# question on dish modification for less rain fade



## dl151 (Oct 21, 2003)

I have a few .75meter Channel Master fiberglass dishes that were removed from a restaurant. Can these be modified to improve picture qualityand reduce rain fade for a three lnb dbs system? I remember a few years ago seeing a way to modify primestar dishes but this was for a single lnb.
Thanks,


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## Bogy (Mar 23, 2002)

What rain fade? Rain fade is a myth concocted and propagated by nasty, evil cable companies. It does not exist in real life. Just ask the guys here.


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## Chris Blount (Jun 22, 2001)

Here is something that might get you started down the road:

http://www.techweenies.com/dss-1.shtml


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## pez2002 (Dec 13, 2002)

Bogy said:


> What rain fade? Rain fade is a myth concocted and propagated by nasty, evil cable companies. It does not exist in real life. Just ask the guys here.


Its a Myth It does not go out when it rains


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## bigrick (Oct 21, 2003)

Rain fade is not a myth. It is a term for anything that makes the signal weak i.e. clouds, bad connectors, static, bad coax, snow, rain, leaves, etc. It does not really just mean rain.


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## pez2002 (Dec 13, 2002)

Oh go Back to your cable system I have had dbs for 13 Months and i love it it rains here from time to time And i get no rain fade 


If you get a crap hook up then you will have rain fade


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

pez2002 said:


> If you get a crap hook up then you will have rain fade


 I've had rain fade on cable - plenty of times (even on citywide cable). It takes a heck of a lot of rain (or wet snow) but the path to the dish from the bird needs to be clear whether it is my personal DBS dish or the 4 meter monster on the south edge of town. (Yes, big dishes get rain fade too.)

The last apartment complex I lived in had their own cable system - when their dishes filled with snow we lost 1/2 of the channels. After two days I demanded 'permission' to take a broom to the dish. As soon as the descramble codes realigned, we all got our "cable" back. And DBS dishes started popping up all over the complex.

All cable (except local origination) is satellite. All satellite is subject to failure. Deal with it.

JL


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## Fat Tony (Oct 1, 2003)

Testify...


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## Orcatek (May 1, 2003)

Rain fade is not possible with DBS. Its digital - either you have a picture or you don't. It does not "fade". About twice a year we get a massive storm and I lose picture for 10-45 seconds. 

It doesn't even have to be raining at my house, but the cloud between me and the sat. must be very very dense.

I have cable too, as it was basically free with internet access (like $2-3 for basic). It goes out during storms, and when it does, its much longer. Not to mention the ghosting and snow in the picture. They've tried to fix it, something about being less than 5 miles form the transmitters.


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## Bogy (Mar 23, 2002)

Chris Blount said:


> Here is something that might get you started down the road:
> 
> http://www.techweenies.com/dss-1.shtml


Chris, thanks for giving a legitimate answer, and I'm sorry if I misdirected the thread. You know it was just a joke. Some people take me so seriously all the time. 

Your friendly neighborhood cable troll, causing mayhem and havoc in the DBS community. :lol: (It's a joke, son.)


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## Zach2 (May 18, 2003)

Bogy said:


> What rain fade? Rain fade is a myth concocted and propagated by nasty, evil cable companies. It does not exist in real life. Just ask the guys here.


Unless you live in Alaska when you get rain fade just about whenever it rains.


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## bfennema (Jul 21, 2002)

I get plane fade. Whenever a plane flies over my house, I loose picture and/or audio for a second or two


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## Bogy (Mar 23, 2002)

When I had DBS I thought rain fade was the built in storm warning.  My signal usually went away 3-5 minutes before heavy thunderstorms hit. The thunderheads would be high/heavy enough to block the signal. The signal would normally come back while it was still raining, but after the thunderhead had passed.

Just to show what a mean SOB I can be, our dish was mounted on a pole in the yard. Once in a while when I was mowing etc. I would cover the LNB and see how long it would take one of my kids to come to tell dad something was wrong with the TV. :lol:


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

Orcatek said:


> Rain fade is not possible with DBS. Its digital -


 It is STILL rain fade. The *signal* is degraded by the atospherics. What the receiver does with the degraded signal varies ... analog receivers get pops and static and digital receivers get some level of dropouts.

Call it "signal fade caused by rain (or atmospheric conditions)". It happens.

JL


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## pez2002 (Dec 13, 2002)

Thats a bunch of Bullcrap


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## Bogy (Mar 23, 2002)

pez2002 said:


> Thats a bunch of Bullcrap


I just love an open mind. :lol:  :sure:


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

pez2002 said:


> (edited for all audiences)
> Thats a bunch of B---c---


That's from the one who said:
"Its a Myth It does not go out when it rains"

We're not talking about spring showers, young'un.
We're talking gullywashers ...

JL


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## pez2002 (Dec 13, 2002)

Im not talking about spring showers either 

2 weeks ago it pored Hard with lightning and thunder Did i receive a signal loss 
No i did not my system was installed by a pro he knew what he was doing 
Ive known Him for 5 years Make a long story short it does not go out when it rains so why dont you cable hoppers go create your own site and ***** about why your cable system sux If you have any further comments Email me Or reply to this message 



Im done venting now 

Gotta go chase the cableguy away :lol:


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

pez2002 said:


> Im done venting now


 Good. Because insulting installers won't change the fact that signals *are* affected by the weather.

JL
PS: I don't get video from cable - only internet.


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## briangohl (Dec 20, 2002)

A properly aligned dish will all but prevent "rain fade" induced by heavy cloud cover or rain. A common problem with torrential down pours is that the water on the
surface of the dish distorts the parabola and signal is not reflected into the lnbf.

While watching your signal meter try this little experiment: Run water down the reflector face ..... watch the signal drop as the volume of water and surface area covered increases.

As an head end tech at a major cable company in S. Florida in a past life, I witnessed many signal drops as major storms passed then the miles of cables with cascading amps, corroded fittings, signal ingress, splitters, barrels, filters, power outages, cable outages, equipment changeouts, outages lasting from several minutes to days caused by distribution problems ...

I am very happy to take my chances with signal fade compared to that!

To answer the original question ... Yes, if the LNB arm terminates with the rectangular tube, many commercially available options are available for mounting the LNBs. It is just a matter of positioning the LNB in the focal point.

Brian Gohl
http://www.adventistsat.com


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