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A solar or sun transit outage is an electromagnetic phenomenon wherein a station downlink is temporarily unable to receive a satellite signal due to interference from the sun as it passes behind the satellite.
Solar outages occur on a predictable schedule and affect downlinks in the U.S. for about five consecutive days, for as many as six minutes a day, twice each year. To obtain solar outage information for your location, click on your state in the drop-down menu. * All times ET .
Solar Outages
Alabama
March 5 - 8, 1:54 p.m.
Oct. 4 - 8, 2:31 p.m.
Alaska (Anchorage)
Feb. 27 - March 2, 1:35 p.m.
Oct. 12 - 14, 2:13 p.m.
Alaska (Barrow)
Feb. 26 - 28, 1:39 p.m.
Oct. 13 -15, 2:13 p.m.
Alaska (Fairbanks)
Feb. 26 - March 2, 1:37 p.m.
Oct. 12 - 15, 2:11 p.m.
Alaska (Southern)
Feb. 27 - March 2, 1:36 p.m.
Oct. 4 - 8, 2:31 p.m.
Arizona
March 5 - 8, 1:40 p.m.
Oct. 5 - 8, 2:16 p.m.
Arkansas
March 4 - 8, 1:51 p.m.
Oct. 5 - 9, 2:28 p.m.
California (Los Angeles)
March 4 - 8, 1:37 p.m.
October 5 - 8, 2:13 p.m.
California (Northern)
March 3 - 6, 1:36 p.m.
October 7 - 10, 2:12 p.m.
California (San Francisco)
March 3 - 7, 1:36 p.m.
Oct. 6 - 10, 2:12 p.m.
Colorado
March 2 - 6, 1:45 p.m.
Oct. 7 - 10, 2:21 p.m.
Connecticut
March 2 - 6, 2:00 p.m.
Oct. 7 - 11, 2:36 p.m.
Delaware
March 2 - 6, 1:58 p.m.
Oct. 7 - 11, 2:34 p.m.
District of Columbia
March 3 - 6, 1:59 p.m.
Oct. 6 - 10, 2:35 p.m.
Florida (Miami)
March 7 - 11, 1:58 p.m.
Oct. 2 - 5, 2:36 p.m.
Florida (Tallahassee)
March 6 - 9, 1:55 p.m.
Oct. 4 - 7, 2:33 p.m.
Georgia
March 4 - 8, 1:55 p.m.
Oct. 5 - 8, 2:33 p.m.
Hawaii
March 10 - 13, 1:16 p.m.
Sept. 30 - Oct. 2, 1:56 p.m.
Idaho
March 1 - 5, 1:40 p.m.
Oct. 8 - 11, 2:15 p.m.
Illinois (Chicago)
March 2 - 5, 1:54 p.m.
Oct. 7 - 10, 2:29 p.m.
Illinois (Springfield)
March 3 - 6, 1:52 p.m.
Oct. 7 - 10, 2:29 p.m.
Indiana
March 3 - 6, 1:54 p.m.
Oct. 7 - 10, 2:29 p.m.
Iowa
March 2 - 5, 1:50 p.m.
Oct. 7 - 11, 2:26 p.m.
Kansas
March 3 - 6, 1:48 p.m.
Oct. 6 - 10, 2:32 p.m.
Kentucky
March 3 - 7, 1:55 p.m.
Oct. 6 - 10, 2:32 p.m.
Louisiana
March 5 - 9, 1:51 p.m.
Oct. 4 - 7, 2:29 p.m.
Maine
March 1 - 5, 2:02 p.m.
Oct. 8 -12, 2:37 p.m.
Maryland
March 3 - 6, 1:59 p.m.
Oct. 6 - 10, 2:35 p.m.
Massachusetts
March 2 - 5, 2:01 p.m.
Oct. 7 - 11, 2:36 p.m.
Michigan
March 2 - 5, 1:55 p.m.
Oct. 8 - 11, 2:31 p.m.
Minnesota
March 1 - 5, 1:51 p.m.
Oct. 8 - 11, 2:26 p.m.
Mississippi
March 5 - 8, 1:53 p.m.
Oct. 5 - 8, 2:30 p.m.
Missouri
March 3 - 6, 1:50 p.m.
Oct. 7 - 10, 2:26 p.m.
Montana
March 1 - 4, 1:44 p.m.
Oct. 9 - 12, 2:19 p.m.
Nebraska
March 2 - 5, 1:48 p.m.
Oct. 7- 11, 2:24 p.m.
Nevada
March 3 - 6, 1:38 p.m.
Oct. 7 - 10, 2:14 p.m.
