WS9036 dish & DMX-521 LNBF

[Cham]

Just picked up a new WSI WS9036 and LNB from Galaxy Marketing and hoping to install it soon but I unpacked and assembled it right away. Good packaging seemed to hold up as the cardboard had seen quite a bit of abuse during shipping. There was one small scratch on the reflector edge that may have been from a packaging staple but otherwise the components were all there and look good. I should mention the order took about 5 days to arrive at the destination and ordering was very simple through the Galaxy Marketing website.

Assembly was easy and the assortment of bolts and nuts were well counted... no spare bolts, nuts, or washers. Nice cement anchor bolts provided however I do not require these. Instructions included is basically an exploded view showing the parts and a list of the various hardware fasteners, all numbered on the picture to correspond with the a chart. I have assembled many different dishes in the past and this one was not difficult at all. The size makes it a bit cumbersome to work with which is always an issue with larger dishes (comparing to DBS pizza plates etc). I am including a few pictures showing the package in various stages of assembly.

Will post results once I have the dish up and running comparing to the current 33" dish.

 

[PopcornNMore]

Nice dish. A coworker of mine recently purchased two of these WS9036 dishes. Looking forward to finding out how well they perform.

 

[cmhlab]

Looking forward to the review!

Just picked up a new WSI WS9036 and LNB from Galaxy Marketing and hoping to install it soon but I unpacked and assembled it right away. Good packaging seemed to hold up as the cardboard had seen quite a bit of abuse during shipping. There was one small scratch on the reflector edge that may have been from a packaging staple but otherwise the components were all there and look good. I should mention the order took about 5 days to arrive at the destination and ordering was very simple through the Galaxy Marketing website.

Assembly was easy and the assortment of bolts and nuts were well counted... no spare bolts, nuts, or washers. Nice cement anchor bolts provided however I do not require these. Instructions included is basically an exploded view showing the parts and a list of the various hardware fasteners, all numbered on the picture to correspond with the a chart. I have assembled many different dishes in the past and this one was not difficult at all. The size makes it a bit cumbersome to work with which is always an issue with larger dishes (comparing to DBS pizza plates etc). I am including a few pictures showing the package in various stages of assembly.

Will post results once I have the dish up and running comparing to the current 33" dish.

I'm looking forward to the review also. I've been considering this dish and lnb combination to replace a Direcway elliptical dish setup that I have in place. It's nice to hear about the fast shipping too.

 

[Cham]

OK. Had a bit of spare time this afternoon and managed to change out the dish. Weather acceptable with even overcast and light north breeze, temp around 33F. Took about half an hour to switch things around... had trouble finding my special metric crescent wrench, guess I didn't put it back in the right place after last job.

I lined it up on G19 at 97W which is very close to due south for me. Used quality % readings only. I used the same LNB (QPH-031) with both so we are looking at apples to apples.. I did peak the 33" signals before switching. Installed on the SG2100 motor.

TPs used, digiwave 33", WS9036 Q readings (AzBox Ultra)
12153 H 20000, 71, 93
11929 V 21998, 76, 89
11842 H 21998, 74, 87
11836 V 20765, 66, 70

Over all a really nice improvement without a drastically larger dish. 125W HD channels are at least 10% stronger than before. I did not take readings on 125W before switching but I usually got 40-50% on one of the TPs, now it is in the 60% range.

One small omission I did notice was the lack of an elevation scale on the mounting bracket. I didn't notice this when I assembled the dish last week. Not a problem when one is used to installing satellite equipment but might be troublesome for someone who isn't experienced in the hobby.

Over all was easy to assemble and set up. Unit appears to function as advertised and is built reasonably well for it's price, and I am sure it was a worthwhile purchase.

-C.

 

[cmhlab]

You've got me sold. Thanks for the prompt review. My dish is stationary now, but I'm going to motorize the 36" dish when I get it. I'm excited to see the signal gains that you got with the dish. I'm hoping my experience will be similar. Thanks again for the review.

 

[PopcornNMore]

One small omission I did notice was the lack of an elevation scale on the mounting bracket. I didn't notice this when I assembled the dish last week. Not a problem when one is used to installing satellite equipment but might be troublesome for someone who isn't experienced in the hobby.

Would you please supply a closeup picture of the elevation adjustment on the bracket with the dish adjusted onto a given satellite? My friend who has no experience with FTA received this dish about 3 weeks ago and still hasn't found 1 satellite. A picture would give him a rough estimate as to how to adjust the elevation.

 

[Cham]

Popcorn, My dish is on a motor so the elevation will be off by what ever the declination angle (7 degrees I think) is. Will take a picture for you once the weather streightens up. Should have taken pictures when I installed it, was in a hurry and forgot to bring the camera.
The dish "appears" to have less offset than many I have installed in the past, so your friend might have to increase the elevation just a bit more than what might seem proper.
-C.
edit:
check this posting, the mount is very close except for the elevation adjustment screw:
http://www.satelliteguys.us/free-ai...eguys-special-satellite-av-geosatpro-1-a.html
This one might be set up closer to your latitude as well..

 

[Cham]

Mount & dish pictures

Think I did something wrong attaching these... doesn't look right but are visible. Hope they help.
-C.

 

[neftv]

Will the WS9036 fit on a 2 3/8" dia Pole? I am looking to replace my formal Starband dish which oval 36" but much smaller than the WS9036 which I am sure it will outperform.

 

[Beano_face]

your dish looks just like mine... but mine is stamped "digiwave"...

 

[Cham]

your dish looks just like mine... but mine is stamped "digiwave"...

Wonder who is copying who? Likely many different names printed on the same product. Likely works well too.

"Will the WS9036 fit on a 2 3/8" dia Pole?"
I suspect so but best to ask the manufacturer. There is a link at the top of the page to their web site. I am using a 2" pole and it works well.

-C.

 

[neftv]

"Will the WS9036 fit on a 2 3/8" dia Pole?"
I suspect so but best to ask the manufacturer. There is a link at the top of the page to their web site. I am using a 2" pole and it works well.
-C.

I found out that the WS9036 will fit on a 1 5/8" to 2" pole in case anyone else wants to know. Thanks.

 

[zsat]

I installed one of these dishes a few months ago for myself, "upgrade" from the 76cm winegard. I can tell you that when my direcTV goes out (it is tuned perfectly by me, an installer) the ws9036 never goes out with any weather even severe thunderstorms. and the LNB is great as well.

 

[WSInternational]

Thank You....

ZSat,

Thanks for the kind words. I appreciate it.

 

[AcWxRadar]

Cham,

If your true south sat is 97 W, I wonder if you are from Winnipeg or nearby?
How's the Red River? Are you out of flood danger?

If you are near Winnepeg then you are due north of me (+W or -E). I love fishing the Red for catfish. The Red River is a great deal like the Elkhorn River here. Makes me feel at home. I think that the Red is more prone to higher water, but the Elkhorn River is just as volatile. We didn't cross the border to fish the Red. We stopped around Draighton/Robin on the US side, still a ways from the border.

RADAR

 

[Cham]

Hey Radar next time you are heading up to Drayton send me a pm.. Think there is a good coffee shop in town or in Grafton farther west.

-C.