The spirit of DIY satellite television is not dead! Every day we have people call Solid Signal because they’re trying to improve their satellite TV system. Most are customers of either DIRECTV or DISH, but there are still some enthusiasts out there working with the older-style C-Band “FTA” dishes. No matter how you get video from the sky, it’s pretty cool that a hobby like this is still thriving 40 years after home satellite television became possible.
However, because satellite TV has been around for so long, it’s possible to find a lot of information that’s out-of-date or confusing. This blog has is now in its 18th year and I try to make sure that the really old stuff is weeded out, but with 10,000 articles it’s always possible that some old info is still around. So, I thought I’d start from scratch on the subject of satellite amplification, why you might need it and why, if you’re a home satellite TV user, you probably don’t.
The basic idea of amplification
I think everyone understands what amplification is. The idea goes back to the late 19th century, when it was proven that you could keep the basic characteristics of a signal if you applied more electricity to it the right way. That sounds like pretty basic stuff but 125 years ago it was ground-breaking.
Until the beginning of the 21st century, pretty much all broadcasting was purely analog. That is to say, it consisted of waves that traveled through the air. The waves got longer or shorter (frequency modulation) or more/less powerful (amplitude modulation) and that’s how signals were sent. Using relatively simple equipment, you could translate those signals into pictures or sounds. That’s the kind of broadcasting we tend to think of.
However, in the 21st century we started to see digital transmission. Because we live in the real world, there was still some sort of analog wave, but what it carried was a series of ones and zeroes. Digital broadcasting is more like downloading a file. One file looks more or less like another, they are all ones and zeroes. But, decode the file and it could be anything.
How analog and digital signals respond to amplification
It’s very easy to understand the way that analog signals respond to amplification. The overall idea is simple. A signal’s most powerful parts get more powerful, and it’s easier to see fine details.
As the signal itself gets stronger, you can see that there are details that show up that couldn’t be seen before. That’s why amplifying analog signals works the way you expect.
When you amplify a digital signal, you really don’t see any more detail. The details just get bigger.
Amplifying digital signals only really has any effect if there was trouble interpreting the original signal. If you can tell what the original signal was supposed to be, even if you have very minor mistakes, amplifying isn’t going to do anything.
What this means for digital satellite television
Now that I’ve explained things the easy way, it’s time to get a little more complicated. The signal from the satellite itself is very, very weak by the time it gets to the dish. So, there’s a complex amplifier built into the dish to try to raise it up to a usable level. As the signal travels down a cable, it does get weaker. In general, a traditional satellite TV system has enough signal to run about 250-300 feet before the signal level is too low for a receiver.
As long as the signal level is high enough to be interpreted by the receiver, there’s no point in amplifying it further. The signal level isn’t even really the most important measure. The most important measure of digital satellite TV is the “bit error rate” which is a measure of how much of the signal can actually be used. (There’s quite a bit more to it than that, but that will do for this article.) The bit error rate has nothing at all to do with the signal level, unless the level is too low to be used at all.
Using amplifiers with modern satellite television
If you have a Genie system from DIRECTV or a Hopper system from DISH, the way you’re getting your TV content is very different from traditional satellite TV. With these systems, all the signals are received by one box and then distributed to other boxes using a completely different method. That completely different method just happens to travel on the same wire as the signal from the dish. Plus, if you’re using DIRECTV’s SWM technology (and pretty much everyone with equipment made in the 2010s or 2020s is) then you need a two-way signal.
For those reasons, using a typical satellite amplifier in a home rarely makes sense. If you’re using one of those technologies, an amplifier won’t do anything but add noise to the line and make things worse. If you’re using traditional satellite TV from DIRECTV the way it used to be done, or from DISH the way it’s done without Hopper systems, an amplifier could be used. I just don’t generally recommend it.
A properly aimed dish that’s receiving a signal should be able to accommodate a run of over 200 feet. That should be enough for pretty much every run at home. If you have a home larger than that, you may need an amplifier. But then, it’s really more like a business in its wiring scheme.
When you should use a satellite amplifier
Installers use satellite amplifiers to enable runs over 200 feet between the dish and the multiswitch in commercial installations. Very complex installations use amplifiers to make sure that there is enough signal to reach several multiswitches. This is pretty much the only reason to use a satellite amplifier. If you’re doing an install where you are running a long distance between the dish and the multiswitch, or you’re serving 100 or more receivers, an amplifier is a must. But for regular folks, it’s usually not necessary.
If you can’t use an amplifier, what can you do?
If you have signal issues with satellite TV, it’s generally an issue of aiming the dish properly. A dish that is as little as 1/32″ off alignment can be looking at the wrong part of the sky. It could be looking at an area of the sky 10 miles from where it should be. We all know that satellite signals don’t pass through trees or other solid objects of course. We know that some signals have problems with heavy rain. The best way to deal with these issues is to have a clear view of the sky. Aim that dish well, and it won’t be a problem. The amplifier within the dish is generally all you will need.
Signal loss messages on your TV come from too many errors in the signal, not low signal. An amplifier won’t do anything to help too many errors. Aiming the dish properly will.
Want to know more?
If you want help with your DIY satellite project, call the experts! Solid Signal has been helping people with satellite TV since 2002 and we’re here to share our expertise! Call us at 888-233-7563 during East Coast business hours. If it’s after hours, fill out the form below. We’ll get back to you, usually within one business day.
