80cm vs 90cm in Los Angeles area ?

[jpunde]

I live in the greater Los Angeles area. I am wondering if I get an 80 cm (30 inches) dish, will I miss many transponders/satellites in comparison to a 90 cm (36 inches) dish ?

The reason I am leaning toward the 80 cm dish is because I don't want to have problem with my HOA.
(I know that I should be able to have a dish with diameter less than 1 m. But I am afraid if I go with a 90 cm dish, my HOA will send me a letter then I have to go for petition etc.)

Thank you for your assistance.

 

[Mr Tony]

welcome

an 80cm will work fine....until it rains hard. here in MN I have a 76cm dish and it gets 99% of the signals 99% of the time

 

[Anole]

When I made this same decision a few years ago, I read Iceberg's reviews of a 36" Fortec, and an Invacom SNH-031 LNB.
They're both over in our FTA Review section.

Looked to me like each gave a little added edge.
I got both, and haven't been disappointed.
But then, when was the last time you saw serious rain here in LA ?
Maybe consider just the hotter LNB; it doesn't have to cost all that much.
I have some cheap ones that work, too.

_____________________
Invacom SNH-031, SKY Mexico DVB321-3, Fortec 36", Mercury II, Satpros DSR500s, Twinhan 102g & StarBox
Thanks to Sadoun & SatelliteAV for good deals, & SatelliteGuys for good reviews.
brentb636: "My wife glares at me when the UPS truck shows up."

 

[jpunde]

Thanks Iceberg. In LA, there is no snow and rarely has any rain. So I guess an 80cm dish should work fine then.

Do you think it is better to get a 76 cm Winegard dish instead of the others like Fortecstar etc.

The independent report (hxxp://www.global-cm.net/antennatests052406.html) about various dishes makes me confused of which one to buy.

 

[Mr Tony]

I like the 76cm Winegard...the dish is made with better metal (in my mind) than the Fortec. I've seen a fortec flex in the wind.

 

[qwert1515]

I live close to LA.

From my experiances with dishes, I have a 80 cm, 90 cm, and 1.2 Meter dish, I believe that the 90 cm size would be the best if you have a HOA.

From the 80 cm to the 90 cm you will see quite a bit of improvements in signal and some extra transponders that you can not pick up with the 80 cm.

 

[jpunde]

Thank you for all your help.

Does the 90 cm dish looks much bigger than an 80 cm one ?
I just realized that there are some trees that may obstruct the satellite path (I am planning to have a motorized dish). I guess in this case a 90 cm will be better. Which 90cm is the best since Winegard does not make one ?

 

[qwert1515]

Fortec Star 80 cm
___________________
Diameter Short Axis 76 cm (30")
Diameter Long Axis 81.3 cm (32")


Fortec Star 90 cm
___________________

Diameter Short Axis 85 cm (33.5")
Diameter Long Axis 94 cm (37" )


Comparing the Fortec Star 80 cm to the Fortec Star 90 cm dish, the short axis is 9 cm (3.6") larger, the long axis is 13 cm (5.2") larger.

If I look at my 80 cm dish and my 90 cm dishes the 90 cm looks a little bit larger than the 80 cm, but not much.

When I look at my 1.2 Meter dish and compare it to the 80 cm and 90 cm they look like my Dish Network subscription dishes.

 

[jpunde]

Thank you for Fortec Star dishes measurements.

I also check the size for Winegard 76 cm dish:
Antenna height: 87 cm (34.3 in)
Antenna width: 80 cm (31.5 in)

So, is it really true that a 76 cm Winegard is actually bigger than an 80 cm Fortec star dish ?

 

[Pianoman]

Is it possible to check with your HOA before you buy the dish or will that be suicidal as it might alert them of the fact? If checking with them is possible and not a bad idea, then I would suggest getting the biggest they will allow you to have. I have a 90cm in 71W, and I am glad I got it cause it made it easier for me to get weaker transponders. Ofcourse my gluttony now has me wishing for a 120cm Fortec

My house faces south, and so I was paying attention to the expressions on my neighbours' faces (2 of them actually have those large VHF antennae from the 80s) when they drove by as I was hauling the tray to the front of the house and tweaking it with a TV and cables in the front-yard.

 

[Anole]

I would print out the FCC rules 'n regs, then put a cover letter from my lawyer on it, and drop it off with the HOA ahead of time.
But, that's just me.

Hey, Iceberg.
You're on the HOA, aren't you?
What would you do if you weren't ?

 

[jpunde]

If possible I don't want to deal with my HOA. I think in my case it will be suicidal.

My experience with them was not good. Once my HOA asked me to repaint my house. I agreed to repaint my house. Then my HOA complained that I could not paint my house with the same color because it is "old color". After three months delay with many letters, finally they agreed with the original color.

So, in my case only if a 90 cm dish gives a much better performance than a 80 cm one then it will be worth fighting the HOA.

 

[Anole]

I don't think you mentioned a preference for receiver.
Was just looking on the SatAV site, and noticed a package with your Winegard , motor, and a very nice receiver capable of recording shows.

 

[jpunde]

Thanks for the link. I have several receivers already. I have Skystar 1 (Hauppauge Nexus) as well as Genpix for PC and recently I bought the Conaxsat Trio.

By the way, from the outside, the receiver on the SatAV site looks very similar to the Conaxsat.

 

[Mr Tony]

Hey, Iceberg.
You're on the HOA, aren't you?

correctamundo

What would you do if you weren't ?

what do you mean? I had my dish farm before I became VP of the HOA (became VP in August last year...had the dish farm longer than that)

It had nothing to do with the HOA...it was the (former) president who tried at the time to instigate a one dish rule...when Minneapolis at the time needed TWO dishes for locals. They "grandfathered me" at the time with 5 dishes but I showed them the OTARD to help out a couple neighbors. One wanted internationals and were on a wing dish at the time and the other wanted the 2nd dish for locals

I ahd the C-Band dish before becoming VP and they didnt care at the time. The new President said "as long as its on your deck I don't care"

 

[qwert1515]

Iceberg, can any of your neighbors see your deck?