Review of Titanium C138 LNBF to eliminate 5G Interference

[Alan Rovner]

Hi all, my C band system was working fine until a couple weeks ago, when I started seeing major interference on many C band satellites. I attributed this issue to the recent activation of 5G phone service. The problem appeared as pixelation on many satellites. Sometimes minor, and sometimes taking out the whole picture. Satellites from 97W to 117W were affected. Even CTV on 119W had an occasional glitch, and they are real loud at my location. If I pointed further west, the issue went away probably because the dish was pointing at my zenith position and away from cell towers.

I ordered a Titanium C138 LNBF which specifically is designed to filter out 3.5 to 3.8 GHz. I swapped out my former Titanium C1PLL with the C138 and checked the results. I'm real happy with the result. At least in my case the 5G interference was gone. Even weaker signals on SES1 had no issues. All in all this was a good upgrade, if you are seeing 5G issues you may wish to consider this option.

Best regards,
Al Rovner, K7AR
Vancouver, Wash.

 

[OswaldFTA]

Hi all, my C band system was working fine until a couple weeks ago, when I started seeing major interference on many C band satellites. I attributed this issue to the recent activation of 5G phone service. The problem appeared as pixelation on many satellites. Sometimes minor, and sometimes taking out the whole picture. Satellites from 97W to 117W were affected. Even CTV on 119W had an occasional glitch, and they are real loud at my location. If I pointed further west, the issue went away probably because the dish was pointing at my zenith position and away from cell towers.

I ordered a Titanium C138 LNBF which specifically is designed to filter out 3.5 to 3.8 GHz. I swapped out my former Titanium C1PLL with the C138 and checked the results. I'm real happy with the result. At least in my case the 5G interference was gone. Even weaker signals on SES1 had no issues. All in all this was a good upgrade, if you are seeing 5G issues you may wish to consider this option.

Best regards,
Al Rovner, K7AR
Vancouver, Wash.

Hi Alan

I'm overhauling and old C-band dish that I found near home. I was thinking to buy the Titanium C1PLL, but now with this issue of the 5G interference I don't know if it is better to buy directly the C138 and not the C1PLL. Is there a way to check the 5G interference without having to install the C-band system?

 

[FTA4PA]

I'm overhauling and old C-band dish that I found near home. I was thinking to buy the Titanium C1PLL, but now with this issue of the 5G interference I don't know if it is better to buy directly the C138 and not the C1PLL. Is there a way to check the 5G interference without having to install the C-band system?

If you live in/near Miami as your location indicates I would just spring for the C138 (or C238). One would think an area like that would be a prime candidate for 5G interference. Just my two cents.

 

[Alan Rovner]

If you live in/near Miami as your location indicates I would just spring for the C138 (or C238). One would think an area like that would be a prime candidate for 5G interference. Just my two cents.

If I was updating an older system I would go for the C138. I don't know how to measure 5G interference but the 138 seems to be good insurance to not have the issue in the first place.

 

[mr3p]

Aside from 5G rejection, I would be curious to see performance differences, if any, compared to C1PLL. If you don't care about receiving any feeds below 3800MHz or you are having issues above 3800MHz, the C138 seems like the way to go. I still receive a bunch of feeds between 3700-3800 MHz so I'm not throwing in the towel on my C2PLL yet.

 

[Alan Rovner]

Aside from 5G rejection, I would be curious to see performance differences, if any, compared to C1PLL. If you don't care about receiving any feeds below 3800MHz or you are having issues above 3800MHz, the C138 seems like the way to go. I still receive a bunch of feeds between 3700-3800 MHz so I'm not throwing in the towel on my C2PLL yet.

I'm seeing better performance with the C138 not because it's better than a C1 but I did a better job installing and peaking the signal. I was a little naive when I installed the C1PLL and although it was working I'm picking up more stations with the 138 because it's better aligned. I don't know if that helps

 

[OswaldFTA]

If you live in/near Miami as your location indicates I would just spring for the C138 (or C238). One would think an area like that would be a prime candidate for 5G interference. Just my two cents.

Thanks. I'm just now overhauling the dish, so it will take a little time to get to the LNB selection.

 

[primestar31]

Thanks. I'm just now overhauling the dish, so it will take a little time to get to the LNB selection.

IF you buy one from Brian, use "Satguys Save" in the promo code box for a 15% discount

 

[wvman]

IF you buy one from Brian, use "Satguys Save" in the promo code box for a 15% discount

Thanks for the tip. I am on Brian's website right now and I only see the C138 and it's single output. Is the C238 dual output? If so, is it not available yet.

We don't have much 5G in my area yet, but according to my cellular map, they're going to be all over the place and I'd like to get the jump on them launching it.

