I want cband...

[SatinKzo]

I want to badly setup a c-band rig and I honestly am pretty much limited to a 6 footer.

It's just a for fun setup, no subscription, I just want to play with it, search for feeds etc.

So, while I would like a motorized setup, I might have to start with a stationary system until fall comes.

So I am asking for a stationary setup, what sat should I aim for? Seems like 99w is the favorite and looks the best for normal FTA, but if anyone could possibly clue me in on where the good feed sats are so maybe I will see how hard the ghetto move would be until I could motorize.

Also, since I'll motorize later is there anything to know about types of setups to look at that will be easier to motorize later?

What lnb should I be looking for? I don't really care if I have KU on the dish as I have a 90cm for it, but from what I have read the geosat lnbf seems to be a favorite.

Be gentle, I am very new to c-band.

 

[Mr Tony]

I want to badly setup a c-band rig and I honestly am pretty much limited to a 6 footer.

nothing wrong with a 6 footer

So I am asking for a stationary setup, what sat should I aim for? Seems like 99w is the favorite and looks the best for normal FTA, but if anyone could possibly clue me in on where the good feed sats are so maybe I will see how hard the ghetto move would be until I could motorize.

lets see
99 for the nets etc
121 for Sportstime Ohio, Sportsman Network, Soundtrack channel
91 for CW, EWTN, a few small locals
87 for This TV, TVU, @Sports
103 for RFD TV, Ion

for feeds would probably be 99, 87, 91, 97

I have a dish at 99W and one ghetto moved usually to 137 for 360North

What lnb should I be looking for? I don't really care if I have KU on the dish as I have a 90cm for it, but from what I have read the geosat lnbf seems to be a favorite.

if you can get one of the C/KU units cheap get one...you can always just use it for C-band. I used a 621 for a while on C-Band only. Or if you can get a Geosatpro C2 LNB from satelliteav get it. Its a dual so you can add on later

 

[brentb636]

Peachtree TV on 131W is strong, when it's broadcasting Braves games. About 60 games a year.

 

[Techfizzle]

to be quite honest, you do not want a stationary system for c-band, there are too many channels spread out over the arc to go outside and move it.

Now if you want a new six foot dish you can get:

a brand new sami from impakt products for $205,

now your gonna need a polar mount which is $69

plus an actuator for $450 more or less, you will have a brand new system.

Now if you want to buy the 6 foot fortec from sadoun, plus an actuator, plus shipping, you looking at $300 more or less,

so you pick what you want, I would go with the sadoun dish.

Now, I don't know if your mentioning of "I am limited to a 6 footer" means you are financially limited to a 6 foot, or your-wife-will-make-you -sleep -in-the-dog-house limited.

But if you wish to receive DVB-S2 or channels with a 7/8 Scan Rate, I would recommend a 10 footer, at least.

Now if you want a brand new system, go with those 2 options.

If you want to dink around with a used system, you can get one for a song if you do some door-knocking, and if your lucky, like i was, you will get a free analog receiver, that just saved you 80 clams on a g-box.

Who knows, you may even run across a birdview!!

Now your gonna need to run wires out to the dish, they can usually be had the cheapest at your electrical supplier, or yard-sales

make sure you use wire that will be heavy enough to supply the amperage to the actuator, or the wires will overheat, and possibly ignite, which may burn your place of residence down

also make sure the wires are UV resistant, if you run them above ground

also make sure you use a pipe to run your wires through, at least 2.5" in outside diameter, to make it easier to run new cables to your dish as needed during future upgrade or removal

Now your going to need an lnbf.

If you just want a c-band only system, I would recommend getting a voltage switched lnbf off ebay, for around $20-$30

now if you want to squeeze every last drop, get a standard c-band feed horn, and put a nor sat Lnb on it. Don't forget to run wires for your servo

look in your owners guide for your new (or old) dish and get your F/D ratio, and set it on your feed horn, making sure every number is to the line, or your illumination will be slightly off, causing a reduction in your signal reception.

