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Rain or Snow Fade - Please read post 1 first.

29K views 71 replies 31 participants last post by  tvmaster 
#1 ·
Edit by 57:

For those having reception issues, check your own weather conditions, but also check the weather radar for Toronto to ensure the issue is not with the uplink in Toronto. If the uplink is down, some, but usually not all channels are affected on Shaw Direct:

Radar Links:

http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/radar/index_e.html?id=WKR

http://www.intellicast.com/National/Radar/Current.aspx?location=USMI0127&enlarge=true&animate=true


Anyone getting rain fade during the past week or so? We've had some pretty good rain activity in SW Ontario. I've been getting a bit of rainfade on some of the HD channels. To the point that the 630 told me that I had to reauthorize it. Problem went away after the rain let up.

I just did a relocate last year to a 6x6 post I cemented 4' into the ground. I really hope that I don't need another relocate.

I guess HD has moved to both F1 and F2 birds? I get a slightly better signal on one bird than the other.... In clear weather, my Sig strength is in the high 80's - low 90's and the quality is in the 7-10range.....

P
 
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#29 · (Edited)
signal strength varies in the rain

Short of swapping the entire cable run, I'm at the end of my rope and looking for suggestions. I'm a DIY guy who does not like to ask *C for help ...

Here's my setup:
-DSR505
-200' cable, half of it is buried
-18db inline amp halfway along the cable run
-60E dish and matching lnb

The Problem:
-no/low signal strength when it rains

The Symptoms:
-channel 299 and 712 have ~8.0db s/n on sunny days
-on rainy days 0-4 db s/n (options 6-4-7)
-signal strength channel 299 78 sunny days (options 6-4-3-1)
-channel 712 signal strength up to 90
-started showing these symptoms since this past winter - no equipment changes before then

Over the past month or two, I've attempted these remedies:
-swapped inline amp (no change)
-swapped lnb (no change)
-removed inline amp (signal worsens)
-downloaded DSLook Angle Calculator to help visualize line of sight
-adjusted dish aiming with meter and with built-in diagnostic menus
-trimmed nearby branches (no change)
-removed waterproofing on all outdoor connectors, saw no water ingress and replaced afterwards

I am open to your suggestions.
 
#30 ·
u will never eliminate rain fade problems.
But if ur having problems under mild / casual rainfall your system could be improved. Have you tried a larger antenna? What size dish u have now and what's ur location?

Somewhat related post in a diff thread related to rain fade.
http://digitalhome.ca/forum/showpost.php?p=1434516&postcount=35

edit: what brand inline amp? to be honest, Have never seen an inline amp work for satellite purposes.
Why is it placed halfway down the line, and not closer to the antenna?
when ya removed the amp temporarily, did you do any further dish alignment while disconnected?
 
#32 ·
in heavy rain, like thunderstorms, will almost always be total loss of signal, typically as the storms are approaching, because the dish is usually looking thru more of the rain than when it is directly overhead. Also keep in mind there are fades in the uplink direction wherever the uplink transmitter is located as well (say Toronto)??

Moderate rainfall shouldn't cause ya to lose completely unless something is wrong.
60E is kinda small. Ya might have better results with a 75E or next one bigger than that. probly depends where u are located.
 
#33 ·
vincedeon,

I'll tell you where to look, underground!

I did a service call for a Bell TV customer three or four years ago, experiencing very similar problems.

He also had around 150 - 200 feet of cable underground.

Adjusting the dish, changing the LNB's did not change things.

So, we dug up the line and guess what we found?

The Bell Tech who installed it must've run out of cable and attached a new piece using the proper F81 barrel connector WITHOUT any weather protection.

When I opened up the connections, they were corroded.

I replaced the entire length of cable, he got all his signal strength back, and I haven't heard from him since.

So, did you install & bury the line? If you did, can you remember if the line is a single piece?

Maybe there is a small knick or cut somewhere along the buried portion of the line, and when it rains, water is absorbing into the ground and getting into the damaged section.

Also, I believe 200 feet of cable does not require any kind of in-line amplifier.

I'd ditch that too, in my opinion.

Honestly, if I was you, I'd replace that entire line, be sure you use the proper RG6 coax, and make it a single piece.

The time required will less than all the troubleshooting.

I just thought of another idea; it could be a receiver problem. If you know someone with a working Shaw receiver, ask them to try it out at your place, and install yours at their place. If you have a cable/dish problem, their receiver will act up too.

Good luck.
 
#34 ·
As above, 200' should require NO amplification at all, it is well within the specs.

I would question the type of RG6 line used underground, is it the correct 'flooded' type of cable.? If not then even tree roots can damage the outer sheathing and allow water into the cable.

As you seam to say it is a recent issue, I would be looking for corrosion somewhere, including moisture ingress into the cable or a hidden connection.
 
#36 ·
Reception issues in the rain

... and I'm not talking thunderstorms, I'm talking normal rain.

As long as I've had Shaw Direct, I've noticed that reception during inclement weather is absolutely horrendous. I've had Bell and US providers in the past and while they would go out during bad storms (typically right before, and then come back right as the rain gets overhead) rain was never an issue. Rain kills HD channels, and SD channels often go out too but not for as long.

One thing I noticed right now is as I am watching National Geographic HD has an ECB of 5.5, and it's a perfectly clear night. When I've got PBS HD on in the morning for my son the ECB is around 6. The new G1 channels look fantastic, 10 or so. Happens on both receivers.

Is the sigh simply not aligned very well and needs to be peaked? Is sitting through hours of hold the only option, or can I send them an email about this and see what they say about having someone come out to look at it?
 
#44 ·
I realize weather at the uplink can affect signal. I just assumed that even if the uplink was "broken" my receivers would still see signal from the sats - as opposed to zero which is what they were reporting.

My 319 returned to service quite a bit after the newer receivers.
 
#48 ·
Quite a few HD channels seem to be unavailable, now. What is this severe weather that Ontario is experiencing? I thought the blizzard was moving up the eastern seaboard then up to the Atlantic provinces. I didn't think that Ontario was going to have severe weather. Those of you in Ontario, what's going on?
 
#51 ·
Everything seems to be back to normal now. I noticed at supper time CTV Atlantic and CBC Atlantic (both SD and HD) were both in the black, but Global Atlantic was OK. 57, do you know how the Halifax signals are sent to Mississauga? Are they sent directly from Halifax to Mississauga? Are the Global signals uplinked directly from Halifax? I am interested in how the signals get sent around, but can't seem to find any information on the net. Do you know a link that explains this process? Thanks in advance.
 
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