Eurobird reception when using Astra 28.2E (1 Viewer)

[RobNorthcott]

Not really a MediaPortal question, but this seemed as good a place as any to ask...

I'm using DVB-S from Astra 28.2E, which is working fine. I can also pick up the fta channels on Eurobird 28.5E, but the reception on these is very poor. Obviously most of the channels are rubbish, but there are a few I'd use occasionally if the reception was better.

So, firstly, is it reasonable to assume I should be able to get good reception on both 28.8 and 28.5 on a single fixed LNB? They seem to be included almost as one item on listing sites.

If so, then is there any reason Eurobird reception should be so bad, apart from dish alignment? I set my dish up myself using a cheap signal meter until the signal is as strong as possible, but does it need to be done better to get both signals? Or perhaps worse... could it be that I've pointed it too directly at 28.2 to get the strongest Astra signal and this is bad for getting the 28.5 signal?

I think my dish is a 60cm one (it's bigger than the ones Sky fits in this area) so it should be able to get a decent signal.

Any hints much appreciated.

Rob

 

[AberDino]

As far as I know the Eurobird signal is not as strong as the Astra signal. On my setup, the 28.2° Astra channels come in with a signal strength of about 75%, but the 28.5° Eurobird channels sit around 50%, both with a 100% quality level. As you might know, this doesn't mean very much because the reported signal statistics depend on your card's hardware and driver software. I've aligned the dish to 28.5° because 28.2° is much stronger anyway. Main thing is that all channels work properly in all weather conditions.

 

[RobNorthcott]

OK, thanks for that. With my cheap meter all I can see is the relative signal strength, so if the Astra signal is stronger that'll probably be the one I homed in on. I know what you mean about signal strength in drivers - mine pretty much always reports 100% even on channels that are unwatchable!

Could be worth me fiddling with dish alignment again then, when I can next be bothered

BTW - you say you aligned yours to 28.5E, but how did you measure it that accurately? I just got mine vaguely right using a compass then wiggled it around until I found a signal!

Another thing is that I've got a pretty long cable run from the dish to the receiver. I suppose it could be possible that I'm getting away with it for the Astra signal, but not for the weaker Eurobird. The Eurobird channels are very stuttery and pixelated - I'm assuming that means weak signal.

Rob

 

[AberDino]

I performed a rough alignment with a cheap signal meter and after that used FastSatfinder for the detailed alignment on a 28.5° transponder. FastSatfinder has a web server built-in so you can use a laptop to view the statistics outside while aligning the dish (assuming you've got WiFi coverage of course). The software also uses the signal strenght/quality info from your card so don't know how well it will work for you if it reports 100% already...

 

[RobNorthcott]

Thanks for that. That software sounds useful - might give it a try. Although the driver for my card do tend to report 100% most of the time from what I remember from when I was setting things up (at least in MP logs). I'll have another look at the reported strength for some Eurobird channels later.

Rob

 

[RobNorthcott]

Hmmm - just did a bit of testing and it seems that my DVB-S tuner (Hauppauge HVR3000) always reports 100% signal quality and strength whatever channel I tune to (even the Eurobird ones that are hardly watchable). This is from looking in the tvserver logs, but presumably those figures just come from the card's BDA driver. Oh well.

I may try installing that FastSatfinder thing just in case it gives different figures, but it's not looking hopeful at the moment.

Rob

UPDATE: Weirdly, after upgrading MP to RC6 all the Eurobird channels are working perfectly. I'm sure nothing has changed, so it's probably just a coincidence (or is it?)