5 Sat MPEG-4 Dish Question

[PMKS]

Ok,
I've been a D* subscriber since 1994, HD since last year . I have installed all of my equipment / dishes over the years.

I use 2 dishes for my HD receiver, a 36" ex-primestar dish in my yard for 101, and a 18x24 dish w/ two LNB's only on my house for 110/119. 2 wires run from each dish to a 4x4 multi-switch in a water-proof box on the side of my house.

I use this set-up because I have these huge trees in my yard and cannot get the 101 sat from the dish on my house, I also prefer this set-up because I was able to fine-tune the dishes to get a better signal. I get high 90's-100 on all the transponders on the 101 dish, and 85-100 on 110/119.

I live in the Houston market, If/when I get upgraded to Mpeg-4, I dread the thought of some idiot coming out and screwing up my fine-tuned set-up. A local D* installer once told a retired neighbor that he couldn't get D* because of his trees. Since he had bought his own equipment, he asked me for help, we installed the dish on his porch, got a signal, and he's been happy since.

I was thinking of buying the new dish and installing it myself, maybe on the pole in the yard, but I'm not sure if that location can get 110/119 good. After looking at fuzzy pics of the new dish, I wonder if the individual components could be split up? I know the multi-switch is a 4x8, with 4 lines coming in. Can the LNB's be separated on the new dish, or is it one package?

any ideas?

 

[boba]

Your question will be easier to answer about the first quarter of next year. It is a learning experience right now so let most dealers get some experience with a product that currently is available in Detroit market only.

 

[k2ue]

Ok,
I've been a D* subscriber since 1994, HD since last year . I have installed all of my equipment / dishes over the years.

I use 2 dishes for my HD receiver, a 36" ex-primestar dish in my yard for 101, and a 18x24 dish w/ two LNB's only on my house for 110/119. 2 wires run from each dish to a 4x4 multi-switch in a water-proof box on the side of my house.

I use this set-up because I have these huge trees in my yard and cannot get the 101 sat from the dish on my house, I also prefer this set-up because I was able to fine-tune the dishes to get a better signal. I get high 90's-100 on all the transponders on the 101 dish, and 85-100 on 110/119.

I live in the Houston market, If/when I get upgraded to Mpeg-4, I dread the thought of some idiot coming out and screwing up my fine-tuned set-up. A local D* installer once told a retired neighbor that he couldn't get D* because of his trees. Since he had bought his own equipment, he asked me for help, we installed the dish on his porch, got a signal, and he's been happy since.

I was thinking of buying the new dish and installing it myself, maybe on the pole in the yard, but I'm not sure if that location can get 110/119 good. After looking at fuzzy pics of the new dish, I wonder if the individual components could be split up? I know the multi-switch is a 4x8, with 4 lines coming in. Can the LNB's be separated on the new dish, or is it one package?

any ideas?

Owning and having installed an AT9 5-sat dish I can give you some answers:

The main feedhorn handles the Ku at 101, and the two Ka sats flanking it. There is a second feed assembly that contains the 110 and 119 Ku feeds, and it connects to the main feedhorn assembly with two separate push-on miniature connectors. The multiswitch is in the main feedhorn assembly, and provides 4 type-F outputs inside the hollow feed support arm, similar to earlier antennas.

To use two antennas one of them would have to be able to handle 99-103 for the 101 Ku and flanking Ka sats. This could be an AT9 without the secondary feed mounted.

The cleanest way to handle 110/119 would be to use a second AT9, omitting the primary feed and mounting only the secondary (with suitable support in the feed tube to keep it from crushing when the secondary feed mounting screws are tightened). If suitable adapters to the push-in miniature connectors were available the secondary outputs could be extended to the primary feed, and plugged in there, allowing the built-in multiswitch to operate as normal. Note that this may be a 50 ohm, rather than 75 ohm connection -- 75 ohm is seldom used with miniature cables because the center conductor becomes very small and fragile in small cables -- so the adapters and interconnect might need to be 50 ohm, and finding good low-loss cables (at a reasonable price) for runs of any length would be a challenge. Combining the outputs beyond the multiswitch would be exceedingly difficult -- the primary feed puts out Ka signals below (250-750MHz) and above (1650-2150MHz) the 110/119 signals that would need to be interleaved with them.

 

[nmstough]

I was thinking about getting this dish just for 101-110-119 because its bigger and I am having signal strength problems in Canada. But in looking at the installation videos on one of the web sites, it seems horribly complicated. Do you think it is virtually impossible to find someone who can install this thing?

 

[k2ue]

I was thinking about getting this dish just for 101-110-119 because its bigger and I am having signal strength problems in Canada. But in looking at the installation videos on one of the web sites, it seems horribly complicated. Do you think it is virtually impossible to find someone who can install this thing?

It is quite easy to install from the instructions -- you need only a signal strength meter, and it doesn't need to be dual. You need the ability to put 13V on one line with (for 119) or without (for 101) 22KHz. I had an older dual meter without 22KHz and just added an aftermarket 22KHz inserter on one side. I found the AT9 performance on 101/110/119 is slightly better than my GainMaster, so it would be the antenna of choice even for Ku-only use.

 

[jimisham]

k2ue -
What did you used for cable? And how long are your runs?
I see they want solid copper center conductors instead of copper coated steel conductors, which is what my coax cable is now.
It looks like I'll be looking at a complete new install. My dish is now mounted on a 1 5/8 inch pole in the back yard. I've checked at Lowe's and Home Depot for a 2 inch OD pole and they don't have them.

 

[k2ue]

2" OD galvanized pipe should be readily available from chain link fence suppliers. The dual RG-6 cable I used is steel core with heavy (true CopperWeld) copper cladding. It was chosen for its other features: steel catenary (part of the run is overhead); polyethelene flooded jacket (part of the run lays in a puddle). Probably 100-150ft long.