I moved the X-band setup to the 1.2m offset dish to be able to characterize and diagnose. The problem is that I’m unable to get the system mounted on the 3.5m dish to yield the signal levels that I’m expecting. I’m suspecting surface accuracy because the 3.5m dish behaves well at 1296 MHz, but the g/t is just not there at 8.45 GHz.
I can receive BepiColombo on the 1.2m dish with around 12 dB compared to 16dB on the 3.5m dish. However, M0EYT receives it at around 30dB on his 2.4m prime dish.
Is it time for my garden to grow a new large solid dish?