SatSig topic:

Duvall, WA 98019.....Help now pls......!

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Aug 28^th, 2007 at 12:44am

Hello and SOS to everyone,

We are in desperate need of high speed connection. My wife is going crazy right now to support her clients, currently using Direct Way Sat with their standard installation. This setup is just bad, connection is really slow, I think dial up is faster no matter how I looked at it. Specially the up link rate are just horrible, break in connection, in complete transfer and just unpredictable every time my wife upload to her server for any website design work, so she can to check for problems. Anyway, I could not see my self to commit and pay for the faster service let alone the upfront cost of hardware and possible early termination fee. The 250 kbps uplink could be suffice if only it would work right, but its not.

So far DSL, T1 and Clearwire are out of the picture, Actually the Clearwire could have worked if I could only change the antenna and use a direction horn since I’m in the top of the hill and 4 miles from the base site. We are willing to pay up to $400 a month to get decent connection (500kbps uplink and 1.5 downlink Mbps). If you have any suggestion, pls let me hear it. The connection is mainly for Web developer speed requirements.

Thanks,
Romulo

Aug 28^th, 2007 at 1:31am

Don't confuse data rate with symbol rate. The "256 upload" that Hughes advertises is actually ksps (kilosymbols per second). The working maximum upload speed is determined by whatever FEC rate has been selected for the current conditions. The best rate available to the HN7000S is 256k 4/5. That equates to a max upload around 204kbps. If conditions - weather or hardware - dictate that a rate less than 256k 4/5 is used, upload speed decreases proportionately. 256k 2/3 rate for example, will max out around 170 kbps. Worsening conditions can drop the uplink as low as 128k 1/2 rate, which drags the uploads all the way down to 64 kbps and lower - before eventually dropping out altogether.

This is actually a good thing. If the coding rate was not adaptable, you'd have dropped the connection as soon as it wouldn't support the optimum 256k 4/5 rate (rain, wind, hardware). But the adaptive error correction keeps stepping the speed down to keep the connection alive. It's a trade-off; speed for survivability.

In short, you may be expecting more than the connection can produce.

That said, there are hardware issues that can inhibit optimum operating rates as well. More info is need from and about your system to delve any deeper. Have you addressed your concerns to tech support?

//greg//

Aug 28^th, 2007 at 2:29am

Greg,

Thanks for the respond and the correction.

The last time the transceiver was checked, it measure 98%, what ever that is. So, is moving to bigger dish and higher transmit output help this issue? Where can I get a utility software to very read the RSSI or the BER of the link to my modem. If the FEC is kicking in at all times, meaning my signal strength is just barely above the nominal level, should I expecting zero error?

Thanks,
Romulo

Aug 28^th, 2007 at 5:01am

Don't get ahead of yourself, the solution might be much simpler than that. Sounds like you're unaware of the browser-based user interface. What Hughes equipment do you have? and did it come with a user manual?

I suspect your "98 percent" was the RSL (received signal level). You won't find it in the user interface listed that way though. For some reason, Hughes has invented a new acronym; SQF for Signal Quality Factor. Anyway, what I was describing in the previous post was strictly your transmit. Your dish pointing may never have been optimized for transmitter isolation. The dubious Hughes acronym for that is ACP (automatic crosspol). There are still some installers out there that didn't read the instruction book all the way to the end. I talked to one yesterday, unfortunately he's been committing that very same error on every installation he's done for the last six years.

Unlike satellite TV - where they peak for the highest RSL and call the job done - properly pointing these internet dishes has one additional step. After the highest SQF is obtained, the attention is then focused on peaking the ACP. Quite often, this final optimization comes at the expense of some of the RSL obtained in the previous step, sometimes as many as 10 points.

Anyway, I need to know where you live, what size dish, transmitter power rating, rate plan, satellite assignment, transponder assignment. Armed with that info, I can obtain representative RSL and ACP numbers. That should tell me whether antenna optimization may improve your upload issue

//greg//

Aug 28^th, 2007 at 10:47am

I don't know the exact bit rates in the above DirecWay system, but for example ..

If your uplink bit rate is 250kbit/s and is shared with 50 other sites then your average uplink rate during busy periods when all sites are active is likely to be around 2 kbit/s. Your VSAT will occasionally transmit a short burst of data. Such a service would be suitable for light useage web browsing. The uplink is used mainly for sending mouse clicks and url addresses. During the night, when the other 49 sites are inactive, the full 250k capacity may be available to you so your transmitter may be on for a larger proportion of the time.

I guess there are different tariffs for various peak bit rates, sharing ratios and fair useage policies.

Terrestrial communications avoids the cost of the satellite link which is about $7000 per month per Mbit/s.

I found your location by testing your zip code 98019 into my geocoder on page https://www.satsig.net/maps/satellite-tv-dish-pointing-usa.htm It finds Duvall.

Best regards, Eric.

Oct 28^th, 2007 at 5:44pm

Pinas

(Assuming you have a DW7000 or HN7000/7700 modem) There is a way to determine if you site is working at the service level you are paying for by using Forced Ranging. This avoids having to call the US or India to detemine your potential/performance...

The technical bulletin on this procudure is located on our website at > HughesNet_Transmit_Problems_Using_Force_Ranging.pdf

Link above edited by forum admin..

You will need the following address to perform this procedure (typed into your browser) > 192.168.0.1/fs/advanced/advanced.html

This also explains some limitations on two different size antennas.

Please post any questions or results after trying it... will try and help further