Does anyone know....

[dishnet_tech]

is it possible to point and lock an Exede dish onto anything other than Viasat 1?

 

[AlanRT]

No, why?

 

[grohgreg]

I'd say yes. WB1 and Anik-F2 are only 4 degrees away at 111.1W. Both are Ka-band, both use circular polarization; one right hand, the other left hand. ViaSat1 is at 115.1W, is Ka-band, and uses (alternating) circular polarization. Not sure about Anik, but I know there's been active Exede5 service on WB1 for a few months now. The Exede modem doubles as both an Exede5 and an Exede12 device. So given the right set of (incorrect) parameters in the Exede equipment, I'd say it's possible.

//greg//

 

[sperry85]

No you can not point and lock an EXEDE dish at the wrong satellite because you have to enter a modem key into the system that tells it the frequency range. When the dish picks up a wrong satellite, the TRIA emits a bebop sound. When you have the correct satellite, the TRIA emits a ring ring followed by a short beep. In practice, I haven't actually ever heard the short beep after the ring ring.

So, the only way to point it incorrectly is if you used an incorrect modem key, causing it to look for the wrong frequency.

But yes, EXEDE works off of more than just Viasat1.

 

[grohgreg]

You just said no before you said yes. I think that needs clarification.

Let's say I'm a potential customer in Eastern Oregon for example. Due to the way that ViaSat configured the coverage, I can only get Exede5 via WB1. Correct? So I get a nice new complement of Exede hardware, and you provision me as an Exede5 customer on WB1. But if I was in Western Oregon under ViaSat1 coverage, I'd get identical Exede equipment, but you'd provision me as an Exede12 customer on ViaSat1. So as I said above, yes. It's possible to point and lock on a satellite other than ViaSat1, if incorrect parameters are set into the Exede equipment.

//greg//

 

[harshness]

It's possible to point and lock on a satellite other than ViaSat1, if incorrect parameters are set into the Exede equipment.

There can be only one reason to do this and I'd imagine that they've engineered in some safeguards against it.

 

[grohgreg]

There can be only one reason to do this and I'd imagine that they've engineered in some safeguards against it.

Exactly. And that safeguard is the installer. The equipment is designed to access more than one satellite in more than one mode. So in the wrong hands, Exede hardware is perfectly capable of locking onto either of 2 satellites, especially given the 4 degrees of proximity. It's the installer who must ensure that (correct) parameters assigned to that specific customer are provisioned into the modem before permitting the transmitter to radiate

I will concede though, that the probability of this happening is low. So in the spirit of fairness, I should have opened by saying "Possible, but not probable"". Reasons being, we'd have to be talking adjacent beams here. And even then it's a 50/50 chance, because ViaSat1 uses alternating polarization. All the WB1 beams are all LHCP. ViaSat1 beams alternate RHCP and LHCP. So it would have to be a situation where there was beam overlap between WB1 and a LHCP ViaSat beam. Finally, there's the transmitter lockout feature. The transmitter will not radiate unless/until a valid receive signal is detected. So we're talking an adjacent beam scenario, where beam polarization is the same AND where the modem contains an otherwise valid receive frequency and polarization - but from the wrong satellite. Like I said, possible - but not probable. It would take a specific set of circumstances AND an inexperienced installer, but it could happen.

//greg//

 

[sperry85]

The answer is still no. If you enter the incorrect modem key, you will lock to nothing. Because the key is specific to the spot beam.

However the exede system does use more than just Viasat1.

And yes, the system was designed this way to prevent satellite mismatch.

 

[Roofener]

Actually I know an installer that provisioned a modem at his home. He has taken this dish all over the state and it still works even though he has not entered a different modem key. The signal is weaker when he travels away from home however it still works. Also even though the two satellites are close to each other I have never got the ring ring off the wrong satellite however I have always used the correct modem key I have gotten the beep bop in as many as six satellites during one pass.