DXing satellites.

[123tim]

I don't know if it's a good thing to do this, but I'm stealing an excerpt from a previous post and starting a new Thread. I don't think that the person who started his post today (Newbie with old C band dish - bigec2002) has the all of the answers that he's looking for. My question is slightly off topic, and I don't want to drag down his thread with extraneous questions of my own.
The original question was about retrofitting a FTA LNB on a C-band dish and getting a distant satellite. The first reply was "THe foot print from that satellite is not cover the North America, unless you has a Big C band dish that may pick up some signal from there." (From sksatellite)
This prompts me to ask a question that I had asked before in a new angle:
Living in Pennsylvania, would I be able to pick up any KU band distant Satellites (if they were in my line of sight) with a large C band dish? (I think that I can find a C-band with small enough mesh.)
I had asked about Atlantic satellites (using a small dish) before. The answer was no.
Is there much of a fringe area on a satellite footprint?
Am I stuck with Satellites aimed at the United States, or is it possible to DX with larger antennas? I've always been interested in receiving distant terrestrial broadcast. I guess that I should have expected that bug to carry over to FTA.
Thank you.

 

[PSB]

Sorry you are stuck with whatever satellites you can see, and that are broadcasting in your direction. Many large C-Band dish are not as good for KU signals as say a well made 1 meter dish!

Good idea to start your own thread, we seem to be getting a lot of members jumping on other threads rather than simply starting another.

Just wish I had better news.......

 

[No Strings]

You should be able to see out to Atlantic Bird 1 at 12.5°W. I think that is the last satellite to have a North American beam.

Edit: With the proper LNB

Neal

 

[123tim]

Thanks Neal,
I have a Fortec universal LNB and a 36" dish. Probably would need more than that?
Pete, Is the curvature wrong (for KU) on a C band dish? By this, I mean not focused for KU band. I was assuming that bigger would be better. I had my eye on a black mesh BUD that my cousin has laying in his yard.
I was thinking that Telstar 12 at 15 degrees West would be as far as I could go.
Thanks!

 

[PSB]

A C-Band dish will collect KU signals also as long as the holes in the mesh are small enough. C-Band is very forgiving and the dish do not need to be as well made as say good 1m solid steel.