Worth the hassle?

[mbarnes]

I just picked up an old DirecPC system. It looks like there might be a linear LNB on it. I've got an old receiver from my Mom when she got a new 4DTV (or whatever) receiver. She pulled the VideoCipher module out of it and sent the receiver to me.

What I'm wondering is it worth the hassle of setting up this dish and hooking that receiver to it? I think it is just an NTSC receiver, I'm not sure. Anything on Ku I might see with it? Any particular satellite recommendations? Or should I just leave things piled up until I get an actual DVB receiver?

Thanks.

 

[guapoharry]

Uh, how about a little specificity? (Brand name, model number... stuff like that?)

Do you have a remote control for the receiver?

My guess: Not with that dish...

 

[Mr Tony]

sounds like an analog receiver and there isnt much analog on KU anyways....
The DirecPC dish will work for KU Band and the LNB on there is fine. Do you know the size? There were a couple models

36x20
39x23

 

[mbarnes]

well, I dug through the garage and finally found the box. The receiver is an Echostar 510. I don't know on the DirecPC dish, I don't want to haul a bunch of the stuff out of the shed tonight to measure it, but I'm guessing it is the larger one. It has a big cover over the lnb head. IIRC, it's got two lnbs, looks like one DSS and one VSAT, plus the upconvertor and power amplifier for the uplink side.

 

[Cadsulfide]

Should be good for Ku, slap one of those little red TechSat lnb's on it.

 

[Mr Tony]

the advantage of those Direc PC dishes is they skew (the whole dish....not just the LNB)

 

[mbarnes]

Well, my memory ain't what it used to be. The DirecPC dish is the larger one, 39x23. Despite the bulbous radome, it has but one lnb plus the transmitter, no DSS. It seems there should be plenty of room in there for other things, though. Here are some pictures, I hope. I'm not sure of the exact instructions on putting pictures in posts.

 

[mbarnes]

Looks like the pictures worked.

 

[Mr Tony]

nice dish...i had the same one a while back...

 

[Mr Tony]

just hook the cable to the LNB and dont worry about the transmitter

 

[mbarnes]

OK, so I have a dish and an llnb that should work. Is hooking up the Echostar 510 receiver going to get anything? Any particular bird to point it at?

I'm going to guess that lnb is a single polarity and doesn't flip by voltage change?

 

[Mr Tony]

I assume the 510 is the old Echostar analog and not the Dish DVR known by the same name?

the LNB is dual polarity so it will work just fine for both H & V polarity

 

[mbarnes]

I assume the 510 is the old Echostar analog and not the Dish DVR known by the same name?

Yeah, the old one, from around 1989 or so.

 

[turbosat]

If it has KU band, you should be able to pick up some analog ku, assuming you find any lol.
There's a test card on AMC16 , I believe.

 

[MikeinBaja]

I've played around with one, and they work well for KU. Pull off the transmitter to save the weight.