Professional English

Cambridge English for

Engineering

UNIT 5

Case Study

Troubleshooting satellite TV

Part 1

Try to complete the names of the satellite and digital TV components in 16,
using the words in the box before answering the question below.
cable (x 2) converter satellite (x 2) TV

1
2
3
4
5
6

.................... receiver
.................... dish
HD ....................
HDMI ....................
LNB ....................
coaxial ....................
Do you know, or can you guess, what HD, HDMI, LNB and TV stand for?

Part 2
a

Try to complete the diagram of an HD satellite TV installation using the six terms
from Part 1.
A
B

b Work in pairs. Compare your answers to Exercise a and explain the function of
each component.

Part 3

Imagine that you and your partner are engineers working for a manufacturer
of satellite TV receivers. You are preparing to write the troubleshooting section
of an instruction book for customers who want to install dishes and receivers
themselves. Make a list of installation faults that could prevent a picture from
being received on the TV screen, and which should therefore be included in the
troubleshooting section. Look at the diagram in Part 2 to help you.

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UNIT 5 Troubleshooting satellite TV

Part 4

Look at the explanation of a satellite TV problem, below. Using the list of

installation faults you made in Part 3, discuss the most likely causes of the
problem, and rule out unlikely causes. Discuss reasons for your suggestions.

I spent most of Sunday fixing the satellite dish on to the roof of my house.
I didnt have time to drill a hole through the wall, in order to run the
cable from the dish to the receiver in the living room, so I ran the cable
temporarily through an open window, just to test if everything worked. I
managed to adjust the direction of the dish to get a good signal. On the
TV screen, in the receivers setup menu, it showed that signal strength and
signal quality were both around 80%. According to the instruction book,
thats a very good level of reception. But it was very tricky positioning the
dish. As I adjusted it, the slightest movement left or right, or up or down,
caused the signal to be lost altogether.
So, having positioned the dish accurately, I disconnected the temporary
cable on Sunday evening. It wasnt until the following Saturday that I came
back to finish the job. I drilled a hole through the wall, then I had to go and
buy a longer cable in order to have enough length to run it around the
perimeter of the living room. Then I connected everything up. But when I
selected the receivers setup menu on screen, it showed no signal.

The following language from pages 40 and 41 of Cambridge English for

Engineering may be useful.
It could be ... It cant be ... It must be ... It might be ...
It sounds like ... I doubt its ...

Cambridge English for Engineering Cambridge University Press 2010

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Professional English

Cambridge English for

Engineering

UNIT 5

Teacher's Notes

Troubleshooting satellite TV

Before you begin

Write up Satellite TV on the board then ask students to discuss the following
question.

In very simple terms, how does satellite TV work?

Suggested answer
A signal is transmitted from earth, by a TV company, to a satellite in space. The
signal is received by the satellite, then broadcast back to earth, where it can be
received in homes.

See the extension activity at the end of the notes for a more in-depth analysis.

Part 1

Students complete the activity in pairs.

Answers
1 satellite receiver
2 satellite dish
3 HD TV = high definition television HD TV has a higher-resolution picture,
which consists of a higher number and tighter concentration of pixels (dots of
colour) than a traditional TV picture
4 HDMI cable = high definition multimedia interface a type of cable that can
carry an HD signal without losing picture quality
5 LNB converter = low-noise block (noise means interference which reduces
signal quality)
6 coaxial cable = a cable with a copper core at its centre + a layer of plastic
insulation surrounding the core + an envelope of copper wires or foil
surrounding the insulation + a final outer layer of
plastic insulation a type of cable used for carrying radio signals

Part 2
a

Students do the first part of the task on their own.

Answers
A
B
C
D
E
F

satellite dish
LNB converter
coaxial cable
satellite receiver
HDMI cable
HD TV

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UNIT 5 Troubleshooting satellite TV

b Students complete the task in pairs.

Answers
satellite dish reflects radio waves (used to carry TV), focusing them at the
centre of the dish
LNB converter receives the concentrated radio waves at the centre of the
satellite dish
coaxial cable carries the signal from the LNB converter to the satellite receiver
satellite receiver converts the signal into TV pictures and sound
HDMI cable carries the signal for an HD TV picture to the TV screen
HD TV shows the TV picture

