Recent content by pendragon

The important number in your picture is EcbN0 (4.7 dB for G1 in this case). Nothing else matters. For the data rates/redundancy Shaw is using on G1, this needs to be at an absolute minimum, 5.5 dB. Ideally a 1.8m dish will increase that number by 3.5 dB to 8.2 dB, which would be fine. The...

The Canadian coverage claims to show every event live, although some of that is streamed. Probably all their feeds on FTA birds are encrypted, but if you subscribed to Shaw or Bell, it would all be there. The kids were up at 3:30 am watching the opening ceremony.

I have two 8.5' solid Birdviews and my experience on C-band is different from Titanium's. The Birdview factory scalar does not end up mounting at the right distance, at least when used with modern feeds, for both orthos and servos. You will get an improvement by removing the hexapod legs and...

I have three T90s and used them all for about 8 years to cover the entire North American arc. For most people they appear to be a little tricky to setup, but I had no problems at all. In fact I found it trivial when adding additional LNBFs. The LNBF holders are designed for 4 degree spacing, but...

An ideal parabolic reflector can only bring all of an incoming signal to a single focus point if the source is on axis. In the case of multi-satellite reception, any off-axis source will suffer from coma distortion, which will spread the 'focus' away from the apparent, off-axis reflection. One...

I've done this sort of thing for years on C-band. It works best on high f/D dishes, such as 0.4, and the ideal arrangement is to offset both feeds from center by the same amount. Assuming both of these are implemented, the loss on each feed is very small, typically less than 0.25 dB with...

Actually the particular LNB you have has a very low phase noise, better than most PLL LNBs. Good PLLs have a better long term frequency stability, but that only helps find low SR signals because the apparent reception frequency wanders less than with a DRO. But that will not help you lock tough...

Since it's going to be summer in Denver tomorrow, I'm hoping to get Birdview #2 installed. I also modified this one to use a rotary encoder, like Birdview #1, but with better water shielding. The depth of the 'new' Birdview is a little less than the old one, and the scalar was set about 1 cm...

I would read the whole thread that KE4EST linked. A few of us are quite discerning and have gone to the trouble of properly aligning a T90. Two of us made some very detailed measurements, and over about the center 20-25 degrees they will outperform a 90 cm offset. A have three T90s, and they...

On the surface these appear valid points. However a parabola is quite flat near its center. Since Birdview #2 is on the ground, I took a 12" ruler and placed it across the center of the dish. Now the center 2" of a Birdview is open and normally filled with a plastic hole plug, so I had to...

Hank - that seems to be the case - even I had jumped on the 'rods too short' train when I put up Birdview #1. But there are still several twists left in this story. To determine where the focal point really is, one needs to know both the distance from the center of the dish to the feed's...

While waiting for the steel yard to fabricate a pole extension for Birdview #2 (same as described for #1), I've been working on improving the feed support system on #1, because both Birdviews will become dedicated Ku dishes. Previously #1 had a centered Ku-band feed and an offset C-band feed. I...

Thanks for the tip - once I have both Birdviews up I'll get a tube of polyurethane sealant and take care of both.

I'm resurrecting this ancient thread because of a couple of developments. The first is I've acquired another Birdview, and this motivated me to improve a few minor issues dating to my original install. The second was the failure of the rotary encoder in my first Birdview. Naturally I don't want...

Hamed - I'm sorry I'm late to the party, but I see you have been well taken care of. I put up three T90 dishes many years ago and still use them all the time. While I also have motorized dishes, the toroids cannot be beat for instant and multiple access. I only used normal width LNBFs on my...