azenga
Senior Member
- Feb 5, 2014
- 190
- 27
UK SATELLITES WILL BE HIT BY SUN OUTAGE FROM 4TH
OCTOBER
Satellites serving the UK will soon be passing directly in
front of the sun in the mornings, starting around the 4th
October (9th October in Scandinavia)
For about ten days, signals from the UK beams of Astra
2E and 2F will be completely lost for up to 14 minutes
during every morning just after 10.30 am CET (GMT+1) in
Spain, Portugal, southern France, Eastern Germany,
Austria, Italy and Scandinavia.
The explanation:
Sun outage is a twice-yearly event, and happens when
the sun, satellite and earth are in a straight line during
the spring and autumn equinoxes. A satellite dish always
has to point to the satellite 24 hours a day, even if this
means the dish is pointing straight at the sun. Random
electrical noise from the sun overwhelms signal in weak
areas. Dramatically worse signal-to-noise ratio results in
total loss of data. The British Isles are unaffected. Strong
signals also weaken, but within normal margins.
At night, satellites pass through the umbra, or area of
total eclipse, forcing operators to switch to built-in
batteries, compensating for the absence of sunlight.
For some weeks either side of total eclipse, satellite
reception in fringe areas is disrupted owing to the
reduced amount of sun the satellite's solar panels receive
as they pass through the penumbra, or outer shadow.
Sun outage. This happens twice a year at the equinoxes
when the earth, sun and satellite are in a straight line.
Check your dish for obstructions if it sunny- they will cast
a shadow on the dish. Anywhere in full sun at this time is
a good site for a new dish. There is one compensation for
the loss of signals. It's the perfect time to check whether
there is anything shading your dish, such as trees or
foliage. Any obstruction will cast a shadow on your dish
at sun outage, revealing that signals will be reduced all
year round. Green leaves are as effective as lead in
blocking satellite signals.
Any site with full sun at this time is a good site for a new
dish installation.
OCTOBER
Satellites serving the UK will soon be passing directly in
front of the sun in the mornings, starting around the 4th
October (9th October in Scandinavia)
For about ten days, signals from the UK beams of Astra
2E and 2F will be completely lost for up to 14 minutes
during every morning just after 10.30 am CET (GMT+1) in
Spain, Portugal, southern France, Eastern Germany,
Austria, Italy and Scandinavia.
The explanation:
Sun outage is a twice-yearly event, and happens when
the sun, satellite and earth are in a straight line during
the spring and autumn equinoxes. A satellite dish always
has to point to the satellite 24 hours a day, even if this
means the dish is pointing straight at the sun. Random
electrical noise from the sun overwhelms signal in weak
areas. Dramatically worse signal-to-noise ratio results in
total loss of data. The British Isles are unaffected. Strong
signals also weaken, but within normal margins.
At night, satellites pass through the umbra, or area of
total eclipse, forcing operators to switch to built-in
batteries, compensating for the absence of sunlight.
For some weeks either side of total eclipse, satellite
reception in fringe areas is disrupted owing to the
reduced amount of sun the satellite's solar panels receive
as they pass through the penumbra, or outer shadow.
Sun outage. This happens twice a year at the equinoxes
when the earth, sun and satellite are in a straight line.
Check your dish for obstructions if it sunny- they will cast
a shadow on the dish. Anywhere in full sun at this time is
a good site for a new dish. There is one compensation for
the loss of signals. It's the perfect time to check whether
there is anything shading your dish, such as trees or
foliage. Any obstruction will cast a shadow on your dish
at sun outage, revealing that signals will be reduced all
year round. Green leaves are as effective as lead in
blocking satellite signals.
Any site with full sun at this time is a good site for a new
dish installation.