Which FTA LNB would you recommend?

[Dee_Ann]

The old LNB on my HH dish / microHD is at the end of the line.

It appears the connector broke, it's very loose and it can't be tightened. If i jiggle it around i can get a signal but as soon as a bird lands on the dish or the wind blows, it's dead again.

I assume it broke the wire inside the sealed aluminum case. There is a fat plastic outer cover that comes off and inside is a much smaller sealed aluminum body that contains the guts and stuff.

I can't remember right off the top of my head but I think the neck is 40mm. Does that sound right? And I'm sure that it's linear for FTA.

What would you guys recommend as a good quality replacement? And hopefully something that won't break the bank. I hate to buy Chinese junk, again but how can you tell anymore? Aren't they all made there now?

Also, don't some have better "gain" (?) than others?

If you guys could point me in the right direction I would really appreciate it!

Thanks!

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[danristheman]

ku or cband?

dan rose

 

[Anole]

...and single output, or two?
.
If single Ku, probably the Standard PLL from SatAV.
If dual Ku, probably the Universal PLL from DMSI , PLL322S-2

?

 

[KE4EST]

For single output Ku, you can't beat the SL1PLL by GEOSATpro.

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[Dee_Ann]

Oooopsy!


KU.

As for single or dual output, that's not a biggie. Either is fine.

I searched amazon for "linear LNB -universal" and it only turned up about a dozen hits.

I saw one that was pretty affordable but I'm confused on it's specs.

Also, I can't use universal because I have a 2khz switch, a 1x4 and an HH motor in the mix.


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[Dee_Ann]

I've got to call it a night, I have to get up early, thanks guys! I'll check in the morning from my Mac, I'm sure there will be a lot of good recommendations to check out.

Thanks again!

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[jorgek]

Then a Standard KU linear single output will do. A double output will cost you more.

 

[Cham]

The SP1PLL comes from the same company as your microHD, and one of the forum's sponsors.
I have a few of them and they work great.

 

[Vinnie]

Do you need a LNBF or just the LNB? Personally, I like the Invacom SNH-031. I use one with my GeosatPRO 90cm + DG380 motor and MicroHD and this combination works very well for me. They also make a LNB-only version - the SNF-031.

Invacom has several LNB/Fs on their products page, if you're interested in getting a LNB/F that receives both linear and circular polarizations for example.

 

[wallyhts]

The SL-1 are good another to try is the DMSI 321 PLL it's a universal thought. I always like to have a few in the tool box

 

[Dee_Ann]

Well I found a whole buncha problems today.

1. The LNB F connector is wiggly. I assume the wire is broken inside.
2. The post is wiggly.
3. The dish is wiggly.
4. The wire from the LNB to the 22khz switch was fishy looking.
5. The 22khz chinese switch was bad.


I dug around and I found an OLD Primestar LNB with the seperate H/V outputs. I dug more and I found an old 3x4 splitter that I had used on that LNB a long time ago.
So I pulled the flaky LNB off and put the antique Primestar LNB on and connected the H/V outputs to the 3x4 switch.
I put my meter on one of the spare outputs of the 3x4 and I was watching PBJ outside. Cool.. Not so fast Red Riding Hood.

I go in the house and turn on the TV and “No Signal”… Ugh! WTH?????

I go back out and look at the wire and it looks suspect. I clipped it off and put a new one on. I use compression fittings, I have all the right tools and know how to do them the right way. Thank you youtube..

I go back in the house, still no signal…. ARRRRRRGH!!!!!!!

So I go back to the next point and disconnect the wire from the 22khz switch in the weather box and put it on the meter. BOOM! Watching PBJ again. Hrrrrmm… So that means that the wires from the dish and the LNB is working fine.

So I put things back as they had been but disconnect the wire from the 22khz to the house/MircoHD and connect my meter to the switch. Nothing… And it was on the 0hz side of the switch. I was getting C-band on the MicroHD just fine, it is on the 22khz side. No problems there. So it seems that the 0hz side of the switch is burned out or stuck over on the 22khz side. I don’t know. But it’s a piece of chinese crap, as usual, just like the LNB.