Part 3

Students complete the activity in pairs. Ask them to think of potential problems
by working downstream starting at the satellite dish and moving towards the
TV screen. Follow up with a group session to pool suggestions.
Suggested answers (in downstream order):
1 obstructions, such as nearby buildings or trees, preventing a signal reaching
the dish
2 incorrect positioning of the dish (not pointing towards the target satellite)
3 a dish with a diameter that is too small to concentrate the signal from the
satellite
4 incorrect positioning of the LNB converter relative to the dish (the arm
supporting the LNB could have been knocked during handling and
installation)
5 a damaged LNB converter (could have been knocked during handling and
installation)
6 a loose connection between the LNB converter and the coaxial cable
7 a damaged coaxial cable (e.g. a kink in the cable that has caused the copper
inside to break)
8 an excessively long coaxial cable (lengths of 20 metres or more can result in a
reduced signal)
9 a loose connection between the coaxial cable and the LNB in port in the
receiver
10 connection of the coaxial cable to the wrong port in the receiver (some have
an LNB out port)
11 a problem with the mains electrical supply to the receiver (e.g. not properly
plugged into the electrical socket)
12 a faulty or damaged receiver
12 a loose or incorrect connection between the receiver and the HDMI cable
13 a loose or incorrect connection between the HDMI cable and the TV
14 a setup problem with the TV (Has the correct input port been selected in the
TV menu?)

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UNIT 5 Troubleshooting satellite TV

Part 4

Students complete the activity in pairs. Follow up the activity by inviting each pair
to suggest more and less likely causes of the problem and to suggest reasons
why.
Suggested answers
It sounds like its a problem between the dish and the receiver, as the only
thing thats been changed since the successful test is the coaxial cable.
Its definitely not a problem with an obstruction to the dish, as the reception
was OK last time.
I doubt its a problem of damage to the dish, because the dish worked after it
had been installed. But there could be damage to the new coaxial cable, as it
will have been pulled and bent while it was being fitted.
It might be a loose connection between the coaxial cable and the LNB, or the
coaxial cable and the receiver.
I doubt its because the new cable is too long, because although that might
cause a weaker signal, it wouldnt result in the no signal message thats being
displayed.
It could be a problem with the positioning of the satellite dish. Maybe it
wasnt fully tightened after being adjusted and has moved, due to the wind,
since the previous weekend. Or it might have been moved slightly while the
cable was being connected to the LNB.

Extension activity: exploring ideas

You could discuss the positioning of satellites and satellite dishes in more
detail. Write up the following terms on the board
azimuth altitude elevation equator northern/southern hemisphere
latitude longitude geostationary orbit footprint

Invite students, working in pairs, to interpret what the terms mean, and
to suggest how the words relate to the positioning of satellite dishes and
the position of satellites. They should give examples to illustrate their
explanations. See the next page (page 11) for details. (You could copy the
page as a handout.)

10

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UNIT 5 Troubleshooting satellite TV

Satellite TV geometry and geography

azimuth /z..m/ the horizontal angle between north (0) and the direction in
which the satellite dish is pointing

N (0)

W (270)

azimuth

E (90)

S (180)

Most TV satellites are located directly above the equator /kwe.t/ in geostationary
orbit /di.ste.n.ri .bt/, that is, they are stationary above a fixed point on
earth. They orbit at an altitude /l.t.tjud/ (a vertical distance above the earths
surface) of approximately 35,000 kilometres. In the northern hemisphere /nr.n
hem..sf/, the azimuth of satellite dishes needs to be southward, towards the
equator. The exact azimuth will vary, to southeast or southwest, depending on the
latitude /lt..tjud/ (north/south position on earth) and longitude /lon.d.tjud/
(east/west position on earth) of the dish, and on the target satellites longitude along
the equator. In the southern hemisphere /s.n hem..sf/, satellite dishes point
northward, between northeast and northwest.
elevation /el.ve.n/ the vertical angle between the horizontal plane and the
upward direction of the satellite dish

elevation

A satellite dish located near the equator will have a high elevation as it points upwards
towards the satellite overhead. A dish that is a long way north or south of the equator
will have a low elevation as it points towards the equator. Elevation will also vary
depending on the dishs longitude relative to the longitude of the satellite. The greater
the difference between these two longitudes, the lower the elevation of the dish.
The footprint of a satellite is the area on earth which can receive a signal broadcast
by the satellite. Towards the edge of the footprint, the signal is weaker and results
in a lower quality TV picture. Larger diameter satellite dishes can be used to better
concentrate a weak signal and improve reception towards the edge of the footprint.
The ultimate size of a satellites footprint is limited by geometry, as the radio waves
which carry TV signals travel in straight lines, so cannot curve around the earths
surface. Some satellites deliberately restrict their footprint to a limited area. For
example, the Astra 2D satellite, which broadcasts the main British TV channels, has its
footprint concentrated on the British Isles.

11

Cambridge English for Engineering Cambridge University Press 2010

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