Social Feed

linuxman
Last reply · posted in Free To Air (FTA) Discussion
I haven't posted in a while, but wanted to talk about some discoveries I have made recently. Even though I haven't written much in a while, I still do read a lot of what others have written especially about this question.

I also have a unique situation where I have several different size and types of C-Band dishes, as well as several size and types of Ku Band dishes all hooked into multi-switches, 4 port diseqc switches, and then into 8 port diseqc switches. I am also using a variety of Orthomode feeds, Geosat Pro C2 LNBFs, and Geosat Pro SL-2 LNBFs.

I have been a little relaxed in scanning for new signals because I have just been laid back enjoying my setup as is. :)

The other evening I saw where someone had posted a new S2 signal on Galaxy 17 at 91W, so I thought it would be an excellent trial to see if I could get it on my Birdview perforated dish which measures 8 foot 3 inches across the face. That dish has a dual Chaparral Orthomode feed on it, and I thought that might be an excellent place to try a "under" sized dish to see if it would come in or not. So I did a blind scan with my Openbox S9 receiver and the signal popped in without difficulty.

I thought the rule of thumb was that a 10 foot dish was needed to get S2 signals reliably.

Last night I had read where there was another S2 signal on AMC1 at 103W, so I tried that on my Birdview solid dish which measures 8 foot 6 inches across the face, but that dish has a Geosat Pro C2 LNBF on it.

Same thing. The signal popped in with no difficulty at all.

These dishes are all fixed dishes and what I mean by that is that I cannot bump them from side to side to get a better signal. They are set in that position unless I manually hook up something at the dish to move them and have been that way since I set them up several months ago.

I get Montana PBS on my Prodelin 6 foot Ku dish using a Gesoat Pro Sl-2 LNBF but the satellite is 4 degrees off center on that dish, but the size of the dish prohibits my having anything special about that.

I did read where a member here in the past couple of days was getting Montana PBS on a Super Dish which defeats all acceptable wisdom for getting S2 reliably on Ku dishes.

To be honest, I get Montana PBS fine, but have never been able to figure out why that channel stutters every few seconds since they switched to S2 and don't know whether others are still having this problem.

Also the channel I am getting on G17 stutters every few seconds as well. I have good signal quality, and can see no reason for the stuttering but it is there. That may be a side discussion for a different thread.

So with the above and other discussion about receiving S2 signals, we are back to the original question.

What size dish is needed to reliably receive S2 signals for both C-Band and Ku-Band signals?
18 Replies · 4096 views
H
103W is AMC 1 that has the funny skew so you are loosing signal due to the funny skew. A bigger dish will collect more but I would try tweaking the dish and lnbf aligment first to optimize signal. Also , very important, that bird is already almost 15 years old (1996) and will be replaced in this first quarter 2011 with a new bird, SES-3, launched from the Russian Baikonur using a Proton rocket so the funny skew issue will no longer play a role and you will get that signal back.

On the dish size subject , although bigger makes your life easier, for a C band dish , 8.5 ft guarantees 2 degree compliance anytime anywhere, and that is that at 2 degrees power levels are 10 dB below so you will have no adjacent interference issues. check all EIRP levels and dish recommended sizes from all sat operators in NA and you will see that 8.5 feet dish is enough if you are within the coverage area.

On Ku assuming a 70% dish efficiency a 90 cm reflector will guarantee the same 2 degree compliance at even 11.7 GHz so it should be enough if you are within the coverage area. As an example I get the 8PSK Uruguayan mux over at 30W with 5/6 on an 80 cm Ariza that keeps working under light rain and most conditions but still I would recommend 90 cm for 2 degree compliance across the arc.

This is all from the reflector point of view , then you have to collect and transmit the signal to your receiver so quality parts and attention to detail plays a big role as pendragon mentions. Few people would be able to keep C/N levels along this path within 10% of what it is at the LNB output but for most a 90 cm or an 8.5 ft dish would be enough IMO.

I have improved the (6 ft fortec star) dish , mount and LNBF aligment overtime and have noticed major improvements in receptions due to very small adjustments here and there while still using the same setup. You loose a lot due to small misaligments but the solution is to fix that first then consider a bigger dish. Unfortunaelly I can only have a 6 footer, otherwise 8.5 would have been my choice.

