OTHER New to fta have a few questions

[breynold76]

I have a Maverick mk1-pll lnb attached to a directv slimline dish. As soon as I attached the lnb I got a signal 60%-70% and after a blind scan 20 channels fta(nbc, nhk, and several other channels I have never heard of). These channels seem to work for about 5 minutes then disappear.

After this I moved the dish slightly then a 30 second pause to let the receiver(freesat v7) adjust to pick up the signal. I cannot seem to get any other satellites. There is no wind or storm clouds while attempting this. I secured the lnb (drilled a hole through the arm and attached with screw and bold) just as suggested on another post here.

Do I need a different dish or is there something else I am doing wrong here. I do not have a specific satellite I want to get yet, just want to see what is out there first.

Is the signal being transmitted from 101w much stronger than the other satellites or is this dish made specifically to pick up 101w?

One more question is can I combine the signal from this dish and the other directv dish(subscribed to directv) then split them back out in the house so I do not have to drill a hole through the 8 inch masonry to run another coax?

 

[KE4EST]

I cannot seem to get any other satellites.

Are you changing the skew of the LNBF or the dish as you move to each new satellite? Did you set the skew properly to start with?

Is the signal being transmitted from 101w much stronger than the other satellites or is this dish made specifically to pick up 101w?

It all boils down to the transponder. Some are broadcast stronger than others, this is true across the arc, so no 101W is not any different.

One more question is can I combine the signal from this dish and the other directv dish(subscribed to directv) then split them back out in the house so I do not have to drill a hole through the 8 inch masonry to run another coax?

In short no.
That dish is really not designed for FTA, congrats on getting something out of it though!!
It is designed for the super strong transponders from Directv sats. Most FTA stuff is several times lower power than a pay TV service that is making the big bucks to pay to pump out the power.

 

[breynold76]

Are you changing the skew of the LNBF or the dish as you move to each new satellite? Did you set the skew properly to start with?
I have the dish set at 90 deg.
1. Should I turn the dish or the lnb?
2.how do I know where to turn the lnb?
3.I assume there is a different skew for each satellite?
4. I am looking at satbeams and it says 97w has a skew of -8.2 for my location. I have no idea how to get -8.2 with the lnb. is there a marker on it?
5. is the lnb I have good for most ku band satellites? I have seen some people say get universal like I have but others say to get standard.


It all boils down to the transponder. Some are broadcast stronger than others, this is true across the arc, so no 101W is not any different.

In short no.
That dish is really not designed for FTA, congrats on getting something out of it though!!
It is designed for the super strong transponders from Directv sats. Most FTA stuff is several times lower power than a pay TV service that is making the big bucks to pay to pump out the power.

So if I combined directv and fta on one coax then split that back out in the house would the fta or directv receivers get the correct signal?

 

[. Raine]

If you picked up NBC and NHK, you were on 103w, not 101w.

 

[KE4EST]

So if I combined directv and fta on one coax then split that back out in the house would the fta or directv receivers get the correct signal?

No, two different setups.

 

[spongella]

Welcome to the hobby breynold76. Agree with Michael, get a dish specifically for FTA, otherwise you'll be running around in circles. You are in a good place here to learn lots from experienced folks. Good luck.

 

[breynold76]

If you picked up NBC and NHK, you were on 103w, not 101w.

That was probably my confusion. It seems this receiver does not know what satellite you are really on. If the dish is pointed at a signal any satellite selected will have a signal and channels.

 

[breynold76]

Welcome to the hobby breynold76. Agree with Michael, get a dish specifically for FTA, otherwise you'll be running around in circles. You are in a good place here to learn lots from experienced folks. Good luck.

what is a really good dish to start out with?

I know I want to move it around to see what all I can get. Is the lnb I have good for most ku band satellites?(maverick mk1-pll)

If I decide to go with multiple satellites is it easier to get several dishes or a motorized dish?

 

[bpalone]

As for a dish, a very large number of us started out with a GeoSatPro 90cm. If you check on fleabay, you can probably find a package deal for the dish and a LNB for somewhere around $100 to the door. If you have the room and can afford it, might want to look at getting a 1.2 meter dish. In this hobby, SIZE does matter. Where you are located, the 90 cm will work very well.

