C & Ku band questions

[Flinthill]

About Ku band v/s DVB.

Can the BUD with the normal Ku lnb receive the same signals as received on the Pansat 3500? If not, can a Ku lnb and a DVB lnb both be incorporated on the same feed horn.

I don't want to jump ahead, but can the same feed horn also accomodate the C band lnb.

The dish will be controlled with a 922.

Can all this live together peacefully?

 

[tdti1]

If your big dish has a dual band feedhorn with lnb's then you can get free to air programming on both bands with a DVB unit, your 4dtv will get many channels on both bands also so its good to have a c/ku setup.

What size dish do you have? is it damaged in anyway? does it seem to be warped? can a pencil pass through the mesh?

If you do not have Ku-band and have a C-band only feedhorn then you will want to upgrade to a dual band feed, and a Ku lnb, some dealers have good priced packages for a c/ku feedhorn with lnb's, though for Ku the dish must be in good shape or you will have issues.

These dealers have everything you need to upgrade or fix your system:
http://www.rpssat.com
http://www.global-cm.net/
http://mechtech.satforums.com/

There are many dealers out there, though these guys are some of the best.

 

[Flinthill]

Good Morning, I see you found the new thread.

Let's see where to start... The dish is a 10ft mesh with holes of about 1/8" diameter (actually the holes are trapezoidal in shape because the material is perforated and stretched. I don't believe it is warped because I can sight across the rim and it appears to all be in the same plane. I bought this dish used and disassembled. It had some storage dents along with several hail dents. I have pounded out the dents pretty well although there is still some minor evidence of its past.

The feed horn is an old Chaparral with a fixed, non-moveable, scalar ring and supports only C-band. The Chaparral corotor is of the same age and the 30 degree C-band lnb is by Gardner Communications. The positioner is just as old but seems to work well...at least right now...it could easily go the way of the old tuner/receiver. Trouble is I'm running out of cars that need a hood ornament. :>)

It appears that what I need in order to use both the 922 and the 3500 is a simple feedhorn with only one c-band and one ku band feed. I noticed in your signature line that you are using Norsat lnbs. I know they are high quality. For normal residential family operation can I use lnbs of lesser quality and they still be dependable over the years?

I appreciate the list of dealers. Is there any one dealer or individual you know that has a 922 for sale at a reasonable price. Used is fine as long as it is know to perform well. I also need the c/ku equipment.

If you would like, a private email is fine if there is any information that you would want to share off Forum.

Many thanks.

 

[tdti1]

Well the best is to get a new 922 with warranty:
http://www.callnps.com/4dtv.htm
http://skyvision.com/store/399_4dtv.html

Norsat makes great lnb's and I would spend the little extra an invest on them, they will last many years and give you great digital locks, my Norsat lnb's are not that great I bought them off a rip off dealer here in Montreal, Malcomb or something like that, anyway it happends that these are some of the low quality Norsats, if you want good ones I would get the C-band 8515 and Ku-band 4506a, this will be great for the 4dtv and good for dvb, if you want better the C-band 8215 and Ku-band 4206a are great for both, if you want to go all out then the 8115 and 4106a are super.

 

[Flinthill]

What do you think about the dish that I have? Does it sound like it will work with ku band?

Back to the programming found on DVB and BUD ku band. Will only one LNB receive both or does it take two separate ku lnbs? Is the lnb frequency the same for both or different on each one? What is/are the frequency(s)?

As I mentioned, I bought this dish in pieces. That includes the support arms (4) for the feedhorn. The hold arrangement is flimsy and the feedhorn could be higher or lower just depending on where it is tightened up at.

With this in mind do you know how to calculate the focal length of the dish and where to place the feed horn?

Next, should I buy a fixed scalar ring feedhorn or one with an adjustable ring? If I should get the adjustable one I hope it comes with instructions on where and how to do the adjusting.

Coincidence: before retirement I worked for a company that had one of its production facilities in Laval. I have spent many freezing cold days there. It was particularly cold for this warm blooded Texan but I must say I certainly enjoyed the Montreal area.

 

[tdti1]

You should be able to pull in Ku, but the feed must be centered, I recommend the chapparal corotor II plus, or a ADL RP3, the chapparal is a bit cheaper and is a good feedhorn, you will have one C-band lnb and one Ku-band lnb, this is why you need the splitters and a switch:
http://www.dmsiusa.com/add_a_receiver.htm

To get the right focal depth go here:
http://www.chaparral.net/ts_feeds.html

Other tips and great info can be found here:
http://www.geo-orbit.org/sizepgs/tuningp2.html

Great video here click the first link (tracking made easy)
http://boresight.ripco.com/

If you need help setting things up, ask us and do it yourself, or contact a dealer if one is in your area:
http://onsat.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=12&sid=5dccec741f6f4506c92708f9f1995de0

 

[Flinthill]

Thanks for all the information. With all the good links I have plenty to do and think about right now. I am very grateful for your patience sharing of experience.

Ron

 

[ftaeddie]

tdti1,

I notice you mentioned you have c/ku/dbs feed. Is the Norsat feedhorn you have compatible with DSS systems as well? I understand one would need a circular/linear ku lnb for this. Also, my other question is: do they make a C-Band/Ku-band (linear + circular) lnb's in an all-in-one design feedhorn?

thx.

 

[Mr Tony]

DSS (DirecTV) and DBS (ExpressVu/Dish) are the same when it comes to LNB's

 

[tdti1]

I drilled a hole in my scalar ring and placed a lnbf there, though I never use it at all anymore and it was a waste of time, I did use it though for music channels.

You can get a wideband feedhorn, though this type is for circular C-band and both linear c/ku-band, good for channels off of NSS-806 and other birds.

Any lnb's you place on the feed should work, I would go for Norsat or CalAmp pro lnb's.

For the best results a smaller Ku reflector would be my chioce for DTV and Dish type of programming.

 

[ftaeddie]

Thx, Iceberg: I thought dbs=dss as far as lnb's go, hence why I asked about DSS.

tdti1: I see...the reason I asked is that I am only able to put up one dish and I subscribed to DirecTV. Also, I can only have one cable run into my house. It would be nice to put up a single dish that "does it all" with the proper hardware.

You mentioned the wideband feedhorn being able to handle circular C-band and both linear C/Ku-band, so if I get one of those all I would have to do to get DirecTV is plop down a circular lnb for DBS next to it?

Also I would like to retain my ability to catch Cubavision off of PAS 9. I heard someone mention recently that you need a Universal Lnbf for that channel. How would this impact my choice in a all in one feedhorn setup?

 

[Diamond Jim]

can the same feed horn also accomodate the C band lnb.

Yes , I have Precision C and Ku LNBs hooked onto my Chaparral feedhorn. They work for analog and DVB.

 

[tdti1]

I think Cubvision is also on the C-band side of P9 and is linear, If you do not really need the channels on NSS-806 I would go with the regular Corotor II plus feedhorn and grab two nice lnb's, then you can strap a lnbf on the side of the feedhorn and you will have eveything you need there.

 

[ftaeddie]

Thanks, tdti1. Great advice!