Satwork 3688

[mbarnes]

I'm an FTA wanna-be, and I like the looks of the 3688. All I see though are Ku packages. I'm interested in both Ku and C band stuff. I've been thinking of getting the Ku package, then adding a C band dish later. Is this easy to do, or should I think about getting a dual band dish package so I don't have to fool with switches, etc. Real estate for dishes is no issue, so the eventual number of dishes doesn't matter. Although the cost does I try to use surplus/used stuff as much as possible, and have some old TVRO dishes available for C band use.

 

[PSB]

The Satwork 3688 works for both C and KU band so you could start with a KU system and add C as and when you can find one, they are easy enough to come across these days used, here is some reading material to read up on the installation of C-band.

http://www.geo-orbit.org/

 

[mbarnes]

Nice reference page. Since I deal with satellite systems professionally, I'm fairly familiar with the installation, footprints, LNBs, and other equipment. I have about 14 dishes at my main location ranging from 18" to 3.6 meters with C and Ku downlinks and a Ku uplink system, plus another dozen or so dishes at nine other locations using 2.4 meter dishes for Ku downlinks and 3.2 meter dishes for C band downlinks.

I'm new into the FTA stuff, though and looking at what is required to switch between a C and Ku dish for the 3866. Is there an automatic switch that the receiver will select the proper dish based on the channel selected in memory? Or do you have to manually switch them? I see that it will control a motor to point the dish to various spacecraft, but I didn't know about switching between dishes.

 

[TuxCoder]

Mind if I ask what or what kind of thing you're uplinking? If it's confidential simply say "yeah I mind"

 

[Mr Tony]

split thread off from review section

 

[mbarnes]

No problem, Tux. We operate a Spanish Christian satellite service. We uplink SCPC with Comstream equipment on AMC3. We own 14 radio stations in four states. I do most of the satellite work, as well as IT manager and Chief Engineer for two of the stations. We do all kinds of C and Ku downlinks. We use Comstream SCPC ABR200/202 receivers and Wegener DVB Unity 4000 receivers.

 

[Mr Tony]

sweet!

 

[mbarnes]

Here's how I do the dishes

 

[TuxCoder]

That's a pretty neat little playground.

 

[James Long]

Here's how I do the dishes

Hmmm ... How do you stop pickups from backing into your dishes?

JL