Most of us have seen these toroidal dishes sold by WaveFrontier (Mostly the T-55) or one of the many clones out there that claim a 60 degree azimuth spread. Sure, they look great but here's some information to anybody thinking about buying one of these dishes.
For FTA on Dish or Bell you'll need an inverted LNB, the WaveFrontier has 2 reflectors. The LNBs used on the toroidal dish are specific to this application, they cost more and can't be used on a standard dish without some trickery.
LNB spacing is another issue, for those who want to receive Galaxy11 and Nimiq1 you're SOL.
Setting the LNB spacing for more than 2 LNBs is a nightmare.
* * * * * The most important point * * * * *
The reflectivity of the dish equates to using a DirecTV dish. You have only 20inches (55cm) of dish to collect a signal - useless for anything other than FTA on Dish or Bell.
You will not get a usable signal on any other satellite unless you mount this thing on a 10,000 mile-high fencepost (Just don't ask me to work out your Az/El for that one.)
Without discriminating against those who have a legit sub to more than 1 satellite provider, the toroidal dishes are targeted at those who either have a legit sub to Dish and Bell, but mostly to those who wish to steal programming as their LNB settings chart only lists DishNetwork and BellExpressVu LNB positions. These dishes are sometimes sold as BlackBird FTA dishes, Silverbird FTA dishes or Silver Bullet FTA dishes.
The kicker is, they're selling for $199+ at standard retail prices without an LNB.
I've answered many questions from people (other forums etc) who complain that they can't get T5 or they can only see a Dish or Bell bird only to tell them this:
If you're half serious about true FTA get yourself a 33" dish, an LNB and an SG2100. Including shipping from a reputable dealer such as PSB.
You'll save money (As I did), get a far better signal and obtain hundreds if not thousands more channels than these toroidal things.
That is, unless you have half a forest in your back garden.
For FTA on Dish or Bell you'll need an inverted LNB, the WaveFrontier has 2 reflectors. The LNBs used on the toroidal dish are specific to this application, they cost more and can't be used on a standard dish without some trickery.
LNB spacing is another issue, for those who want to receive Galaxy11 and Nimiq1 you're SOL.
Setting the LNB spacing for more than 2 LNBs is a nightmare.
* * * * * The most important point * * * * *
The reflectivity of the dish equates to using a DirecTV dish. You have only 20inches (55cm) of dish to collect a signal - useless for anything other than FTA on Dish or Bell.
You will not get a usable signal on any other satellite unless you mount this thing on a 10,000 mile-high fencepost (Just don't ask me to work out your Az/El for that one.)
Without discriminating against those who have a legit sub to more than 1 satellite provider, the toroidal dishes are targeted at those who either have a legit sub to Dish and Bell, but mostly to those who wish to steal programming as their LNB settings chart only lists DishNetwork and BellExpressVu LNB positions. These dishes are sometimes sold as BlackBird FTA dishes, Silverbird FTA dishes or Silver Bullet FTA dishes.
The kicker is, they're selling for $199+ at standard retail prices without an LNB.
I've answered many questions from people (other forums etc) who complain that they can't get T5 or they can only see a Dish or Bell bird only to tell them this:
If you're half serious about true FTA get yourself a 33" dish, an LNB and an SG2100. Including shipping from a reputable dealer such as PSB.
You'll save money (As I did), get a far better signal and obtain hundreds if not thousands more channels than these toroidal things.
That is, unless you have half a forest in your back garden.
