Noob help! (LNB & dish size questions)

[buzwad]

Hi,

I've got a "FTA" rig in the UK: 80cm dish, SM3D12 motor, Skystar2 PCI card and a 0.3dB Universal linear LNB.

I'm coming to the Los Angeles area for a couple of months and want to have a satellite system via my laptop and technotrend s2-3600 USB.

I'm not familiar with the different standards (circular and linear) used in the USA - what is the difference between Dish legacy and Pro?

I'd like to get a very small dish (14") like this one:
DBS To Go DIRECTV Dish Antenna RV Satellite Dish Kit

but I notice it says "This system will work for either DIRECTV or Dish Network (legacy system)" -- is that a major setback?

I'd like to look at 110 and 119, but I'm not sure which LNB would be most appropriate - and I'm assuming that dish will be OK for the power in that area. Could someone advise me, with ebay examples , of the LNBs to look for?

Thanks in advance!

 

[buzwad]

Hi,

I've got a "FTA" rig in the UK: 80cm dish, SM3D12 motor, Skystar2 PCI card and a 0.3dB Universal linear LNB.

I'm coming to the Los Angeles area for a couple of months and want to have a satellite system via my laptop and technotrend s2-3600 USB.

I'm not familiar with the different standards (circular and linear) used in the USA - what is the difference between Dish legacy and Pro?

I'd like to get a very small dish (14") like this one:
DBS To Go DIRECTV Dish Antenna RV Satellite Dish Kit

but I notice it says "This system will work for either DIRECTV or Dish Network (legacy system)" -- is that a major setback?

I'd like to look at 110 and 119, but I'm not sure which LNB would be most appropriate - and I'm assuming that dish will be OK for the power in that area. Could someone advise me, with ebay examples , of the LNBs to look for?

Thanks in advance!

 

[lumpkin666]

Hi,

I've got a "FTA" rig in the UK: 80cm dish, SM3D12 motor, Skystar2 PCI card and a 0.3dB Universal linear LNB.

I'm coming to the Los Angeles area for a couple of months and want to have a satellite system via my laptop and technotrend s2-3600 USB.

I'm not familiar with the different standards (circular and linear) used in the USA - what is the difference between Dish legacy and Pro?

I'd like to get a very small dish (14") like this one:
DBS To Go DIRECTV Dish Antenna RV Satellite Dish Kit

but I notice it says "This system will work for either DIRECTV or Dish Network (legacy system)" -- is that a major setback?

I'd like to look at 110 and 119, but I'm not sure which LNB would be most appropriate - and I'm assuming that dish will be OK for the power in that area. Could someone advise me, with ebay examples , of the LNBs to look for?

Thanks in advance!

Unless you want to only watch a couple barker channels, NASA, and Angel 1, you won't get much outta 110 or 119 except for music channels (audio only). Everything else on there is encrypted. There used to be GOLtv available too, but video is encrypted now

 

[buzwad]

Thanks lumpkin,

I'm not bothered about the encryption side of things, its the lnb and dish size that I'm unfamiliar with - as I say I already have a sat system here but different technologies are in place in the US.

Cheers,
Buzwad

 

[dfergie]

So you are going to bypass the encryption?

 

[red hazard]

The Ku-band in the so called Free to Air Satellite - - an incorrect term IMO - - is referred to by the FCC and ITU as Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) and requires a minimum of a 30" dish in most parts of CONUS. FSS uses vertical and horizontal polarization. The higher powered Broadcast Satellite Service (BSS) can use an 18" dish for one satellite. BSS also is in the Ku-band but on higher frequencies and uses right hand and left hand circular polarization. BSS is what DirecTV and Dish Network use. Both Universal and Standard LNBFs are used for so called FTA (FSS) service. You need to program your receiver for the one in use though I doubt that standard LNBFs are used in Europe.

 

[buzwad]

If we could just stick to LNB and dish size advice - I'm pretty sure the discussion of non-FTA issues aren't allowed here.

Cheers,
Buzwad

 

[buzwad]

I just read this in the Iceman's tips, which I thought was relevant to this thread:

"Universal LNB's (freq. 10.7-12.75mhz) have a LNB LO frequency of 9750/10600.
Standard LNB's (freq. 11.7-12.2 mhz) have a LNB LO of 10750"

The LNB I mentioned form ebay has these attributes:
* Input Frequency Range from 11.70Ghz ~ 12.75Ghz
* Output Frequency Range from 950Mhz ~ 2150Mhz
* L.O.: 10.75Ghz;

So, it is a Standard LNB, not a universal LNB -- does that mean I need to have a receiver that can use Standard LNBs? What about the Dish legacy vs Dish pro difference? Is that something to do with LNBs?

 

[Anole]

I think this addresses your question

what you can use here for FTA is:
"Standard LNB's (freq. 11.7-12.2 mhz) have a LNB LO of 10750"
Those LNBs are linear.
30" to 36" dish.

What you cannot use here:
circular LNBs because those are for encrypted or pay TV systems
the fact they have a different LO is moot
18" dish

A Universal LNB can be used here with no problem.
You just program the receiver to handle the slightly different LO frequency.
I assume what we call Universal, is what you use normally in the UK.

DirecTV and Dish LNBs, are all circular, operate in the high end of the band, and use a different LO frequency.
Dish Legacy is voltage controlled (12/18v) to select V/H (well RH and LH)
DishPro is bandstacked .

Here is thelist that is FTA.
What sort of programs or networks were you seeking?