Get used to aiming the dish at different satellites. It gets easier the more you do it. Then look into getting a Stab motor to motorize the setup. Some people prefer having multiple dishes and using switches and there is nothing wrong with that, unless there is a SAF (Spouse Approval Factor) issue.

There is nothing wrong the LNB you have.

 

[KE4EST]

Yes, the Maverick is a good LNBF, I have sold hundreds of them and they work great.

 

[. Raine]

That was probably my confusion. It seems this receiver does not know what satellite you are really on. If the dish is pointed at a signal any satellite selected will have a signal and channels.

Yup, that's the way all the receiver's I've seen are. The Maverick LNBF is a good one, I have one here that works good.

 

[spongella]

Fleabay, that's a good one, never heard that one before, hee hee.

 

[breynold76]

As for a dish, a very large number of us started out with a GeoSatPro 90cm. If you check on fleabay, you can probably find a package deal for the dish and a LNB for somewhere around $100 to the door. If you have the room and can afford it, might want to look at getting a 1.2 meter dish. In this hobby, SIZE does matter. Where you are located, the 90 cm will work very well.

Get used to aiming the dish at different satellites. It gets easier the more you do it. Then look into getting a Stab motor to motorize the setup. Some people prefer having multiple dishes and using switches and there is nothing wrong with that, unless there is a SAF (Spouse Approval Factor) issue.

There is nothing wrong the LNB you have.

What is the outside diameter on the pole to mount the 90cm and the 1.2 meter dishes? does one come with these or will I need to buy one?

 

[KE4EST]

You can go to your favorite hardware store or Home Depot, Lowe's etc and get a 1 5/8" pole in the chain link fence section for the 90cm. Some stores list this as 1.6 inches.
1.2 will depend on which dish. I have a GEOSATpro 1.2M on a 2 3/8" chain link fence pole.

 

[Lone Gunman]

Fleabay, that's a good one, never heard that one before, hee hee.

You really should get out more. I've been using that term for years.

Vbox X on fleabay

Google search found THIS!

 

[Alan Rovner]

I bought a 7' section of 1 5/8" fence post and buried 3' in the ground, leaving 4' above ground. Be sure to get a cap for the pole so water can't get inside. Good luck....

 

[spongella]

Definitely going to get out more

 

[breynold76]

So I purchased this dish: digiwave-33-inch-offset-satellite-dish. Price and the wife determined this was the most I could spend on the first dish. What can I reasonably expect to get with this dish? I do not want to waste my time trying for satellites that this dish could possibly get but need a lot more time and adjustments to get.

 

[bpalone]

Short answer, most of the Ku satellites you can see from your location.

Long answer: You will certainly get all the STRONG transponders on the satellites you can see from your location. Some of the lower powered transponders may be hit and miss. A percentile guess would be 80+% receivable on a 33 inch, provided it is in good shape.

A good place to start is 97W. There is a ton of things available there, though most are not of interest to most folks. Still good satellite to cut your teeth on, though. Would go look at Lyngsat.com and sathint.com to get a good idea of what is available on Ku on the different birds, then decide on which will be your next prey. Personally, would suggest 103W, but others or yourself might have different tastes.

Good luck and have fun with it.

 

[Brct203]

So I purchased this dish: digiwave-33-inch-offset-satellite-dish. Price and the wife determined this was the most I could spend on the first dish. What can I reasonably expect to get with this dish? I do not want to waste my time trying for satellites that this dish could possibly get but need a lot more time and adjustments to get.

Typically, the most difficult channels to receive reliably are:
- PBS (HD feeds, World Channel, FNX) on 125W
- NBC Feeds and Cozi on 103 W (NHK and RT are MUCH easier)
- LPB (PBS Louisiana) on 87W

I'm actually quite impressed that you were able to get NBC on 103 with a Slimline. For a first try, that's really great!

I think you should be able to get 125 and 103 with that Digiwave dish. Like others have said, the Maverick LNBF is very good. I have one that's a few years old and still working perfectly. LPB on 87 should be ok too, but might be a bit borderline.

If you have a clear view on the South East, an interesting challenge from your location is Hispasat at 30W. It has a good variety of channels, mostly in Spanish and in Arabic.

Have fun!