8 foot satellite setup questions

[pcgarret]

Hi I just ordered a 8 foot prime focus satellite dish off ebay and have a few questions
1 how tall of a pole should the dish be on
2 what size motor actuator 18 inch or 24 inch
3 a supplier for a c/ku lnb

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[KE4EST]

Welcome to the forum pcgarret!

1. Depends on a couple of factors. Have you made sure you have a good clear line of sight for the satellites that you wish to receive? 6 foot is all you need sticking out of the ground. It will need to be longer of course to have 3 to 4 feet in the ground depending on your soil type and frost line.

2. 18 will mostly work I would go with a 24 though just to have that extra if needed. Which dish did you get? We can answer better knowing this.

3. No one is currently making a C/Ku, some can still be had on eBay and maybe a couple of other places.

 

[pcgarret]

Thanks for the quick response
I think I have a ok line of sight based on my 75mm ku dish that picks up signal on 72w thru 125w
I am in the south east so was thinking 2 to 3 feet in the ground

The dish is a tek 2000 8 foot mesh with polar mount

I have seen the lnbs on ebay is there a particular on thats better

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[77TA]

I really like my NS741, but have not tried any others to compare. BTW you might try to make an offer on one before excepting the current pricing. They were only around $35-$40 when they first came out and a lot of guys have been holding there stock for a couple of years.

 

[RimaNTSS]

Combined C/Ku LNBs are not so good on solid dishes and especially in Ku-band. I doubt you will get good reception in Ku-band by using mesh dish and C/Ku LNB. I would use two separate dishes for C-band and Ku-band.

 

[77TA]

He is correct that ku is not as good as you might think, but it is not horrible. On my 6ft sadoun solid dish c band with the NS741 is as good as any other dro lnbf, and ku is about equivalent to a 90cm offset if not slightly better. If you want the reception of a 1 meter or larger offset on ku, you most likely will not get it with a combo lnbf.

 

[RimaNTSS]

Do not forget that pcgarret is getting mesh dish. And mesh dishes are not performing in Ku so well, and multiplying mesh with combo LNB result will most likely be even worse.

 

[77TA]

I can’t speak from 1st hand experience on using a mesh dish for ku, but would think that any loss in signal from the mesh would be more than made up for in going from a 6ft like I have to an 8ft like he is getting.

 

[RimaNTSS]

Once I had NS741 and installed it on 1,5m PFA. Yes, I was able to receive some C-band but reception in Ku was much worse, so, I could not stand it and got rid of NS741.
I know for sure that mesh dishes perform not so good in Ku-band.
Does it make sense to get 8-footer and be able to receive Ku-band as 80-90cm antenna? I do not know. I think it is wast of time and money.
In pcgarret case, if he already got 8ft mesh, better to use it polar mounted for C-band and get another motorized antenna for Ku-band.
This is IMHO

 

[77TA]

A 1.5m is a very small dish. He is getting a 2.4m, there is a big difference. It is up to him to decide. Since he could use the NS741 for c band only if he wanted he would only be out the cost difference between it and a c band only lnbf.

 

[FTA4PA]

I started with a motorized ku system, then later bought a 8' Tek2000 mesh and a combined c/ku lnb, hoping to get both bands on one dish. Based on just my experience, I received better ku reception on a dedicated ku dish and decided to keep my ku and c reception on separate dishes. I purchased a Titanium C1-PLL for c band and have been very happy with the results. Again, based on just my experience.

 

[RimaNTSS]

A 1.5m is a very small dish. He is getting a 2.4m, there is a big difference.

in comparison to 2.4 it is, of course, smaller. But it is solid and in Ku-band will perform much better than 2.4m mesh.
Of course it is up to him to decide whether he likes to play with combined LNBs and, at the end of the day find out it was not good idea, throw away combined LNBs and install another antenna with another LNBs for Ku-band.

 

[77TA]

I started with a motorized ku system, then later bought a 8' Tek2000 mesh and a combined c/ku lnb, hoping to get both bands on one dish. Based on just my experience, I received better ku reception on a dedicated ku dish and decided to keep my ku and c reception on separate dishes. I purchased a Titanium C1-PLL for c band and have been very happy with the results. Again, based on just my experience.

Good first hand information FTA4PA! What size ku dish are you using? How significant would you say the reception difference is between them on ku?

 

[FTA4PA]

Good first hand information FTA4PA! What size ku dish are you using? How significant would you say the reception difference is between them on ku?

I'm using a Fortec Star 90cm KU with a SR3602 LNB and everything scans in strong on the Fortec (generally 70+ Q on most). I've also have tried other ku lnb's with about the same results. For my try at combined c/ku on the 8' mesh I used a BSC-621 from Sadoun that I previously purchased. Found that whenever I got a good strong lock on C the dish need to be moved a click or two to get ku. When I scanned ku it would lock the stronger signals but the weaker ones wouldn't lock no matter how much tinkering I did with the lnb. I just decided it was easier to keep the c and ku on separate dishes. I use a 22khz switch to switch between them and everything works great.

