20" to 24" Upgrade?

[CowboyDren]

I have a wing dish, a standard D500 pan pointing at 129W. Unfortunately, the installer didn't have an I-adapter, so he put a DP LNBF in one of the offset Y-adapter posts and aimed the dish for that. My signal last night (very humid in KC) got between 35 and 42 on the "modified" signal meter. That's with probably 150' of cable to my other DP2 LNBF and maybe another 100' of cable to the 722/splitter. 110 and 119 also showed high-30s, low-40s.

I know I could do better on 129W with an I-adapter alone, but I'm curious as to how much more signal I could get by going from a 20" D500 pan to a 24" Winegard pan. Any anecdotes to share? Anybody have an I-adapter they want to get rid of?

 

[Mr Tony]

well in the free to air world we have a simple rule

"bigger dish...better results"

 

[CowboyDren]

Side Note...

With my D500 in the back yard, can I put the LNBF I already have on a bigger Dish Network reflector, like a 1000.2 or even a SuperDish? Like, can I just unbolt the W adapter from a bigger dish, put the Y adapter on, set the skew, and get better signal?

 

[webbydude]

On a SD...maybe. With a standard D1K.2, you would also need a W-bracket since a DP dual will not fit ordinarily. The bigger issue is the fact that you're only receiving "30 - 40" on the modified signal meter. Rather curious...what transponders are you checking to get your results?

 

[CowboyDren]

On a SD...maybe. With a standard D1K.2, you would also need a W-bracket since a DP dual will not fit ordinarily.

Are you saying that the tube on the D1K.2 does not have a standard D-shape? Are you saying that the SD does?

The bigger issue is the fact that you're only receiving "30 - 40" on the modified signal meter. Rather curious...what transponders are you checking to get your results?

Honestly, I couldn't tell you; I know how to select them on the "Point Dish" screen, but I don't know what any of it means. I'm in zip code 64133, which is well within the Kansas City spotbeam. Can you suggest which transponders and which birds to check?

 

[webbydude]

"Standard D-shape" is something that hasn't been used by Dish for a long time. Not since the days of the D300. Hence the I-adapter and/or Y-bracket on the D500. Further complicating things with the D1k.2 is the fact the standard bracket for that dish is made for the "triple" LNB. And finally, the SD can be modified for a lot of things (see the FTA section for some of the mad scientist type of ideas), but generally its best for just the 110 and 119 if you want something that will hold up better in the rain.

With regards to what transponders to check, I've lately been relying on TP 21. It seems to have been just as reliable as the old-school method of TPs 11 and 12. The fact that all 3 birds are getting you 30 - 40 on the channels you do watch indicates to me that you may possibly need a minor tweak/repeak on your dishes.

 

[Anole]

bigger is better

well in the free to air world we have a simple rule
"bigger dish...better results"

If you are in need of only a tiny gain, then try your piddling 24"
However, here is what a certain Texan is looking to do to get rid of his rain-fade problems.
He is serious, and he will get some serious results. -

edit: alternately, sit on your butt and do nothing.
The Ceil-2 satellite will be going up for 129º soon, and you'll probably have a stronger signal by Xmas.

 

[CowboyDren]

With regards to what transponders to check, I've lately been relying on TP 21. It seems to have been just as reliable as the old-school method of TPs 11 and 12.

Checking Transponder 21, I got much better numbers. On 129, 119, and 110, respectively, I got 41-45, 45-48, and 53-50 on a muggy night. On a slightly clearer day, I got 52, 50, and 53. Again, it's been crazy muggy for a few days in KC, coupled with a moderate breeze.

With that level of signal, I've been thinking about using my 129 wing dish to get 119/129 and moving the 110 dish to the house and flipping the wiring (110 -> 119/129 -> 722 instead of 129 -> 110/119 -> 722) just to delete some cable length.

I still want bigger dishes.

 

[boba]

Instead of a bigger dish you need to improve your existing setup. I am getting 78 on transponder 21 119/ 64 on trans.21 110 & 50 on trans 21 129 using a dish 1000. This is measured on a sunny morning further from the geographic center of the US. These are also with a modified signal meter so for some reason your signals are weak.

