Specification for D* dishes?

[BryanSat88]

Is there a place I can look up the specifications for the different D* dishes
- single 18", 3 LNB, and 5 LNB slimline??? Mainly I am interested in the gain specification of each one. I am trying to get the most signal, to prevent rain/snow fade.

Two big questions I have are:

Do all 3 (or 5 lnbs) have equal gain or do the center lnbs get more signal (less rain fade)?

Do the 18" single LNB dishes get better or worse signal when compared to each of the LNBs of a multi-LNB dish? Would 3 singles be better than the triple for rain fade?

I know there is a switching problem, but if I have to split to multiple dishes because of trees, would I expect a better or worse signal as someone with a multi-lnb and perfect LOS?

 

[BluegrassGuy1976]

There really isn't a difference in gain across multiple LNB's. Not really sure what you mean by that. Gain is something used in analog antenna sets, VHF/UHF Hi-Gain etc etc. Since Satellite is digital, whether your signal is 70% or 90% the picture quality is still the same.

What you are talking about is getting the best possible signal to minimize rainfade. Two things play into this: The way the reflector is molded, and how well the dish is peaked. Since the molding process has to be pretty tight and to precise measurements, unless the reflector would get warped, bent, perforated, or damaged in some way that would affect how it reflects signal back to the LNBs this really isn't an issue.

The biggest issue for minimizing rainfade is how well the dish is aimed at the satellite. Even if it is aligned dead-on a really heavy downburst can disrupt the signal for awhile. It's how well the dish is aligned that determines for how long your service may be out.

70% signal on a clear day will obviously reach that critical point of "break-up" when it rains, than will a 95% signal.

For snow/ice buildup spray some rain-X or pam on the reflector. Won't hurt and helps keep snow and ice from sticking to it.

 

[BryanSat88]

I guess I was talking about signal collecting power, not officially gain. Obviously bigger dishes collect more signal and are more resistant to rain fade. I asked because I notice my "signal strengths" as displayed on my receiver are different for all three satellites coming from a single multi-lnb dish. Maybe it could be the dish is not peaked right on, but the 119 bird might have a little blockage by trees. I was considering setting up multiple dishes, because of the trees and wondered if and how it would affect the other signals' resistance to rainfade (Better/worse/unchanged). I know avoiding the trees would help the 119, but I don't want to hurt my 101.