to bounce off the dish and make its way up to the satellite, leaving little room for blockage or error. If the signal cannot make it up to the satellite, we can't talk to it.

2. Low power, dirty power or insufficient power distribution. I've helped customers in the past who have had an array of weird interference, but sharing the outlet with a major appliance is pretty common. Refridgerators, washers/dryers, space heaters, even coffee makers (mine makes my lamp flicker at home). Using a surge protector or strip that does not supply sufficient power to the modem is also common. Not only does the modem need power, but it also provides power to the radio outside. Dirty power is less common, but sometimes they do crop up. Rural areas with older infrastructure encounter this problem and it is very hard to fix. 

3. Failed or faulty hardware is another reason. Since the two directions of signals are separated, one can fail while the other does not. This is a little less likely and you would have probably noticed the system performance degrading over time.

Just based on some of the historical data I have on your system I've made a guess at one of these being the problem. It is possible that a coaxial cable frayed, corroded or is just loose somewhere. The timing sync between the satellite and your modem could be off. Hopefully the tech can find the definitive root cause of this so we can help diagnose this kind of issue again in the future.

~Amanda

Hello! I can reach the modem now. I see a problem with transmission rates. I am going to make some adjustments, so you may lose service for a few minutes.

~Amanda