For more info on the matter then ask Mr ..., well, the guy with the funny long last name who lives in Ct, who claims himself that someone else considers him an expert in the industry but fails to add to the same signature that his own 8 footer high quality dish was unable to get any S2 signal at all untill someone else came to his rescue. Beleive me, for less than that, people get killed back in the streets of Havana, lol. Welcome to America , Welcome to freedom, Welcome to the Internet where anyone can write anything (including me) and it even seems to matter nothing to anyone. He dicho!.

As usual I might be mistaken, but I am already used to it, lol.
migold
Thanks, HDFan, I didn't realize that one was up for replacement so soon. They might have it replaced before I get around to installing a larger reflector... As I am in no hurry, I expect that I will wait and see what the result is for SES-3. This issue was the only reason I have for upgrading the dish size at this time. In the meantime, I may try to pull it is with my 10 ft mesh dish, presently being used to receive W5 H2H programming. I was aware of the skew issue, but didn't want to change my skew setting to accomodate this one bird and compromise the excellent reception I was getting on all the others.
Thanks Again!
H
you are welcome. you better wait IMO.
J
Linuxman, great to hear from you again. I had kind of lost some interest in Satellite surfing but Last year in Oct I purchased an AZbox Premium Plus Rx and have had great success with picking up all kinds of MPEG -4 DVD-S2 Signals on various Satellites. I use Mike Kohl's Monthly Global Satellite Listings and The List as a reference for these Signals.

I had always had some trouble in pulling in Satellites way over to the West ie 125.0W on KU Band, so I went back to those great Tips you gave me back in Jan & Feb 2008 and completely re adjusted my Inclination and Declination on the 12 Ft Mesh Dish using the Sears Digital Level, and now I can track Sats from 55.5 over to 137.0W on Both C Band and KU Band. The HD Reception on Azbox is amazing - in fact seems a bit better than my Bell Sub dish for HDTV. Not sure if you remember me but those instructions & drawings on my Dish pictures that you as well as VommVoom & others gave me were extremely valuable and have left me with great Satellite reception for the most part, thanks.
linuxman
Linuxman, great to hear from you again. I had kind of lost some interest in Satellite surfing but Last year in Oct I purchased an AZbox Premium Plus Rx and have had great success with picking up all kinds of MPEG -4 DVD-S2 Signals on various Satellites. I use Mike Kohl's Monthly Global Satellite Listings and The List as a reference for these Signals.

I had always had some trouble in pulling in Satellites way over to the West ie 125.0W on KU Band, so I went back to those great Tips you gave me back in Jan & Feb 2008 and completely re adjusted my Inclination and Declination on the 12 Ft Mesh Dish using the Sears Digital Level, and now I can track Sats from 55.5 over to 137.0W on Both C Band and KU Band. The HD Reception on Azbox is amazing - in fact seems a bit better than my Bell Sub dish for HDTV. Not sure if you remember me but those instructions & drawings on my Dish pictures that you as well as VommVoom & others gave me were extremely valuable and have left me with great Satellite reception for the most part, thanks.

Glad I could be of help. :)
Scott Greczkowski
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!

So let the game continue!

The last song was added by Bobby who posted...

One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters

CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!

Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game

Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.

Example:

Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow

Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio

Another example:

Ride the Lightning -- Metallica

Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne


Get it?