So I go in the house and I dig up an old 1x4 discque switch and put the ku side on port 1 and the C-band dish on port 4 then go inside and edit all the satellites to reflect the change and removal of the 22khz switch.

But then the picture is all broken up and chunky looking.. So I go outside, put my meter on a spare port of the 3x4 and jiggle the dish. A little jiggling and it starts working again.

We are having a terrible drought, again, and a few months ago ALL of my dishes began to wilt. The ground dried up so bad and shrank back from the post cement that they drooped over. So I’ve put a sprinkler out in the middle of them all and a timer that cuts on every six hours for 5 minutes to keep the ground damp. Now the poles are pretty much solid but that one pole with the motorized ku dish is pretty lame. Week after next I need to go to somewhere and buy a really heavy duty pipe, dig this stupid thing out and put a new one in, much deeper though and maybe put some outriggers from the pole, like 2 feet in four directions so it can’t droop anymore. I’m tired of playing this stupid game.

For now I’ll have to get by on this until I get my $$ week after next and then I can buy new stuff and redo it all. I also need to buy ANOTHER disk for the tuner, it’s eaten it’s second disk now. But then again that disk MAY have been flaky, I don’t know. I’m quite peeved at having lost a LOT of recordings on it… I’m trying to record as much Harvey Toons as I can before they go under.

For now it’s sort of working so this will buy me some time and allow me to look over all the different LNB options you guys came up with, which I really, really appreciate. I’ve kind of been thinking it wouldn’t be bad to have two outputs so that it can also feed my PC tuner. I don’t have a dish for 83 on my PC so I can’t watch 83 except in my bedroom and I’m never in there when Harvey Toons is on at 2pm and 10:30pm..

Next year I’m going to buy a second MicroHD and another ku HH motor and get rid of the PC. It’s a pain in the butt because it can not drive an HH motor. VERY annoying. Besides, I would love to get rid of windows from my house completely and one less computer running is that much less heat, noise and power drain..

?Thanks!

 

[Dee_Ann]

Do you need a LNBF or just the LNB? Personally, I like the Invacom SNH-031. I use one with my GeosatPRO 90cm + DG380 motor and MicroHD and this combination works very well for me. They also make a LNB-only version - the SNF-031.

Invacom has several LNB/Fs on their products page, if you're interested in getting a LNB/F that receives both linear and circular polarizations for example.

I’m ashamed to admit that I still don’t know the difference between an LNB and an LNBF..

As for circular, I can’t think of anything I would need it for unless there’s something I’m unaware of. I subscribe to Dish Network and have three very large dishes up for circular KU at 110/119/129 but they are on a totally seperate system than my FTA stuff. I didn’t know there was any FTA on circular or that I could get any Dish stuff with my FTA equipment. It would be dandy as all get out if everything could be combined all into one single system but I know that will never happen. Heck, I can’t even get OTA and FTA in a single box.. Anyway, I’m thinking that I should probably stick with standard FTA stuff, the less complicated, the less likely to poop out, right?

 

[Dee_Ann]

The SL-1 are good another to try is the DMSI 321 PLL it's a universal thought. I always like to have a few in the tool box

Darn.. Correct me if I’m wrong but I ~think~ that I can’t use universal with a 22khz switch in the mix, right?

The one I had went bad so now I need to replace it, I think I’m going to use that name brand one, I can’t recall it but it’s supposed to be the gold standard 22khz switch because it will pass signals that others will block and it will stand up to being in between an HH motor and the tuner and others won’t so much.

There are a blue million universal LNB’s for sale everywhere, the kind that aren’t universal are much less common, at least when I search for them..

?Thanks..

 

[Dee_Ann]

well that’s goofy, it duplicated my post. Please delete this one..