New Hampshire
March 2 - 5, 2:00 p.m.
Oct. 8 -11, 2:36 p.m.
New Jersey
March 3 - 6, 2:00 p.m.
Oct. 7 - 10, 2:36 p.m.
New Mexico
March 4 - 8, 1:43 p.m.
Oct. 5 - 9, 2:20 p.m.
New York
March 2 - 6, 2:00 p.m.
Oct. 7 - 10, 2:36 p.m.
North Carolina
March 4 - 7, 1:58 p.m.
Oct. 5 - 9, 2:34 p.m.
North Dakota
Feb. 28 - March 4, 1:47 p.m.
Oct. 9 - 13, 2:22 p.m.
Ohio
March 3 - 6, 1:55 p.m.
Oct. 6 - 10, 2:31 p.m.
Oklahoma
March 4 - 7, 1:48 p.m.
Oct. 5 - 9, 2:25 p.m.
Oregon
March 1 - 5, 1:38 p.m.
Oct. 8 - 11, 2:13 p.m.
Pennslyvania
March 2 - 6, 1:58 p.m.
Oct. 7 - 11, 2:34 p.m.
Puerto Rico
March 10 - 13, 2:06 p.m.
Sept. 28 - Oct. 1, 2:46 p.m.
Rhode Island
March 2 - 6, 2:00 p.m.
Oct. 7 - 11, 2:36 p.m.
South Carolina
March 4 - 8, 1:57 p.m.
Oct. 5 - 8, 2:34 p.m.
South Dakota
March 1 - 5, 1:47 p.m.
Oct. 8 - 12, 2:22 p.m.
Tennessee
March 4 - 8, 1:54 p.m.
Oct. 6 - 9, 2:31 p.m.
Texas (Amarillo)
March 4 - 7, 1:45 p.m.
Oct. 5 - 9, 2:23 p.m.
Texas (Austin)
March 5 - 9, 1:48 p.m.
Oct. 3 - 7, 2:25 p.m.
Texas (San Antonio)
March 6 - 9, 1:47 p.m.
Oct. 3 - 7, 2:24 p.m.
Utah
March 3 - 6, 1:41 p.m.
Oct. 6 - 10, 2:17 p.m.
Vermont
March 2 - 5, 2:00 p.m.
Oct. 8 - 11, 2:36 p.m.
Virginia
March 3 - 7, 1:58 p.m.
Oct. 6 - 9, 2:35 p.m.
Washington
Feb. 28 - March 4, 1:38 p.m.
Oct. 9 - 12, 2:13 p.m.
West Virginia
March 3 - 6, 1:44 p.m.
Oct. 6 - 10, 2:20 p.m.
Wisconsin
March 2 - 5, 1:52 p.m.
Oct. 8 - 11, 2:28 p.m.
Wyoming
March 2 - 5, 1:43 p.m.
Oct. 8 - 11, 2:19 p.m.
Read Solar Outage Rules
The following rules apply to all solar outages: The dates listed on nprds.org are those for which the solar disk will be within the beam pattern of your receive antenna and are given for the center of the state in most cases. On these days you will see a definite reduction in performance as the sun passes. All stations will see a reduction of Eb/No readings on the digital audio channels. If a downlink has enough margin, there will be no effect on the audio. If the downlink does not have enough margin, audio may be lost for up to several minutes. Stations with marginal downlinks may see some degradation one day before or one day after the days listed.
The dates and times listed are for the peak of the interference. Depending on the size of your antenna, the interference may begin up to four minutes before this time and last up to four minutes after it. The interference will be longer on days in the center of the range. There will also be dates, both before and after peak interference predictions, where you will experience noticeable reduction of Eb/No readings.
The times are given in NPR network time, which is Eastern Time. These predictions are based on a 365-day year. The variations from year to year are so small that separate predictions for each year are not necessary.
Galaxy 16 Alignment Calculator
To tune your satellite dish to receive transmissions from Galaxy 16, you need two pieces of information:
Elevation: The angle of the satellite (0 to 90 degrees) above true horizontal relative to the location you selected. Azimuth: The compass direction, relative to magnetic North.
NPR Distribution Services is happy to provide approximate Elevation and Azimuth calculations for many large American cities. To get this information, choose a city from the drop-down menu.
