Ku dish used for Cband

[FTA4PA]

Has anybody had any experience with the Satlink WS-6906 Digital Satellite Finder? I was considering buying one, it's basically a portable TV with a FTA receiver built in, so you can see the actual channels on its 3.5" screen. Looks like it's DVB only, no DVB/S2 but thought this would be pretty cool to play with and take a small dish on a tripod with me to be able to show friends what they can get with a fta system. It also has video in and out too. Thinking it would be great for camping too, since it's 12v and comes with AC and car adapters.

View attachment 110504 View attachment 110505

I've never used one of these myself but have seen several posts on the site. There is very little, if any, support for North American satellites provided. You will likely have to enter your own parameters into the meter for the sats you want. There is also the DVB only limitation, which you've already mentioned. With the jump to DVBS2 there are more and more channels that this will not be able to receive. If you are going to be relying on this for tuning your dish(es) then my suggestion would be to buy an extra receiver capable of DVBS2 and pair it with a portable television set. That way you have the best of both worlds - a system that can be used at the dish for fine tuning and a portable system for camping, cabin, demonstrations, etc that will receive what you want to watch (given access to the right size dish of course). If you understand it's limitations and just want to experiment and can afford the extra bucks then go for it.

 

[dsmith0429]

I've never used one of these myself but have seen several posts on the site. There is very little, if any, support for North American satellites provided. You will likely have to enter your own parameters into the meter for the sats you want. There is also the DVB only limitation, which you've already mentioned. With the jump to DVBS2 there are more and more channels that this will not be able to receive. If you are going to be relying on this for tuning your dish(es) then my suggestion would be to buy an extra receiver capable of DVBS2 and pair it with a portable television set. That way you have the best of both worlds - a system that can be used at the dish for fine tuning and a portable system for camping, cabin, demonstrations, etc that will receive what you want to watch (given access to the right size dish of course). If you understand it's limitations and just want to experiment and can afford the extra bucks then go for it.

I was offered one for $40, so for that price, I'm probably going to give it a whirl and play with it...

 

[FTA4PA]

I was offered one for $40, so for that price, I'm probably going to give it a whirl and play with it...

Yep, I'd go for it at that price.

 

[spongella]

melbfta,

Just note that when you are using a small dish like yours on the C band, it has a wider focus, so for example if you are pointed at 99W you may pick up a channel or two on 97W. Smaller dishes don't always discriminate well between two satellites in close proximity such as those two degrees apart. Not being a wet blanket, just wanted you to know that in those cases it has nothing to do with your technique Like you, I have set up several of smaller dishes for C band over the years and it was always fun to see how far I could stretch the limit of the dish.

Have fun on C band.

Sponge

 

[melbfla]

melbfta,

Just note that when you are using a small dish like yours on the C band, it has a wider focus, so for example if you are pointed at 99W you may pick up a channel or two on 97W. Smaller dishes don't always discriminate well between two satellites in close proximity such as those two degrees apart. Not being a wet blanket, just wanted you to know that in those cases it has nothing to do with your technique Like you, I have set up several of smaller dishes for C band over the years and it was always fun to see how far I could stretch the limit of the dish.

Have fun on C band.

Sponge

Spongella thank you for the information for this current set up I was hunting for one specific transporter / channel and it has been working very well for me so this setup is staying as is I am very please by the way is working . By the way calling it a technique is a stretch I call it luck but thanks lol.
I plan to do another project as time permits by I also have the motorized ku setup and otA just wanted one channel
Thanks
Regards

 

[dsmith0429]

This is the C1-PLL mounted on my 1.2m dish that has a FD of .6. This positioning optimized the PR/VI transponder on 99w.

Hi Brian, I received the new Titanium Satellite C1-PLL with WiMAX Filter today, thanks for the super fast shipping.

If I'm reading your instructions correctly, I should set the LNBF to the strongest possible signal before I mount the Conical Scalar Ring, then fine tune afterwards?

I've built my own custom mount to use this on an old Primestar dish. The old Titanium Satellite C1W-PLL lite I broke used to work pretty good on 99W for 3740 V 30000, 3776 H 3254, 3820 V 25992, 3848 H 15029, & 4000 H 26402 but that was about it. I didn't do anything special the last time I tried this, just tried to mount in the same place and angle as the old Primestar LNB. This time I want to see if I can do better...

Thanks for all your help!

 

[dsmith0429]

melbfta,

Just note that when you are using a small dish like yours on the C band, it has a wider focus, so for example if you are pointed at 99W you may pick up a channel or two on 97W. Smaller dishes don't always discriminate well between two satellites in close proximity such as those two degrees apart. Not being a wet blanket, just wanted you to know that in those cases it has nothing to do with your technique Like you, I have set up several of smaller dishes for C band over the years and it was always fun to see how far I could stretch the limit of the dish.

Have fun on C band.

