Forum Discussion

sanderlay1's avatar
sanderlay1
Freshman
4 years ago

Satellite Receive Signal Strength

Hello...

First of all my system is working and fuctional, with the normal glitches at times.  I've been a custumer since 2009.  I'm currently using a GEN 5 service using EchoStar-17-NAD.  I'm in Northern California using Beam ID 27.  This is a pole mount setup.

When I first upgraded to GEN 5 SRSS, Satellite Receive Signal Strength, averaged about 100 or so, a little lower that the previous GEN 4 setup of about 107, but stable.  I started GEN 5 service in 2017.  That level of signal worked OK to keep a conection unless I had intense rain down pour, rain fade.  That issue I'm very familiar with and I have learned to work around.  That's Not what this post/thread is about.

What I've been seeing over the last few weeks and months is the SRSS going very high or down low for days at a time.  An example is last week for mutiple days, in clear weather and no wind, the SRSS averaged about 75.  This morning SRSS up to 125.  The why some days the SRSS is so high and why SRSS drops low in clear weather, night or day, baffles me as to the cause.  Again I'm seeing this happen over days not over shifting minutes with normal fluctuations.

 

Thankfully I've been been able to use the service durring these wide shifts in SRSS with no packet loss.  A higher stable signal is always good to see when I have to deal with rain and snow at times.  But the why the low SRSS is happening when all is calm for days at a time is my question.

Thanks for reading this.
Stevie

Performance
  • sanderlay1's avatar
    sanderlay1
    4 years ago
    ...
    Thanks for the advise and help.
    ...
    Thank you for running diagnostics on the site.  I'm not surprised you found no problems, why I wanted to wait till the signal went low.  This morning the SRSS, Satellite Receive Signal Strength, is at 121.  If the SRSS stayed that way, except for normal causes, which I have already talked about in this thread, I would have no issues on this subject, a very good SRSS to say the least for anyone.  But if pattern holds it will unfortunately repeat again.   Intermittent problems are very difficult to track down and identify.

    So for now I'll let this thread be part of my documentation, and refer to it, of what I'm experiencing so I don't have to repeat myself should I post again, in a new thread, on this issue per your instructions.

    Thanks,
    Stevie
  • sanderlay1's avatar
    sanderlay1
    4 years ago

    Liz 

    The technician came out today, 7 Apr 2021, and reviewed the site SRSS, Satellite Receive Signal Strength, was at 110 this morning.

     

    He redid the connections and removed an extra interconnect I was unaware of.  After powering up the modem SRSS was at 70.  I was very happy to see the problem had reared its head for the tech to see.

    He replaced the receiver and redid the ground connect.  He then went through a realignment of the dish and discovered the dish itself was tweaked preventing best signal.  The main dish assembly was put in service about July 2009 when I first became a customer.  He replaced the dish assembly and put on the new receiver and realigned.  He said he got a signal of 140 now.

     

    At the System Status page I got a SRSS of about 102, about 10:30 in the AM.  That's about right for the signal for when I first upgraded to Gen 5.  It would average, with no weather, 95 -105 or so.  So that works for me.

    I'll watch the signal over the next days and weeks for any weirdness, like I saw before, but I think that should keep me going for the next few years at least.

    Thank you all for your support,
    Stevie

     

  • maratsade's avatar
    maratsade
    Distinguished Professor IV
    4 years ago

    Stevie, my understanding is that signal strength is not fixed; it varies. Is there something that may be intermittently blocking the satellite signal, such as trees? 

    • sanderlay1's avatar
      sanderlay1
      Freshman
      4 years ago

      Thanks for the reply...

      Yes... I have trees.  I have seen when a tree can cause a fluxation, like in wind.  I'm very familiar with how a branch from a tree can cause a fluaxation or cause a lower signal if it remains to bbstruct the signal.  Even seasonal growth or when leaves come out.  And when the leaves drop the signal can go up.  Even a rain event or snow event when a branch sags and can obstruct and lower the signal.

       

      This is different...

      Again I make the point that this happens over days at a time staying low, like yesterday.  There was no wind and rain.  The SRSS, Satellite Receive Signal Strength, averaged 77.  This morining the SRSS is hovering at about 125 and staying high.

      • MarkJFine's avatar
        MarkJFine
        Professor
        4 years ago

        The 'signal strength' is really an inverse bit error rate on the data stream, which can vary by humidity. Any kind of water in the air at these frequencies will defract (diffuse?) the signal, making it more error prone, although you might not see those errors due to redundancy and forward error correction protocols.

         

        A real dry day (~10-20%) could cause a 'strength' of 125, whereas mild humidity (~40-50%) could drop it a bit lower. Both these instances could be bright, shiny days with no rain at all (which of course, would be above 90% humidity).