 

[CowboyDren]

It looks like I need to spend some time peaking this weekend. While I'm at it, I'll set the skew on the wing dish for my transition to doing 119/129 at that location. Other than that and attempting to shorten my cable runs, I don't know how much improvement can be made. It's not even like I have an external switch to troubleshoot.

Just out of curiosity, if I were to put another DP2 on my wing, and run that through my main DP2, what would happen in light of two different LNBs getting signal from 119W?

 

[Agonizing Fury]

It looks like I need to spend some time peaking this weekend. While I'm at it, I'll set the skew on the wing dish for my transition to doing 119/129 at that location. Other than that and attempting to shorten my cable runs, I don't know how much improvement can be made. It's not even like I have an external switch to troubleshoot.

Just out of curiosity, if I were to put another DP2 on my wing, and run that through my main DP2, what would happen in light of two different LNBs getting signal from 119W?

If I understand your question, you want to run one DPPlus Twin LNB to the EXT IN port of another DPPLus Twin? If this is the case, quick answer, It would not work for very long. For the amount of time that it would work, you would get 119 on the EXT IN port if connected to Port one of the second DPPlus twin or 110 if connected to Port 2 of the second DPPlus Twin. Then it would either stop working, or burn out one of the two DPPlus Twins as the power requirements for the second plus twin are too high for the capability of the EXT IN port of the first DPPlus Twin. Same reason you shouldn't use a DPPlus Twin with any switches.

 

[1_dishtech_rep]

Instead of a bigger dish you need to improve your existing setup. I am getting 78 on transponder 21 119/ 64 on trans.21 110 & 50 on trans 21 129 using a dish 1000. This is measured on a sunny morning further from the geographic center of the US. These are also with a modified signal meter so for some reason your signals are weak.

use this for checking signal on the point dish :

61.5° — T29
110° — T15 and T16
119° — T15 and T16
129° — T17
148° — T19
105° — T29 (SuperDISH ONLY)
121° — T21 (SuperDISH ONLY)

 

[CowboyDren]

I did some peaking yesterday, and set the skew on my wing dish so that it can eventually hit 119 and 129. Peaking my D500 gained about 20 points on 110 and 119 (I'm in the very high-60s now), but 129W picked up TWO points (still 50-52). That wasn't worth climbing the ladder for. It seems that I need to shorten my cable runs and get a bigger wing dish. I need an I-adapter to at least use the full 20" pan.

Looking harder for 119 from my wing dish, I think a tree may have grown into my LOS, making that a less probable option. It also appears that the D500 in the back corner of my yard is also the ONLY place on my property that can spot 110 and 119 at the same time. It seems that 119 is my real PITA at this point. Some day, these trees will be gone, and a basic 1000.2 looks viable...but no time soon.

Is there a 24" dish that I can skew for 119/129?

 

[Anole]

Is there a 24" dish that I can skew for 119/129?

That may not be a path you can follow.
The only reason the Dish Twin (110/119) LNB works on the supplied dishes, is because it matches their geometry (focal distance & LNB-to-LNB spacing).
Move that Twin to another dish, and the LNBs won't aim at nor focus on the correct satellites.
That's why in Alaska, where they need hotter signals, they use separate dishes for 110º and 119º.

edit: . . . on, if I recall, one 4', and one 6' dish.
Don't know if that was with spotbeams, or without!

 

[webbydude]

I did some peaking yesterday, and set the skew on my wing dish so that it can eventually hit 119 and 129. Peaking my D500 gained about 20 points on 110 and 119 (I'm in the very high-60s now), but 129W picked up TWO points (still 50-52). That wasn't worth climbing the ladder for. It seems that I need to shorten my cable runs and get a bigger wing dish. I need an I-adapter to at least use the full 20" pan.

Looking harder for 119 from my wing dish, I think a tree may have grown into my LOS, making that a less probable option. It also appears that the D500 in the back corner of my yard is also the ONLY place on my property that can spot 110 and 119 at the same time. It seems that 119 is my real PITA at this point. Some day, these trees will be gone, and a basic 1000.2 looks viable...but no time soon.

Is there a 24" dish that I can skew for 119/129?

Actually, those number are now within the realm of respectability. More or less, those are what I typically see on new connects here in Ohio.