Sponge

I was getting about 5 channels from 97w with my 99w setup, I considered it a bonus for the others I couldn't get from 99W, LOL

 

[Titanium]

I first aim and optimize the dish using the original KU feedhorn and LNBF then lock down the elevation and azimuth.
Install the 65mm clamp and adjust so the height (center of the C-band feedhorn) matches the KU feedhorn center and level so aiming at same point on reflector surface.
Rotate the LNBF feedhorn for proper skew and slide fore/aft for signal quality optimization.
Install conical scalar and slide fore/aft for signal quality optimization.
Slide LNBF and conical scalar fore/aft for signal quality optimization.
Slide conical scalar fore/aft for signal quality optimization.
Slide LNBF and conical scalar fore/aft for signal quality optimization.
Slide conical scalar fore/aft for signal quality optimization.
Repeat until optimized.

Also note that the placement of the LNBF Feedhorn, the placement of the conical scalar, the left/right/up/down angle of the feedhorn and the the left/right/up/down angle of the conical scalar will often be different to optimize on each transponder. This is due to the undersized reflector "seeing" several satellites and signals from each nearby satellite being increased or decreased simply by moving the feedhorn and the scalar to receive more of the desired signal and reject the unwanted signal.

 

[KE4EST]

I first aim and optimize the dish using the original KU feedhorn and LNBF then lock down the elevation and azimuth.
Install the 65mm clamp and adjust so the height (center of the C-band feedhorn) matches the KU feedhorn center and level so aiming at same point on reflector surface.
Rotate the LNBF feedhorn for proper skew and slide fore/aft for signal quality optimization.
Install conical scalar and slide fore/aft for signal quality optimization.
Slide LNBF and conical scalar fore/aft for signal quality optimization.
Slide conical scalar fore/aft for signal quality optimization.
Slide LNBF and conical scalar fore/aft for signal quality optimization.
Slide conical scalar fore/aft for signal quality optimization.
Repeat until optimized.

Also note that the placement of the LNBF Feedhorn, the placement of the conical scalar, the left/right/up/down angle of the feedhorn and the the left/right/up/down angle of the conical scalar will often be different to optimize on each transponder. This is due to the undersized reflector "seeing" several satellites and signals from each nearby satellite being increased or decreased simply by moving the feedhorn and the scalar to receive more of the desired signal and reject the unwanted signal.

Bookmark!

 

[(((Garyd)))]

Bookmark!

anyone living near me in CT. I got about 10 brand new 1 meter dishes for sale cheap no feeds

 

[spongella]

Has anybody had any experience with the Satlink WS-6906 Digital Satellite Finder? I was considering buying one, it's basically a portable TV with a FTA receiver built in, so you can see the actual channels on its 3.5" screen. Looks like it's DVB only, no DVB/S2 but thought this would be pretty cool to play with and take a small dish on a tripod with me to be able to show friends what they can get with a fta system. It also has video in and out too. Thinking it would be great for camping too, since it's 12v and comes with AC and car adapters.

View attachment 110504 View attachment 110505

dsmith0249,

Yes I bought one several years ago and it served me very well until the battery would not hold a charge, and finally I replaced it with a Dtek Desired. The Satlink was a handy tool to use at the dish when setting up or optimizing it. It's basically an FTA receiver with it's own power supply, and that was convenient and better than stringing a 100 foot power cord to the dish. One thing it does not have is MPEG4 capability. This would be problem more so on C band where there's more MPEG 4. It does not support USALS. But all in all the meter was a good investment and fun to use.

 

[dsmith0429]

I first aim and optimize the dish using the original KU feedhorn and LNBF then lock down the elevation and azimuth.
Install the 65mm clamp and adjust so the height (center of the C-band feedhorn) matches the KU feedhorn center and level so aiming at same point on reflector surface.
Rotate the LNBF feedhorn for proper skew and slide fore/aft for signal quality optimization.
Install conical scalar and slide fore/aft for signal quality optimization.
Slide LNBF and conical scalar fore/aft for signal quality optimization.
Slide conical scalar fore/aft for signal quality optimization.
Slide LNBF and conical scalar fore/aft for signal quality optimization.
Slide conical scalar fore/aft for signal quality optimization.
Repeat until optimized.

Also note that the placement of the LNBF Feedhorn, the placement of the conical scalar, the left/right/up/down angle of the feedhorn and the the left/right/up/down angle of the conical scalar will often be different to optimize on each transponder. This is due to the undersized reflector "seeing" several satellites and signals from each nearby satellite being increased or decreased simply by moving the feedhorn and the scalar to receive more of the desired signal and reject the unwanted signal.

UPDATE: Removed the old Ku mount, used the metal part from a broken universal LNB mount and created a bracket to mount the C-band holder on. Adjusted the height and angle to match the old Ku, and wow much better. 96% signal 70% quality on AMG-TV! Others average 58% quality.

I'm thinking the LNBF may need to come in a little closer, but that will be difficult unless I shorten the feed arm. Right now I don't want to do that because I want to keep the dish where it can still be re-used for Ku in the future. The arm has an odd shape so mounting on top of the arm will be difficult and not very secure, and would probably give me the wrong height & possibly angle.