Now when you get a working dish, move the dish, until it is at its highest point, and peak the dish for your southern most satellite, now tighten every bolt on the dish that has a moving part on it, to make sure your reflector is not blow off arc track course due to heavy wind, also around winter, attach some pipe warmer to the back, otherwise the shear weight of the snow and ice will pull down on your dish, changing your signal quality, and may damage your mount on cheaper dishes, and make it harder for your actuator to move the dish, causing premature failure. Also the waves from the satellite transmitter will reflect and refract, causing your signal to go down, it is imperative you keep snow and ice from coating your reflector.

you have a wide option of receiver choices

if money is not an importance get an hd receiver with dvr capabilities, dvr will allow you direct access to your shows, and will not carry a subscription rate, like TIVO

now i would recommend using lyngsat or the list to get information of what satellites would best suit your entertainment needs

 

[pro96]

Happy 6ft user here

 

[Mr Tony]

same here

have 2 of them and ghetto move one of them just fine

 

[truckracer]

I have a 7.5' dish that works awesome. It picks up most everything. Every now and then there will be a feed with a high FEC like 7/8 or 9/10 that my 10' has to get.
Most everything should come in on the 6'. Your biggest enemy on the 6' is adjacent satellite interference. Your 6' dish can see about 3 degrees of sky. so some neighboring interference may show up sometimes.

 

[SatinKzo]

fizzle, do you ever come up with anything on your own? You seem to just recycle comments from yourself and others in most of your posts.

Anyways, while I would love a bigger dish, I just don't have the room for one. It's more of a personal choice based on where I put my dishes at in the back yard that limits me. I do budget myself also, but the money is not the problem, it's just sticking to my rules and abiding by my decisions.

I'm always looking for free dishes, I got a free 90cm that way, but every one I have seen that I would want for cband is either in use or owned by people who don't want me "hurting" myself moving it. I'm sure if I could find a free 10 footer, I could then go over my size limit I have set for the area I have for dishes and move my 90cm and 80cm dishes to new locations.

I think while annoying, I could deal with interference on a 6 footer as it would not be a surprise to me. I've done a lot of reading here and based on what others have said, I think I would be very satisfied with a 6 footer.

On a side note, I think it's time to upgrade my 80cm to a 1.2m also, yah!
*of course this all has to be balanced with my desire to add an Azbox to my setup to compliment my panny 9200 and CS5k since my CS8k is now in fta heaven.

Thanks everyone for the comments. Not sure when I'll actually pull the trigger, probably later this summer as I generally aquire stuff slowly and the dish will be the last thing I actually order (just in case I run across one somewhere). Of course as is my general course of action, it will miraculously be the hottest day of the year when I have time to install everything.

 

[cruzin]

I found 2 free c bands yesterday. I had to work in Traverse City area yesterday and had seen a free for the taking down dish in Traverse area on Craigslist.org
emailed them got directions and went and looked at it. I am going to pass on it.
It is a 10' at least on a 15' pole attached to the side of a garage. I think it is a older steel mesh dish. I seen from the ground a few rips in it. The owner told me they have never used it in 9 years. It is a rental now and up for sale and they would like it removed.
After that I went to a friends house that I gave a 1.2 primestar a few years back for receiving 97 and attached a second lnbf on it for him for 101 which tuned in so easy I could not believe it. Those fiberglass primestars are great dishes. Any way he has a 7.5' or 8 alum c band mesh (which I helped him put up 10 or so years ago) out in the yard and he told me if I wanted it I can have it. It has a motor on it but not sure of the condition. Also he said he would take it down and deliver it to me. Some great deal. But that dish in Traverse city is still available and if you remove it for them the 15' of pipe and the receiver go with it.

 

[glater]

Fizzle, I once worked with a guy at the phone company that must have been just like you when he was a kid. If I could have bought him for what he was worth and sold him for what he thought he was worth, I'd be a multi-millionaire.

 

[Mr Tony]

fizzle, do you ever come up with anything on your own? You seem to just recycle comments from yourself and others in most of your posts.

which is pretty sad considering above he praises the 6 foot system from Sadoun yet less than a week ago he trashes it

what he said yesterday

Now if you want to buy the 6 foot fortec from sadoun, plus an actuator, plus shipping, you looking at $300 more or less,

so you pick what you want, I would go with the sadoun dish.

yet less than a week ago he tells Scott

the dish itself can be had for $179 at cyberestore.com or you can get one for FREE most of the time, and a 6 foot dish is useless for the serious fta'er

i would not mess with a 6 footer

http://www.satelliteguys.us/1833924-post6.html

gee and you wonder why he was a satelliteguys newbie?