Between the weather and removing a rear molar, I had delays in getting my installation of this dish finalized. It is finally tracking as good as it is going to get, working well from 55.5 West to 135 West. I am using an antique V Box 7 with a very efficient Von Weise V-76-5 24 inch linear actuator. Went to the last of my private stock and have one of Brian Gohl's previous 2 output C-band LNBFs that passes all C-band frequencies down to 3700 MHz. There are a lot of channels still using the low end of former C-band, especially international satelllites such as 55.5, 58 and 61 West, and the Eutelsat satellites that occupy the slots at 113, 115 and 117. What I have just discovered is that new satellites have been launched since early October and continuing into December, some already in service, and some of them C-band only with only the 4000 to 4200 MHz frequencies planned on being used. Slots that will soon see service with very hot signal levels include 135, 133, 131, 129, 127, 125, 123, 121, 105, 103, 101, and 91 West.
I have been using a LinkBox 500i receiver, and while it was never made for UHD, it does a dynamite job with HD signals in H265 format. Quite complex to program, but it's good as a test instrument. After not having a motorized C band antenna since 2016, everything has changed. I am fortunate enough to be in view of two cell phone towers that have not yet buried me with 5 G interference, owing to a location in rural Wisconsin.
One request for anyone that has had experience comparing sensitivity with the Linkbox 500i vs. any of the other recent receivers. With a ten foot dish I am unable to pull in more than a "20" quality reading in my location (50 miles SW of Madison, WI) on the 139 West AMC-6 satellite, trying for the Alaska mux at 4156H.
Screaming levels are coming in nearby, with readings in the upper 90s to 100 in Quality on this LinkBox unit on 135 West. It does well on the Eutelsat satellites at 113 and 117, but not on 115, due to a rapid dropoff of its levels east of the Mississippi River.
What is most impressive across the arc is that there are huge numbers of HD channels in the clear, and if one is fortunate enough to be out of reach of terrestrial interference by location of your dish, I see the potential for the use of 6 to 8 foot dishes combined with a low cost C-band LNBF and a current FTA receiver. Not a lot of dollars involved and a fixed antenna might provide enough variety to supplement your other viewing, given the abundance of HD. The tradeoff will be that the new satellites will be packed in at true 2 degree spacing, and alignment of antenna and feedhorn will be super critical. Bigger is always better, but I see potential for some hobbyists to resurrect this while tinkering. We'll see what happens.
Again, if you have some hands-on experience on sensitivity of other recent receivers, please let me know.
Thank you!