 

[Anole]

Either SatAV once said in a post here, that he was working to come out with a dual output Standard PLL LNBF, or maybe I dreamed it.
Unless that happens, I don't think such a product exists.
If you want dual and can't go Universal, then the SatAV SL2 is a good Standard .
You usually have big dishes and non-critical (reasonable) demands.
.
edit: regarding using Universal with 22kc switch....
see my Switches Simplified FAQ for an example using an ecoda 22kc switch.
.
LNB vs LNBF: the LNBF has the feedhorn built into it.
Your Primestar LNB can be removed from the feedhorn on the dish.
.

 

[Dee_Ann]

Either SatAV once said in a post here, that he was working to come out with a dual output Standard PLL LNBF, or maybe I dreamed it.
Unless that happens, I don't think such a product exists.
If you want dual and can't go Universal, then the SatAV SL2 is a good Standard .
You usually have big dishes and non-critical (reasonable) demands.
.
edit: regarding using Universal with 22kc switch....
see my Switches Simplified FAQ for an example using an ecoda 22kc switch.
.
LNB vs LNBF: the LNBF has the feedhorn built into it.
Your Primestar LNB can be removed from the feedhorn on the dish.
.

AHHHHHHH………….. I see… Very cool… Somewhere in the back of my brain hiding under the cobwebs, I sort of think I recall reading that a looooong time ago.
Thank you for the refresher course!

I’m clueless as to what PLL is about. I do know that it stands for “Phase Locked Loop” but that’s Martian to me. No clue what it means or does but you guys seem to get all excited about it so it must be a good thing.

While the single output would solve my immediate problem, I sort of like the dual output now that I think of it. If I could run a second wire over to my 1x8 switch on my PC, that would let me get 83w on the PC which I can’t do at the moment, I don’t have a dedicated dish set up for it. One of these days I will get around to it. I just hate working outside in this heat.. Ugh…

So that SL2 looks like it would be a good choice for me. And of course I need a new 22khz switch, I found the name, it’s Ecoda. The one I had was garbage and is dead and in the trash now. When I order a new LNB I’m also going to buy an Ecoda at the same time. That dish spends 99.9% of it’s time sitting on 83w. I rarely ever move it but it does switch back and forth all day between SES1 C-band (This and ME) and 83w (RTV & PBJ) via the 22khz switch. I guess I wore that switch out.. Ooops..

?

 

[cyberham]

Buy a PLL standard linear LNB. Period. PLL type are excellent value, work better than non-PLL, and are the only type Ku LNB anybody should buy in 2013. You almost certainly don't need a universal due to the very few transponders requiring it that are receiveable in North America.

 

[Dee_Ann]

Buy a PLL standard linear LNB. Period. PLL type are excellent value, work better than non-PLL, and are the only type Ku LNB anybody should buy in 2013. You almost certainly don't need a universal due to the very few transponders requiring it that are receiveable in North America.

I take your word for it. But, is there a way I can split it to go to two different tuners at the same time?

The only thing I would split would be 83w, RTV and PBJ between my MicroHD and my PC tuner. Both of those channels are on the same polarity so I wouldn’t think it would care if two tuners are tapping it at the same time. No?

 

[Anole]

Last year, the PLL LNBFs didnt exist, and everybody got along fine.
Order and use the SL2 - it'll solve your immediate problem.
.
Order a couple of the Ecoda 22khz switches and READ the post in the Switches Simplified FAQ explaining how they can work with Universal LNBFs!
.
Finally, get one of SatAV's single output Standard PLL LNBFs to get some experience.
.
That should cover all the bases. :up
.

 

[primestar31]

I replaced my single output Geosatpro PLL lnb's with their dual output SL2 lnb like Anole is recommending, and I see little difference (if any) on signal level or holding of the signal. Works just as well for me as the PLL ones, and the dual output makes it easy to put on an Ecoda 4x8 for multiple receiver use. The SL2's are available on Ebay cheaper with no shipping from Pushok100 (gotcband guy) and he's a SatAv reseller.