Just got A BUD system!!!!?

[chucksrt]

Hi all, I just got a BUD system for Free . It is a channel Master system with a videocipher II 6442 receiver, and 8.5" dish. This stuff looks old!! My question is Where does this dish have to point? If I put it behind my house it will only see NW to S! I have a spot between my house and my garage where I can put it but then it will only see W to NE Maybe a little more depending on the angle of the dish over the garage and house. Is there a general direction that you want to point this dish? Is this dish too big to mount on top of my garage or can I mount a large pole next to my garage and mount it to that next to but above the garage so I can get more turning radius. Secondly, The main reason I got this system is because I love a good Picture and I want HD!!! What do I need to get the best picture pos. Do I need to get rid of the receiver I got with it? I see I would need the HDD-200 Decoder but I want the best audio too, Do I need a 4DTV Receiver? Sorry for all of the Questions But I feel like A kid in a candy store and I want to get this thing set up ASAP. Thanks,
Chuck
Bensalem Pa 19020

 

[dfergie]

Congrats... You need a clean shot of the southern sky from SE to SW, in order to see the Complete arc.(if you have E* and have a dish pointed at 61.5 or 148 this willl approximate limits) I have seen BUDs mounted beside and above houses, will need a tall pipe at least schedule 40 with schedule 80 being better... (look for at salvage yards...) perfectly level 3" if I'm not mistaken.(Check your mount for size) Most analog programming is leaving so you will need the 4dtv (and if I am not mistaken the Hdd-200 needs the 4dtv sidecar) .

 

[charper1]

Also before you go to installing, what does the feed assembly look like? Stone age? What type and quality of LNBs are on it? These parts can be pricey to have the minimum quality needed for good 4DTV and HD reception (know that up front), not to mention that 8.5' dish will be the minimum size.

 

[dfergie]

Good point charper1... also make sure that the dish is not warped as that will mess things up... My lnbs on my old BUDs are 25 degree lnbs (over 10 years old) dont recall the Ku lnbs maybe .9)I got a reasonable signal on my 8' mesh disb but a lower temp one would be preferred as I remember some sparkleys on the clear channels...

 

[charper1]

Let me add that the approximate costs for a good C/Ku feed horn and a quality 15-17 degree C-band LNB and a quality .5db Ku-band LNB might scare you, not to mention that with an 8.5' dish you MIGHT need to buy the high stability versions, DOUBLE OUCH!

You could be looking at $210 for a complete regular Astrotel C/Ku setup, or $305 for a complete Astrotel high stability setup.

For the named CorotorII it can be $330 for the reg and $420 for the high stability. So be aware of this up front.

Maybe one of the super pros can chime in on the smaller BUD and high stability need, as well as maybe some nicer pricing.

 

[drhydro]

On that auction site i have found 4 strand ribbon cable for about .34 per foot (100 foot length), with 12.00 shipping. I have also found the Chapperal corotor II there for around 100.00. Lnbs can get pricey, so you have to figure out what you can afford versus what you really need. I would assume with the 8.5 inch dish that you are going to want the best lnbs you can afford.

 

[tdti1]

Make sure the dish is not damaged in any way, see the mesh holes, if they are small, tight then this is good for both c/ku, if you can fit a pencil through it, it may not be best for ku, most any lnb out there will work on the 4dtv, but if you want to maybe get into free to air with a DVB unit, a more high stability lnb is needed, and I would recommend Norsat lnb's for the best performance and life spand. The C-band 8515 and Ku-band 4506a are ones I would get, but of course, for certain signals, if just for 4dtv and most DVB this combo will work best, if you really get into feed hunting and your dish can catch a hugh section of the arc, then you may want to invest more in lnb's, but I would think, these ones will fit your needs nicely.

As for mounting the dish on a pole, beside the house or garage, I think this method is best, extra support from ground up is needed, since the dish will be higher up, witch is good, but high winds and such call for a good install.

If its picture quality you are after, you will be glad you made the investment, a fullview system today is made up with a c/ku feed 4dtv/dvb boxes and if you want HD a HDD 200, you will also need a VCII+ board, you may have one in the box you already have, mostly a pink or blue board, you will need this to enter inside the 4dtv, I would highly recommend the 4dtv DSR 922 the latest model of the 4dtv family, the 920 is a bit outdated, there are feeds it cannot get, and no 5.1 unless equipt with the HDD 200 for the HD feeds, the 905, is not bad but a hassel due to the fact that, it needs the old analog IRD to move the dish and get analog channels, while it will get the digital only. So the 922 is well worth it.

