About to get into C-Band. Is this what I should buy? Do I need more than this?

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FTARock20

Well-Known SatelliteGuys Member
Original poster
Nov 28, 2019
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USA
FTARock20 said:
Looking to get started in C-Band. I'm looking to pick up the necessary equipment to do so.

Will this suffice?
TRI-SHIELD RG6 COAXIAL PATCH CABLE 75 OHM 18AWG ANTI-UV COMPRESSION F-CONNECTORS | eBay
C-band LNBF C1-PLL - WiFi 4G LTE Interference Filter- Phase Lock Loop Satellite 701748637939 | eBay
165 CM PRIME FOCUS SATELLITE C/ KU BAND DISH ANTENNA 1.65 Meter W/ POLE FTA | eBay

Also, what is the best way to mount the dish I have listed here?
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Good to hear you want to take a dip into c band. The cable you listed will work. If available, you might consider upgrading to quad shield as a better investment. Also get yourself a good coax cable stripper and compression tool. I use these and can recommend them.

americatools.com

DataShark 70029 Universal Cutter/Stripper for Flat or Round TV/UTP Cable

Greenlee
americatools.com americatools.com

www.kleintools.com

Compact Compression Crimper, F-Connector

The Compact, F-Connector is an advanced do-it-yourselfer tool for fast, reliable F-connector installation. The compression crimper provides fast insertion and removal of cable and connector to save time. It accepts many common F-connector compression fittings.
www.kleintools.com www.kleintools.com

And some quality compression connectors. I use PPC Ex6xl.

Titanium's lnbfs are quality products. I have used them for years and highly recommend them. He is a member here on Satellite Guys and stands behind his products.

At just under 5 1/2 feet that dish is seriously undersized for reception of most c band channels. I fear you will quickly regret your choice. If I were buying new equipment the minimum I would consider is an 8 foot with 10 foot or more being better. Having said that you will get some of the stronger transponders with that dish so it's not like you would be throwing your money away. Just be aware that it is not optimal for reception and you will miss a lot. Also, the dish is stationary and will not be able to be motorized unless you build/buy a polar mount and attach the reflector to it. Maybe look around the countryside and find an old c band dish that is no longer being used. You will likely be able to get it for free or little cost and will be getting a quality dish that was built here in the US back in the day. You could also check out TEK2000. Not cheap but an option. Search for threads about them here on Satellite Guys to read about the benefits and drawbacks before buying. Good luck on your adventure! :)
 
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Thanks. I appreciate all the info. As much as I'd like to have a larger dish on this property, other people on this property would not be so happy with it, so this is kinda what I can do for now. If I do purchase this dish, how would I go about actually putting it in the ground. Not entirely where to start with this thing.
 
FTARock20 said:
Thanks. I appreciate all the info. As much as I'd like to have a larger dish on this property, other people on this property would not be so happy with it, so this is kinda what I can do for now. If I do purchase this dish, how would I go about actually putting it in the ground. Not entirely where to start with this thing.
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Understandable if size is limited. Would be good to experiment with to see what you can lock. The dish is basically portable as it can be set up where you have line of sight to the satellite you wish to view then you would put weights around the bottom rim to hold it in place. You could also permanently fasten it to something like a deck if you only planned on viewing one satellite. If I'm not mistaken one member here even had his mounted to some kind of cart so he could roll it out of his garage and aim it when he wanted to use it. :)
 
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Really, it's that simple with this one? That's kinda what I'm looking for, a non-permanent setup. What kinds of things could I watch with this dish, at least in theory? Thanks so much for the advice.
 
FTARock20 said:
Really, it's that simple with this one? That's kinda what I'm looking for, a non-permanent setup. What kinds of things could I watch with this dish, at least in theory? Thanks so much for the advice.
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Yep, that's pretty much how simple it is with that dish (other than the actual aiming of course ;)). I know that BYU and a few others on 91W are really strong. I have seen posts here where they were picked up on a 4 foot dish. There are others but my smallest c band dish is 8 foot so I can't say what else. If you search for mini-bud you will get an idea of what others have received on slightly smaller dishes. Your results should, theoretically, be a bit better. Perhaps someone here with a similar dish size can share their latest results?
 
Just an FYI, not only is that dish under sized for C-Band. It will rust away to nothing in less than a year; faster if you live next to water.
I highly recommend you keep looking.
 
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Get a used mesh dish off of Craigslist. The mesh makes the dish semi-transparent and helps it blend into the surroundings. Also, you will really want a dish with a motorized base to switch satellites quickly.
 