If I read the map correctly, there's only one tower we have to worry about being 8 miles out and in a valley between 4 mountains. Not sure how much of a problem it will be since we don't have direct line of sight to the tower.

 

[Titanium]

Yes, the C238 is the dual output version and it is in stock. I see that a few Satelliteguys have used the discount!

If you need more than 5,000 units, let me know. I will need to make a special order...

 

[Hyper Casey]

IF you buy one from Brian, use "Satguys Save" in the promo code box for a 15% discount

Just purchased a C138 from Titanium Satellite. I could not stand it any more, more and more pixellation on my 10 Ft BUD by the day.

But i REALLY wanted to let you know this coupon code still works!

You saved me 15% primestar31.

Thank you, and Thank you Brian at Titanium Satellite for offering a discount to Satellite Guys members!

I knew being a member here would pay off, lol J/K.

Now i have to find a way to use my AARP discount for something to pay for my membership, lol.

 

[Hyper Casey]

I received my Titanium C138 5G Filter LNBF yesterday. Fast shipping from Titanium Satellite. We have a big storm coming here to Michigan today, so i thought i would beat the storm and get this installed. I have a 10 Ft Winegard Pinnacle BUD and lucky for me, i have the manual so i know the focal distance right from the specs. Set that and had to do a best guess for the rotation of the LNBF. Turns out i was off quite a bit at first. After a few adjustments got that just right too. Its a bit of trial and error for me. The dish has to be moved to extreme west for me to be able to reach it with a ladder barely. And no sat signals there. So i have to set it, run the dish to true south and check thats its horizontal.

Anyway, this Titanium C138 5G Filter LNBF totally fixed my 5G issues. Completely 100%. Prior to today and for about 4 weeks now i was using a BSC621 C/Ku Combo LNBF. And that worked great for me for C and Ku. But i started noticing pixelation creeping in. I checked online to see if 5G was finally in my area, and it was. And then it got worse and worse. Checked every possible "other" issue, connectors, coax, etc..

The Titanium C138 5G Filter LNBF totally fixed all of that for me. Before i could get say CIVI on 119.0W but it would pixellate enough to make it unwatchable. Over on 127.0W i could not even get a signal on the NFL /Mav TV Transponder. After installing the Titanium C138 5G Filter LNBF, no problems whatsoever, CIVI etc plays perfect. I scan in everything on on 127.0W, same on 103.0W. 3 Sats tested, everything is great.

If you have 5G issues like i did, i would totally recommend this product. I am a happy camper having my C Band back to normal. I lost Ku Band on my BUD by changing, but i will add a Ku Sidecar LNBF come spring. For today, i am satisfied, and i beat the storm by a couple hours. Now i can sit here safe and sound the next 4-5 days and watch TV!

And that you Brian @ Titanium Satellite for a great product and fast shipping!

 

[Hyper Casey]

Sadly - the very next day after i posted this - the storm and the heavy winds started, i went to bed that night and the next morning my BUD had separated from the Actuator Arm completely. Dish was all the way east resting against the mount pole. Bracket hardware holding the arm to dish had busted into pieces from the wind, never seen anything like it, and i have been through some horrible wind storms. (i should've took some pictures). Took me all the way until today to get it back in shape again, mostly due to the 3 day storm, then come cold weather. But today got it back in tip-top shape, all dialed in. Beginning to feel like a real expert after all this work in the last week or so. lol. In the spring i am going to go over every detail on my BUD, ever nut and bolt will be replaced, rust removed and painted etc.. It is SO horrible when something goes wrong and NO TV!

 

[primestar31]

Sadly - the very next day after i posted this - the storm and the heavy winds started, i went to bed that night and the next morning my BUD had separated from the Actuator Arm completely. Dish was all the way east resting against the mount pole. Bracket hardware holding the arm to dish had busted into pieces from the wind, never seen anything like it, and i have been through some horrible wind storms. (i should've took some pictures). Took me all the way until today to get it back in shape again, mostly due to the 3 day storm, then come cold weather. But today got it back in tip-top shape, all dialed in. Beginning to feel like a real expert after all this work in the last week or so. lol. In the spring i am going to go over every detail on my BUD, ever nut and bolt will be replaced, rust removed and painted etc.. It is SO horrible when something goes wrong and NO TV!

Did you ever get rid of that too-small actuator arm you had installed on it?

 

[Hyper Casey]

Did you ever get rid of that too-small actuator arm you had installed on it?

Nope. LOL. I did replace the old too-small actuator arm a few months ago with another still too-small but slightly larger one, mainly because i had it here in storage. I am now using a DMS International QARL "Heavy Duty". The old one (similar but 1/2 inch lesser in diameter) got slightly bent in the wind. BUT was still working and worked for almost 10 years. I know i need a better actuator, maybe this spring. The old one bent during a similar wind storm. I had left the arm fully extended to the east and thats how the wind bent it. Still worked, but not so much in real cold weather. This last storm, i had the arm fully to the west so it wouldnt happen again, but the wind wants to push the dish to the east, and it did. I believe my actuator needs to be switched to the other side of the dish, so that i can fully retract it east where the wind wants to push the dish anyways. But too much work for me to do that this time of year.

