It's very difficult for a customer to verify alignment, and I wouldn't advise trying to do so, as if it creates a situation that would require a tech to fix, you'd probably have to pay for it. But, have no fear, the reps can remotely check your HughesNet equipment and see what's going on, including if your dish needs to be realigned or if there is some type of obstruction, like a tree that has grown taller.
A 70% packet loss is not good. Bad weather at your gateway, which is located in a different state than you, can cause issues in the same manner as bad weather at your own location, but if this has been going on for longer than what a storm could cause, it's unlikely that it's weather related.
I'll tag a couple of reps so that they will be sure to see your post and help. In the meantime, please keep your HughesNet modem plugged in so that they can run the aforementioned remote diagnostics on your HughesNet equipment if they deem it necessary, which they almost assuredly will.
The reps are on M-F from approximately 8AM to 5PM EST. They're often pretty quick, but it can take them a day or two to reply.
Edit: It would also be a good idea to make sure that the coax connector at the back of the modem is finger tight. It doesn't need to be tighter than this, but it shouldn't be loose.
Also, though power cycling the modem can sometimes fix issues, like you mentioned, packet loss isn't usually one of the types of things it helps, though I've seen stranger things.
Hi Paula,
Welcome to the community, glad to have you here. I pulled up your account to have a look at your site regarding your concerns, and first thing is we definitely want to get that old HT1000 replaced. I've created a dispatch to review your site as well. Your dispatch is currently scheduled for our earliest available slot: Wednesday, Aug 22, 2018 between 8:00 AM-11:00 AM. Call us at 866.347.3292 and reference case #114526282 if you need to reschedule. Hope it goes well!