Troubleshooting analog headends can be a challenge but, if you make sure a few things are done first, the job will be easier and you will operate much more efficiently.
Satellite dishes are subjected to wind, rain, snow and ice so we know they live a rough life. If the mounting apparatus was not installed properly or has experienced damage due to the elements, the dish can be out of alignment which leads to signal loss. If you don’t ensure that the dish is properly peaked before troubleshooting a headend, you could end up spending unnecessary time trying to fix an issue that is because of an unpeaked dish which is why you’re losing signal at the headend. Do yourself a favor and get access to the roof and make absolutely sure the dish is peaked using a quality meter that’s fully charged.
Making sure the headend is properly balanced is one of the most crucial steps you can take when servicing a system. As headends sit in a closet running 24/7/365 for years on end, the balance of the headend will change and must be rebalanced on occasion. If you are called to a property where they are having issues with one or more channels, one of the first things you should do, after peaking the dish, is balance the systems modulators. This can also help you find defective or dead modulators which can adversely affect other channels that are not actually having an issue. If you try to start troubleshooting video quality issues of the system without balancing the modulators first, you could end up wasting hours of time without fixing the main issue.
As you combine all of the modulators in a headend together, you lose signal which is why most headends have a launch amp that feeds the properties distribution system. Amplifiers have very specific signal input thresholds that help insure good quality signal is coming into the amp so it can send the same quality out of the amp. Overdriving an amp input can lead to lots of video and audio quality issues that can be hard to diagnose.
If you are having issues with a headend that was purchased from NACE, please feel free to give us a call and we can walk you through any troubleshooting needs you may have.
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