That's much like the set-up I have and should do the trick. As I understand it, the multiswitch should drive one of the LNB outputs at the voltage for H and one for V, and send the signals to the various multiswitch outputs based on what the voltage they were receiving specified. I guess a dead multiswitch isn't impossible, maybe with some sort of "short" there or or LNB that is keeping the voltage to the LNB high (H-pol) on both of its outputs.
True. I think there is more than one thing going on, especially since some are still in business. I was just trying to exclude a possibility for 'threads'.
My best guess at the moment, and I'm definitely a non-expert, is that the signal from the transponder is down a bit (space weather?; transponder fault?), and those with larger dishes are still in business, but those with smaller have dipped below a critical threshold. Add to that some very gusty weather and some earthquakes, and the slightly more stringent alignment requirements for SBS, and that could account for most of the rest.
Yea ... thats where Im heading as well. Might get someone in tomorrow to check the alignment and skew, as it seems coincidental that on the night where we had massive rain and wind ... it all started. But that said, we had one mornings reception since then all okay.
Whilst Ive got a large dish, the cable run to my HTPC is quite long ...
Phew! It's back up and working again. I couldn't budge the kids from the Media PC (they were watching some Downton Abbey episode) so I tried the STB and it all seemed good!
Suspect the weather had something to do with it. Maybe even the upload from Aussie might have had problems.
[5 mins later!] Actually just a few mins ago it went off again .. but now it's back on. Definitely something odd happening.
Based entirely on thinking but no real knowing, some New Zealand Geek readers claim they can still obtain the SBS signal, but reception is very weak and noisy. It appears to me the SBS satellite outage was been caused by the sun producing C class flares, thereby swamping plasma into the earth’s ionosphere. Because of the satellite TV signal travelling (not down from over ones head), as it propagates through the ionosphere layer at a longer path, the ionosphere distorts, bends, changes signal polarization, cancels out and delays radio wave propagations, even higher than 12,648 MHz. I may add one of the benefits of having circularized polarization instead of vertical or horizontal polarization.
I found it almost impossible to receive the SBS signal on a 30 cm dish, but normally one can pick it up on 60 cm SKY dish. Therefore, SBS reception at times is marginal and subjected to rain fade and earthquakes (no joking, I had to realign my dish). In reality you need a 90 cm > or a larger dish. I am sure with a 90 cm dish; most people affected by the outage still could receive SBS and other channels of sorts.
Based on thinking and not knowing, I believe that New Zealand viewers will still have access to SBS TV up to launch of 'Optus 10' in 2013 and from there on who knows. The New Zealand government may decide to sell TVNZ to SBS or WIN, as was proposed in 2009. However, the price was not right.
paulus:Based entirely on thinking but no real knowing, some New Zealand Geek readers claim they can still obtain the SBS signal, but reception is very weak and noisy.
Based on knowing (I just went and looked again to be sure I hadn't imagined it before) I can quite confidently claim that I can still obtain the SBS signal. Even though the signal strength has improved since my last check, I'd not have characterised it then or now as very weak, and at neither time was I aware of any noise.
Just checked mine, and after I gave my dish a scrub clean ... I almost had no reception whatsoever, but just checked now and reception is perfect again.
Gone again around midnight, still off-line here in oamaru SBS1,sbs2,sbs3,sbs4,sbsHD. GO GEM and 9HD are still going strong. using Dishtv S7090s s2 receiver.
nitebeatdisco: Gone again around midnight, still off-line here in oamaru SBS1,sbs2,sbs3,sbs4,sbsHD. GO GEM and 9HD are still going strong. using Dishtv S7090s s2 receiver.
I've just had SBS 1 & 2 for a couple of weeks (just found out out to tune then). But I though SBS3 and 4 didn't existed, are they on a different transponder or satellite? Can't see them here http://www.lyngsat.com/optusd1.html
paulus:Based entirely on thinking but no real knowing, some New Zealand Geek readers claim they can still obtain the SBS signal, but reception is very weak and noisy.
Based on knowing (I just went and looked again to be sure I hadn't imagined it before) I can quite confidently claim that I can still obtain the SBS signal. Even though the signal strength has improved since my last check, I'd not have characterised it then or now as very weak, and at neither time was I aware of any noise.
Noise as used in RF terminology could mean snow, bum reception, loss of picture, color noise, loss of pixels and sync and a grainy weak picture as well as sound hiss. C- Ku Band LNB’s usually rated by their noise factor, measured in Kelvin. By heating a conductor, it produces thermal agitation noise. Noise can also be produced in Zenner diodes components, resistors, IC’s, transistors, diodes as well as diodes specially designed purposely to create noise, as used in radar or noise bridges. By increasing ones dish from 60 cm to 90cm improves the signal factor by 3 db, plus and reduces the atmosphere receiver noise level factor by 3 db. Once energy or noise is produced, it cannot be so easily destroyed.
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