LNBF question concerning the Ultra

[GreatFTA]

I am planning to upgrade my LNBF that is on my Primestar 1.2 dish in January (unless I get overtime at work before then).
What is the best LNBF are you guys using on your system that work great with your AZBox? I have a cheapo LNBF on my dish now.
I tried installing my Invacom universal LNBF but no go, I guess the universal LNBFs doesn't work. If I am wrong, please tell me!
I also want to know the best DiSEqc 4x1 switch that will work.
Any other suggestions will be appreciated! I just want the best for my Ultra.

 

[rodder]

i would say the lnbf that brian at satellite av has on sale right now is about as good as you can get.but of course robby at galaxy marketing has some good one's two.

 

[ZetaMale]

My DMX521 works OK.

 

[Mr Tony]

I've got a WSI 522 and Sadoun .4 KU Band LNB's on the 2 motorized and a Geosat C2 on the 99W dish. My azbox is slaved to all 3 using an old school 4x1 DMSI diseqc switch...old school as in 3 ports on one side and 2 on the other (the new ones have the ports all on the same side)

 

[jsattv]

also want to know the best DiSEqc 4x1 switch that will work

MrFTAMan,try a Chieta WSD-2041 Heavy Duty 4X1 DiseqC switch, $9.99, Google it, or World Wide Sat, has only 1.5 dB insertion Loss. I have 2 of them & they work well even in 30 degrees below zero weather.

 

[GreatFTA]

Thanks guys!
The universal LNBFs doesn't work? Anybody tried it?

 

[AcWxRadar]

I have personally always had good luck with the Invacom QPH-031 LNBF.

It is much more expensive than most LNBFs and it isn't necessary to spend $70 on, but I find them to be reliable and versatile.

To obtain the lower band Ku signals with a Universal LNBF, I have used the Sonset LKU1-2A from Brian at Satellite AV. This universal LNBF works well and actually improved my signal quality on the standard Ku band signals over the Invacom, but it only has one output port.

RADAR

 

[AcWxRadar]

also want to know the best DiSEqc 4x1 switch that will work

MrFTAMan,try a Chieta WSD-2041 Heavy Duty 4X1 DiseqC switch, $9.99, Google it, or World Wide Sat, has only 1.5 dB insertion Loss. I have 2 of them & they work well even in 30 degrees below zero weather.

This is the switch of choice for me as well. I recommend this brand and this model as they have served me well for many years.

RADAR

 

[Cham]

I had a Chieta switch for about a year and a half, worked perfectly until I had a lightning strike. Replaced it with a new one (same model) and it lasted a couple of days and died. New one seems lighter than the original and insertion loss was really bad on the new one as well which I noticed right away when it was installed. Signal Q almost dropped to half of what they used to be.
Might just be bad quality control but not sure if I would order another one. Installed one from EMP Centuri that is working fine now since the new Chieta didn't work out.
-C.

 

[crackt]

mrftaman, did you change the LOF settings when you installed that invacom universal. instead of 10750 it should be 9750/10600. just a thought. ive used many lnbfs and right now id recommend the sl2 from satelliteav or the dmx522 from wsi. if you hunt both can be had for about 15 bucks and shipping. i have 10 522's on their way so i cant comment personally but from what ive read they are a nice product. id probly have to also say that there is really no reason to buy an invacom qph-031 these days. its heavy and performs worse than any of the standard linear lnbs ive used. you can always attach a circular lnb on the side if thats needed and itll be lighter and cheaper.

crackt out,.

 

[GreatFTA]

Crackt, I tried those settings. Worked ok on the 97W but no go on the 125W (AMC 21). So I figured the universal LNBF won't work with the DVB-S2 and 4:2:2 and other signals. Again, let me know if I am wrong. So I put the cheapo LNBF back on the dish until I upgrade to another LNBF and switch in January.

 

[hd fan]

Make sure you select the Universal setting on LNB Type on the antenna settings menu. BTW no need to change the 22 khz setting on the AZbox since it will do it automatically depending on the frecuency value. I use a Gospell C/ Universal Ku on my 6 footer with good results. I beleive it makes no difference to the AZbox which one to use , either the LNBF and switches are high quality for all sat boxes or either they are not. I like the Chieta as well but Ecoda switches , all kinds , have been very reliable to me.