An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
68624 Replies · 2678478 views
  • Like
Reactions: c-spand
dishstaller
Owner Of a Lonely Heart - Yes
  • Like
Reactions: long_time_Dish
long_time_Dish
Lonely Street - Kansas
dishstaller
Lonely is the Night - Billy Squier
long_time_Dish
Lonely People - America
H
PEOPLE Are Strange-The Doors
JSheridan
Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum
I know HipKat said that they were working on conversions but we got the official news yesterday right from Dish that starting next month all DMA's will be on the western arc, and all customers will be assigned to that. That's gonna mean a lot of customers around here aren't gonna get Dish unless there are exceptions. Too many mountains and trees.
171 Replies · 4753 views
MikeD-C05
I don't know why DISH doesn't just start a streaming version of DISH and then if you can't see the western arc you go with streaming versions and then they could keep customers if they had good internet speeds. I mean Sling TV could be changed to Streaming DISH TV if they wanted since both companies are under Echostar. Then you would still be able to use your ota antenna with Air TV devices like I do with Air TV Anywhere with 4 ota tuners.
Scott Greczkowski
I don't know why DISH doesn't just start a streaming version of DISH
I have the same wish.
S
Even if you are broadcasting old SD-only shows, I would think advertisers would still want their commercials to look good.
  • Like
Reactions: charlesrshell
Jimbo
Even if you are broadcasting old SD-only shows, I would think advertisers would still want their commercials to look good.
Advertisers on SD channels are probably Far and Few, very hard to find, they have very few viewers to watch them.
  • Like
Reactions: charlesrshell
Mister B
Advertisers on SD channels are probably Far and Few, very hard to find, they have very few viewers to watch them.
I watch mostly SD channels (H&I, Start and ION, etc.). There are plenty of advertisers, this time of the year it is mostly Medicare Advantage plans, auto extended warranties and the occasional walk-in-tub. They know who is watching.
S
I watch mostly SD channels (H&I, Start and ION, etc.). There are plenty of advertisers, this time of the year it is mostly Medicare Advantage plans, auto extended warranties and the occasional walk-in-tub. They know who is watching.
can't forget the little blue m&m's
charlesrshell
can't forget the little blue m&m's
That's what my wife calls my Viagra!!
B
I have the same wish.
Why?
A lot of people do not have fast internet.
That is why they use satellite
NYDutch
Why?
A lot of people do not have fast internet.
That is why they use satellite
DISH will happily sell them a Starlink system and service.
T
Why didn't Charlie end up launching starlink
  • Like
Reactions: charlesrshell
Foxbat
Why didn't Charlie end up launching starlink
Because he didn't have a fleet of reusable rockets. Starlink works because SpaceX is able to launch hundreds (thousands?) of their Starlink satellites for what a single geostationary Internet satellite costs to build and launch on a disposable launcher.
T
But how is it reusable if it's disposable
S
That's what my wife calls my Viagra!!
My gf is 29 years younger than me :shh
dishstaller
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
RIP dude. Always liked his music. He was 83


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH5Arbm47IQ
1 Replies · 19 views
dishstaller
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
· posted in The Chit Chat Club
This video was put up shortly after I was able to take my family out to Yosemite in 2011. No AI.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6-2fVsFV8E
0 Replies · 11 views
dishstaller
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
Love this guy's channel. Looks like Walmart has thrown in the towel when it comes to conventional car batteries.

I bought a new AGM battery from Walmart about a year ago, it is already needing replacing. I thought about just buying a regular battery but from what I've read, that might not be a smart move. Might check my Forscan program and see if I can change the battery type from AGM.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awe7kY5nvdU
18 Replies · 198 views
harshness
When you need a battery, you need a battery.

If you can wait, new technologies are on the not-too-distant horizon.

You're probably doing something wrong if you're only getting a year out of an AGM battery. Heat and infrequent charging both significantly reduce lifetime.
dishstaller
You're probably doing something wrong if you're only getting a year out of an AGM battery. Heat and infrequent charging both significantly reduce lifetime.
Huh? How can I be doing something wrong.....I took out the original battery, that was 6 yrs old and put in a new one.....kinda hard to screw that up. I figure it was just a bad battery....it happens.


The biggest takeaway I got from this video was the Walmart batteries only had something like 85% of battery life left even though they were brand NEW. The ones from O'Reilly all tested 100% of life left.
Jimbo
Huh? How can I be doing something wrong.....I took out the original battery, that was 6 yrs old and put in a new one.....kinda hard to screw that up. I figure it was just a bad battery....it happens.


The biggest takeaway I got from this video was the Walmart batteries only had something like 85% of battery life left even though they were brand NEW. The ones from O'Reilly all tested 100% of life left.
And the Walmart ones mostly had very little warranty.