And if you paint it a light grey, it will barley stand out. I would not waste my time as otheres have said, until you get hold of a 10 footer. With DVBs-2 You will need every inch of it. Also brian's LNBF's are good, but if you find a used dish it might have a much better feed on it that you could use. I sure wish Brian would bring back the ASC1, best money I ever spent.
 
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I am running a perforated 10 foot unimesh. Had a ortho feed on it for c-band. Got hold of a brand new ADL corotor and swapped out. Man the skew adjustment is nice, no more ladders for being off a hair!
 
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I already mentioned that they should get an older, larger dish but given their situation they can't put one up larger than the one they linked to in post 1 so... :rolleyes
 
FTA4PA said:
I already mentioned that they should get an older, larger dish but given their situation they can't put one up larger than the one they linked to in post 1 so... :rolleyes
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Yes, I read your post, that is why I recommended a bigger one and paint it a light grey. It will not stand out like that.
 
FTARock20 said:
Thanks. I appreciate all the info. As much as I'd like to have a larger dish on this property, other people on this property would not be so happy with it, so this is kinda what I can do for now. If I do purchase this dish, how would I go about actually putting it in the ground. Not entirely where to start with this thing.
Click to expand...

I know everyone wants to get along with their neighbors but if it's your property and the city allows you to install such a beast (i.e. permit) then it's really none of their business. There are a LOT of people around that claim they don't like dictators but then they behave like one.

As for installation time, it depends on how quickly you can get a permit, get all underground utilities marked, dig the hole, pour the concrete and let it set (don't forget to put the pole in the hole first), assemble the dish, get some friends to put the antenna on the pole, run your cables, and align the dish. It could take about 2 weeks. Don't rush the job or second guess the manufacturers instructions or you might regret it.
 
FTA4PA said:
Understandable if size is limited. Would be good to experiment with to see what you can lock. The dish is basically portable as it can be set up where you have line of sight to the satellite you wish to view then you would put weights around the bottom rim to hold it in place. You could also permanently fasten it to something like a deck if you only planned on viewing one satellite. If I'm not mistaken one member here even had his mounted to some kind of cart so he could roll it out of his garage and aim it when he wanted to use it. :)
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The OP could go ahead and permanently install the small dish but he should consider installing a concrete base that can support a 12 footer. If the small dish that he has is inadequate he could then install a larger dish without having to dig a new hole and pour more concrete. If he installs a 3.5 inch pole but the larger dish needs a 4.5 inch pole, there are adapters to allow the larger dishes to be mounted to that smaller pole. Just an idea.
 
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N6BY said:
Get a used mesh dish off of Craigslist. The mesh makes the dish semi-transparent and helps it blend into the surroundings. Also, you will really want a dish with a motorized base to switch satellites quickly.
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My 12 footer isn't as low profile as my neighbors would like. That's why one neighbor installed a tree that now blocks some of the eastern satellites. Not much I can do about it unless I could get my dish 30 feet in the air (which the city won't allow anyway). Or about his barking dogs.
 
I have the 180 cm dish and the 120 cm dish of this model.

here’s a list of The easiest transponders i can pick up with a wimax pll titanium lnbf

40w circular bfbs radio channels

55w bolivia tv

58w nhk

91w byu tv

97w azteca mux + katz networks

99w nbc, fox , this tv + lesea mux

101w hero, decades, start tv, movies

105w nbc mux

107w ctv mux

125w tbn mux

133w ewtn mux


You will get other channels but i just wanted to point out the easiest channels to tune in while setting up your dish.
 
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johnnynobody said:
I know everyone wants to get along with their neighbors but if it's your property and the city allows you to install such a beast (i.e. permit) then it's really none of their business. There are a LOT of people around that claim they don't like dictators but then they behave like one.

As for installation time, it depends on how quickly you can get a permit, get all underground utilities marked, dig the hole, pour the concrete and let it set (don't forget to put the pole in the hole first), assemble the dish, get some friends to put the antenna on the pole, run your cables, and align the dish. It could take about 2 weeks. Don't rush the job or second guess the manufacturers instructions or you might regret it.
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Hah, the neighbors would be okay with it. But not the people I live with.
 
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FTARock20 said:
Hah, the neighbors would be okay with it. But not the people I live with.
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OK. I thought it was your neighbors that would object to it. My bad. A BUD would be an obstruction for play in your back yard or it might spoil your view. I'm an electronic tech so stuff like this doesn't bother me. My wife isn't fond of the 12 footers though. We talked about moving to Costa Rica but she would really freak out when I put a 35 foot dish in the back yard so that I could pull in the North America programming. :clapping
 
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