The best option would be to make my own arm with some rectangular tubing in the future. Also thought of removing an arm from an old damaged dish that is rectangular, but is about a foot shorter and see what kind of results I get.

Going play around with the scalar some more too, don't think I have the best spot for that yet. Started getting dark, so hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to see if I can tweak it any more.

Oh and the best part, the Titanium Satellite C1W-PLL lite LNBF that I broke is now repaired and that is the one I'm using. I removed the cover, re-soldered the coax connector, resealed the cover with GE weather-proof silicone, connected it in place of the new Titanium Satellite C1-PLL with WiMAX Filter I just bought, and yay it worked! So now I have another LNBF to experiment with on another dish. Building Micro/Mini BUD #2 hopefully tomorrow, just have to decide which satellite I want to go for.

These PLL LNBFs work great, I highly recommend to anyone wanting to build their own Micro/Mini BUD, or a full sized BUD.

Thanks to Titanium for their helpful comments and suggestions!

 

[dsmith0429]

Well, my curiosity got the best of me, and I just had to give it a try this evening. The setup slipped out of my hand while looking for the "sweet spot" and the F-connector broke loose from the circuit board, & even though I opened and resoldered, I couldn't get a signal, I even put it back on my original setup, and still was dead. So my new mini/micro bud project is on hold until I order and receive a new LNBF, I should have waited until the weekend like I planned, but haste got me in trouble again and cost me a LNBF... going for a C1-PLL with the WiMax filter this time... Thanks Titanium, will be placing an order soon

UPDATE: the Titanium Satellite C1W-PLL lite has been repaired and working great Nice to have an extra LNBF to play with Going to re-open the Young YY-CD008 I have, re-check my soldering on the f-connector, and see if I can get it working too...

 

[dsmith0429]

UPDATE: the Titanium Satellite C1W-PLL lite has been repaired and working great Nice to have an extra LNBF to play with Going to re-open the Young YY-CD008 I have, re-check my soldering on the f-connector, and see if I can get it working too...

UPDATE: I have the Young YY-CD008 C-band LNBF working again too, just needed to resolder the f-connector. So now I have a 3rd C-band LNBF to play with.

This LNBF has similar specs as the C1W-PLL lite, but the feedhorn is very thin, and bends easily, so I had to do a little extra work to get it back in shape because of over tightening the scalar ring LOL

 

[Titanium]

Good work on the repairs!

As a side note: The. YY-CD008 is quite different than the Titanium products. It is a standard DRO type unit that Young assembles from sourced major components, but does not design or manufacture.

Done business with them for several years as they are a remote control manufacturer.

 

[dsmith0429]

Good work on the repairs!

As a side note: The. YY-CD008 is quite different than the Titanium products. It is a standard DRO type unit that Young assembles from sourced major components, but does not design or manufacture.

Done business with them for several years as they are a remote control manufacturer.

Yes, quite different. I guess I should have clarified what was similar, the RF Input 3.4-4.2GHz, IF Output 950-1750MHz, L.O. Frequency 5150, Gain 65db, is the same, but Noise Figure is 17°K instead of 15°K like the Titanium C1W-PLL lite. And the YY-CD008 does not have Phase Lock Loop.

Not sure about anything else, but the overall quality of the housing of the Titanium C1W-PLL lite is also noticeably better.

It was my 1st C-band LNBF I bought, mainly because it was a cheap way to experiment and if something went wrong, I wasn't out too much money. But it actually performed better than I expected. Now that it's back working, I have it on my Mini/Micro Bud setup, and going to use the C1W-PLL lite on a 2nd dish, and save the new C1-PLL with the WiMax filter I just bought for a future project. I'm was able to get about the same signal quality from all 3 of the LNBFs, so that gives me some great toys to play with

 

[melbfla]

Yes, quite different. I guess I should have clarified what was similar, the RF Input 3.4-4.2GHz, IF Output 950-1750MHz, L.O. Frequency 5150, Gain 65db, is the same, but Noise Figure is 17°K instead of 15°K like the Titanium C1W-PLL lite. And the YY-CD008 does not have Phase Lock Loop.

Not sure about anything else, but the overall quality of the housing of the Titanium C1W-PLL lite is also noticeably better.

It was my 1st C-band LNBF I bought, mainly because it was a cheap way to experiment and if something went wrong, I wasn't out too much money. But it actually performed better than I expected. Now that it's back working, I have it on my Mini/Micro Bud setup, and going to use the C1W-PLL lite on a 2nd dish, and save the new C1-PLL with the WiMax filter I just bought for a future project. I'm was able to get about the same signal quality from all 3 of the LNBFs, so that gives me some great toys to play with

Dsmith great going which satellite did you aimed to maybe you already said .

 

[dsmith0429]

Dsmith great going which satellite did you aimed to maybe you already said .

97W, going to try for 89W for dish #2 this weekend (if too weak I'll do 99W, I know I can get that one, done it before), And have to see if I have a dish or can find one I can use for a 3rd dish, since I have 3 C-band LNBFs now