Smallest dish for KU 97W

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SATire

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Original poster
Jul 8, 2010
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Twin Cities
I'm interested in setting up a fixed dish for 97W which I use non stop lately.

Since it's not going to be motored I'll be installing it in some way where it doesn't budge one little bit which I'm hoping means I can use the smallest dish possible.

What is the very smallest dish I can get away with? I've read that when doing fixed dishes, you can get away with pretty small units. I've also read that DTV and Dish dishes would also do the trick but even those are sort of big in my mind :).

Mike
 
first dish i ever used for 97 was a superdish 105.
worked, wasnt wonderful, but it worked. i modded it for a dif lnb then stock.
Kodaz
 
30 inches minimum. The larger the better. You must take into account times of bad weather. The larger the dish, the less chance of rain fade.
 
30 inches absolute minimum....but with this size in bad weather you will likely have low signal or none at all....that is why bigger is better....the smallest dish that i would personally recommend would be 36 inches....
 
There is an old thread if you can find it where someone did experiments with small dishes on various satellites. I think the minimum was a 20" Dish Network 300/500 size dish but the person did not get the weak transponders. I bet a standard 24"/60cm dish would do well in perfect weather.
 
not a direct answer, but some advice:

OMG, the search engine on the upgraded forum software is such a POS ! - :rant:

From my own personal archives (some may be duplicates), let me offer these:

Anole posts multiple links to small dishes:
http://www.satelliteguys.us/free-air-fta-discussion/180709-eagle-aspen-20-a-2.html#post1933774

Anole: size of DirecTV Slimline & Dish Network SuperDishes
http://www.satelliteguys.us/free-air-fta-discussion/154363-dtv-5-lnb-dish.html#post1583994

Look Up shows pix of his DirecTV AT9 dish conversion for 97
http://www.satelliteguys.us/free-air-fta-discussion/156250-small-dish-fta.html

(I never did find the link I was looking for) :(
 
I'm in California. I say that, as the longitude is important. The closer to your true South, the better the signal. I once used a 20" Dish500 w/a modified LNB on it and got 97W, BUT.... it was a total waste of time. I got one TP and the signal dropped in and out every time a cloud went over. Why bother with this? (I was using a SuperBuddy 29 meter to get it)
If you were near me, I would give you a 33 or 36 inch old dish for free, but they all have no LNB arm supports. Whenever I put up a new dish for someone, I always offer to dispose of their old one. They (old ones) are always a single arm KU with no side supports. I have a few...
 
At our amateur radio club, we have a 21" FTA dish set up that was successfully receiving Al Jazeera on 97W for many months before we recently reaimed it to see what else we could see. I don't know how it handled rain fade, but it worked just fine during the nice weather.

Otherwise, I'm using a 30" round dish an a 34" (I think) oval-looking dish for my personal use with 97W and getting the one or two things I want without issue (Al Jazeera, mainly).

- Trip
 
I agree on the 30" and I'm in the same vicinity as the OP (in fact I've met the OP) ;)

It really depends on what signals you want. If you mainly want the English news channels you could get by with possibly a smaller dish like a 24" or a Superdish. If you want everything up there a 30-36" is really needed.

I know you have that motorized KU setup on your roof. Did you get it working? Otherwise use that "fixed" on 97W and use the C-Band dish for both C & KU Band. I had a 36" motorized "fixed" at a satellite for a few months during the summer while the other motorized moved everywhere :)
 
Dang, lost my reply.
Anyhow, yes, got it working, just had to change one or two of the connectors.
I'm planning on putting a fixed dish by the six footer in my yard which will point to 97 only.
TP's would be 12202, 11938 and 12302.

Also thinking of changing my six footer to a fixed also, moves around way too much and I don't tend to motor it much anyhow.

Thanks for all of the good feedback, it's much appreciated.

Mike
 
Also thinking of changing my six footer to a fixed also, moves around way too much and I don't tend to motor it much anyhow.
Click to expand...
Since its tracking the arc, I wouldnt abandoned the motorized part. Just move it to the sat you want to keep it on and leave it.

When I had a Shaw Direct system I had a 36" motorized parked at 107.3W for about 2 months. Then the receiver died and now the dish is motorized again :)
 
I don't want to see anyone buy a small dish.
And I won't encourage a newbie try a small dish.

When I started out, I read in our Hardware Review department, where Iceberg compared the Fortec 90cm to the 80cm.
That right there was enough to make a believer out of me: go three (feet), or go home! - ;)

What helps some small dishes work so well, and lulls many into a sense of complacency are:
- a signal with really heavy error correction
(the now dead Whitesprings on 125°w was a prime example; we all used to get it on a paperclip and a foil gum wrapper) - ;)
- strong signal
- no interference on any nearby bird
- good LNB
- feedhorn that matches the dish
- some elliptical dishes nearing 30 inches wide...
On this last point, let me say, it's the width of the dish that determines adjacent-satellite signal rejection.
So, in many cases, I believe a dish 30" wide and only 18-20" high, might perform much like a 30" round.
And that would be across the arc.

Out here in the Los Angeles desert, we had a few light showers last week.
What that translates to is not signal outages, but just a little grass to mow.
So, the only rain-induced outages I've seen, are when it causes a tree to grow into my LOS. - ;)
For people who have to put up with actual clouds and real weather, small dishes are just a fun toy.
 
The main reason I'm thinking this is because because my 6' and that 90cm constantly get moved in the winds. I've become so frustrated trying to find signals again that I figure it's time to move some stuff to fixed.
 
I use a superdish for my 97 west but it is my true south. Glad I don't have to use a bigger dish even with bad weather I am able to get good signal.
 
>which are having issues with the transponder being lower signal quality than normal ;)

Figures. Lately, I can move only 2 click positions only and lose it either way. Thought it was me.
 
>I use a superdish for my 97 west but it is my true south.

What's a superdish, does it only come in one size or something?
 
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