Double sized reflector?

[BUD_n_Sons]

I'd appreciate some feedback... I'm sick of springtime storms degrading HD->SD and outages in general.
I've been looking for a substantially bigger reflector for a 3 LNB setup to no avail.
How crazy is just doubling the reflector (H & V) and remounting the LNB ass'y at twice the distance?
Keep the geometries the same (horiz & vert chords, angles & offset).
Use a conduit bender on 3/4" tube and line it with 1/4" wirecloth (garden rabbit fencing).
Line it with finer aluminum screen if 1/4" is too open, but the 1/4" is structurally stable.

 

[navychop]

Three 12 footers ought to help.



Lots of rain may block the signal to where bigger might make little difference. Matter of droplet size and frequencies.

 

[KAB]

It very well could be you just need to re-peak your dish. I have yet to have any fade at all this spring.

 

[BUD_n_Sons]

I did something similar, back when Dish was sat 119 only. I grafted the LNB onto a PrimeStar reflector, Big difference.
With a triple LNB, it's trickier. I'd split them up, but don't know how to do the switching between separate LNBs.

KAB makes a fine point, try the easy stuff first... Thanks

 

[Dah-Henny]

If it were important enough to me, I wouldn't hesitate to mount 3 separate, larger reflectors to gather more signal. We've had several signal zapping storms this spring already.

 

[dwarren2]

AFiAK. It's not the size of the reflector. It's the rain itself. The wave length of the signal is absorbed by rhe rain drops.

 

[boba]

For Ku band you need 1/8 or smaller holes and as perfectly smooth a surface as possible. I don't think you will have much success with a homebuilt unless you are a machinist with a machine shop.

 

[BUD_n_Sons]

I appreciate all responses. A quick review shows my pine tree line has grown enough to be a problem.
I added ~24" in height & now have better signal. A temp fix at best.
In doing this I find 3 coax going to the 3 LNBs, so it may not switch within at all.
My homework awaits... if 3 runs, it gets 3 reflectors.

As it turns out, I can do machine fabrication. Building one isn't out of the question.
Thanks, all, I consider this closed. The ball is in my court...

 

[DishSubLA]

It is also the density of the cloud that is most often what blocks the signal. If it is a pretty dark cell, then hope it does not drift between you and the sat. You can still get a signal even in a wall of rain if the densest part of the cell have moved on from blocking your line of sight.

 

[lfp302]

Some outages occur because of storms over the uplink.

 

[ChadT41]

Some outages occur because of storms over the uplink.

but those are significantly fewer for the average consumer. I say average, because here in Az.... I have lost signal for under 5 minutes in 4 years, and 2 of those minutes was when the storm was so bad it knocked out the Gilbert uplink center all day last year...that storm was a doozy.

 

[Jim5506]

Doubling the surface area of the reflector and placing the lnb at the focus of the reflector will double your signal to the tuner and reduce the length and severity of drop outs, but severe weather can still block signal.

Unfortunately nearly all large reflectors are single focus, so you would have to have a reflector for each satellite to gain full effect.