Norsat lnb question

[iammike]

I've been having some problems with the KU channels on X4, and have been wondering if some better LNB's would fix them. I get some of the channels like GSN and ESPN classics fine, but the quality is in the low to mid 40's. Other channels I either get no quality or low quality that jumps around between the teens and the mid-30's but not high enough to get a watchable signal. I've also tried some of the other KU 4dtv sats and can't pick them up at all. My dish would appear to be tracking the arc pretty well based on my Cband signal, I get quality in the 90's on NFL on GB and I'm also in the 90's on the reuplinked channels on G9 and 80's on C4. My HBO quality on G1 is only in the 50's though and would drop below watchable levels a fair bit in the daytime during the summer.

Right now I'm using the lnb's that came with this package deal:

http://www.thesatelliteshop.net/hypercart/PictureFrame.asp?Sku=cbandcombo1&categoryID=70

As you can see, my current lnb's are not the best. I was thinking about going to a Norsat 4106a for KU and a 8115 for C. Particularly since my dish is a little less than 8 feet and probably a little warped, I was thinking the Norsat's might fix my problem. Before dropping the money on them, I wanted to get a few more opinions. Anybody have any thoughts?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[tdti1]

Keep in mind that you can have good quality on C-band, though may not get any Ku-band, you may want to have someone push the dish up, while you look at the quality of a channel on X4 that you get, if it goes away, have them push down, push gently.

It sounds more like an alignment issue than lnb's, though the lnb's you want to get would be nice to have I do not see them as something you need for the probelms you are having.

If your feed is off centre it can cause problems.

Look here for dish alignment help:
http://www.geo-orbit.org/sizepgs/tuningp2.html

 

[iammike]

I'll try that when I get home tonight, although I have to admit that I don't fully understand. Are you saying that C is more forgiving than KU, so a small adjustment might not hurt C while correcting the KU problem?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[tdti1]

I'll try that when I get home tonight, although I have to admit that I don't fully understand. Are you saying that C is more forgiving than KU, so a small adjustment might not hurt C while correcting the KU problem?

Thanks,
Mike

Yes and no depending what has to be adjusted, last time I played with my dish, I lost all my Ku-band but had my C-band working great, I was off a little bit, got everything back, but was dumb and did not tighten my mount enough and a big storm moved my dish and again I lost all Ku-band but C-band is fine, I must go out and play one day, but I have a 1.1 meter Patriot for Ku-band so not a big deal, plus I do not sub to anything on 4dtv that is on ku so I am not really missing much, I will fix it though, one day....

 

[voomvoom]

It sounds to me like an alignment problem. But, if you do decide to get new lnb's, you won't go wrong with the 2 you mentioned. When looking for lnb's, the thing that's most important (to me), is the stability rating, the lower the better. Also the lower noise figure, whether it's in "K" or "db".

Al

 

[iammike]

Tdti1, Al,

You guys were right on the money, it was an alignment problem. I was able to tweak my elevation a little tonight and get it working. The quality numbers are still lower than they should be, 55 on GSN and 45 on HGTV but at least it's working and there's no tiling. Thanks!

Now to complete my education about lnb's and stability. Could you explain a little more about the symptoms I would see, or not see, that would indicate an lnb with better stability would help. I'm pretty sure the problems I saw with G1 HBO during the daytime this past summer were due to stability. During the heat of the day, the signal quality would drop below viewable levels but would recover during the evening hours. What about a channel that keeps locking and then unlocking. I'm seeing this a lot with a particular FTA channel on E2 that I'm trying to tune with my PC card. MyTheatre goes back and forth between a 60 signal and 35 quality to 0 and 0 for each. Would this be a case where the better lnb's would help?

Mike

 

[tdti1]

A more stable lnb will lock and hold digital channels better, and should not give problems on very hot days, so yes the lnb's will be best, though it does still sound like you have some tweaking to do on the dish and feed.

 

[HDTVFanAtic]

If I can lock and hold HBO-HD on 127W with a Norsat 8115 and a 6 foot BUD, then I think that would help you decide.

 

[iammike]

If I can lock and hold HBO-HD on 127W with a Norsat 8115 and a 6 foot BUD, then I think that would help you decide.

True enough, although now that I've got all my channels back my motivation to spend the money on the Norsat's isn't as great.