Which LNBF to buy ?

[jenom]

I am trying to choose between two LNBF to buy, Iceberg wrote a positive review of the "Techsat Tracker" and PSB wrote a similar positive review about the DMS "BSC321S " LNBF.
When I compare those two, their specs are very close.

Anyone tried out both and compared them to each other ?

Thanks!

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BSC321S 0.4dB US Standard Single Ku LNBF

Input Frequency 11.7~12.2 GHz -
Output Frequency 950~1450 MHz
Noise Figure 0.4 dB typ.
Gain 50~62 dB
Gain Ripple <5 dB typ.
Local Oscillator Frequency 10.750 GHz
Local Oscillator Phase Noise (typ)
1 KHz -65 dBc/Hz-
10 KHz -95 dBc/Hz
100 KHz -110 dBc/Hz
Local Oscillator Stability +/- 1 MHz
Current Consumption < 100 mA
Image Rejection > 40 dB
Horn Type Offset
F/D Ratio 0.5 ~ 0.7
Cross Pol Isolation > 20 dB
Image Rejection 45 dB (min.)
Output VSWR 2.5:1 (max.)
Output Connector 75 ohm F type female
Operation Voltage 11.5 ~ 14.0 V for Vertical
16.0 ~ 19.0 V for Horizontal
Operating Temperature -40ºC ~ +60ºC-


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TRACKER NA+

Input Frequency 11.7 ~ 12.5 GHz
Output Frequency 950 ~ 1450 MHz
Noise Figure 0.3dB
Gain 60 ~ 70 dB
Gain Ripple 26 MHz bandwidth <+/- 0.5dB
Local Oscillator Frequency Low 107500MHz
Local Oscillator Phase Noise (typ)
1 KHz
10 KHz
100 KHz -65 dBc/Hz
-95 dBc/Hz
-110 dBc/Hz
Local Oscillator Stability +/- 1 MHz typ
Current Consumption >110 mA
Image Rejection >40 dB
Cross Polar Isolation >25 dB
Output Connector "F" type female
Impedance 75 Ohm
Return Loss >10 dB
Operating Temperature Range -40°C to +70°C
Storage Temperature Range -40°C to +70°C
Polarity Selection
Vertical
Horizontal 11.5V to 14V
15.5V to 19V

 

[qwert1515]

I have not tried either of them but by specifications the "TRACKER NA+" looks a little bit better.

With that said, I have a Invacom a Fortec and a no-name brand, surprisingly the no name brand LNB preforms the best, sometimes the specifications don't matter.

For the most part, the only way to get significant improvement in signal quality is to upgrade to a larger dish.

 

[stogie5150]

For my money the 321 is a danged good lnb. I have one right now, not in use but I was using it on a 84e P* dish. Before that I had the Invacom, sold that and got the 321, THE 321 MATCHED the Invacom danged near point for point. You just don't get all the outputs and Circular capability...but for linear performance, for the money, you cannot beat it, IMO. :up

 

[aegrotatio]

I tried to pre-select the best LNBF and I still have a drawer full of expensive, cheap, brand-name, and no-name LNBFs. The best one depends on the application. The $3 eBay promotional LNBF has been fantastic. The SatelliteAV super-tiny-mini-micro ones are just too cool to pass up!!

If I had to start over I would just buy an Invacom Universal for Atlantic birds since Invacom's Universal makes a good attempt at dealing with the annoying harmonics that plague all Universal LNBFs.

For domestic high-powered transponders on a fixed dish the super-micro SatelliteAV GeoSatPro LNBFs with the dual-LNBF bracket and super-micro DiSEqC switch are perfect, and I can tune two birds on my trusty 76cm Winegard. Plus it looks so cool, they're impossibly tiny, you can tell I can't say enough about how impressed I am with them!!

For motorized scanning any piece of junk single-output LNBF will do as long as it's lightweight. The Invacom is too heavy for the motor (the arm jiggles too much for too long when the motor stops). The super-micro-minis will work but the optical illusion that makes the LNBF "eye" look smaller just makes me uncomfortable with using them for motorized scanning.

Oh and one more thing... noise figures are geek gimmicks. It mattered for analog reception and fewer "sparklies." In the digital world anything under 6db is more than adequate for any application. There are too many other factors that matter more than noise figures. Don't base your purchase on them.

 

[Tron]

So true about the noise factor... I have a .9 LNB on a 1 meter dish which approximates the performance of the Invacom QPH .3 on a 36" dish. The difference between the two is the .9 is a Norsat with a +/- 100mhz L.O. drift, whereas the Invacom has a +/- 1000mhz L.O. drift rating.

As far as the Invacom QPH is concerned, yes it is very heavy and many people have problems with it for that reason. I have mine mounted on a 3ABN Azure Shine dish, which has a tri-point LNBF support structure, and the LNBF stays where it should.

 

[jenom]

Which LNBF ?

Thanks for all the replies, I know the Invacom has a good reputation, but it is above my spending range.
Just came accross also the very economically priced GT-SAT GT-T40 dual LNBF.
The specs are even looks better than the two previously mentioned!
(Low Noise figure 0.2 dB, and high gain 56...60db !)

Anybody has tried this out ?

Thanks!

