AT9 in the caribbean

[tikiman7]

I live on Grand Cayman (Lat19N; Long81W). Is this 5 LNB dish large enough to get the sats where I am, just south of Cuba? All the dishes I see on the island are 5-6 ft.
Thanks

 

[texasbrit]

I live on Grand Cayman (Lat19N; Long81W). Is this 5 LNB dish large enough to get the sats where I am, just south of Cuba? All the dishes I see on the island are 5-6 ft.
Thanks

No, the capture area for any one satellite is no bigger than a regular DirecTV dish.

 

[tikiman7]

No, the capture area for any one satellite is no bigger than a regular DirecTV dish.

Thanks for the quick reply. Next, can the 5 LNB's be retrofitted to the existing dish (landlord's 5ft). There are 2 feeds from the current single LNB and 1 feed (about 100ft. run) into my condo, can I use a splitter/diplexer to a multiswitch for a legacy Sony B65 and an H20?

Thanks again.

 

[texasbrit]

Thanks for the quick reply. Next, can the 5 LNB's be retrofitted to the existing dish (landlord's 5ft). There are 2 feeds from the current single LNB and 1 feed (about 100ft. run) into my condo, can I use a splitter/diplexer to a multiswitch for a legacy Sony B65 and an H20?

Thanks again.

I would very much doubt you can retrofit the LNB assembly, the LNBs are positioned relative to each other based on the dish size and design. I suspect you would need multiple dishes pointed at each of the satellites individually. in any case I am not sure what you would hope to gain since none of the current MPEG-4 signals would reach you, they are all on spot beams.

If you have one feed you can't split it, you would need a second feed from the dish.

 

[charper1]

That area is also likely too far south anyway for proper reception.

 

[tikiman7]

I would very much doubt you can retrofit the LNB assembly, the LNBs are positioned relative to each other based on the dish size and design. I suspect you would need multiple dishes pointed at each of the satellites individually. in any case I am not sure what you would hope to gain since none of the current MPEG-4 signals would reach you, they are all on spot beams.

If you have one feed you can't split it, you would need a second feed from the dish.

After a little more research, I realize that a retrofit won't work as the AT9 is a pretty precise installation. The feeds from the 99 and 103 are spots and not useful for me. It's beginning to sink in that state of the art is a pipe dream down here.

Perhaps the Phase III LNB's would be a better choice. Will they work with a big dish?

I am having trouble with reception on the 101 (weak reception on the odds), but I suspect it is an aiming problem and it's not my dish to mess with, unless I can convince the owner that an upgrade is feasible.

 

[charper1]

They make DBS Ku LNBs designed specifically for BUDs; there is no real need to "rig" a special one. BUT the signals likely will very weak at best.

 

[texasbrit]

You might try posting here http://www.dbsforums.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=20 for advice on receiving DirecTV, maybe there is someone else in your location.
I am sure the signal will be very weak where you are and you may find you are getting everything possible with only a 5ft dish.

 

[cheebs]

You'll need at least a 1.5 meter or 1.8 meter dish for EACH satellite. Currently, outside of the CONUS all you need to see are 101,110 and 119. 99 and 103 are currently spotbeams only so of no use.

This, however, WILL change when the new D* birds are operational, as they WILL have a full CONUS beam. Good luck finding the correct Ka LNBs though!

Ultimately, you'd need FIVE dishes in total, with the Ka/Ku multiswitch to combine them all.