Thread: 6 foot or 8 foot?

Ok guys is there much of a signal increase going from a six foot dish to an eight? I'm toying with the idea of maybe switching out the panels etc... No way I can do a 10 footer. It's too difficult to move my 8.5 Paraclipse it's pretty much stuck where it is on 97W. There is a noticable difference between the 6ft Fortec and the 8.5 foot Paraclipse at least on 97W. Blind

Hi, do you have a DVB-S2 receiver and do you like sport feeds? If so bigger is better as I can often just lock the S2 HD feeds. It seems to take over 70% signal Q to lock the 9/10 FEC stuff. If you are not trying to get the S2 feeds then the bigger dish might not pay off. Hope this helps, DC

On my 6 footer here in Minneapolis I get probably 97/98% of the DVB stuff up there

There are some 7/8 FEC channels that are a bugger for me to get.
As DC noted, S2 chanenls are harder to get especially with the 6 footer. I can get some of the stronger items but 9/10 FEC....forget it

I haven't run the link budgets, but I'd go for the 8 foot dish (conditions equal between the 8 and 6 footers) because you'll get a little bit more 2 deg separation of the c-band sats. Ideally 9 or larger is best if the dish is in great shape so you can pull out one c-band sat at a time.

Most S2 signals need to be very clean to receive, so if you have some slight co-satellite interference, you are going to have issues.

Originally Posted by Blindowl1234

Ok guys is there much of a signal increase going from a six foot dish to an eight?
. . . There is a noticable difference between the 6ft Fortec and the 8.5 foot Paraclipse at least on 97W.

I think you answered your own question.

I'm toying with the idea of maybe switching out the panels etc...

This is I did not understand.
There is no dish you can do that on, to my knowledge.

It's too difficult to move my 8.5 Paraclipse it's pretty much stuck where it is on 97W.

Is this a mesh?
'Cause the only one in that size that comes to mind is the Hydro.
And if you -have- a Hydro, go find a proper H-H motor for it!!!

Second choice, go dish-hunting for a nice 8'er.
Just drive around, take notes, and then ask at the best houses.
Lots of us got outstanding dishes that way!