My last AGM (using now) I got from O Rielly's, its the Super Start ... I got the Platnium, they had several to choose from.
T
He sounds like he's trying to sell me a pocket hose.

I just had to replace a car battery this week and thought I'd look into LiFePo4. Amazon has plenty of them, but all have top posts and only one 'also' has side connections (Group 75).Then I read that they're really lousy in the cold. So, an AGM, but again, almost nothing with side terminals instead of top. In researching that, I read that most mfrs in recent years have dropped side terminals and gone back to the old top posts, which is surprising to me since those are more corrosion-prone, cause the battery to need more space and are generally more hazardous. Finally I just threw up my hands and bought a regular lead-acid at Sam's Club. They had a Group 75 "Duracell" with side terminals only. It was virtually the only such battery with side posts on their shelves
arlo
Had a Die Hard in my folks cellar for over 6 years. Pulled it out, slapped it on a charger for a day. Put it in my 'Cuda and drove it around for a week of my vacation. Next year, the same. But my dad kept it topped off for me.It was a mid 80's battery in early 1990.

Flooded acid batteries like a float voltage of around 13.5-13.8 voltage.
AGM needs a float of 14.2 volts. So if you slap an AGM in where a flooded was. It never gets a full charge.
"Why do they die so fast?" Question answered. There are folks who sell voltage regulators for alternators that are designed to boost float voltage for AGM batteries.
The other way around? Flooded will gas-off a little at 14.2 volts. But seems to tolerate it pretty good.

Lithium car/bike/atv batteries. After 3 batteries in my Harley. The OEM flooded and two AGM's (before the 14.2 volt float requirement to let them live was learned). I bought a lithium for it. 4 year, no gripe warranty after having it tested by an approved store.
The thing started like Thor himself sent a bolt from the sky. Except......try to start it around freezing? Nope. Needed a heating pad.
And I usually like to park it around events in the evening with the parking light on. Looks cool like that.
We could traipse around for a few hours no worries. Hop on, fire it up, and go putt around.
Lithium? A Dakota Lithium at least. The BMS shuts it right down if it discharges below <something>.
Come back. Parking lights off. Won't start. And you know the rest. But it lasted 6 years. A lot better than 'new every two'. And the fact that powersports batteries are warranted for six, maybe nine months. Ludicrous.

I called Noco. Asked all of the right questions. Great warranty. Save some bucks ordering directly, faster service that the wally world alternative.
They addressed (or claimed over the phone) that the shut down was addressed. Sure. The BMS keeps it form being damaged. But if it is shut down because it does become low. Shut down any load (key on, parking or headlights left on) for 10-15 minutes and you get a second try to start your rig. Not a bad thing if it really works. Right?!

Exide, Interstate? Be very afraid. They ain't what they used to be. In Florida my '70 Cutlass had an Interstate (early 90') that lasted 6 years until it dropped its plates at an intersection and boiled over. In Florida, mind you. The last Interstate.....done in 2. Guys down there would suck out the acid and put water in shortly before the warranty ran out. Make it to the auto parts, get them tested. And get a new one pro rated. No more pro rating.
You can't beat an Odyssey. Napa, AC Deco (the better ones). Yup.
The mom and pop Car Quest only sells Die Hard. For a reason, the old man says. So they convinced that a Die HArd Platinum was the hot ticket for me. l will see. Stand by!

You can't cut Mr. Project Farm down. He does great tests of all sorts of things. Not sponsored and pressured to slap a little sugar on his comparisons and reviews. Compared to the Brits and Aussies with their constant overzealous and same sounding (Dave from EEVblog) rant. I like P-Farm a lot. Of course I like AvE (Boltr) too.
Reminds me to beware when wearing shorts around the garage vice.


Opinions may vary.
harshness
And the Walmart ones mostly had very little warranty.
The days of the 84-month warranty appear long gone, regardless of brand or where you acquired it. Warranties tend to be shorter, with much greater dependence on quick prorating.

The big problem for lead-acid batteries (whether flooded or AGM) is that the US no longer produces lead (the last smelter closed in 2013) and must import it.