Help for install:
http://www.geo-orbit.org/sizepgs/tuningp2.html
http://www.satellitehelp.com/installation_index.asp

If you need assistance, hope one is by you:
http://onsat.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=12&sid=8039f73eb19df6ab0e9e8804659d32ab

Best deal on 4dtv:
http://www.callnps.com/
Mite get a good deal on 4dtv/HDD here:
http://www.skyvision.com/

Best place for feed support (Skypack), and also good price on the HDD 200:
http://www.rpssat.com

Good Luck!

 

[chucksrt]

???

Thanks for all of the info!!! It looks like it is going to be a bit of work just setting this bad boy up but I can't wait to get started All of the instructions seem like rocket science. Well I'll start installation for the dish within the next two weeks, just so I can say it is mounted and ready to go. But then comes the hard part, buying all of the equipment/receivers. Boy my wife is going to hate me
Thanks guys,
Chuck

 

[tdti1]

The big dish should be dedicated to the large screen, home theatre room, its not bad to have a small cable sub or pizza sub, for locals and easy use for others.

Click the first link on the page (Tracking Made Easy) , its a great clip:
http://boresight.ripco.com/

 

[chucksrt]

LNBs

Also before you go to installing, what does the feed assembly look like? Stone age? What type and quality of LNBs are on it? These parts can be pricey to have the minimum quality needed for good 4DTV and HD reception (know that up front), not to mention that 8.5' dish will be the minimum size.

How do you tell which LNBs I have? If I do need new ones I found the set for $419.95, is that bad? Ultra low temp, highly stable .5dB/15deg. feedhorne/LNB Pak 15deg C-Band/.5dB Ku-Band. I'd rather get the best equipment now instead of paying for it later.

 

[dfergie]

There should be Brand names on everything... and tags on the lnbs that will tell noise temp...

 

[chucksrt]

Make sure the dish is not damaged in any way, see the mesh holes, if they are small, tight then this is good for both c/ku, if you can fit a pencil through it, it may not be best for ku,


A couple of the mesh screens have some minor bends in them, should I replace them anyway or just use a rubber hammer to straighten them out?

 

[dfergie]

I would try to straighten if not too bad...

 

[chucksrt]

There should be Brand names on everything... and tags on the lnbs that will tell noise temp...

I just looked at it, and all it says is Channel Master low noise block converter 50deg. model 6243.

 

[dfergie]

Ok... the 15 degree one you were refering to is a lot better... You did check out these? http://www.skyvision.com/store/lnbs.html

 

[chucksrt]

Ok... the 15 degree one you were refering to is a lot better...

Good to know, this is one hell of a learning experience$$$

 

[tdti1]

I would get Norsat LNB's they work best, and are highly recomended. The C-band 8515 is great and the Ku-band 4506a. Now if you want better LNB's for some feeds on the atlantic birds, you will want some higher priced Norsat LNB's, DRO (Dielectric Resonator Oscillator) LNB's are good, much better than they use to be, if you want to go all out then PLL (Phase Locked Loop) LNB's would be good to look into, but honestly, I would just grab some DRO's.

 

[spyder]

I would get Norsat LNB's they work best, and are highly recomended. The C-band 8515 is great and the Ku-band 4506a. Now if you want better LNB's for some feeds on the atlantic birds, you will want some higher priced Norsat LNB's, DRO (Dielectric Resonator Oscillator) LNB's are good, much better than they use to be, if you want to go all out then PLL (Phase Locked Loop) LNB's would be good to look into, but honestly, I would just grab some DRO's.

I'll second that statement. I use the 8215 and the 4206 and they are fabulous. You can't go wrong with Norsat.

Don't even look at Skyvision. They have a nice catalog with high prices but not a lot of quality in their products.

 

[chucksrt]

I would get Norsat LNB's they work best, and are highly recomended. The C-band 8515 is great and the Ku-band 4506a. Now if you want better LNB's for some feeds on the atlantic birds, you will want some higher priced Norsat LNB's, DRO (Dielectric Resonator Oscillator) LNB's are good, much better than they use to be, if you want to go all out then PLL (Phase Locked Loop) LNB's would be good to look into, but honestly, I would just grab some DRO's.

Who sells those LNBs?? Does anyone recommend a certain store.
Chuck

 

[spyder]

Who sells those LNBs?? Does anyone recommend a certain store.
Chuck

I recomend Lee Richardson . MechTech
mechtech@evansville.net