 

[hd fan]

you are wrong , check your aligment again when replacing the LNBF. As far as the LNBF is concerned he does not care the type of signal it is but only the value of its frecuency so it can downconvert it to the L band. I always use the Universal setting on my AZbox Prem +. you do not mention the dvb-s PBS signals so I assume you get them ok. check if with similar Q values with both LNBF's.

 

[GreatFTA]

So you're saying my Invacom universal LNBF should work? I will try again tomorrow.

 

[beavs2112]

mrftaman, did you change the LOF settings when you installed that invacom universal. instead of 10750 it should be 9750/10600. just a thought. ive used many lnbfs and right now id recommend the sl2 from satelliteav or the dmx522 from wsi. if you hunt both can be had for about 15 bucks and shipping. i have 10 522's on their way so i cant comment personally but from what ive read they are a nice product. id probly have to also say that there is really no reason to buy an invacom qph-031 these days. its heavy and performs worse than any of the standard linear lnbs ive used. you can always attach a circular lnb on the side if thats needed and itll be lighter and cheaper.

crackt out,.

what model of Invacom LNBF do you have? does it look like this

or this

the first one is NOT a universal lnb its a standard. the second one is universal .
ftaman i use an Invacom QPH-031 (the first pic) on my dish and it works very well. because the quad invacom is so heavy it may lower your dish arm on the sats on the far east and west of the arc. if the dish arm is lowered it messes up the skew angle. since my Winegard dish has 3 lnb support arms it isn't a problem for me. i am not too familiar with your model of dish though.

I use a EMP Centauri 4X1 Diseq switch.

 

[GreatFTA]

The second picture is the one I have. It worked good when I was using it with my regular FTA receivers but for some reason won't work at all with my Ultra, especially on the AMC 21 (125W) satellite.
My Primestar 1.2 dish has the three arms on it. I would have it no other way!

 

[GreatFTA]

Does it mean the universal LNBFs won't work with the 4:2:0 and 4:2:2 signals? That's what I am trying to find out.

 

[beavs2112]

no the universal lnb should work fine with the 4:2:0 and 4:2:2 signals. sounds like problem elsewhere though since lnb's are usually reliable.

 

[GreatFTA]

Ok, I am fixing to swap out the LNBFs again.

 

[AcWxRadar]

Does it mean the universal LNBFs won't work with the 4:2:0 and 4:2:2 signals? That's what I am trying to find out.

The previous replies are correct. The LNBF does not differentiate between the types of signal received. Only the frequency and polarization of the downlinked signal is important for the LNB.
If you consign Dish Network or DirecTV technicians to come out and install a "HD" dish for your home, they aren't really installing a special dish or a special LNBF to allow HD signals of any particular type, they are just installing a dish that can aim at their HD satellite position and a LNBF that can detect and process the polarity and frequency style that emminates from that satellite.

There just isn't any such animal as a "HD" or "4:2:2" capable dish or LNBF, they are all capable of this. You just have to match them to the satellite's style (C Band or Ku, linear or circular, etc).

Therefore, in the FTA world, if you have a dish and a LNBF that can receive the satellite signal, period, that same dish and LNBF can receive the HD and 4:2:2 signals. It is up to your receiver to process the different types (SD vs HD and what not).

The only points which are important here are selecting a dish and a LNBF that are compatible with eachother and with the satellite that is desired. Whether it be C-Band or Ku-Band/Linear or Circular. You can attach nearly any LNBF on any dish and make it work, but there is a component selection that will allow you to make it work better and improve your signal quality which will obviously aid your receivers function of processing the received signal. HD signals may be a little more picky about the signal quality (that is a condition of your receiver mostly) so it may be important to select the dish and LNBF (like a matching set) and align them to obtain the optimum signal quality.

If you are experiencing trouble with any HD or 4:2:2 signals, your trouble is either the actual signal quality level or your receiver's capabilities to process the signal (or the setup in the menus).

RADAR