 

[pitman1]

I received my Titanium C138 5G Filter LNBF yesterday. Fast shipping from Titanium Satellite. We have a big storm coming here to Michigan today, so i thought i would beat the storm and get this installed. I have a 10 Ft Winegard Pinnacle BUD and lucky for me, i have the manual so i know the focal distance right from the specs. Set that and had to do a best guess for the rotation of the LNBF. Turns out i was off quite a bit at first. After a few adjustments got that just right too. Its a bit of trial and error for me. The dish has to be moved to extreme west for me to be able to reach it with a ladder barely. And no sat signals there. So i have to set it, run the dish to true south and check thats its horizontal.

Anyway, this Titanium C138 5G Filter LNBF totally fixed my 5G issues. Completely 100%. Prior to today and for about 4 weeks now i was using a BSC621 C/Ku Combo LNBF. And that worked great for me for C and Ku. But i started noticing pixelation creeping in. I checked online to see if 5G was finally in my area, and it was. And then it got worse and worse. Checked every possible "other" issue, connectors, coax, etc..

The Titanium C138 5G Filter LNBF totally fixed all of that for me. Before i could get say CIVI on 119.0W but it would pixellate enough to make it unwatchable. Over on 127.0W i could not even get a signal on the NFL /Mav TV Transponder. After installing the Titanium C138 5G Filter LNBF, no problems whatsoever, CIVI etc plays perfect. I scan in everything on on 127.0W, same on 103.0W. 3 Sats tested, everything is great.

If you have 5G issues like i did, i would totally recommend this product. I am a happy camper having my C Band back to normal. I lost Ku Band on my BUD by changing, but i will add a Ku Sidecar LNBF come spring. For today, i am satisfied, and i beat the storm by a couple hours. Now i can sit here safe and sound the next 4-5 days and watch TV!

And that you Brian @ Titanium Satellite for a great product and fast shipping!

I'm glad that the C138 fixed your issues. Are you located in a top 50 tv market? I tried one recently also and while it did provide improvement, it did not solve the problem. In my case I believe it is because of my location being in the City and too close to all these towers..I don't know how many but I would guess that I am surrounded by them everywhere. I'm going to have to step up to the more expensive waveguide type filter and hope that does it. Thanks for your feedback.

 

[Hyper Casey]

Don't believe im in a top 50 TV market. Detroit is about 70 miles from me, Flint is about 8 miles from me. I can say that we do have ATSC3.0 here (im not using it yet), and there is no doubt 5G is here. The Verizon map shows 5G Max in my area. It is possible my C/Ku Combo was going bad, helping to pixellate the signal, but it seems more likely that it was 5G all along cause my problems started happening right after they turned it on.

 

[Vondertrenk]

Yes, the C238 is the dual output version and it is in stock. I see that a few Satelliteguys have used the discount!

If you need more than 5,000 units, let me know. I will need to make a special order...

Brian, any plan to produce a combined Ku/C Bands LNB with the bandpass filter included? That woud be lovely. You used to sell them a few centuries... mean years ago.

 

[Hyper Casey]

I would love to see a product like that C/Ku Combo with 5G Filter. Before i had 5G issues and switched to a Titanium C128, i was using a BSC 621 C/Ku Combo and it worked great for years, and made life easier. That said, i have yet to see anything like this on the market with a 5G filter, so i am wondering if it is even possible. But if anyone can do it, it would be Brian at Titanium.

 

[Titanium]

Sorry, no plans to offer a combo C/KU LNBF again with or without the band pass filtering. I have never been a fan of the combined units as the performance of the available LNBF designs are highly dependent on the reflector's Focal Distance Ratio and Focal Length. The FD and FL varies greatly between dish manufacturers and models. The combo LNBF units work great on some dishes and poorly on others. Some dishes present the C and KU band signals optimally for both band probes in the feedhorn, while on other dishes the signals would not converge correctly and the user could receive either C or KU band, but not both. It was a very difficult product to provide customer support or customer satisfaction.

There are C/KU feedhorn designs that work great, but the patents are tied up and the design cannot be manufactured (I.E. the the butterfly probe at the feedhorn opening with ku waveguide).

I originally imported the CKS1 product as I observed hobbyists being ripped off by eBay sellers overcharging for similar LNBFs. Towards the end of CKS1 distribution, sales had fallen off to a trickle and it made no business sense to import a thousand units to sit in a warehouse waiting for an eventual sale and aging up to five years.