DVB-S2/8PSK on a "badly" damaged Paraclipse 12 footer

[ZetaMale]

Today, I installed a Titanium C1W PLL LNBF on this antenna just to see what happens. Despite the very bad damage to my Paraclipse (see photos) I'm still able to pull in DVB-S2/8PSK signals (58% SQ). I haven't checked other satellites but I found this very interesting and continue to wonder just how big of a dish I really need. The video quality is very good - no pixelation.

 

[FaT Air]

just how big of a dish I really need

A 10 footer, in good condition, suffices here. Q typically from high 60's to some 80's.
In the condition of yours, I don't think size matters that much.
(Q values are subjective - it all depends on the manufacturers programmers as to what it's going to say for ?? BER)

 

[KJ6EO]

There are others on the board who are far more qualified than I to answer your question. BUT IMHO ... I think it just boils down to which channels you want to watch. As you know ... all TP's aren't created equal. On my 10' most of the channels that I watch, the TP's are good and strong. However, with that being said, there are some that are weak, especially on SES 2 C 87W. My Winegard Pinnicle is my first BUD. I've never tried to re-mesh a BUD. I'm sure others will chime in that can give you better advice on what to do.

 

[ZetaMale]

There are others on the board who are far more qualified than I to answer your question. BUT IMHO ... I think it just boils down to which channels you want to watch. As you know ... all TP's aren't created equal. On my 10' most of the channels that I watch, the TP's are good and strong. However, with that being said, there are some that are weak, especially on SES 2 C 87W. My Winegard Pinnicle is my first BUD. I've never tried to re-mesh a BUD. I'm sure others will chime in that can give you better advice on what to do.

I would like to install new mesh but it's just too expensive. I was thinking of using less costly 1/4" chicken wire so that I could have at least a C-band dish. It's labor intensive though. Not to mention how difficult it is to round up some friends to replace the dish. But, I might just go get another dish, new or used - just got to find one that fits a 3.5 " pole.

 

[waylew]

Other than the PITA of the para clips,remove the mesh,find a flat surface and use a rubber mallet/rolling pin/2x4 and straighten the panels out.Just need something for the missing piece.Won't be perfect,but a whole lot better than it is now and free other than some time.

 

[Titanium]

You were wondering about the dish requirements for receiving other DVBS2 channels. Notice the FEC value on the 8psk transponder that you documented. 1/2 FEC is very forgiving and not too many transponders use this low of an FEC ratio. 1/2 FEC means that only 50% of the data needs to be received error-free to decode the channel. The other 50% of the signal is retransmitting data for correcting errors.

Most DVBS2 services use a much higher FEC and are typically 3/4 or higher. For example, the ABC feeds on 99w are 9/10 FEC. This means that 90% of the signal data stream must be received without error. Much less forgiving and requires a good reflector, feed and distribution.

 

[ZetaMale]

I have been able to get FEC signals up to 5/6 on the damaged Paraclipse dish - but not always. Looks like 9/10 is impossible unless I fix/replace the dish. The newer 12 foot KTI has some hail damage but it does pull in 9/10 FEC.