Recycling covers a good chunk of the need (~70%), but it isn't free.
EarDemon
I've always got regular OEM Ford Motorcraft batteries from the dealership and have never really had an issue. On my old Lincoln Aviator (the SUV from the early 00s, not the CUV of today), I had some phantom drain and went though a few batteries, but that was an anomaly and with the standard warranty I got free replacements. Taking the Aviator out of the picture, I've bought two batteries in my 24 years of driving. One battery replacement in my Mountaineer, one in my Navigator. But I probably would have had another one had I kept it around longer. Didn't have the Bronco long enough, and so far still on the factory battery for my Expedition.

I run more than the average bear. Dash cam, two radar detectors (yes, I'm aware that can be problematic when using simultaneously), laser jammers and a police scanner. I'm in Buffalo, 90 degree summers and 0 degree winters. Once in a while in the dead of winter I'll get an alert from the Ford app saying remote features have been disabled to conserve battery, but it starts right up.
dishstaller
I run more than the average bear. Dash cam, two radar detectors (yes, I'm aware that can be problematic when using simultaneously), laser jammers and a police scanner.
warrior.webp
Ramy
Supporting Founder
Last reply · posted in The Sports Section
Really excited for this season with Kentucky having a new coach and some really exciting recruits. Probably won't last long, but here's hoping this season is great.
168 Replies · 2385 views
  • Haha
Reactions: Mike0616
Jimbo
AI Overview


College Football Playoff bracket, schedule, scores, rankings ...

The 2025–26 College Football Playoff concluded with the Indiana Hoosiers winning the national championship by defeating the Miami Hurricanes 27–21. [1, 2, 3]

Playoff Results Summary
The 12-team playoff bracket featured the following key results across each round: [1]
    • First Round: Alabama defeated Oklahoma (34–24), Miami (Fla.) beat Texas A&M (10–3), Ole Miss topped Tulane (41–10), and Oregon defeated James Madison (51–34) at higher-seeded campus sites.
    • Quarterfinals: Miami (Fla.) upset Ohio State (24–14), Oregon shut out Texas Tech (23–0), top-ranked Indiana rolled past Alabama (38–3), and Ole Miss edged Georgia (39–34) across the New Year's Six bowls.
    • Semifinals: Miami (Fla.) advanced past Ole Miss (31–27) in the Peach Bowl, while Indiana dominant-defeated Oregon (56–22) in the Fiesta Bowl.
    • National Championship: Indiana secured the title with a 27–21 victory over Miami (Fla.) at Hard Rock Stadium. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Unfortunately, there was not rankings listed in this summary
AZ.
AZ.
And no teams deserve a bye! Injuries are the largest part of the game that you cant practice for them. Any team can suffer the worst injury at any position on any play. No favorites.
Jimbo
And no teams deserve a bye! Injuries are the largest part of the game that you cant practice for them. Any team can suffer the worst injury at any position on any play. No favorites.
I think they are actually discussing the Top 8 get a Bye this time, if they go to 24.
Then again, I heard something about Play in games for the 16-24 teams ...

Nothing is official yet, so lots of moving parts ...

Can't wait, lets do 24, 3 years later they will want 32 :sick
Y
And no teams deserve a bye! Injuries are the largest part of the game that you cant practice for them. Any team can suffer the worst injury at any position on any play. No favorites.
While the bye can help the top four teams and those the Cartels would like to protect in the playoff, I think the bye is also about making the Cartel championships mean something. One problem with a playoff is it does diminish the conference title a bit.
Jimbo
While the bye can help the top four teams and those the Cartels would like to protect in the playoff, I think the bye is also about making the Cartel championships mean something. One problem with a playoff is it does diminish the conference title a bit.
Once the 24 gets here, there won't be anymore Conference Championships .... or so they say.

Oh what the hell, we really don't need Conferences anymore either ...:coco:(
  • Haha
Reactions: meStevo
dishstaller
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
· posted in The Chit Chat Club
0 Replies · 27 views
osu1991
Pub Member / Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
4 Replies · 66 views
Bobby
Rest in peace. Together again with Spock, Doc, Uhura, and Scotty...
long_time_Dish
Rest in peace, Checkov, and Bester too...
FTA4PA
Rest In Peace 😢
Foxbat
Rest in Peace…