 

[Lone Gunman]

FYI, the O. P. does have a Ku only system! READ POST #3.

As far as the NS/DMX741 combo C/Ku LNBFs go, I've got two 10ft systems that use them and there's not much on Ku that I want to watch that I haven't been able to lock with them. Those LNBFs where a good deal when I bought my first one @ $35 and I replaced a Corotor II with one and saw no difference. Whether the O. P. wants to pay what they are asking now is another story and BTW, STAY AWAY FROM LEOMALL/MrSAVINGS MALL as they are not good people to deal with!

You can buy a combo LNBF from Aliexpress in China and they are a little cheaper than what's advertised on fleabay right now. Another member just ordered one the other day saying he had bought stuff from them before and that it had gone well.

If memory serves, the 7.5ft SAMI dish I got rid of last year did OK with the combo DMX741 but there was ONE TP on 133 that I wanted to get but couldn't so I went looking and found another 10ft dish to replace it with.

Ennywho, I've got two systems now that use these combo LNBFs and I really like them and I'll continue using them until I run out of spares.

 

[FTA4PA]

BTW, STAY AWAY FROM LEOMALL/MrSAVINGS MALL as they are not good people to deal with!

Agree with that! I contacted them about 4 months ago to ask a question about a part I was considering buying from them. Never got a reply and then about a week ago they answered my question! If they don't reply to someone who is considering buying from them for 4 months you gotta wonder what you will get after the sale is complete? Just saying...

 

[pdiddy]

Go 3 to 4ft,not 2ft deep.That's much to shallow.A little extra digging isn't going to kill you,but save you in the long run.The pipe is going to be probally 3.5inch od,check your mount also should be sch40,don't use thin wall to try and save money,it will come back to bite you.Try and find a power box or plastic box to mount to the pipe below the dish,you can use this box for slack in the coax,and splitters and switches,you won't regret this.Also run more coax from the receiver to the dish than you think you'll need,you won't regret this either.Do it right once and be done with it.One more thing don't just stick the pipe in the hole and pore concrete.Weld tabs of metal to the pipe at 90 degree angles,this will keep the pipe from turning and pulling out of the ground.If you can't do that take the pipe to a welding shop and have them burn about 5/8 holes across from each other,where you can push a piece of allthread through the holes,works the same if you don't have access to a welder.Remember there is more to this than just throwing a pipe in the hole.Good luck

 

[Cham]

Also depending on where you live, if you get a lot of snow in the winter, make sure the bottom of the dish is high enough not to get buried.

On my 10' dish I drilled and poured three 12" piles 8 ft deep and built a mount (like a tri-pod). This allows adjustment to keep the pole vertical and helped raise the assembly above the snow depth. The three piles has worked well and I have only had to make one adjustment so far (due to very dry soil conditions last year). I used redi-mix and mixed it in a wheelbarrow...

 

[richyrich]

The differences in dish size have everything to do with "what?" part of each lnbf involved. In Ku band, however; the "perfect size" really does not go over a 4' satellite dish (because they are higher power sats; as long as no other 2 degree frequency is being used is at C Band level! The old TP's that exist then (MOSTLY CABLE); determine 2 degree spacing in Geo-stationaty configuraiton's. The KU SHOULD WORK BETTER HOWEVER; because the entire reception capability is based on a signals level; and the "system's" gain! Bigger the satellite dish; larger the GAIN!

And in all the prior posts should be quoting tri-odial effectiveness at the WORK the dish does for ea. C/Ku LNBF; as they all are good at what they are designed to do. Here, the most valuable work is very technical; and at the installation level. If you value the work required; the dish must be absolutely flat, the aiming of each part in the satellite dish perfect! And for the load required! Then statics can be applied to the movement of the dish through the arc of satellites both then has both!

 

[pcgarret]

more set up questions and an up date
well I got the tek2000 2 weeks ago with some minor damage (they really need to find a better way to ship the dish) and had to fix the mount (was not drilled
properly) anyway got it setup on the pole with a combo lnbf ns 741 set it to 85w ku and no signal then set to 87w c band no signal after messing with this for way to long
I broke out the duck tape and rigged a ku offset lnbf to the scaler ring and we have signal (75 to 80 on most sats) that's better than I had with the 90meter dish so much for combo lnbf I have ordered a titanium c band
lnbf
then last week someone gave me a ktir 10foot mesh with motor and 21 foot pole(it figures after I buy one) so my question
is there a way to set up both dishs one ku and the other c with one receiver and dish mover
or do I need another receiver and mover and or switch