[SBE] Looking for possible interference when siting a dish --

[Edwin Bukont]

Radar detectors and some vehicle anti-collision systems also apparently can cause issues.  TV station here went nuts with that problem until someone noticed it only happened when one particular car parked in front of the dish at the perimeter fence.

Edwin Bukont CSRE, DRB, CBNT 
Comm-Struction and Services LLC 
Baltimore/Washington DC
V- 410.879.5567 F- 410.272.5750 C- 240.417.2475 

A Harris Broadcast Channel Partner 
 
The opposite of PROgress is CONgress



 


From: mlangner at swcp.com
To: sbe at sbe.org
Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2009 13:31:08 -0700
Subject: [SBE] Looking for possible interference when siting a dish --


Hello all !!
 
Potential C-band interference thread --
 
All good answers.
 
"Out here in the west" before we site a dish we do an RF survey of the site.
 
Usually we use a sheet-metal horn and a spare LNB from the shelf hooked into a spectrum analyzer.
 
Since this microwave stuff bounces so well, even if you have a company do a search for terrestrial microwave paths, you likely wouldn't find out about the bounces off tall buildings, etc.
 
Another not uncommon C-band interference source impossible to predict -- but that you can measure -- is certain kinds of radar altimeters from aircraft.
 
Here in Albuquerque, NM, one station's "look" goes right across the approach to Albuquerque International Sunport (Airport) for planes landing headed east.  Made us crazy several years ago, since it was so intermittent.  But one day a staff member was listening to the air signal outdoors, and observed it disappearing as a Southwest Airlines plane was right in line!
 
A passive C-band filter ahead of the LNB "fixed" the problem.
 
Still, one TV station here several years ago had no option but to shield its receive dish.  They shielded it, all right!  They dug a 10 foot deep hole in their back parking lot and stuck the dish down in the ground.  Poof!  No more TI (terrestrial interference.)
 
You can also get absorptive panels with with to ring your dish if you have TI coming in pretty far "off axis."
 
Last I knew we shared out C-band allocation with Ma Bell and whatever carriers have come along since.
 
Moral of our little story?  Ya gotta measure it!  Then license it to protect yourself from new potential TI problems as the spectrum continues to get more and more users.
 
Good luck !
 
Mike Langner, CPBE
Albuquerque, NM
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