# Intelsat-18 at 180 W



## kenglish (Oct 2, 2004)

I tried to see if I can point my 0.85m Ku dish down low enough to make 7.8 degrees elevation, but it needs a bit of help....probably have to mount it upside down. But, holding it perfectly still on the balcony railing, I was able to see some data trying to lock on I-18, even through some trees.

I'm waiting for a new receiver that can do DVB-S2 and MPEG-4, and I'll try again at the nearby park, where I have a good shot toward the west. Hopefully, I'll be able to see some programming from France TV and TNS providers, on the French Polynesia and US Beam.


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## Scott in FL (Mar 18, 2008)

Interesting, but I think most of those channels are encrypted. I used to work for the company that uplinked these channels (GlobeCast Paris, uplinked from Sylmar, CA).


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## kenglish (Oct 2, 2004)

Lyngsat shows a very few un-encrypted on there. I'm just "playing" with that one, not expecting a lot of programming. I used to watch some c-band from Wallis et Futuna, on NSS-9, here at work...same polarity as our BYU-TV uplink. It'll be nice if I get something on Ku, since so many hemi beams are only C-band.

BTW, Globecast SLC has their Business TV facility in the next room from where I'm sitting.
Small world!


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## kenglish (Oct 2, 2004)

Well, the new FTA Receiver came last week. I'm assuming I got Serial Number 1, because I've never tested such a piece of junk.
I'll refrain from posting the manufacturer and model number until I see if they are going to issue some "fixes" for it.

Right now, it's search functions are totally flakey, and it's "Signal Strength" metering seems to be purely cosmetic (all-or-none readings).
Maybe I just got a dud.


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## Davenlr (Sep 16, 2006)

Signal readings in digital are usually all or nothing, or otherwise pretty meaningless. Its the Quality reading that really matters.


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## kenglish (Oct 2, 2004)

Davenlr said:


> Signal readings in digital are usually all or nothing, or otherwise pretty meaningless. Its the Quality reading that really matters.


Yeah, that's what I tell OTA viewers all the time. I think the manufacturers just try to make their newest box show the highest arbitrary number they can come up with, to make their own product look "more sensitive" than another.

I tried adding some attenuation to the L-band input, to see if it was just slightly overloaded....after 18 total 3 dB attenuators, it tried to lock on PBS. 
54 dB made no difference at all, on Signal Strength ("90%"), and almost none on "Quality" (10-12% all the way).

I tried scanning, using the big Simulsat dish at work today. Found channels on about one-forth of the transponders that it saw activity on. I'll have to check against Lyngsat, and see if those were all video channels (some were likely broadband).


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## kenglish (Oct 2, 2004)

Looks like the receiver I got was some sort of useless "clone".
Remind me to never buy that "brand" again.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

Could you reveal the brand and model to us ? To avoid fall into same trap ?


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## kenglish (Oct 2, 2004)

It was a clone of the OpenBox S11.
No manufacturer's name or address on the unit or in the literature.


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