I'm getting into the hobby and I am going to be modding a Directv Slimline 3 dish using an Avenger KSC321S-2 LNBF with a universal mount and X2 V1 Mini MD DVB-S2 receiver. I was trying to find the posts on the mods but most of the links in other threads lead to dead ends. Does anyone have the measurement on where to drill the hole for the mount or can I use the existing holes after removing the Directv LNB? I am in Toledo, OH any idea of what birds I can expect to pick up? As beginner I'm probably getting in over my head, since my training is in computer networking. Where do you get the little larger dishes I am having trouble sourcing any that are local when I get the SAF for C band dish, probably a 3ft dish is the largest she would allow? I've called a couple of satellite sellers/installers here but when I start asking about ku or c band equipment they sound like they know less than I do.
New to hobby have questions
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As the Slimline isn't really a prime focus dish (a true parabola), you are probably going to have to experiment. If you've still got the original LNB attached, you'll know where to start.
It shouldn't take long to convince yourself that a larger parabolic dish is much better suited to FTA.
It shouldn't take long to convince yourself that a larger parabolic dish is much better suited to FTA.
What I did with the Slimlines that I use is I cut a small board so it fits into the LNB arm snugly and mounted one of those cheap LNB holders onto that.
On one of my Slimlines, the best spot was right on one of the original mounting holes. On the other one, it's right at the edge of the LNB arm, you'll have to play around with it and find the best spot on yours. If you skew your LNB, then don't skew the dish and vice versa, if you skew the dish, set your LNB skew at 0.
I use Avenger PLLs on my Slimlines too, one is pointed at 121w for Velocity Tv, the other is aimed at 95w for CGTN. CGTN use to be called CCTV, so you may see it listed as CCTV on places like Sathint, Lyngsat, etc. You should be able to receive channels from 97w too.
The PBS channels on 87w and 125w aren't doable with a Slimline. Don't get discouraged If the Slimline doesn't work out for you, being small, it is a tough dish to use in a first time setup. The adjusters on a Slimline are real nice though, in that aspect, it's easier cause you can adjust it smoothly.
It may take quite a bit for you to lock anything, just a tiny bit off in azimuth (left/right) or elevation (up/down) and skew (rotation of the LNB or dish) and you won't receive anything.
If you do buy a bigger dish, get at least a 90cm. Maybe even bigger, if you want to reliably receive the PBS stations on 125w.
On one of my Slimlines, the best spot was right on one of the original mounting holes. On the other one, it's right at the edge of the LNB arm, you'll have to play around with it and find the best spot on yours. If you skew your LNB, then don't skew the dish and vice versa, if you skew the dish, set your LNB skew at 0.
I use Avenger PLLs on my Slimlines too, one is pointed at 121w for Velocity Tv, the other is aimed at 95w for CGTN. CGTN use to be called CCTV, so you may see it listed as CCTV on places like Sathint, Lyngsat, etc. You should be able to receive channels from 97w too.
The PBS channels on 87w and 125w aren't doable with a Slimline. Don't get discouraged If the Slimline doesn't work out for you, being small, it is a tough dish to use in a first time setup. The adjusters on a Slimline are real nice though, in that aspect, it's easier cause you can adjust it smoothly.
It may take quite a bit for you to lock anything, just a tiny bit off in azimuth (left/right) or elevation (up/down) and skew (rotation of the LNB or dish) and you won't receive anything.
If you do buy a bigger dish, get at least a 90cm. Maybe even bigger, if you want to reliably receive the PBS stations on 125w.
This project is to prove to wife that there are a lot of channels up there and since the dish was already here on a post in the backyard she agreed to let me experiment when I told her that for $45 I could pull down more channels than buying similar priced an OTA digital antenna. Ultimately I will replace the dish with a 3-4ft one so I can play with c-band aswell.
You would also be able to pick up NHK on 103 west and probably KBS World on 123w. I used a slimline on Hispasat at 30 west. Worked fine for most channels, just a bit tough on a few of the Argentina channels. On 97w you might have interference from 95 and 99 on some channels. As the small size of the dish means It's less directional than larger dishes
Have fun!
Have fun!
For c band, when you get to that, you'll want bigger than 3 or 4' if you have the room for it. A 3-4' will pull in some c band channels, but there's a lot it won't. 10' or 12' is good. I have a 9' here that works real good. Smaller than that and they'll be some channels you won't receive on c band.
For Ku, a 90 cm (36") is good, although for the ku PBS stations on 125w a 1m (3') would be better.
There's a LOT more on c band than on ku. If you want an idea of what's up there, you can go to sathint.com and in the north and south America section look on the satellites from around 30w to 127w. The channels that say clear under the encryption column are the ones you should be able to receive, assuming you have a clear LOS (line of sight) to the satellite, no trees, buildings, etc, blocking the signal. When you look on sathint, under the frequency/polarization column, in the first column of numbers, the ones with 4 digits are c band, the ones with five are Ku transponders ( channels).
