Do Satellite Signal Amplifiers really work and if so which do you recomend?

Thanks, Iggy

__________________
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

2006 - Suzuki Gran Vitara (2.0 L fully equipped) Like this car so far except for trying to put on the seatbelt.
1988 - 190e - 2.3L - 172K miles (It now belongs to the exwife)
1999 - Chevy Blazer LS Fully Equiped - killed it June 2006
2001 - Honda Civic EX - 68K miles (sold June 2004)
1963 - 220S - Dual Carb 6 cyl. (sold)
1994 - Yamaha WaveRaider (fun to ride)

They work....but only to offset loss from a long cable run between the Dish and reciever........Don't have a specific recomendation....

It has to pass DC transparently...and LNB needs power too.

If you don't have a long cable run and weak signal you need a bigger dish or a LNB with a lower noise figure (or Temprature).

__________________
Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
---------------------
Section 609 MVAC Certified
---------------------
"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Bot how does the receiver know that the week signal is from long cable run or low signal from the dish? I am just looking to improve just a tad. There are some channels that come in at certain times of the day and then at oter times it has some interference. Would a signal amplifier help in this situation?

Iggy

PS I think my cable run is about 50 feet.

__________________
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

2006 - Suzuki Gran Vitara (2.0 L fully equipped) Like this car so far except for trying to put on the seatbelt.
1988 - 190e - 2.3L - 172K miles (It now belongs to the exwife)
1999 - Chevy Blazer LS Fully Equiped - killed it June 2006
2001 - Honda Civic EX - 68K miles (sold June 2004)
1963 - 220S - Dual Carb 6 cyl. (sold)
1994 - Yamaha WaveRaider (fun to ride)

50' is no problem with rg-6 you should be able to run up to 300ft with no problems. Are you having rain fade? What is the symptom of low signal strength.

BTW Eagle Aspen is the best Sat. Multi switch equipment available, but I've been using terk for years with no problems.

Let us just say that I should have a slightly larger dish - trying to avoid this large outlay of cash. But the symptoms are that I get the digital breakup of the image at cerain times of the day. (you know like the digital sqaures appear ont he screen and then the image gets locked up for some seconds and then it jumps forward. Other times, crystal clear. Now I know that this has to do with the actual signal reception at from the dish but I was thinking that since I receive at least most of the signal, this is just borderline for a crystal clear image based on sugnal strength, I was hoping that an amplifier would grab that weak signal and boost it?

Iggy

__________________
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

2006 - Suzuki Gran Vitara (2.0 L fully equipped) Like this car so far except for trying to put on the seatbelt.
1988 - 190e - 2.3L - 172K miles (It now belongs to the exwife)
1999 - Chevy Blazer LS Fully Equiped - killed it June 2006
2001 - Honda Civic EX - 68K miles (sold June 2004)
1963 - 220S - Dual Carb 6 cyl. (sold)
1994 - Yamaha WaveRaider (fun to ride)

If the loss is in the cable it could work, but @ 50ft I doubt it. Have you tried new connectors or even new cable?

Yes it is new. Just recently reinstalled. Truth is that I should use a 1.80 meter dish and only have a 1.30 meter dish. Have not wanted to spend the money on the upgrade and I am looking to see if I can jerry-rig the signal to improve it.-

__________________
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

2006 - Suzuki Gran Vitara (2.0 L fully equipped) Like this car so far except for trying to put on the seatbelt.
1988 - 190e - 2.3L - 172K miles (It now belongs to the exwife)
1999 - Chevy Blazer LS Fully Equiped - killed it June 2006
2001 - Honda Civic EX - 68K miles (sold June 2004)
1963 - 220S - Dual Carb 6 cyl. (sold)
1994 - Yamaha WaveRaider (fun to ride)

A switch will be much more expensive than a dish, which i'm sure is plentiful down there.

Remember to check for oscillation.
Maybe there's an appliance that's close by the cable run that causes this.
If this is the problem, you can always install a "shielded" RG6 cable.

Sounds as if it is a dish alignment problem or possibly being on the fringe of the satellite's footprint. I use a signal strength meter when I "peak" friends' dishes and usually find that the alignment was less than perfect, either from initial installation or due to later sag.

just my $.02,
Wes

Make sure there are no trees growing into the line of sight of the dish.........trees are not transparent to either C-band or Ku Band signals.

__________________
Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
---------------------
Section 609 MVAC Certified
---------------------
"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

OK in Order:

MedMech - A dish is not cheap here. A used 1.80m Channel Master is $400 bucks and new one runs for about $650. I was hoping to avoid this expense. I got my 1.30m dish for $100 over two years ago used. Very good price for local market.

Mike552 - Will check that this evening when I get home.

WesBender - I will ask the installer to verify the alignment. It could have shifted a tad. We do get lots of tremors here that can cause the house to settle a little therefore, I assume, it can change the alignment.

Boneheaddoctor - no visual obsotruction what so ever. That I am sure of.

Though tanks to all for their input. Though it seems that the signal amplifier will not resolve my issue. Just wanted to make on that one. I guess that sooner or later I will have to cough up the $$$ for the larger dish.

__________________
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

2006 - Suzuki Gran Vitara (2.0 L fully equipped) Like this car so far except for trying to put on the seatbelt.
1988 - 190e - 2.3L - 172K miles (It now belongs to the exwife)
1999 - Chevy Blazer LS Fully Equiped - killed it June 2006
2001 - Honda Civic EX - 68K miles (sold June 2004)
1963 - 220S - Dual Carb 6 cyl. (sold)
1994 - Yamaha WaveRaider (fun to ride)