I was finally able to print up the LNB holder so I could point and hold it in place. But not able to
get a reliable signal strength to receive any files. The SNR readings at best were -15 sometimes
dipping down to -14. The CRC errors were almost equal to packets received. I fiddled with pointing
and skew. Also tried adjusting frequency up and down slightly. My location here is in Southern
california with very cloudy skies today. I finally decided to jury rig the lnb to an old 18" dish and could
bring the signal to SNR to -1 but not get the LNB to stay in place. After a while I did get it to hold
in place with a SNR -12 and receive many files. My next step is to try some sort of cone on the LNB
when I have more time.
@hobergenix Thanks for the update. As an FYI, more SNR is not better. After a certain point, a higher SNR value does you absolutely no good. For the spreading factor and coding rate that we currently use, SNR -12 is fine. If you are still seeing a few CRC failures, improving SNR to -11 should completely fix it. But a few missed packets here and there is really not a big deal.
I have been tied up and unable to do much for now. At best I was able to obtain about a SNR of -15. I tried the setup in a different location and obtained the same results before using the satellite dish setup. I have the board connected to the LNB with a short RG-316 cable. I am now wondering if the Impedance rating of 50 ohm Vs 75 could be a problem. The cable is only 6" long though. I hope to have a RG6 cable later this week just to see if it makes any difference and also move the PCB further away from the LNB.
Did you re flash your board with the latest software Firmware Version 1.0.5? It should show on you Dreamcatcher Screen. Ken
Here are some screen shots of readings and settings. I am still on V1.03. I also went from the
RG316 coax to a RG6 Quad cable I found with no improvement. I just cant seem to get a good
enough signal. I experimented with skew thinking I was off in the wrong direction. I did not touch
receiver frequency this time. Sometimes I could bring the bitrate up to 1400. But many CRC errors.
almost as many as packets received. I am not sure if flashing to V1.05 would make any difference
but willing to give it a try. I might give another location a try tonight and see if that helps. I believe
the unit is working because I was able to use a small DirecTV dish and jury rig the lnb to the arm
and get quite a few files. The SNR went from -15 to +1 but with unstandardable with the gain of the dish. At that time it was late and I did not look at any ot the other readings.
Yes, -15 is just too low. -13 is necessary for consistently downloading files.
I think Mike should update to 1.0.5. I have found much improved performance after I re flashed to 1.0.5. Particularly, my network and satellite connection has been totally stable for several weeks since I updated. Ken
I have now flashed it to V1.0.5 but see no difference. I did a lot of adjusting on the LNB.
Various skew , AZ and EL pointing and the best I can get is a SNR -14 at times. My location
is Southern California. I am waiting on a portable power pack so I can move my setup to the
other side of my apartment and see if my results change. At some point I will give some sort
of cone setup a try but want to avoid that for now. As i mentioned before if I strap that lnb to
my old DirectTV dish I get more than enough signal to receive files. I don’t know what the
foot print of the satellite looks like and wondering.