Oh, Welcome to Satguys!
For Ku, a 90 cm (36") is good, although for the ku PBS stations on 125w a 1m (3') would be better.
There's a LOT more on c band than on ku. If you want an idea of what's up there, you can go to sathint.com and in the north and south America section look on the satellites from around 30w to 127w. The channels that say clear under the encryption column are the ones you should be able to receive, assuming you have a clear LOS (line of sight) to the satellite, no trees, buildings, etc, blocking the signal. When you look on sathint, under the frequency/polarization column, in the first column of numbers, the ones with 4 digits are c band, the ones with five are Ku transponders ( channels).
Oh, Welcome to Satguys!
Hi there jholt I live close by you in NE Indiana so I can help out if you need some help. Welcome to Satguys bud. FTA is not a replacement for DISH or Directv. FTA teamed up with an OTA antenna does help out a lot. I started out with a slimline modded with a DN superdish LNB and picked up a lot from there that was about 5 years ago. Then I moved to a 1 meter then to a 4 footer.
Jholt I have a Fortec 6 footer sitting here in the yard not hooked up. Might need some spray to spruce it up. It's similar to the big one in my av. It's a fixed dish but could be motorized at some point.
I'm east of Cincinnati. If you're interested in making the trip south let me know its yours
I'm east of Cincinnati. If you're interested in making the trip south let me know its yours
Thanks I love to have it but not sure how I would get it here. My only vehicle is a 08 PT Cruiser somehow I don't think it will fit.
Thanks for the offer, any advice or anything would be greatly helpful. I think I'm outside my element, I mean some things are roughly the same with cables and siginal strength but on much larger scale. One problem I need to take of is the fact I don't have a large yard and half of it is taken up by a 40ft Pine.
These two sentences really get to the heart of the choice between OTA and FTA presented in post #4. You're going to need an OTA antenna either way so it can't reasonably be one or the other.
If the new system is to stand alone, it will have to get what you need, not just a higher channel count.
You may know this but the satellite arc in the sky is to your south.
Dishpointer.com is a great site to help you determine what sats you will have line-of-sight to.
There are also some free smartphone apps that work well for determining what you will be able to "see" from your location.
I already have a indoor ATSC antenna and I get my local NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX and the subchannels like metv, escape, and comet. The only Network I don't get is PBS but I think I might be to close to their tower less than 4 miles. I also have a roku to add to the library. So I have the basics covered the FTA is just to add to what I already have and I admit curiousity and the challenge of setting it up is appealling to me as well. Mostly the idea of wildfeeds, and being able to have a little jump on news is what is kind of driving this project.
Wild feeds perhaps aren't as available as they used to be. Many of the TV stations have moved towards microwave or the Internet for more direct uploading. Of course because they're "wild", you really never know where or when they'll show up.
either way I think I will get $40 worth of entertainment just setting it up and seeing what I can pull down by kitbashing it together. If anything I will learn something I didn't know before either from actually getting to work or watching the programming. That is what is fun for me making stuff do things it normally isn't meant to. Always been that way from playing with VFO's on my CB radio, getting my C-64 online to playing with emulators. I'm not expecting to get cable/network channels for free. From reading the posts here especially danristheman's threads I have a rough idea of what to expect in terms of programming and limitations. At the price I am paying even if I only find one channel that I like or learn one thing I didn't know before it's worth it to me.
Perhaps what threw me off is that you early on expressed some concern about the element of WAF from the spousal unit.
Well $40 is easier for the Spousal Unit to accept than me going absolutely nuts and spending $100's or $1000's for a massive setup. It scratches my itch and doesn't break the bank. Sooner or later I'll get the bigger dish and c-band but I'll have hour's of fun just trying to point what I got at different sat's.
A good line of sight is the first thing you need. You can reuse the RG6 cables like how I did if they are in good shape, but switches for swim stuff you don't need toss them out. I would aim for 97w ku galaxy 19 in your area you have a good signal for it. It should be 40 degrees elevation since you are straight east from me. Remember take your time enjoy this hobby it fun and a learning process you learn how satellites how they work.
Absent a semicolon or dash after the word need, that didn't read right. SWiM gear (or WB68 or DishPro or DishPro+) CANNOT be part of an FTA system,
Yes its a learning process, A hint - when using lnbf - 600 is for universal lnbf and 750 is for standard lnbf. This was the first mistake I made! So letting you know so you learn from my mistake!
For me the 600 seems to take longer to scan but a little bit more power then the 750. But that's just my observation.- Status