If your city is not listed below, please visit https://www.dishpointer.com/
Galaxy 16 Alignment Calculator
Anchorage
Azimuth (true): 125.5° Azimuth (magn.): 109.8°
Elevation: 9.1°
Atlanta
Azimuth (true): 205.1° Azimuth (magn.): 210.4°
Elevation: 47.7°
Baltimore
Azimuth (true): 213.0° Azimuth (magn.): 224.2°
Elevation: 38.9°
Boston
Azimuth (true): 218.2° Azimuth (magn.): 232.7°
Elevation: 33.5°
Chicago
Azimuth (true): 196.8° Azimuth (magn.): 200.8°
Elevation: 40.3°
Cincinnati
Azimuth (true): 202.3° Azimuth (magn.): 208.2°
Elevation: 42.3°
Cleveland
Azimuth (true): 205.2° Azimuth (magn.): 213.6°
Elevation: 38.9°
Dallas
Azimuth (true): 184.0° Azimuth (magn.): 181.0°
Elevation: 51.8°
Denver
Azimuth (true): 170.7° Azimuth (magn.): 162.7°
Elevation: 43.6°
Fairbanks
Azimuth (true): 128.5° Azimuth (magn.): 111.6°
Elevation: 7.7°
Honolulu
Azimuth (true): 102.4° Azimuth (magn.): 92.9°
Elevation: 20.7°
Houston
Azimuth (true): 187.3° Azimuth (magn.): 185.1°
Elevation: 55.1°
Juneau
Azimuth (true): 140.1° Azimuth (magn.): 121.1°
Elevation: 17°
Kansas City
Azimuth (true): 187.0° Azimuth (magn.): 185.5°
Elevation: 44.5°
Los Angeles
Azimuth (true): 148.1° Azimuth (magn.): 136.2°
Elevation: 45.4°
Miami
Azimuth (true): 218.1° Azimuth (magn.): 225.0°
Elevation: 53.3°
Minneapolis
Azimuth (true): 188.1° Azimuth (magn.): 188.0°
Elevation: 37.9°
New Orleans
Azimuth (true): 197.5° Azimuth (magn.): 198.6°
Elevation: 53.7°
New York City
Azimuth (true): 215.5° Azimuth (magn.): 228.4°
Elevation: 36.4°
Philadelphia
Azimuth (true): 214.5° Azimuth (magn.): 226.6°
Elevation: 37.6°
Pittsburgh
Azimuth (true): 208.0° Azimuth (magn.): 217.3°
Elevation: 39.3°
Portland
Azimuth (true): 148.4° Azimuth (magn.): 133.2°
Elevation: 32.6°
Sacramento
Azimuth (true): 146.4° Azimuth (magn.): 133.0°
Elevation: 39.5°
San Francisco
Azimuth (true): 144.7° Azimuth (magn.): 131.3°
Elevation: 39.8°
San Juan
Azimuth (true): 243.9° Azimuth (magn.): 257.3°
Elevation: 46.9°
Seattle
Azimuth (true): 149.7° Azimuth (magn.): 134.1°
Elevation: 30.8°
St. Louis
Azimuth (true): 193.9° Azimuth (magn.): 195.7°
Elevation: 44.3°
Tampa
Azimuth (true): 212.3° Azimuth (magn.): 218.2°
Elevation: 52.6°
Tucson
Azimuth (true): 158.3° Azimuth (magn.): 148.7°
Elevation: 50.3°
Washington, D.C.
Azimuth (true): 212.7° Azimuth (magn.): 223.5°
Elevation: 39.5°
Galaxy 17 Alignment Calculator
To tune your satellite dish to receive transmissions from Galaxy 17, you need two pieces of information:
Elevation: The angle of the satellite (0 to 90 degrees) above true horizontal relative to the location you selected Azimuth: The compass direction, relative to magnetic North.
NPR Distribution Services is happy to provide approximate Elevation and Azimuth calculations for many large American cities. To get this information, choose a city from the drop-down menu.