Input Frequency Range Low Band : 10.7 ~ 11.7 GHz
High Band : 11.7 ~ 12.75 GHz
Output Frequency Range Low Band : 950 ~ 1950 MHz
High Band : 1100 ~ 2150 MHz
L.O. Frequency Low Band : 9.75 GHz
High Band : 10.60 GHz
L.O. Frequency Stability +/-1 MHz (Max)@ Room Temp.
Local Oscillator Frequency Phase Noise -60dBc/Hz @ 1KHz (Max.)
-85dBc/Hz @ 10KHz (Max.)
-105dBc/Hz @ 100KHz (Max.)
Noise Figure 0.2dB (Typ.)
Conversion Gain 56 ~ 60 dB
Gain Flatness 26 MHz Bandwidth +/-0.5dB (Typ.)
Polarity Switching Voltage Low Band : 11.0 ~ 14.0 Vdc
High Band : 16.0 ~ 20.0 Vdc
Band Switching Low Band : 0 KHz
High Band : 22 KHz +/- 4KHz
Cross-Pol. Isolation 25 dB (Typ.)
Image Rejection 40 dB (Min.)
Current Consumption 190 mA (Typ.)
Output Connector Type 75 OHMS F-Female
Output Spurious <-60dBm
Operating Temperature Range -40°C ~ +65°C
Storage Temperature Range -45°C ~ +70°C

 

[Larry1]

They also have a standard version, GT-T40C dual LNBF. Rated 0.3dB. I have not tried one.

 

[Anole]

what dish? what bird?

Well, unless you are on the hairy edge, they'll probably all work.
Most people throw away more signal in their garbage switches, than the difference between a top LNB and an average one.
And way too many think the cute Weingard 30 is the way to go, when tests show average 36" dishes outperform.
The guys with the 39-40" Primestar dishes are really in the catbird seat with all the extra square inches of collection area.

So, if you are thinking of getting a better LNB and a smaller dish, don't do it.
On the other hand, if you are in the far north of Canada, I'd guess the best most hearty LNB, and the biggest dish you could find, might make the best choice.
Same is true for folks way south of the USA border.
Sometimes a 48-60" dish is called for down there.

Folks who live in the rainy south (Florida, maybe?) might want a bigger dish just to avoid the rain-fade problem.
I live in desert-like conditions, so rain is not a serious consideration.
For some hot birds, a tiny dish will even get the job done.

 

[updatelee]

I live in Canada, about 4h north of the border. and my winegard 39" with invacom qph-031 works great for almost everything, but there are a few times the signal has been week even on clear days, and there are even more that I loose as soon as I get a slight rain.

bigger dish is allways better. quality lnb is important as well, buy a good lnb and an excellent sized dish.

 

[Keith Brannen]

I have two GT-SAT LNBs (different model number, GT-LST40C, standard, single output) which work fine. I also have Digiwaves, Ku Satellites, and Fortec Stars (universals, now "retired"). I have swapped and moved them (to get better fits against others, etc.) repeatedly. I really have never noticed any real difference in signal quality, except once (that I remember off-hand), and that was when I was using the Fortec Star universals and moved one of the standards and replaced it with the Fortec Star and saw a slight signal gain (probably about five percent). However, that could have been due to many factors other than the LNB (examples: fit better in the holder, slight change in focal distance, slight weight difference, slight twist of the holder when swapping LNBs, etc.).

 

[Anole]

cheap LNB

If you are just looking at price, Linuxman tested a $6.95 LNB when he was doing his 123/129 on a single dish thread.
(The link into the thread goes to page five, where it starts getting interesting relative to the LNB performance)
In that application, he was going to be needing a lot of LNBs , so price was a consideration.
It was just good enough

 

[TRG]

If you are just looking at price, Linuxman tested a $6.95 LNB when he was doing his 123/129 on a single dish thread.
(The link into the thread goes to page five, where it starts getting interesting relative to the LNB performance)
In that application, he was going to be needing a lot of LNBs , so price was a consideration.
It was just good enough

When I got my dish from 3ABN i picked up one of their $15 (shipped) LNBF's as a spare. I got about the same performance out of it on G10R as my much more expensive Invacom quad. I do like the quad for NASA TV though especially with a shuttle mission coming up.

 

[aegrotatio]

I have a few observations on the drawer full of LNBFs I have.

1) The dual-output consistantly have slightly lower signal strength.

2) The Universals are always worse than the non-Universals (which is why I bought the Universal Invacom LNBF).

3) If you're trying to catch weak TPs you should try to use RG6/U (pure copper) cable rated at 3 GHz for the best performance.

Naturally there are other factors. Make sure you make the connectors properly using compression fittings. The signal travels on the surface of the wire through the dialectric so the connectors with center conductors that are too long will have severely degraded signal. The center conductor should only go past the nut no more than the thickness of a nickel.

 

[yachtsman]

DirecTV WITHOUT rain fade

Hi,
I'm a newbie and am enjoying reading about all the great techie stuff, but I have a simple question that I can't find an answer for.

In Florida I lose my DirecTV signal from Sat 101 in rain all the time.

I am thinking of getting a Wineguard DS-2076 which is a 30 in ch dish that I was told would stop the rain fade problem, however, I can't seem to find an LNB for that dish that anyone can assure me will work for the DirecTV satellite 101. I don't use HD, so it should be just a simple LNB that is made for this type of dish.

Alternatively, I am looking for another reasonable package where the 30 or 26 inch dish comes with an LNB.

Thanks for the help

 

[Anole]

YachtsMan of Florida -

In your case, you could just move the existing LNB to a bigger dish, and probably solve your problem.
Anyone else looking for a lot of square inches might consider this dish as well.
You mount the LNB with the included holder - by the neck.



McGuyver and his $50 deal on AzsureShine 36" @ 3ABN:
http://www.satelliteguys.us/free-air-fta-discussion/102541-good-place-buy-dish.html#post973266