New Rainfade Solution

[tvropro]

Today I converted my 39 x 36" Primestar 90cm dish for DirecTV 101. This has to be the ultimate rain fade solution. I was doing reading on commercial installs. The numbers went up on all transponders over the Slimline. Now to see what happens in the rain.

I included a couple pictures of the moded Primestar and a pdf file I found on commercial installs. See pages 6 and 7 about rain fade and dish sizes.

If you look at picture 2 you can see how much larger a 90cm is than an 18"

 

[dcowboy7]

....or u can just move to san diego.

 

[PMKS]

I used a 36" primestar dish with a DirecTV LNB pointed at 101 for years until I got a slimline. It helped a LOT with rain fade. During Hurricane Claudette in 2003 I had a watchable signal until the *#@ power went out.

The Primestar dishes I had/have were the later model single arm "wide" dish type, I picked up 3 of them from neighbors/friends. I'm still thinking of putting a SL3 LNB on one If I can figure out a way to tilt the dish or LNB.....

Note the attached pic is not mine, but a pic I found on the net, I couldn't find the pictures of my old install on this HDD, but mine was identical except I used stainless hose clamps to clamp the LNB to the arm instead of tie-wraps

 

[Greg Mueller]

Can DirecTV receivers use a Dish LNB?

I built a setup using a 1.2m Primestar dish because of weak signal when Dish came out with their HD channels.

It looks just like your setup except it has the Dish LNB

 

[tvropro]

Can DirecTV receivers use a Dish LNB?

I built a setup using a 1.2m Primestar dish because of weak signal when Dish came out with their HD channels.

It looks just like your setup except it has the Dish LNB

I have used a Direct tv LNB on dish SD for 119 when music was ITC so ya a Dish LNB should work for SD. Directs HD is ka so it wouldn't work for that. I think ka is a stupid solution since it's more susceptible to rain fade then ku.

 

[tvropro]

I used a 36" primestar dish with a DirecTV LNB pointed at 101 for years until I got a slimline. It helped a LOT with rain fade. During Hurricane Claudette in 2003 I had a watchable signal until the *#@ power went out.

Thats impressive I'd hope my fairs well in the rain.

The Primestar dishes I had/have were the later model single arm "wide" dish type, I picked up 3 of them from neighbors/friends. I'm still thinking of putting a SL3 LNB on one If I can figure out a way to tilt the dish or LNB.....

There has to be a way to skew a Primestar. Those Primestar's are hell of nice dishes.

 

[Greg Mueller]

Does DirecTV use one bird or more?

I have some DP44 and 33 switches laying around too.

 

[tvropro]

For SD 99% is on 101. Some local channels are on 110, my market isn't it's on 101 so thats all I need.

 

[jdspencer]

I take it you don't care about HD at the moment.
What will you do when you do want HD?
The geometry of that dish might allow you to add the SL3 LNB assembly, but you'll need to find a way to tilt the dish.

 

[Jimbo]

Does DirecTV use one bird or more?

I have some DP44 and 33 switches laying around too.

For the most part, 3, the 99, 101 and 103 this is where the majority of the programming resides, probably 98 %, some is also on the 119 and the 110 is no longer being used according to what I read earlier today.

 

[Greg Mueller]

I take it you don't care about HD at the moment.
What will you do when you do want HD?
The geometry of that dish might allow you to add the SL3 LNB assembly, but you'll need to find a way to tilt the dish.

Where's HD ?

 

[tvropro]

Where's HD ?

99 and 103 ka band.

 

[PMKS]

110 is no longer being used according to what I read earlier today.

You are correct according to Lyngsat, DirecTV 5 is still at 109.8 ( 110 ), but no usable channels are showing up, just test channels.

Also according to Lyngsat, DirecTV 7 at 119.0 is still being heavily used.

I'll bet it will be a cold day in Hell before DirecTV ever gives up those three transponder slots at 110.

Can DirecTV receivers use a Dish LNB?

On the older model Dish 500 dish with the two LNB's, these LNB's will also work for DirecTV101/119 sats, and the single sat LNB's for DirecTV 101 will also work for the Dishnet 110/119 sats. I'm not sure about the other Dishnet sat slots, maybe someone who has messed with dish can chime in here.

 

[Greg Mueller]

I didn't mean to hi-jack this thread, sorry

 

[PATECO]

Directv offers a larger dish for Alaska and Hawaii that is excellent for rain fade. We use them for commercial installs. .98 meter oval dish sees 101 110 119 99 and 103. Not cheap but works wonders.

 

[dcbag]

Directv offers a larger dish for Alaska and Hawaii that is excellent for rain fade. We use them for commercial installs. .98 meter oval dish sees 101 110 119 99 and 103. Not cheap but works wonders.

Can you post a picture of that dish & and what is the size of it?

 

[tvropro]

Can you post a picture of that dish & and what is the size of it?

This is Direct's 1.2 meter for Alaska and Hawaii. From what I understand it's a Prodelin dish. With a pipe at the feed for Skewing the tri lnbf.

 

[tvropro]

Directv offers a larger dish for Alaska and Hawaii that is excellent for rain fade. We use them for commercial installs. .98 meter oval dish sees 101 110 119 99 and 103. Not cheap but works wonders.

Dish size does wonder don't it. I know most with little dishes don't want to hear it but bigger is still better

If bigger wasn't better than commercial establishments like hotels wouldn't use them.

 

[tvropro]

Here are some pictures of the feed and such. I bet I could modify it to take a SLM 3 LNBF like the direct 1.2 takes.

 

[scoop8]

Dish size does wonder don't it. I know most with little dishes don't want to hear it but bigger is still better

If bigger wasn't better than commercial establishments like hotels wouldn't use them.

I remember the C Band days (that Chaparral reciver and 10 ft dish was nice).

What I don't get is that, since we know a larger dish size reduces rain fade, why didn't DirecTV go with that concept from the beginning or perhaps go that route a few years after they arrived on the satt scene? Cost? That's my 1st guess, but it would seem that they would have saved themselves $$'s in the long run with the competitor's counterpoint of "no rain fade with our svc", etc.