If your city is not listed below, please visit https://www.dishpointer.com/
Galaxy 17 Alignment Calculator
Anchorage
Azimuth (true): 117.9° Azimuth (magn.): 102.1°
Elevation: 5.7°
Atlanta
Azimuth (true): 191.8° Azimuth (magn.): 197.1°
Elevation: 50.1°
Baltimore
Azimuth (true): 202.1° Azimuth (magn.): 213.2°
Elevation: 42.1°
Boston
Azimuth (true): 208.3° Azimuth (magn.): 222.8°
Elevation: 37.1°
Chicago
Azimuth (true): 185.1° Azimuth (magn.): 189.1°
Elevation: 41.5°
Cincinnati
Azimuth (true): 190.2° Azimuth (magn.): 196.2°
Elevation: 44.2°
Cleveland
Azimuth (true): 193.9° Azimuth (magn.): 202.3°
Elevation: 41.1°
Dallas
Azimuth (true): 169.4° Azimuth (magn.): 166.3°
Elevation: 51.3°
Denver
Azimuth (true): 158.7° Azimuth (magn.): 150.7°
Elevation: 41.8°
Fairbanks
Azimuth (true): 120.7° Azimuth (magn.): 103.9°
Elevation: 4.8°
Honolulu
Azimuth (true): 98.8° Azimuth (magn.): 89.3°
Elevation: 13°
Houston
Azimuth (true): 171.3° Azimuth (magn.): 169.0°
Elevation: 55°
Juneau
Azimuth (true): 132.0° Azimuth (magn.): 113.0°
Elevation: 14°
Kansas City
Azimuth (true): 174.4° Azimuth (magn.): 172.9°
Elevation: 45°
Los Angeles
Azimuth (true): 137.4° Azimuth (magn.): 125.6°
Elevation: 40.9°
Miami
Azimuth (true): 203.7° Azimuth (magn.): 210.7°
Elevation: 57.6°
Minneapolis
Azimuth (true): 176.8° Azimuth (magn.): 176.7°
Elevation: 31.8°
New Orleans
Azimuth (true): 181.9° Azimuth (magn.): 183.0°
Elevation: 55.1°
New York City
Azimuth (true): 205.1° Azimuth (magn.): 217.9°
Elevation: 39.8°
Philadelphia
Azimuth (true): 203.8° Azimuth (magn.): 215.9°
Elevation: 41°
Pittsburgh
Azimuth (true): 196.7° Azimuth (magn.): 206.0°
Elevation: 41.9°
Portland
Azimuth (true): 139.1° Azimuth (magn.): 123.9°
Elevation: 29°
Sacramento
Azimuth (true): 136.7° Azimuth (magn.): 123.2°
Elevation: 35.3°
San Francisco
Azimuth (true): 135.1° Azimuth (magn.): 121.7°
Elevation: 35.3°
San Juan
Azimuth (true): 235.7° Azimuth (magn.): 249.0°
Elevation: 54.3°
Seattle
Azimuth (true): 140.5° Azimuth (magn.): 124.8°
Elevation: 27.4°
St. Louis
Azimuth (true): 181.3° Azimuth (magn.): 183.0°
Elevation: 45.2°
Tampa
Azimuth (true): 197.8° Azimuth (magn.): 203.6°
Elevation: 56°
Tucson
Azimuth (true): 145.7° Azimuth (magn.): 136.1°
Elevation: 46.7°
Washington, D.C.
Azimuth (true): 201.6° Azimuth (magn.): 212.4°
Elevation: 42.6°
FAQs
Here are answers to the most frequently asked questions about equipment, repairs, and technical support. Just click on the links below to jump to the FAQ most relevant to your particular need. If you have other questions that are not addressed in this FAQ, please email your questions to us.
What downlink antenna size is generally recommended?
Basically, the bigger the better. Our experience indicates 3.7 meter (12 feet) antennas of solid reflector material generally give the minimum performance required for reliable reception. The 3.7 meter will provide the necessary gain and a narrower "beamwidth" for better sidelobe rejection of adjacent satellite interference. In addition, better rejection of terrestrial interference will be provided. Downlink footprint locations, particular satellite performance, type of transmission, and many other variables also enter into the equation when sizing downlink antennas.
How does the physical condition of my dish affect its performance?
The physical condition of the antenna is paramount to achieving necessary performance. Antennas should be checked annually to verify conformance with manufacturers' specifications. Buying an antenna and forgetting about it will only lead to problems down the road. Like all other equipment at the station, antennas go through wear and tear. Antennas must be checked to ensure optimal performance.
I get a lot of snow build-up in my dish that takes me off the air. Is there a relay in the receiver I can use to trigger an alarm when there is loss of downlink signal?
Yes, there is an alarm status relay that is part of the receiver. It changes state upon detection of a fault condition in the receiver. You can wire this function to alert you to downlink failures. Additionally you may want to invest in an antenna snow cover or antenna heating system. These items are readily available for most antenna sizes and manufactures.
Whom do I call if I'm experiencing downlink problems?
Start with your network provider, which in most cases is your network uplink provider. Each network provider is the contact point for the affiliate's troubleshooting and repair. If necessary, your network provider will contact NPR Distribution Services for specific assistance and support.
Can the network provider (uplink) get a check as to the status of their carrier(s)?
Yes, they can contact the Network Operations Center (NOC). The NOC is available 24/7/365. They have the ability to check the power and bandwidth of your carrier(s) and, in most cases, the ability (equipment) to decode your signal. The NOC is a vital source to uplink providers in helping you maintain the "health" of your network. The NOC may be contacted at 800.433.1283.