Beginner @ 123w

[rcdallas]

I need some help. I don't know much about FTA, but I'm going to give it a shot.

I read I need a 30" dish, I'm aiming for the 123, does anyone think I'd have a chance at all with a Dish 500?

If not I was thinking of taking a 500+/1000+ dish and attaching a dual at the end of the arm. I think that dish is over 30" wide but only like 22" tall.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Wescopc]

The bigger the dish the better! I would start with a 36" dish if at all possible. I would not fool with a 500/1000 dish except for the fun of it. You need the larger reflector to mitigate rain fade and see through storm clouds.
Bob

 

[brentb636]

I'm in Michigan with both a 30" dish and a 36" dish. The 36" will give you much more quality on 123W . The 30" is more prone to having a pixelated signal in any poor weather. If I were you ( or actually if you were me ) I'd get a 90cm motorized kit, and have a some fun ! We're here to help.


Brent

 

[iafirebuff]

Like said above, go for the 36" dish. Even a 30" would be better than the Dish 500.

 

[SatinKzo]

I'm in SW michigan also, and have the 90cm motorized setup, it works great for pretty much everything I like to watch. It's a nomial upgrade price and IMO well worth the price.

 

[RVD420]

a Dish 500 isn't going to pickup anything at 123W

 

[avg1joe]

If you have a budget you're working in then you'll quickly discover that shipping is where a lot of your money will go. A bigger dish is usually more money to ship. Maybe alot more money.

When I was in your shoes I chose a package with a winegard 76cm, sg2100 motor, and a traxis 3500 reciever.

In hindsight I've noticed a lot of older dishes on buildings that I probably could have had for free or low cost if I'd asked. I'd recommend reading some of the dish hunting threads on here to find out what to look for and going that route. If you find a good 30" or larger dish (width and height) it could save you $100 or more.

Most of the channels I watch are on 123W so I could have done without the motor. Sometimes I wish I'd gone with a larger dish because I get occasional pixelization but its only a minor annoyance.

 

[techno935]

Most of the channels I watch are on 123W so I could have done without the motor. Sometimes.

Ditto on that. 123 is a favorite for almost all of us. I'm waiting on an LNB and a 22 Khz switch from Sadoun then I'll be in business. Nothing worse than waiting for the motor to drive to 123 west on a vertical mux.

(Vertical sends less voltage, hence a slower drive to the motor)

 

[iafirebuff]

I would say 90% of my FTA viewing is on G10. I watch AMC4 for FOX, IA7 for White Springs and IA5 for GNF movies. I also do some blind scanning for feeds and look at the foreign stuff every once in awhile. But, before I got my motor, I had 2 dishes up - 1 for G10/IA7 and one for IA5/AMC4. I was very happy with that setup. But I have have fun with the motor

 

[techno935]

1 for G10/IA7.

I wanna do that combination. Which LNB bracket did you get for that one fire?

 

[iafirebuff]

Real easy and cheap! No need for a bracket. I bought a hose clamp and used a scrap piecs of wood to separate them. I was using 2 lnbs from Sadouns, so I needed 2 hose clamps. The wood as about an inch or so thick. I had to use a thin piece of plastic to - a piece I cut off a key chain. You just have to experiment to see what you need. Just take your lnb to your dish, hook it up to your receiver and move it around to see where you get the strongest signal. For my IA5/AMC4 dish I used 2 Fortec LNBs, and those strapped side by side are 4 degrees! No spcaer needed. Works awesome!

 

[rcdallas]

Thanks for the responses.

I'll try my frankenstein FTA dish out of a Plus dish and see what happens.

At some point I'll get a 36" dish and really give it a whirl.

I'm glad to hear 123 is a favorite for most as all I have is LOS from 110-123.

 

[iafirebuff]

Don'tforget you will need a standard Ku band LNB to view G10.