True Visions

[borabora1]

I am newly subscribed to true visions and located in a new place in the city at a condo near rama3. However, system freezed for few hours with no channel receptions at all....

However, back for 2007-2008 I used it for a year in another part of the city near Onut and all i can remembered was some short disruptions during storms, etc...

Is that common nowadays? Thanks to give feedback!

[Max4243]

I recommend that you should call True Visions to fix this for you. I had this type of problem and the technical staff sort this out very easily. Just switch off the whole systems and reboot the black box.

[shaunoro]

Switch off the set top box and unplug from mains for a minimum of 10 seconds.

Then replug and the box will reset itself.

The storms will cause interruption to satellite service.

[astral]

If the power off/on does not cure the problem call TRUE.

That will be their first suggestion, so you can say you have tried that approach.

PS I never find the need to unplug as well.

[Pib]

When you say "freeze" I'm assuming you mean the set top box locked up...like maybe just giving you a black screen, possibly with or without an error message. If so, unplug the box for about 10 seconds, plug it back in, when the time displays on the readout turn the box fully on with your remote, and then remove the subscription card for a few seconds and push the card back in (you may have to do the card in and out thing a couple of times). Be sure you insert the card the correct way. This box freeze-up problem has happened with my TrueVisions issued/rented box a couple of times and even with a different brand box I bought.

Now, if you are getting a message something along the lines of "Searching for Signal, Low Signal, etc" and it's raining then you are experiencing rain fade (I'm assuming you are using TrueVisions dish vs cable). Hopefully your TrueVisions dish is not partially obstructed by another building, trees, etc., and hopefully it was aligned spot on versus just a ball park alignment. But if it ain't raining and you've tried rebooting the set top box and reinserting the card a few times with no luck, then it's time to call TrueVisions.

Yes, rain fade is still very common simply because TrueVisions operates on KU band frequencies which are very susceptible to signal degradation from rain, heavy clouds, etc., due to the short wavelength KU band frequencies. You won't have this problem on C Band (big black dish) since C band frequencies are much lower (about one-fourth of KU Band)...heavy rain and clouds have little reception impact on C band.

[astral]

Yes, rain fade is still very common simply because TrueVisions operates on KU band frequencies which are very susceptible to signal degradation from rain, heavy clouds, etc., due to the short wavelength KU band frequencies. You won't have this problem on C Band (big black dish) since C band frequencies are much lower (about one-fourth of KU Band)...heavy rain and clouds have little reception impact on C band.

Rain fade can largely be eliminated by fitting a larger dish, 1m would be good.

[Pib]

Yes, rain fade is still very common simply because TrueVisions operates on KU band frequencies which are very susceptible to signal degradation from rain, heavy clouds, etc., due to the short wavelength KU band frequencies. You won't have this problem on C Band (big black dish) since C band frequencies are much lower (about one-fourth of KU Band)...heavy rain and clouds have little reception impact on C band.

Rain fade can largely be eliminated by fitting a larger dish, 1m would be good.

Just this week I finished putting an Idea Chun combo/integrated C/KU band LNB on my DyanSat 5.5 ft C Band dish. The KU LNB portion has a 65db gain and 0.3db noise factor. The 11300Mhz KU LNB portion sets on top/directly behind C band LNB so a person can get maximum gain versus mounting a separate KU 11300 LNB slightly on the side of the prime focus area. The dish KU gain for my C band dish is 44db (per specs) and for the TrueVisions 75cm dish 38db (per specs). So in the perfect world I should have seen a 6 db gain by putting the KU LNB on the C band dish. Both dishes were optimized/tweaked for maximum signal reception and the RG6 cable lengths between the two dishes were within 2 meters of being the same. In the real world I got a solid 3 db gain and it has definitely made a difference in reducing rain fade, especially for light to medium rains/storms, but in the heavy thunderstorms/rains I still have rain fade but for a shorter length of time.

[Pib]

Yes, rain fade is still very common simply because TrueVisions operates on KU band frequencies which are very susceptible to signal degradation from rain, heavy clouds, etc., due to the short wavelength KU band frequencies. You won't have this problem on C Band (big black dish) since C band frequencies are much lower (about one-fourth of KU Band)...heavy rain and clouds have little reception impact on C band.

Rain fade can largely be eliminated by fitting a larger dish, 1m would be good.

Not sure even a 1.2M solid dish would eliminate all rainfade. A 1.2M solid dish has a KU gain of approx 42db (http://www.jonsa.com...tail.asp?pid=27) compared to a 5.5ft C band dish KU gain of approx 44db. Putting a KU LNB on my C band dish definitely reduced rainfade but didn't totally get rid of it.

But depending on where a person lives in Thailand (I'm in Bangkok) the signal reception may be several db stronger, interference may be less, etc., which could make either a 1 to 1.2M solid dish or 5ft+ meshed C band dish pretty much elimanate KU band rain fade.

Edited July 3, 2010 by Pib

[astral]

A switch from the 70cm dish fitted by True to a 1m should give an increase in gain of 3db,

or double, as it had double the surface area.

I did not say it will totally eliminate rainfade, but should improve the situation noticeably.

Unless you already have a 5ft, or bigger, mesh dish setup, I would not recommend going that way.

Mesh dishes are not ideal for Ku band signals

[Pib]

Too late...I already put the KU LNB on the C band mesh dish...got my solid 3db gain...which as you mentioned a 3db gain is probably what I would have got in going to a 1M solid dish. The new combo/integrated C/KU LNB only cost me 850 Baht...didn't have to buy a larger solid dish which would have cost more at around 2700 Baht for a 1.2M solid dish...now just have one dish instead of two dishes....rain fade is less...all is as good as it's probably going to get regarding rainfade. Even if I could get another 3 db in gain (ie.,double the power received again), I don't think it would eliminate rain fade in the heaviest of rainstorms as I've watched the receiver db power level drop during such a rainstorm and at what point I lose the signal/signal lock....it appears I would need about 6 db more (which is a lot) to keep the signal....durn rain drops in Thailand are just too big and numerous. Cheers.