Many lnbs on Primestar dish. How?

[ken2400]

Many lnbs on Primestar dish. How?
Ya I know I can buy something to do this BUT how would I go about making one?
What is the max working number?

Thanks

 

[Mr Tony]

KU or DBS?

I've been able to do 3 KU LNB's (one on each side) but the drawback is you cant get 4 degree spacing on them...its around 5 degrees so 74/79 can be easily done

I did as a trial 99/105/111.1 Tried to do 97 but the signals were very weak

DBS is much easier. Have been able to add a LNB for 119 onto the above. Also have done 110/119/123/129 with no issues (and some hoseclamps

few pics

1st 2 were 74/79
3 & 4 are 107.3/119
5th is 119/123/129

 

[willie8605]

Is there an advantage of having multiple LNBs over having a motorized dish other than the time you have to wait on the dish to move?

 

[Mr Tony]

If you have multiple receivers it allows someone to watch a separate satellite. When Equity had a bunch of channels (before they sold off almost everything after filing bankruptcy) I and a bunch of folks had a dish at 123W for those channels.

The 74/79 dish I had set up is when 74 was the "feeds" satellite. Some would argue that 105 is now the main "feeds" satellite after Dish network gutted it of their programming (they are leasing the satellite)

 

[ken2400]

Ku Ice.
Thanks for the pics.
I seem to remember seeing a picture of a pipe that went from side to side and attached at the end of the main arm too in the shape of a D. I had that like over 5 lnbs on.

Anyone else see it?
I just found some metal electrical conduit that was pitched out at work. Need to stop at the hardware store next.

Thanks

KU or DBS?

I've been able to do 3 KU LNB's (one on each side) but the drawback is you cant get 4 degree spacing on them...its around 5 degrees so 74/79 can be easily done

I did as a trial 99/105/111.1 Tried to do 97 but the signals were very weak

DBS is much easier. Have been able to add a LNB for 119 onto the above. Also have done 110/119/123/129 with no issues (and some hoseclamps

few pics

1st 2 were 74/79
3 & 4 are 107.3/119
5th is 119/123/129

 

[Mr Tony]

Mike Kohl has some pics

global-cm.net

 

[Anole]

few thoughts:

Also, Linuxman has a current thread about mounting a bunch of LNBs on a six foot offset dish.
It's a lot of reading, but if you'll look through just the pictures, there are many things to learn.

First, if you aim the dish to your true south satellite, then the path of the LNBs forms a fairly straight line, across the dish.
That's for birds quite near to each other; for birds further out, the line of LNBs forms a "U" shape, looking from the front of the dish.

HOWEVER, if you aim the dish OFF your true south satellite, then the line of LNBs forms a diagonal line across the face of the dish.
This is all brought out in words, drawings, and photos in Linuxman's thread.

Second, to get satellites quite close to each other, you need a bunch of factors in your favor:
- choose birds near your true south, not off toward the horizon
- be located closer to the equator than to the pole
- select a dish with a large F/D ratio, offset are best, (long focal length)
- use LNBs with small or narrow horns.
(Iceberg used some bandstacked with tall oval horn, and WescoPC ground down some GeosatPro SL1 LNBFs)

Third, I've assumed you are not looking for DBS satellites.
As Iceberg said, they are very easy on something like an 84e dish.
I believe TheNetBuilder published pictures of an 84e doing 110°-148°.
Can't recall, but I think 123° was in the middle.

edit:
Here's the thread where Linuxman did the six foot dish.
Toward the end of the thread, he added Primestar 84e dishes, so make sure you look through that section, too.
For birds on an 84e, if it is aimed far from your TS satellite, you should probably skew the dish.
He's got info on a boat-seat swivel to do that, too.