DP DBS/FSS Dual Band lnb for FTA

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mct1

Active SatelliteGuys Member
Original poster
Aug 1, 2008
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I scored a free SuperDish off Craigslist and wonder if anyone has found any FTA
use for that "big eye" DP DBS/FSS Dual Band lnb.

 
The DishNetwork Superdishes were deployed in two major configurations, and have been obsolete for several years.
(of course, the may still work for an existing customer)
They came in the 105° flavor and the 121° flavor.
A picture of the face of the LNBs will tell which.

When you say "big eye", I'm wondering of you have the 500 Plus or 1000 plus?
The big LNB is for 119° & 118° (used for Internationals).
However, 118° is circular, so I don't see any use for it, in FTA.

Of course, if you do have a real SuperDish, yes, you can use the linear LNB that's mounted on the bore-site of the dish.
It will have a sticker with the name "FSS" on the face of it.
Just have to program the receiver to handle the band stacked LNB, and aim the dish.
No modifications are needed.
Of course a SuperDish is a little on the small side, but it'll probably get plenty of FTA.

edit: here is another discussion and some pictures which will help identify the type of LNB cluster you have.
 
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Thanks, Anole.

I just checked it and it is a SuperDish, but the lnbf's are DPP and so I assume they are more recent. I don't see any FSS sticker, but that may have been long gone. Even an lnbf that says DPP might be an FSS ?

The reason I asked originally is that someone on another site said that you could open the "eye" and remove a dielectric plate which would allow it to do linear. The "eye" is a huge dual lnbf for 118/119. I know that, but figured maybe it was a linear that was somehow converted to circular by this dielectric plate.
 
the big eye 118/119 is not a SuperDish:

Thanks, Anole.

I just checked it and it is a SuperDish, but the lnbf's are DPP and so I assume they are more recent. I don't see any FSS sticker, but that may have been long gone. Even an lnbf that says DPP might be an FSS ?

The reason I asked originally is that someone on another site said that you could open the "eye" and remove a dielectric plate which would allow it to do linear. The "eye" is a huge dual lnbf for 118/119. I know that, but figured maybe it was a linear that was somehow converted to circular by this dielectric plate.

Your comments are in conflict with what I've absorbed over the years.
I may be mistaken somehow, but here's what I believe:
- there were four kinds of actual SuperDishes deployed
- there were stamped steel and molded thermoplastic dishes made
- there were LNB heads designed for the 105 market and for the 121 market
- see pictures in the other article I linked above to identify which you have

- the 118/119 dishes are NOT SuperDishes, they're called Dish 500 Plus or Dish 1000 Plus
(see links to Sadoun site showing both, above)

Now, having established that you want to talk about converting the 118° LNB from circular to linear . . .
- yes, it uses a 10750 Local Oscillator frequency, so you're on the right track
- other Dish circular LNBFs I've seen, use a stepped cast-in device in the feedhorn, or a flattened feed tube, to get circular.
- if the 118/119 head uses a teflon insert, that's news to me, but I haven't done the research.
(possible, but I'm not betting the farm) - :rolleyes:
- I'd considered trying to find out if there was a use for the 118/119 head, but gave up when I realized it was circular for both.

Should do some more research, before possibly destroying the darned thing.
Because, if it can be made to work, it'd be an interesting alternative to the QPH-031 . . .
. . . if it'll get either circular or linear, and bandstacked to boot! - :up - :D
 
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more thoughts:

I should have made notes the last time I brainstormed on this LNB. :rolleyes:

It has the one feedhorn (and scalar) which must have the stair-step cast into the metal wall.
That makes the PC board at the back, sensitive to circular signals.
Both 118 and 119 are circular, so that's good.

SO, anything that makes the 118 LNB into linear, also makes the 119 LNB linear , too.
Not a desirable outcome.

And when I say 119° LNB, I really mean it's got a LO of 11250.
Where as the 118.75° LNB has a LO of 10750.
The two birds are right on top of each other, about ¼° apart.

Or, to put it another way, I don't see any chance of using this as both linear and circular.
If anyone has a clever idea, please share! - :up
 
@anole
I am "the guy form other site".
I never held one of these but i was looking at a pic on this site while responding to the post. Of course I cannot find the thread now, but I am fairly certain someone had a pic of one with a dielectric plate and asked if he should remove it and the respponse was yes.

ALso the OP from the other site was only interested in receiving linear FTA signals not both.
 
Merkin - same here; I don't have one either, so I'm winging it. - ;)

But if it does have a dielectric insert,
...and you only want linear and not circular,
........and you can't find something else....
Then I guess we should talk about what happens when you hook it up. :rolleyes:

First, it's bandstacked.
Second, there's probably diseqc switching to select 118 or 119.
I don't know what the default would be, but I'd bet 119°, as that is Dish's primary bird.
I think the DishProPlus mode might have to get turned on, so that's good.
Did this thing take a lot of power? It might, with all the new technology inside.

I guess ya might do an "Advanced Search" on the Dish forum here.
Several years ago, when this item came available, I'm sure someone dissected it.
Quite possibly, a member by the name of Smith, P.
I remember him inventing some other very clever stuff many moons ago! - :up

But other than bragging rights, I don't see using it as a linear LNB as much of a success.
As I said above, the real SuperDishes came with one FSS LNB, it was bore-sighted right down the middle, and by using that LNB only, you had a no-mod, no-problem dish!

Looking forward to what ya come up with. :)

edit: looks like 118 has its own output connector, so that's good.
Probably the same way the 110/119 dual-bird LNB defaulted its two outputs at power-up.
 
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color me red, not green:

Disregard all comments about not being a SuperDish.
Disregard all comments about a 500 Plus or 1000 Plus.
Disregard all comments about the 118° bird, etc.

You are right. This is another version of the SuperDish 105°.
I asked for a picture, look up a picture, or comment if my pictures were correct.
That wasn't forthcoming, so I went off on a wild goose chase. :(

In the thread from November, I posted pix of the 105° hardware I had seen (and have samples of).
On mine, you change from circular to linear by twisting the feedhorn about 45°.
If you actually DO have a dielectric insert, by all means remove it.
Why the OP of that thread was unsuccessful, I don't know.
Looked like he had problems programming his receiver. :confused:


Also, DishNetwork is renowned for shipping multiple different hardware configurations under a single name/model.
eg: Dish 500 ! - :eek:
 
Thanks for the replies, guys. I'll experiment and let you know. My SuperDish (that's what is stamped right on the metal dish) looks the closest to #6 of your dishes, Anole, but still very
different. I'll try to send a pic. It has an oval scalar with a large housing and separate feeds for 118 and 119. I don't want it for anything other than linear. I just figured since it was already in the low range, it might be useful.

Merkin, I knew Anole had a lot of experience finding answers to some of the unusual questions. Didn't mean to make you the other guy. Thanks for originally bringing it up and giving me some new inspiration to use some old Dish stuff.
 
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