Satellite disruptions this conference weekend?

[lajackson]

I wish they'd put some numbers on the map so you'd have some idea if you'd be affected or not.

Well, my location is predicting Peak CN Degradation of 9.5. Does that translate into anything meaningful?

[russellhltn]

Well, my location is predicting Peak CN Degradation of 9.5. Does that translate into anything meaningful?

Not by itself. Where do you see that?

But I'm temped to say you must be in a red state. <grin>

[gregwanderson]

My experience with the seasonal outages is this: It starts about the same time every day. The duration increases until the peak day and then gets shorter until it's doesn't happen again until the Spring. If there were a way to check it tomorrow (Thursday) and Friday then you'd have a better idea of what to expect Saturday and Sunday. Is there anything being offered that you could try to watch on Thursday and Friday or do you just have to wait until Saturday to find out while everyone is watching together?

[techgy]

Don't know if this will help, but a Google search found the following;

You set your approximate location on the map and select the satellite.

http://www.satellite-calculations.com/S ... erence.php

I ran the calculations for our area (Southern California) and if I did it correctly, it appears that the outage is just at the end of the first session of conference on both Sat/Sun.

[lajackson]

Well, my location is predicting Peak CN Degradation of 9.5. Does that translate into anything meaningful?

Not by itself. Where do you see that?

9.5 dB. Sorry I left that off. I got it from the site techgy used in his Oct 3, 7:57 am post.

I'm temped to say you must be in a red state. <grin>

Is there any other color? [grin]

Our outage time is during the last hour of the morning sessions, between :10 and :20 after the hour, peaking at :15. That would put us in the middle of the country.

If losing 9 dB of signal is going to cause us a problem, then yes, Houston, we have a problem. (Just a quote, not a location identifier.)

[scgallafent]

Our outage time is during the last hour of the morning sessions, between :10 and :20 after the hour, peaking at :15. That would put us in the middle of the country.

If losing 9 dB of signal is going to cause us a problem, then yes, Houston, we have a problem. (Just a quote, not a location identifier.)

Minus 9 dB is an 87% power loss. I would make alternate arrangements. I don't know how weak a signal the satellite system will tolerate, but I wouldn't rely on at it that level unless you can test it on Friday and verify it performs with that much noise.

[Mikerowaved]

If losing 9 dB of signal is going to cause us a problem, then yes, Houston, we have a problem.

Depending on the modulation rate in use, these systems generally need a Carrier-to-Noise ratio better than 6-10dB. A LOT of variables can affect this, way too many to go into here. What happens during a sun outage is the signal power remains constant, but microwaves radiated from the sun make the noise level jump while it's in the path of the antenna. This will often make the C/N ratio fall below the required margin needed for error-free reception.

Whether you will be affected depends on how good your C/N ratio is BEFORE the sun crosses your path (which needs specialized equipment to measure). For example, if it normally runs in the 12dB range, then a 9dB rise in the noise floor would drop your C/N to 3dB, which will definitely affect your ability to receive the broadcast until the sun passes.

[scgallafent]

If losing 9 dB of signal is going to cause us a problem, then yes, Houston, we have a problem.

Depending on the modulation rate in use, these systems generally need a Carrier-to-Noise ratio better than 6-10dB. A LOT of variables can affect this, way too many to go into here. What happens during a sun outage is the signal power remains constant, but microwaves radiated from the sun make the noise level jump while it's in the path of the antenna. This will often make the C/N ratio fall below the required margin needed for error-free reception.

Whether you will be affected depends on how good your C/N ratio is BEFORE the sun crosses your path (which needs specialized equipment to measure). For example, if it normally runs in the 12dB range, then a 9dB rise in the noise floor would drop your C/N to 3dB, which will definitely affect your ability to receive the broadcast until the sun passes.

That's a nice summary of a pretty complex topic.

[russellhltn]

Whether you will be affected depends on how good your C/N ratio is BEFORE the sun crosses your path (which needs specialized equipment to measure).

Wouldn't the dB reading on the LCD display give a good idea? I think mine runs around the mid-11dB range. Fortunately, I think the sun will pass by me before this weekend, so I'm good. <grin>

[lajackson]

If losing 9 dB of signal is going to cause us a problem, then yes, Houston, we have a problem.

Whether you will be affected depends on how good your C/N ratio is BEFORE the sun crosses your path (which needs specialized equipment to measure). For example, if it normally runs in the 12dB range, then a 9dB rise in the noise floor would drop your C/N to 3dB, which will definitely affect your ability to receive the broadcast until the sun passes.

That's a nice summary of a pretty complex topic.

Indeed it is. Even I understood it. And I gather since you used it in your example that 12dB is a pretty normal range for an ordinary C/N ratio?