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I'm having a problem with my DirecTV. The signal strengths of most of my favorite channels has deteriorated severely lately. It probably has to do with the torrential rainfall down here lately, but I'm not sure. (I know all about rain fade.)
Some of my favorite channels, like MSNBC, Comedy Central, CNN, and USA Network have been totally unwatchable during even the lightest sprinkle of rain.
A summer or two ago, I did some yardwork and got the signal for all the valid transponders to register at least 85, and close to 100 in most cases.
Today, before it started raining again, I looked at the signal strengths on the system. My highest reading was 96. I assume that's the one with my local stations.
Other than the couple of zeros, which I assume are for local channels for other markets, my lowest was 19 on transponder 4. Transponder 23, which I think MSNBC is on, registered 60.
After lopping off a few limbs that I could reach, I got 23 up to 68. And MSNBC looked good most of the night. But when I got ready to watch the late repeat of Ed, the pixels started dancing. And by the time we got half-way to psycho talk, it was completely incomprehensible.
We were having the lightest of rainfall here. It was raining pretty hard twenty or thirty miles to the south.
What exactly is a transponder? Is it merely a frequency? Or is it a separate transmitter that is aimed in a slightly different direction than the others?
I'm wondering why my signal strengths are varying so wildly.
Help? :)
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